Abstract:
Apparatus, methods, and systems are disclosed for pairing a first wireless device with a second wireless device and establishing an identifier. The first wireless device transmits to the second wireless device from the first wireless device with the identifier. The first wireless device shares the identifier with a third wireless device. This allows the third device to transmit to the second wireless device appearing as the first wireless device. The first wireless device stops transmitting while the third wireless device transmits. Since the third wireless device used the identifier for the first wireless device, the second wireless device believes is communicating with the first wireless device.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, personal computers, printers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. The Bluetooth specifications are developed and licensed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. 
         [0002]    A fundamental Bluetooth wireless technology strength is the ability to simultaneously handle both data and voice transmissions. This enables users to enjoy variety of innovative solutions such as a hands-free headset for voice calls, printing and fax capabilities, and synchronizing personal digital assistants (PDA), laptop, and mobile phone applications to name a few. 
         [0003]    The inventors have determined that for cost reasons, most Bluetooth devices (such as headsets) can only be paired with one Bluetooth device at a time. Unfortunately, this means that to listen to music on a personal computer as well as answer calls on a cellular phone it may require either two headsets or to repeatedly use the respective Bluetooth control panels to change what device with which the headset is paired. This means that if the headset is playing music from the personal computer while a call comes in, using the headset to answer the call will be difficult to manage and if the pairing is changed too slowly the call may be lost. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram according to an example embodiment. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a method for transferring identifiers between devices when communicating with another device according to an example embodiment. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a method for transferring identifiers between Bluetooth devices when communicating with a third device according to an example embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a system  100  according to an example embodiment. The system  100  comprises a personal computer  110  with a Bluetooth transceiver  113 . The transceiver comprising both a transmitter and a receiver. The personal computer  110  may be connected via a USB (universal serial bus) connection or via a Bluetooth connection to a phone  120 . It is understood that a personal computer includes a laptop computer. It is also understood that a USB connection maybe substituted with other wired or wireless connections, such as Firewire, Wi-Fi, Ethernet or others. The personal computer  110  may also be connected to a mini-computer  112  having a Bluetooth transceiver  114 . The mini-computer may be coupled to the personal computer through a USB connection  116  or inserted into a PCMCIA card slot (personal computer memory card international association) in the personal computer  110 . The mini-computer  112  may be adapted to transmit to a PDA  130  with a Bluetooth transceiver  133  or a cellular device  140  such as a smart phone or cellular phone with a Bluetooth transceiver  143 . The mini-computer may operate when the personal computer is off or in a standby mode to transmit web content to the PDA  130  or cellular phone  140 . When the personal computer  110  is operating, the personal computer  110  may push content to the PDA  130  or cellular phone  140 . When the personal computer  110  shuts down or goes into a sleep mode, the mini computer  112  may transmit using the identifier. The mini-computer  112  may appear to the PDA  130  or cellular phone  140  as the same device as the personal computer  110  by using the same identifier as the personal computer  110 . When the computer  110  goes into sleep mode it passes the baton to the minicomputer  112 . 
         [0008]    With advancements in video game consoles, a video game console  180  may have a Bluetooth transceiver  183 , and may be connected via a USB connection  185  to the cellular phone  140  and via a USB connection  187  to the personal computer  110 . Video game console  180  and personal computer  110  may be connected via a USB connection  195  and  197  respectively to a router/modem  190 . The router/modem  190  may provide access to the internet. In addition a camera  160  may have a Bluetooth transceiver  163  and be connected via a USB connection  117  to personal computer  110 . The system may also include a headset  150  with a Bluetooth transceiver  153 , and a hands free system  155  with a transmitter receiver  157 . The hands free system  155  may be for example, a hands free speaker and microphone for operation in an automobile. In one embodiment, the USB connections may also be wireless connections including Bluetooth or other wireless connections such as a wide area network or Wi-Fi. The system may also include a printer  170 , having a Bluetooth transceiver. While the list of Bluetooth devices included in the system  100  is large, the list is not exhaustive and it should be understood by those skilled in the art that other Bluetooth based devices may be used with system  100 . It should be understood that other wiring configurations of system  100  are possible. However, in this example they have been limited to avoid confusion. 
         [0009]    Bluetooth devices communicate via a protocol distributed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group founded in 1998. Bluetooth devices are paired with each other by sharing information. A link key is a key shared by devices that communicate together, the key authenticates each device to the other device. Communication identifiers may comprise one or more of, an identifier or address, a link key, a Bluetooth profile such as advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP) or audio/video remote control profile (AVRCP or others, a connection key, or session key and connection-type specific context (current volume level, mute on/off etc.). It should also be noted that while the description focuses on Bluetooth communications, it is understood that other forms of wireless communication may substitute for Bluetooth. 
         [0010]    The communication identifiers of the personal computer  110  may be characterized as a “baton”. The personal computer  110  may be referred to as the first wireless device and it will communicate with a second wireless device, for example headset  150 . As an example, the personal computer  110  may send music to the headset  150  via Bluetooth communication protocols. If this “baton” or identifier is provided to a third wireless device in the system, for example the phone  120 , the phone  120  will appear to headset  150  as the personal computer  110 . The identifier may be provided to the phone via the USB connection, a Wi-Fi connection or via a separate logical channel on the same wireless transport mechanism. When the phone  120  has the baton, the personal computer  110  will stop transmitting to the headset  150 , and the phone will transmit to the headset  150 . Whichever device, the phone  120  or the personal computer  110 , has the baton may communicate to the headset  150  via the Bluetooth connection. This baton normally resides with the personal computer  110 , but can be requested and taken ownership of by the phone  120  when a call is placed or received. To avoid the limitation whereby most Bluetooth devices may only be paired with one other Bluetooth device at a time, the baton is passed to the phone  120  to permit the phone  120  to emulate or appear as the personal computer  110 . Essentially the phone  120  is programmed with the same address and link key as the personal computer  110  so that to the headset  150 , personal computer  110  and the phone  120  appear indistinguishable. 
         [0011]    It is possible that multiple wireless devices may have access to the baton. For example, a headset  150  may be paired with a video game console  180 . The video game console  180  may have a connection either via a USB connection or Wi-Fi connection  195  to a router/modem  190 . The router/modem  190  may be connected to the internet and may also provide a connection to the personal computer  110 . The video game console  180  may through the router/modem  190  provide voice communications through the internet. These voice communications may be relayed via the Bluetooth transceiver  183  to headset  150 . The video game console  180  will provide an identifier that may be characterized as a baton when it is paired with headset  150 . A cellular phone may have a USB or Wi-Fi connection  185  with the video game console  180 . When a call is received by the cellular phone  140 , the baton will be transferred from the video game console  180  to the cellular phone  140 . Concurrently the video game console  180  will stop transmitting to the headset  150 . The headset will see the cellular phone  140  as the video game console  180  and the user may take the call on the cellular phone  140  with the headset  150 . When the call is ended, the baton will be returned to the video game console  180 . A call may be received by the personal computer  110  via a voice over internet protocol phone system working with personal computer  110 . In this case the baton may be passed from the video game console  180  to the personal computer  110 . When the call is completed the baton will be returned to the video game console  180 . The headset  150  does not see the changes of devices. Thus the headset  150  believes that it is communicating with the video game console  180  the entire time. 
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a method for transferring identifiers between devices when communicating with another wireless device according to an example embodiment. Method  200  may include activity  210  which may be to pair a first wireless device with a second wireless device. For example, a wireless device may be a personal computer such as personal computer  110  of  FIG. 1 . The second wireless device may be a wireless headset such as a headset  150  of  FIG. 1 . Activity  220  may be to establish an identifier for the first wireless device that the second wireless device will recognize and use to aid communication between the first wireless device and the second wireless device. Activity  230  may be to share the identifier with a third wireless device. The third wireless device may be a cellular phone such as cellular phone  140  of  FIG. 1 . Activity  240  may be for the first wireless device to connect with the second wireless device utilizing the identifier. Activity  250  may be to handoff the identifier to the third wireless device and stop the first wireless device from communicating with the second wireless device. The handoff may be symbolic as the third wireless device may be set up to transmit with the identifier. By shutting off or preventing the first wireless device from transmitting using the identifier, conflicts are avoided. Activity  260  may be to wirelessly connect the third wireless device with the second wireless device. The second wireless device will see the third wireless device as the first wireless device. Activity  270  may be to have the third wireless device hand the identifier to the first wireless device and stop transmitting. Activity  280  may be to wirelessly connect the first wireless device with the second wireless device. 
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a method for transferring identifiers between Bluetooth devices when communicating with a third device according to an example embodiment. At  310  a first wireless device may be paired with a third wireless device. The pairing of the third wireless device with the first wireless device will create an identifier recognized by the third wireless device. The third wireless device may be a cellular phone  140  and the first wireless device may be a headset  150  both of  FIG. 1 . At  320  a second wireless device recognizes the first wireless device and the first wireless device recognizes the second wireless device. The second wireless device may be the hands free system  155  of  FIG. 1 . At  330  the second wireless device requests the identifier from the first wireless device. At  340  the first wireless device may provide the identifier to the second wireless device. The second wireless device may accept the identifier at  350 , communicate with the wireless device and the first wireless device may stop communicating with the device. During operation a user may take a phone call on their cell phone using their headset. They may approach their car and when they start the car, the hands free system may be turned on. When the user&#39;s headset and car see each other, the headset performs a push-based handoff to the hands free system and the hands free speaker phone performs a pull-based handoff from the headset. The identifier is transferred to the hands free system and the user now continues their call on the car&#39;s hands free system. 
         [0014]    The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b) requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. The above description and figures illustrate embodiments of the invention to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.