Method, Apparatus And Computer Program Product For Creating A Wireless Docking Group

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed to enable simplified configuring of a wireless docking group for wireless devices by allowing a wireless device to communicate its capabilities and characteristics of one or more wireless devices within a wireless docking group, using a new Wireless Docking Protocol, to a wireless docking station that will use that information and the Wireless Docking Protocol to define an optimal set of connections for wireless devices in the wireless docking group.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, at dockee device, the method comprising:
 forming a wireless communication link between a wireless docking station and the dockee device;   providing, to the wireless docking station, from the dockee device via the wireless communication link, information about capabilities of the dockee device; and   receiving, from the wireless docking station via the wireless communication link, data to enable formation of wireless connectivity, via the wireless docking station, between the dockee device and one or more devices in a docking group associated with the wireless docking station, wherein the wireless connectivity is established using one or more connections defined by the wireless docking station using the information about the capabilities of the dockee device provided to the wireless docking station and information about characteristics of the one or more devices in the docking group associated with the wireless docking station.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein information about capabilities of the dockee device are provided using a docking protocol. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising joining an infrastructure network having an access point, using a first protocol stack and forming a peer-to-peer connection with the dockee device, using a second protocol stack. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication link is a Wi-Fi direct network. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication link is a Tunneled Direct Link Setup connection. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing, to the wireless docking station, from the dockee device via the wireless communication link, information about capabilities of wireless devices within a wireless docking group. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the wireless docking group includes a group owner that manages the wireless docking group. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein multiple wireless devices simultaneously participate in multiple wireless docking groups. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus including a dockee device, the apparatus comprising:
 a processor and a memory including computer program code, wherein the memory and the computer program code, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to:   form a wireless communication link between a wireless docking station and the dockee device;   provide, to the wireless docking station, from the dockee device via the wireless communication link, information about capabilities of the dockee device; and   receive, from the wireless docking station via the wireless communication link, data to enable formation of wireless connectivity, via the wireless docking station, between the dockee device and one or more devices in a docking group associated with the wireless docking station, wherein the wireless connectivity is established using one or more connections defined by the wireless docking station using the information about the capabilities of the dockee device provided to the wireless docking station and information about characteristics of the one or more devices in the docking group associated with the wireless docking station.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the computer code further causes the processor to provide, to the wireless docking station, from the dockee device via the wireless communication link, information about capabilities of wireless devices within a wireless docking group. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the wireless docking group includes a group owner that manages the wireless docking group. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein multiple wireless devices simultaneously participate in multiple wireless docking groups. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the computer code further causes the processor to receive an optimal set of connections for wireless devices to the wireless docking station. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the computer code further causes the processor to select one of the optimal set of connections for the dockee device. 
     
     
         15 . A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable, non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code, when executed by a computer processor, comprising:
 instructions that form a wireless communication link between a wireless docking station and a dockee device;   instructions that provide, to the wireless docking station, from the dockee device via the wireless communication link, information about capabilities of the dockee device; and   instructions that receive, from the wireless docking station via the wireless communication link, data to enable formation of wireless connectivity, via the wireless docking station, between the dockee device and one or more devices in a docking group associated with the wireless docking station, wherein the wireless connectivity is established using one or more connections defined by the wireless docking station using the information about the capabilities of the dockee device provided to the wireless docking station and information about characteristics of the one or more devices in the docking group associated with the wireless docking station.   
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that join an infrastructure network having an access point, using a first protocol stack and forming a peer-to-peer connection with the dockee device, using a second protocol stack. 
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that provide, to the wireless docking station, from the dockee device via the wireless communication link, information about capabilities of wireless devices within a wireless docking group. 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that receive an optimal set of connections for wireless devices to the wireless docking station. 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 18 , further comprising instructions that form direct connections with one or more wireless devices based on the received optimal set of connections. 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , further comprising instructions that select one of the optimal set of connections for the dockee device.