Granted Patent B1

US 9,497,078 · App. 14/666,685 · Granted Nov 15, 2016

Inventors: Derek Hee Jun Cha (Irvine, CA); Paul Chen (Huntington Beach, CA)

Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

H04L41/0813H04L41/0806H04L41/0896

Abstract

Claims (23)

1. A method of replacing a first network-enabled device with a second network-enabled device within a network, comprising:

placing the second network-enabled device in client mode within the network such that the second network-enabled device is configured to search for the first network-enabled device;

invoking a protocol on the first and second network-enabled devices, the protocol being configured to enable an exchange of at least network name and password information from the first network-enabled device to the second network-enabled device in client mode;

configuring the second network-enabled device in client mode according to the network name and password information obtained from the first network-enabled device;

switching the second network-enabled device from client mode to another mode, enabling the second network-enabled device to replace functionality of the first network-enabled device; and

powering down the first network-enabled device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second network-enabled device is comparatively newer than the first network-enabled device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second network-enabled devices are from different manufacturers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein invoking comprises actuating a button.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the button is a physical button on at least the second network-enabled device.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the button is a virtual button rendered on a display.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protocol comprises invoking a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) protocol.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exchange of the network name and password information is performed through wireless communications.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising testing the second network-enabled device to determine an ability thereof to provide the functionality of the first network-enabled device.

10. A network-enabled device configured to route network traffic in a computer network, the network-enabled device being configured to:

(1) selectively enter into a client mode in which the network-enabled device is configured to search for an other network-enabled device on the computer network;

(2) while in client mode, exchange at least network name and password information with the other network-enabled device on the computer network according to a protocol and self-configure according to the network name and password information obtained from the other network-enabled device; and

(3) selectively remain in client mode and provide limited functionality or switch from client mode to a second mode having additional functionality, the second mode enabling the network-enabled device to replace functionality provided by the other network-enabled device.

11. The network-enabled device of claim 10 , wherein the network-enabled device is further configured to exchange at least the network name and the password information upon a button being actuated.

12. The network-enabled device of claim 11 , wherein the button is a physical button on the network-enabled device.

13. The network-enabled device of claim 11 , wherein the button is a virtual button rendered on a display.

14. The network-enabled device of claim 10 , wherein the protocol comprises a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) protocol.

15. The network-enabled device of claim 10 , wherein the exchange of the network name and password information is performed through wireless communications.

Assignments (8)

Continuity (1)