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Telecommunications

Patent Issued for Facilitating Use of a Device Based on Short-Range Wireless Technology

2012 AUG 22 (VerticalNews) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Telecommunications Weekly -- Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA) has been issued patent number 8238938, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by VerticalNews editors.

The patent's inventors are Panabaker, Ruston (Bellevue, WA); DeMaio, Pasquale (Bellevue, WA).

This patent was filed on April 26, 2010 and was cleared and issued on August 7, 2012.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: "A user of a processing device, such as a personal computer, may arrange multiple display monitors on a desk for use with the processing device. Such an arrangement requires the user to have a significant level of skill to configure the multiple display monitors to properly work with the processing device, given a relative location of the multiple display monitors with respect to one another, an orientation of the multiple display monitors, and types and capabilities of the multiple display monitors. For example, the user may need to take initiative to discover display monitor sharing technologies and to learn how to configure multiple display monitors to share display screens. Further, when configuring a second display monitor to work with a processing device and a first display monitor, the processing device may assume that the second display monitor has a specific relative location to the first display monitor. For example, the processing device may assume that the second display monitor is physically located on a right side of the first display monitor, thereby requiring the user to indicate to the processing device a correct relative physical location of the second display monitor with respect to the first display monitor when the second display monitor does not have the relative location assumed by the processing device.

"A user of a processing device, such as a personal computer, may arrange multiple display monitors on a desk for use with the processing device. Such an arrangement requires the user to have a significant level of skill to configure the multiple display monitors to properly work with the processing device, given a relative location of the multiple display monitors with respect to one another, an orientation of the multiple display monitors, and types and capabilities of the multiple display monitors. For example, the user may need to take initiative to discover display monitor sharing technologies and to learn how to configure multiple display monitors to share display screens. Further, when configuring a second display monitor to work with a processing device and a first display monitor, the processing device may assume that the second display monitor has a specific relative location to the first display monitor. For example, the processing device may assume that the second display monitor is physically located on a right side of the first display monitor, thereby requiring the user to indicate to the processing device a correct relative physical location of the second display monitor with respect to the first display monitor when the second display monitor does not have the relative location assumed by the processing device."

Supplementing the background information on this patent, VerticalNews reporters also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent: "This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that is further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

"In embodiments consistent with the subject matter of this disclosure, a first device, to be used with a processing device, may include a short-range wireless transmitter. A second device, to be used with the processing device, may include one or more short-range wireless readers for reading a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless transmitter. In some embodiments, the short-range wireless transmitter may be a portable contactless smartcard transceiver attached to, or embedded within, the first device. When the first device is placed near the second device, the short-range wireless transmitter of the first device may transmit a signal, which may be received by the one or more short-range wireless readers of the second device. The signal may include an identification of the first device, which may indicate a type of the first device, and may include other information. Information from the signal, along with related information, such as, for example, signal strength information from the one or more short-range wireless readers, may be sent to a processor of the processing device, which may use the signal strength information to determine a relative location of the first device. Information about the relative location of the first device may be used by the processing device to facilitate use of the first device with the processing device. In one embodiment, the first device and the second device may be display monitors and the information about the relative location of the first device may include information about the relative location of one of the display monitors with respect to another of the display monitors.

"In other embodiments, the devices may be other types of devices. For example, in an embodiment consistent with the subject matter of this disclosure, the first device may be a digital camera including a short-range wireless transmitter, and the second device may be a component of a processing device, such as, for example, a keyboard having one or more short-range wireless readers for reading a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless transmitter. When the digital camera is placed close to the keyboard, the one or more short-range wireless readers may read a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless transmitter. An identification of the digital camera, which may be included in the short-range signal, may be provided to a processor of the processing device, along with signal strength information from the one or more short-range wireless readers. Based, at least in part, on the signal strength information, the processor may determine a relative location of the digital camera and may provide feedback to a user to facilitate use of the digital camera with the processing device. In one embodiment, the feedback may include step-by-step instructions for a user to configure the processing device for use with the digital camera."

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Panabaker, Ruston; DeMaio, Pasquale. Facilitating Use of a Device Based on Short-Range Wireless Technology. U.S. Patent Number 8238938, filed April 26, 2010, and issued August 7, 2012. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=30&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1472&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=20120807.PD.&OS=ISD/20120807&RS=ISD/20120807

Keywords for this news article include: Wireless Technology, Microsoft Corporation.