IP Library Granted Patent US 10,782,799
Granted Patent B2
US 10,782,799 · App. 14/276,260 · Granted Sep 22, 2020

Smart pen pairing and connection

Inventors: John Weldon Nicholson (Cary, NC); Scott Edwards Kelso (Cary, NC); Steven Richard Perrin (Raleigh, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
G06F3/03545G06F3/0383G06F3/041G06F2203/0384H04W4/80
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,782,799
App. No.
14/276,260
Granted
Sep 22, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

An embodiment provides a method, including: communicating data from a smart pen to a device using a pen input data channel having a first bandwidth; said data including short range wireless connection data; establishing, using said data, a short range wireless connection between the smart pen and the device; and communicating, in a connected condition, higher bandwidth data between the smart pen and the device using the short range wireless connection. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims (42)

1. A method, comprising:

communicating, using a low bandwidth digital communication mechanism, location data from a smart pen to a writing surface of a device using a pen input data channel having a bandwidth;

said low bandwidth digital communication mechanism being extended to comprise automated short range wireless first time pairing data comprising a pairing passcode;

communicating, from the smart pen to the writing surface of the device, the first time pairing data using the low bandwidth digital communication mechanism based on a policy;

establishing, using said first time pairing data, a short range wireless connection between the smart pen and the writing surface of the device, wherein the short range wireless connection is different from the pen input data channel; and

thereafter communicating, in a connected condition, data requiring a bandwidth greater than the bandwidth of the pen input data channel, between the smart pen and the device using the short range wireless connection, wherein said smart pen continues to communicate said location data associated with the smart pen to the writing surface of the device using the low bandwidth digital communication mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the higher bandwidth data includes data selected from the group consisting of a media file, sensor data, and pen button data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said pen input channel is used actively by said smart pen to communicate pen input location data to the writing surface of the device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said the writing surface is selected from the group consisting of a touch screen, a digitizer, and a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating data from the smart pen to a second device using the pen input data channel, said data including the first time pairing data.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

establishing a short range wireless connection between the smart pen and the second device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising automatically switching a connection between the smart pen and the writing surface of the device and the second device based on a factor selected from the group consisting of proximity and pen input data channel communication.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein communicating, in a connected condition, higher bandwidth data between the smart pen and the device using the short range wireless connection comprises communicating the higher bandwidth data from the smart pen to the device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein communicating, in a connected condition, higher bandwidth data between the smart pen and the device using the short range wireless connection comprises communicating the higher bandwidth data to the smart pen from the device.

10. A device, comprising:

a writing surface that accepts smart pen input;

a display;

a processor operatively coupled to the writing surface and the display; and

a memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to:

receive location data from a smart pen at the writing surface of the device using a pen input data channel having a first bandwidth;

said location data being communicated according to a low bandwidth digital communication mechanism that has been extended to comprise short range wireless first time pairing data comprising a pairing passcode;

receive, from the smart pen to the writing surface of the device, the first time pairing data using the low bandwidth digital communication mechanism;

establish, using said first time pairing data, a short range wireless connection with the smart pen, wherein the short range wireless connection is different from the pen input data channel; and

thereafter communicate, in a connected condition with the smart pen, data requiring a bandwidth greater than the bandwidth of the pen input data channel, using the short range wireless connection, wherein said writing surface continues to receive said location data associated with the smart pen from the smart pen using the low bandwidth digital communication mechanism, wherein the communicating comprises a plurality of pairings with a plurality of devices, wherein each of the plurality of pairings comprises a unique data transfer.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the higher bandwidth data includes data selected from the group consisting of a media file, sensor data, and pen button data.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein said pen input data channel is used actively by said smart pen to communicate pen input location data to the writing surface of the device.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein said writing surface is selected from the group consisting of a touch screen, a digitizer and a combination thereof.

14. The device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to receive data from another smart pen at the writing surface of the device using a pen input data channel, said data including the first time pairing data.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

establish a short range wireless connection between the another smart pen and the device.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to automatically switch a connection between a smart pen and the device based on a factor selected from the group consisting of proximity and pen input data channel communication.

17. The device of claim 10 , wherein to communicate, in a connected condition, higher bandwidth data using the short range wireless connection comprises communicating the higher bandwidth data from the device to the smart pen.

18. A smart pen, comprising:

a tip; and

a body;

the body includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to:

transmit, using a low bandwidth digital communication mechanism, location data to a writing surface of a device using a pen input data channel;

said low bandwidth digital communication mechanism being extended to comprise automated short range wireless first time pairing data comprising a pairing passcode;

communicating, from the smart pen to the writing surface of the device, the first time pairing data using the low bandwidth digital communication mechanism based on a policy;

establish, using said first time pairing data, a short range wireless connection with the writing surface of the device, wherein the short range wireless connection is different from the pen input data channel; and

thereafter communicate, in a connected condition with the device, data requiring a bandwidth greater than the bandwidth of the pen input data channel, using the short range wireless connection, wherein said smart pen continues to communicate said location data associated with the smart pen to the writing surface of the device using the low bandwidth digital communication mechanism, wherein the communicating comprises a plurality of pairings with a plurality of devices, wherein each of the plurality of pairings comprises a unique data transfer.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 069870/0670 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2022
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 060651/0634 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 15, 2014
From: NICHOLSON, JOHN WELDON; KELSO, SCOTT EDWARDS; PERRIN, STEVEN RICHARD
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 033315/0350 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150331501A1 · Nov 19, 2015
Cited By (1)
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