Rechargeable wireless adapters
View Patent ↗Charging a battery is disclosed. An electrical connection is formed between a wireless adapter having a battery and a host. The wireless adapter is configured to be able to be removably coupled to a device to provide a wireless channel between the device and the host. The battery of the wireless adapter is charged using the host.
1. A method of charging including:
forming a first electrical connection directly between a first wireless adapter having a battery and a second wireless adapter without an intermediary device, wherein:
the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter are configured to provide wireless communications capability for a legacy device that does not have wireless communication capabilities and a host that does not have wireless communication capabilities by coupling, respectively, to the legacy device and the host and exchanging data on a wireless channel on behalf of the legacy device or the host to which the first wireless adapter or the second wireless adapter is respectively coupled during a data exchange mode; and
the first wireless adapter is configured to be able to be removably coupled to the legacy device to provide the wireless channel between the device and the host;
forming a second electrical connection directly between the second wireless adapter and the host without an intermediary device; and
charging the battery of the first wireless adapter via the second wireless adapter using the host.
2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless channel is associated with Ultra Wideband (UWB).
3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless channel is associated with a WiMedia specification.
4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein charging the battery includes using Universal Serial Bus (USB).
5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein charging the battery includes using ExpressCard.
6. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless adapter includes a memory.
7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising indicating that charging the battery has completed.
8. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein forming the second electrical connection includes removably coupling the second wireless adapter to the host.
9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising obtaining an encryption key while the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter are removably coupled.
10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining whether the first wireless adapter is in a charging mode, wherein charging occurs in the event the first wireless adapter is in a charging mode.
11. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
breaking the first electrical connection between the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter;
removably coupling the first wireless adapter to the legacy device; and
wirelessly exchanging data between the legacy device and the host using the first wireless adapter.
12. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
breaking the first electrical connection between the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter;
removably coupling the first wireless adapter to the legacy device;
removably coupling the second wireless adapter to the host; and
wirelessly exchanging data between the device and the host using the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter.
13. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
breaking the first electrical connection between the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter;
removably coupling the first wireless adapter to the legacy device; and
wirelessly exchanging data between the legacy device and the host using the first wireless adapter, wherein the first wireless adapter is in a power save mode for a non-zero period of time when not wirelessly exchanging data.
14. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
while the first wireless adapter is coupled to the second wireless adapter, the first wireless adapter is in a lower power state.
15. A system for charging including:
a first connector configured to form a first electrical connection directly between a first wireless adapter having a battery and a second wireless adapter without an intermediary device, wherein:
the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter are configured to provide wireless communications capability for a legacy device that does not have wireless communication capabilities and a host that does not have wireless communication capabilities by coupling, respectively, to the legacy device and the host and exchanging data on a wireless channel on behalf of the legacy device or the host to which the first wireless adapter or the second wireless adapter is respectively coupled during a data exchange mode; and
the first wireless adapter is configured to be able to be removably coupled to the legacy device to provide the wireless channel between the device and the host;
a second connector configured to form a second electrical connection directly between the second wireless adapter and the host without an intermediary device; and
a battery charger configured to charge the battery of the first wireless adapter via the second wireless adapter using the host.
16. A system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the battery charger is configured to charge the battery using Universal Serial Bus (USB).
17. A system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the battery charger is configured to charge the battery includes using ExpressCard.
18. A system as recited in claim 15 further comprising a processor configured to obtain an encryption key while the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter are removably coupled.
19. A computer program product for charging, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instruction for:
forming a first electrical connection directly between a first wireless adapter having a battery and a second wireless adapter without an intermediary device, wherein:
the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter are configured to provide wireless communications capability for a legacy device that does not have wireless communication capabilities and a host that does not have wireless communication capabilities by coupling, respectively, to the legacy device and the host and exchanging data on a wireless channel on behalf of the legacy device or the host to which the first wireless adapter or the second wireless adapter is respectively coupled during a data exchange mode; and
the first wireless adapter is configured to be able to be removably coupled to the legacy device to provide the wireless channel between the device and the host;
forming a second electrical connection directly between the second wireless adapter and the host without an intermediary device; and
charging the battery of the first wireless adapter via the second wireless adapter using the host.
20. A computer program product as recited in claim 19 , wherein the computer instructions for charging the battery include computer instructions for using Universal Serial Bus (USB).
21. A computer program product as recited in claim 19 , wherein the computer instructions for charging the battery include computer instructions for using ExpressCard.
22. A computer program product as recited in claim 19 ,
the computer program product further comprising computer instructions for obtaining an encryption key while the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter are removably coupled.
23. A computer program product as recited in claim 19 , the computer program product further comprising computer instructions for:
breaking first the electrical connection between the first wireless adapter and the second wireless adapter;
removably coupling the first wireless adapter to the legacy device; and
wirelessly exchanging data between the legacy device and the host using the first wireless adapter.