Connection method and system

Abstract

A method for connecting an appliance (100) to an external server (120) is disclosed. The method comprises: - displaying (304) on a display (108) of the appliance a visual code (VC) representing first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection (WC1) between the appliance and a mobile device (140), said first connectivity information comprising at least one out of: - a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection (WC1), and - a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection (WC1). The method further comprises: - obtaining (306) the visual code through a camera unit (160) of the mobile device and identifying the first connectivity information based on the visual code; - setting-up (310, 312; 320, 322; 330, 332; 340, 342) said first wireless connection (WC1) between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information;- providing (314; 324; 334; 344) to the appliance, over the first wireless connection (WC1), second connectivity information for connecting to an access point (116) in a wireless communication system;- connecting the appliance to the access point using said second connectivity information; and - connecting the appliance to the external server through said access point.

Description

[0001] CONNECTION METHOD AND SYSTEM

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] Background

[0004] Field

[0005] The present invention generally relates to methods and systems for managing electric / electronic devices, such as electric appliances. Particularly, the present invention relates to methods and systems for connecting an electric / electronic device.

[0006] Overview of the related art

[0007] In recent years, there has been rapid advancement in connected or smart environments. A typical connected or smart environment is implemented by a wireless communication network (e.g., a Wi-Fi™ communication network) and allows client devices connected to (or accessing) the wireless communication network to connect to each other and / or to other (external) communication network (such as the Internet network), for example for connecting to a remote server.

[0008] An increasing number of electric appliances (both household appliances for domestic use and professional appliances for professional use) now offer networking capability supporting connectivity to a wireless communication network (for example by establishing connection with a Wi-Fi router), and therefore to external communication networks, like the Internet. In this way, the electric appliances are able to connect to remote servers of an appliance management system implementing a (remote) management (e.g., customer support, maintenance, repair) service.

[0009] However, the operations required to configure the connection of an appliance to a wireless communication network can be rather complicated, and not be within the reach of all kinds of users. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the display interfaces of the appliances are generally less user-friendly than those of other electronic devices such as smartphones.

[0010] For this reason, methods and systems have been developed to facilitate operations for establishing connection of an appliance to a wireless communication network, which provide for exploiting other more user-friendly communication devices, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

[0011] Summary of the present invention

[0012] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for connecting an appliance to an external server comprising: displaying on a display of the appliance a visual code representing first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection between the appliance and a mobile device.

[0013] The first connectivity information comprises at least one out of:

[0014] - a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection, and

[0015] - a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection.

[0016] The method further comprises obtaining the visual code through a camera unit of the mobile device and identifying the first connectivity information based on the visual code.

[0017] The method further comprises setting-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information.

[0018] The method further comprises providing to the appliance, over the first wireless connection, second connectivity information for connecting to an access point in a wireless communication system.

[0019] The method further comprises connecting the appliance to the access point using said second connectivity information.

[0020] The method further comprises connecting the appliance to the external server through said access point.

[0021] In this way, the appliance can be configured to connect to the external server in an efficient and secure way, at the same time without requiring the execution of complicated operations.

[0022] Taking the role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection may comprise sending a request to connect to the other device in response to a message broadcast by that other device. Accordingly, if the first connectivity information indicates that the appliance is to take the role of initiator, setting up said first wireless connection may comprise, at the appliance side, the appliance sending a request to the connect to the mobile device and, at the mobile device side, the mobile device receiving that request. Conversely, if the first connectivity information indicates that the mobile device is to take the role as the initiator, setting up said first wireless connection may comprise, at the mobile device side, the mobile device sending a request to connect to the appliance and, at the appliance side, the appliance receiving that request.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises, at the appliance, carrying out an analysis of current conditions of the appliance and / or of the environment wherein the appliance is located, and dynamically generating the first connectivity information based on said analysis.

[0024] In this way, the first wireless connection between the appliance and the mobile device exploited to allow the appliance to connect to the external server can be advantageously configured with parameters tuned according to the actual condition of the appliance and / or of the environment wherein the appliance is located.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises setting the role parameter to indicate that the appliance is to take the initiator role if at least one of the following conditions cl), c2), c3) is verified: cl) the appliance has an existing wireless connection and the appliance did not take the initiator role in the establishment of the existing wireless connection; c2) available memory resources of the appliance are lower than a memory resource threshold; and c3) CPU utilisation in the appliance is higher than a CPU resource threshold.

[0026] In this way, the first wireless connection between the appliance and the mobile device is setup by taking into account which is the best candidate, out of the appliance and the mobile device, to initiate the establishment of the connection based on their current conditions.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said setting-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information comprises setting-up said first wireless connection exploiting a frequency band based on said communication channel parameter. The communication channel parameter may further indicate a frequency channel within the frequency band. The frequency channel being one of a set of frequency channels within the band. Setting-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information may comprise setting-up said first wireless connection exploiting a frequency channel based on said communication channel parameter.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises setting the communication channel parameter based on at least one among;

[0029] - the geographical location wherein the appliance is installed;

[0030] - data traffic on the frequency bands of the set of frequency channels; and

[0031] - signal strength on the frequency channels of the set of frequency channels.

[0032] In this way, the first wireless connection is advantageously set-up using a frequency band / channel that has been selected among the available ones based on the conditions of the appliance and / or of the environment wherein the appliance is located.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said first connectivity information further comprises a connectivity parameter indicative of a selected wireless technology among a set of wireless technologies. In this way, if more than one wireless technology is possible, the appliance can indicate the most appropriate wireless technology.

[0034] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said setting-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information comprises setting-up said first wireless connection using a wireless technology based on said connectivity parameter.

[0035] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises the appliance setting the connectivity parameter based on wireless technology capabilities of the appliance.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said selected wireless technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology and said setting-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance comprises:

[0037] - the one out of the appliance and the mobile device which does not have said role of initiator setting-up a Wi-Fi access point; and

[0038] - the other one scanning for accessing points and initiating connection to said Wi-Fi access point.

[0039] In other words, when the first wireless connection is selected to be a Wi-Fi connection, one apparatus (the mobile device or the appliance) sets-up a local Wi-Fi access point - for example by activating a Wi-Fi Soft AP mode-, and the other apparatus (the appliance or the mobile device) connects to the local Wi-Fi access point - for example by activating a Wi-Fi STA(tion) mode. The apparatus connecting to the local Wi-Fi access point is the apparatus having the role of initiator.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said selected wireless technology is a Bluetooth communication technology and said setting-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance comprises:

[0041] - the one out of the appliance and the mobile device which takes the role of initiator operating as a Bluetooth central device; and

[0042] - the other one, out of the appliance and the mobile device, operating as a Bluetooth peripheral device.

[0043] In other words, when the first wireless connection is selected to be a Bluetooth connection, one apparatus (the mobile device or the appliance) operates as a Bluetooth central device, and the other apparatus (the appliance or the mobile device) operates as a Bluetooth peripheral device. The apparatus operating as a Bluetooth central device is the apparatus having the role of initiator.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said visual code is a Quick Response QR code.

[0045] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said second connectivity information comprises a name identifying said access point.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said access point is provided by a Wi-Fi router device external to the appliance.

[0047] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method, comprising displaying on a display of a first device visual data representing first connectivity information for establishing a wireless connection between the first device and a second device. The visual data may be suitable for being captured by a camera application of the first device.

[0048] The connectivity information comprising at least one out of:

[0049] - a role parameter indicative of a role of the first and / or second device for establishing the wireless connection, and

[0050] - a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the wireless connection.

[0051] The method further comprises setting-up said wireless connection between the first and the second devices based on the connectivity information. The method may further comprise receiving by the first device from the second device, via the wireless connection, second connectivity information for connecting the first device to a third device.

[0052] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a corresponding method in the second device comprising capturing the visual data on the display of the first device through a camera application of the second device, identifying the connectivity information based on the visual data and setting-up the wireless connection based on the connectivity information The method may comprise sending from the second device to the first device, via the wireless connection, further connectivity information for connecting the first device to a third device.

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises:

[0054] - the first device carrying out an analysis of current conditions of the first device and / or of the environment wherein the first device is located, and

[0055] - the first device dynamically generating the first connectivity information based on said analysis.

[0056] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an appliance.

[0057] The appliance comprises one or more processor units configured to generate first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection between the appliance and a mobile device. The first connectivity information comprises at least one out of:

[0058] - a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection; and

[0059] - a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection.

[0060] The appliance comprises a display unit configured to display a visual code representing said first connectivity information.

[0061] The appliance comprises a communication interface.

[0062] The one or more processor units are configured to control the communication interface to set-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information.

[0063] The one or more processor units are configured to receive from the mobile device, via said communication interface and said first wireless connection, second connectivity information for establishing a second wireless connection between the appliance and an access point.

[0064] The one or more processor units are configured to control the communication interface to establish the second wireless connection to the access point exploiting said second connectivity information.

[0065] The one or more processor units are configured to control the communication interface to connect the appliance to an external server through said access point.

[0066] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more processor units are configured to:

[0067] - carry out an analysis of current conditions of the appliance and / or of the environment wherein the appliance is located, and

[0068] - dynamically generate the first connectivity information based on said analysis.

[0069] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more processor units are configured to:

[0070] - set the role parameter to indicate that the appliance is to take the initiator role if at least one of the following conditions cl), c2), c3) is verified: cl) the appliance has an existing wireless connection and the appliance did not take the initiator role in the establishment of the existing wireless connection; c2) available memory resources of the appliance are lower than a memory resource threshold, and c3) CPU utilisation in the appliance is higher than a CPU resource threshold. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more processor units are configured to control the communication unit to set-up said first wireless connection exploiting a frequency band based on said communication channel parameter.

[0071] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication channel parameter indicates a selected frequency channel among a set of frequency channels within the frequency band.

[0072] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more processor units are configured to set the communication channel parameter based on at least one among;

[0073] - the geographical location wherein the appliance is installed;

[0074] - data traffic on the frequency channels of the set of frequency channels; and

[0075] - signal strength on the frequency channels of the set of frequency channels.

[0076] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, said first connectivity information further comprises a connectivity parameter indicative of a selected wireless technology among a set of wireless technologies.

[0077] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more processor units are configured to drive the communication interface to set-up said first wireless connection using a wireless technology based on said connectivity parameter.

[0078] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more processor units are configured to set the connectivity parameter based on wireless technology capabilities of the appliance.

[0079] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processor units of an appliance, cause the one or more processor units to carry out the following steps:

[0080] - generate first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection between the appliance and a mobile device, said first connectivity information comprising at least one out of:

[0081] - a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection; and

[0082] - a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection;

[0083] - control a display unit to display a visual code representing said first connectivity information; and

[0084] - control a communication interface to set-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information; - receive from the mobile device, through said first wireless connection and the communication interface, second connectivity information for establishing a second wireless connection between the appliance and an access point;

[0085] - control the communication unit to connect to the access point through the second wireless connection exploiting said second connectivity information; and

[0086] - control the communication unit to connect the appliance to an external server via said access point.

[0087] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processor units of a mobile device, cause the one or more processor units to carry out the following steps:

[0088] - obtain from a camera unit of the mobile device data corresponding to a visual code displayed on a display unit of an appliance representing first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection between the appliance and the mobile device, said first connectivity information comprising at least one out of:

[0089] - a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection; and

[0090] - a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection;

[0091] - identify the first connectivity information based on the visual code;

[0092] - cause a communication interface of the mobile device to set-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information; and

[0093] - cause the communication interface to communicate to the appliance, through said first wireless connection, second connectivity information for establishing a second wireless connection between the appliance and an access point.

[0094] Brief description of the drawings

[0095] Figure 1 schematically depicts an example of an appliance and a system for connecting the appliance to a remote server;

[0096] Figure 2 is an exemplary flow chart showing operations for connecting the appliance to an access point of the system of Figure 1;

[0097] Figures 3A-3D show swim-lane activity diagrams of a method for managing the connection of the appliance to an access point of Figure 1 in four different exemplary cases; and Figure 4 schematically depicts an example of a mobile device in the system of Figure 1.

[0098] Detailed description

[0099] With reference to the drawings, Figure 1 schematically depicts an electric appliance, identified with reference 100.

[0100] Without losing generality, the electric appliance 100 may comprise any household appliance for domestic use or professional appliance for professional use. Examples of electric appliances include, but are not limited to, microwave ovens, toasters, de-humidifiers, food processors, fans, vacuum cleaners, coffeemakers, freezers, refrigerators, water coolers, ice makers, kitchen stoves, cooking hobs, ovens, washing machines, tumble dryers, combined washing machine / tumble dryers, dishwashers, and air conditioners).

[0101] In the following, only components of the electric appliance 100 deemed relevant for the understanding of the present disclosure will be discussed for the sake of conciseness.

[0102] It should be noted that the terms ‘unit’, “system’, ‘module’ are herein intended to comprise, but not limited to, hardware, software, including firmware, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0103] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the electric appliance 100 comprises a control unit 105 configured to control an operation of the electric appliance 100. According to an embodiment, the control unit 105 is configured to control the operation of the electric appliance 100 by driving corresponding (not illustrated) electric, electronic, electromechanical, electromagnetic and / or hydraulic apparatuses / systems / modules / units of the electric appliance 100 based on one or more functionalities (e.g., selected operation programs) of the electric appliance 100. For example, the control unit 105 may comprise one or more processor units including one or more microprocessors or microcontroller units (MCUs). The control unit may comprise a central processing unit. In some implementations it may also comprise one or more application MCUs and one or more communication MCUs.

[0104] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric appliance 100 comprises a display 108 (such as an LCD or a LED display) configured to display information regarding the operations performed (or to be performed) by the electric appliance 100 as well as information regarding the state of the electric appliance. For example, the display 108 may be configured to display information regarding a functionality (program) of the electric appliance 100 and / or operational parameters influencing the selected functionality (program).

[0105] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 is configured to control the operation of the electric appliance 100 according to commands submitted by a user of the electric appliance 100 through a user interface 109 of the electric appliance 100. The submitted commands may specify the selection of the functionality of the electric appliance 100 and / or operational parameters influencing the selected functionality.

[0106] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display 108 and the user interface 108 may be integrated in a single unit, such as in a touchscreen display.

[0107] Without losing generality, the display 108 and the user interface 109 may for example be provided on (e.g., a front panel of) the electric appliance 100.

[0108] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric appliance 100 further comprises a communication interface 110 configured to allow data communication between the electric appliance 100 and other devices and apparatuses via wireless connections. The communication interface 110 is coupled to the control unit 105. It may be controlled via one or more communication MCUs in the control unit or it may comprise one or more communication MCUs in communication with a central processing unit of the control unit.

[0109] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface 110 comprises a communication module 114 for allowing wireless connection of the household appliance 100 to an access point 116 in a wireless communication system. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication module 114 is a Wi-Fi communication module, and the access point 116 is provided by a Wi-Fi router device external to the electric appliance 100.

[0110] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the access point 116 is configured for allowing communication with an external communication network 118, such as a public communication network (e.g., the Internet) or a private communication network, through which the electric appliance 100 may exchange (transmit / receive) data with one or more remote servers 120 of an appliance management system implementing a (remote) management (e.g., customer support, maintenance, repair, monitoring, control) service for the electric appliance 100. The servers may form part of a data storage and processing cloud providing remote data storage and processing services.

[0111] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface 110 further comprises a communication module 130 for allowing wireless connection of the electric appliance 100 to a mobile device 140 (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop). The communication interface may allow the electric appliance 100 to communicate with the mobile device in a wireless personal area network (WPAN). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication module 130 is a short-range communication module exploiting the Bluetooth™ technology. For example, the communication module may be a communication module operating according to the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) specification.

[0112] Although specific types of communication technologies have been described herein it will be appreciated that any type of suitable communication technologies, and corresponding communication modules, may be used for data communication between the electric appliance 100, the mobile device 140 and / or the remote servers 120.

[0113] In some embodiments, the Wi-Fi communication module 114 may also allow wireless connection of the electric appliance 100 directly to the mobile device 140 (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop). Additionally, the Wi-Fi communication module 114 may allow wireless connection of the electric appliance 100 to the mobile device 140 via the remote data storage and processing cloud to allow, for example, the appliance to be monitored and controlled by the mobile device 140. In some of embodiments, the communication interface may only support a single communication technology, for example Wi-Fi and may only comprise a single communication module 114, for example, the WiFi communication module 114. Accordingly, the second communication module 130 may be omitted.

[0114] The electric appliance 100 further comprises memory and storage 150 for storing software and data. The control unit may be configured to execute a computer program, comprising computer program instructions, stored in memory to carry out some of the methods described herein. At least part of the memory may be internal memory of the control unit 105.

[0115] By making reference to the flow chart illustrated in Figure 2 in combination with Figure 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric appliance 100 is configured to be easily and efficiently connected to the access point 116 (and therefore to the one or more remote servers 120) through the following operations: obtaining first connectivity information CH (block 200); displaying data representing the first connectivity information CH on the display (block 210); setting-up a first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 based on the first connectivity information CH (block 215); receiving from the mobile device 140 second connectivity information CI2 via the first wireless connection WC1 (block 220); and setting-up a second wireless connection WC2 between the electric appliance 100 and the access point 116 based on the second connectivity information CI2 (block 230).

[0116] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connectivity information CH comprises a connectivity parameter CP indicative of a selected wireless technology among a set of wireless technologies. By making reference to the example at issue, in which the communication interface 110 comprises a Wi-Fi communication module 114 and a Bluetooth communication module 130, the connectivity parameter CP may specify whether the first wireless connection WC1 is a WiFi connection or a Bluetooth connection. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connectivity information CH comprises a role parameter RP indicative of which one, out of the mobile device 140 and the electric appliance 100, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection WC1. Where the connectivity information includes a connectivity parameter CP as described above, the first connectivity information CH may comprise the role parameter RP in addition to the connectivity parameter CP. For example, in case the first wireless connection WC1 is a Wi-Fi connection, the role parameter RP may specify that the initiator of the first wireless connection WC1, i.e., the entity who requests the establishment of the first wireless connection WC1, is the mobile device 140 (in this case, the Wi-Fi communication module 114 of the appliance will operate in software enabled access point (SoftAP) mode and generate a local Wi-Fi access point, and the mobile device 140 will operate in station (STA) mode and connect to said local Wi-Fi access point), or is the electric appliance 100 (in this case, the Wi-Fi communication module of the mobile device 114 will operate in SoftAP mode and generate a local Wi-Fi access point, and the electric appliance 100 will operation in station (STA) mode and connect to said local Wi-Fi access point). In case instead the first wireless connection WC1 is a Bluetooth connection, the role parameter RP may specify that the initiator of the first wireless connection WC1, i.e., the entity who requests the establishment of the first wireless connection WC1, is the mobile device 140 (in this case, the mobile device 140 will act as a Bluetooth central device, while the electric appliance 100 will act as a Bluetooth peripheral device), or is the electric appliance 100 (in this case, the electric appliance 100 will act as a Bluetooth central device, while the mobile device 140 will act as a Bluetooth peripheral device). The connectivity parameter CP and the role parameter RP may be provided as number and / or an alphanumeric string. As a specific non-limiting example, CP of value ‘1’ may mean Wi-Fi and CP of value ‘2’ may mean BLE. As another specific non-limiting example, RP of value ‘1’ may mean the appliance is the “initiator” and RP of value ‘2’ may mean the mobile device should be the initiator. Of course, it will be appreciated that these are just examples and any type of alphanumeric string or number can be used.

[0117] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connectivity information CH comprises a communication channel parameter CCP indicative of a selected frequency channel, among a set of frequency channels, to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection WC1. Where the connectivity information includes a connectivity parameter CP as described above, the first connectivity information CH may comprise the communication channel parameter CCP in addition to the connectivity parameter CP. It is pointed out that the frequency channels available for the establishment of the first wireless connection depends on the specific wireless technology that has been selected for setting-up the first wireless connection WC1. Therefore, the communication channel parameter CCP and the connectivity parameter CP may be linked to each other. The mobile device will process the information indicated by the CCP also taking into account the communication technology indicated by the CP. For example, in case the first wireless connection WC1 is a Wi-Fi connection (CP = “Wi-Fi”), the communication channel parameter CCP may provide a specific Wi-Fi frequency channel, while if the first wireless connection WC1 is a Bluetooth connection (CP = “Bluetooth”), the communication channel parameter CCP may provide a specific Bluetooth frequency channel. The selected frequency channel may be indicated with a number and a different number may relate to a different frequency depending on the communication technology used. For example, Wi-Fi communication technology use a different number of frequency channels to BLE communication technology and the number of a Wi-Fi communication channel may be at a different frequency than the BLE channel with the same number. As a specific example, if CP = “Wi-Fi”, the communication channel parameter CCP may indicate one out of channels 1, 3, 5, 8 within the 2.4 GHz band or frequency channel 38, 40 or 165 within the 5.0 GHz band. If CP =”Bluetooth”, the communication channel parameter CCP may indicate Bluetooth frequency channel 37, 35 or 15. In some implementations or in some circumstances the communication channel parameter CCP may indicate more than one channel. The communication channel parameter CCP may indicate the frequency band in addition to the number of the frequency channel. In some implementations, it may merely indicate the frequency band.

[0118] In some systems, where the appliance or the mobile device only support a single type of wireless communication technology for providing the direct link between the appliance and the mobile device, the connectivity parameter CP may be superfluous and omitted from the first connectivity information CH. If only a single type of wireless communication technology is supported and the connectivity parameter CP is omitted or has a null value, the mobile device may understand the CCP, if provided, to relate to the supported communication technology.

[0119] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connectivity information CH comprises an identity information parameter IIP comprising a name to be used by one of the electric appliance or the mobile device to set up the first wireless connection WC1 or information for deriving the name. In the case of Wi-Fi, the name could be the name of the access point to be activated by one of the electric appliance and the mobile device. This name could be, in the case where the electric appliance 100 sets up the access point, a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the electric appliance 100. An example of information for deriving the name could be an ID number of the electric appliance 100 (for example based on a serial number of the appliance) which can be used by the mobile device 140 to obtain the SSID of the electric appliance 100. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the SSID of the electric appliance 100 is used by the mobile device 140 for connecting to the electric appliance 100. Alternatively the name could be, in the case where the mobile device 140 sets up the access point for the first wireless connection WC1, the SSID for the mobile device 100 to adopt such that the appliance recognizes it as the access point to which to connect. In the case of Bluetooth, the name could be the Bluetooth Device Address or Bluetooth Device Name of the one of the electric appliance and the mobile device to take the role of peripheral device such that the node taking the role of central device can identify the right peripheral device based on broadcast messages therefrom. In some embodiments, the first connectivity information CH does not include an identity information parameter IIP or the identity information parameter IIP does not have a value. For example, the payload of the advertisement broadcast by a Bluetooth peripheral device may contain sufficient identifying information for the central device, and / or a user of the central device, to recognize the peripheral device as the appliance to be provisioned or the mobile phone to aid in the provisioning as the case may be.

[0120] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and how will be described in detail in the following of the description, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 is configured to obtain the first connectivity information CH by generating the first connectivity information CH based on an analysis of current conditions of the electric appliance 100 and / or of the environment wherein the electric appliance 100 is located.

[0121] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connectivity information CH is represented by visual data displayed on the display 108, such as in form of a visual code VC, which can be captured (e.g., scanned) by a camera device 160 of the mobile device 140 (see Figure 1). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the (software installed on the) mobile device 140 is configured to retrieve the first connectivity information CH from the captured visual code VC. The software installed on the mobile device for retrieving the first connectivity information may comprise an application installed in the mobile device 140, for example provided by the appliance management system and / or appliance manufacturer, in communication with a camera application also installed in the mobile device.

[0122] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the visual code VC is a Quick Response (QR) code or a barcode generated by the control unit 105 based on the first connectivity information CH. The software stored in memory, in or accessible to the control unit 105, may comprise visual code generator software and data for generating the visual code. For example, the appliance may be configured with, and the control unit 105 may use, any commercially available barcode or QR code generation software to generate the visual code. For example, in the case of a QR code, it may be a QR code complying with international standard ISO / IEC 18004 and the QR code generation software could comprise commercially available software libraries for supporting it or be a QR code generator software proprietary to the appliance manufacturer. In other embodiments, the appliance may store in memory and / or storage, a set of visual codes, each representing a specific combination of connectivity parameters and the control unit 105 may simply select an appropriate one from memory and retrieve it for display. Similar considerations apply to other kinds of visual codes VC or generally to other kinds of visual data, comprising for example symbols that can be interpreted by the mobile device 140 using an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) algorithm. Although reference will be made to QR codes in many of the examples below, it will be understood that any suitable visual code or visual data could be used to modify the examples described.

[0123] Once the control unit has generated the visual data corresponding to the first connectivity information CH, the control unit 105 may control the display 108 of the appliance to display the visual data.

[0124] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second connectivity information CI2 comprises a name (e.g., an SSID) identifying the access point 116. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure in which the access point 116 is password-protected, the second connectivity information CI2 further comprises a password for accessing the access point 116.

[0125] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second connectivity information CI2 is already stored in (the memory or storage 150 of) the mobile device 140, or it is retrieved by the latter through the software application installed in the mobile device 140, for example provided by the appliance management system. The software application may prompt the user of the mobile device to select and / or enter at least some of the second connectivity information using a touchscreen, or other user input device, of the mobile device.

[0126] The appliance may set up the second wireless connection by scanning for Wi-Fi networks, selecting a network provided by an access point with a name corresponding to the name, e.g. SSID, indicated by the second connectivity information CI2 and then sending the selected access point a request to connect. The appliance may also send a password included in the second connectivity information to the access point to obtain access. The appliance may need to operate in station (STA) mode to connect to the access point 116. Consequently, if it was already operating in SoftAP mode to establish the first wireless connection, it may need to switch to station mode or it may be configured to operate in access point and station mode concurrently.

[0127] With reference now to Figures 3A-3D, there are shown four swim-lane activity diagrams for managing the connection of the electric appliance 100 to the remote server 120 in four different exemplary cases according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In this respect, each block of each activity diagram may correspond to one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function on a relevant software / hardware component of a respective actor, i.e., the electric appliance 100, the mobile device 140 and the (Wi-Fi router providing the) access point 116.

[0128] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the access point 116 is established by a Wi-Fi router (block 300). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 carries out an analysis of current conditions of the electric appliance 100 and / or of the environment wherein the electric appliance 100 is located and generates the first connectivity information CH (or selects one out of a set of predetermined different first connectivity information CH) based on the results of the analysis (block 302). As already explained above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connectivity information CH may comprise at least one of the connectivity parameter CP, the role parameter RP, the communication channel parameter CCP and the identity information parameter IIP.

[0129] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 sets the connectivity parameter CP based on wireless technology capabilities of the electric appliance 100. For example, with reference to the embodiment of the disclosure illustrated in Figure 1, in which the communication interface 110 comprises a Wi-Fi communication module 114 and a Bluetooth communication module 130, the connectivity parameter CP may be set to “WiFi” or to “Bluetooth” .

[0130] Since the electric appliance 100 does not know the wireless capabilities of the mobile device 140, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 may select the connectivity parameter CP to indicate a preferred communication technology. The mobile device may be configured to exploit the communication technology indicated by the connectivity parameter CP to the extent the communication technology is supported by the mobile device and exploit a different communication technology supported by both the appliance and the mobile device if not. For example, the mobile device may have detected both Bluetooth and WiFi broadcast messages from the appliance and it may choose to initiate a connection using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi depending on the connectivity parameter CP. Alternatively, it may select to activate either a Bluetooth peripheral mode or a Wi-Fi SoftAP mode depending on the value of the connectivity parameter.

[0131] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 sets the role parameter RP to “initiator = appliance” to indicate that the electric appliance 100 is to take the initiator role of the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 if at least one of the following conditions is verified: the electric appliance 100 has an existing wireless connection and the electric appliance 100 did not take the initiator role in the establishment of the existing wireless connection; available memory resources of the electric appliance 100 are lower than a memory resource threshold; and

[0132] CPU utilization in the electric appliance 100 (e.g., in the control unit 105 thereof) is higher than a CPU resource threshold. In other words, the appliance may want the mobile device to activate a SoftAP if the appliance already has activated its SoftAP for another wireless connection or if its available memory resources or CPU resources are not sufficient to provide the SoftAP functionality. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 sets the role parameter RP to “initiator = mobile" to indicate that the mobile device 140 is to take the initiator role of the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 if none of the above three conditions is verified.

[0133] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 may set the role parameter RP to indicate that the mobile device 140 is to take the initiator role of the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 even if one or more of the previous three conditions is verified. In other words, the set of conditions are not exhaustive and there may be other reasons for why it may be desired that the mobile device or the appliance activates SoftAP mode.

[0134] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 sets the communication channel parameter CCP based on at least one among:

[0135] - the geographical location wherein the electric appliance 100 is installed;

[0136] - current data traffic on the available frequency channels; and

[0137] - signal strength on the available frequency channels.

[0138] The skilled person will know that use of different frequency bands is permitted in different countries. The appliance may determine the permitted frequency band, and the channels within it, based on the geographical location, e.g. country, the user selected on the user interface when the user first installed the appliance. Alternatively, if the appliance has previously been connected, to the access point 116 or to a different network, or if the appliance is currently connected to a different network, the appliance may make the selection based on geographical location received via the access point or different network. The appliance may determine the data traffic and / or signal strength by monitoring quality and performance issues on the different frequency channels within a band. For example, it may carry out received signal strength measurements (such as received signal strength indicator RSSI measurements) and / or analyse ‘traffic’ created by signalling of other devices near the appliance. If the appliance is already connected to another network, it can also directly see traffic from that other network. Taking one or more of these factors into account, the control unit 105 of the appliance will then determine a preferred frequency channel and set the communication channel parameter CCP to indicate the preferred frequency channel. Alternatively, it may merely determine a preferred frequency band, such as the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band for Wi-Fi, and set the communication channel to indicate the preferred frequency band.

[0139] In embodiments, the control unit 105 may not need to carry out an analysis of current conditions nor the environment because, for example, the connectivity information CH appropriate for the appliance does not change and instead may obtain the first connectivity information CH by retrieving the first connectivity information CH from memory and / or storage.

[0140] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 sets the identity information parameter IIP to directly comprise the SSID of the electric appliance 100, or an ID number of the electric appliance 100. The SSID and / or the ID number of the electric appliance 100 may be stored in the appliance at manufacture and retrieved from storage 150, if needed, to generate the first connectivity information CH. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 generates visual data, for example, a visual code VC such as a QR code or a barcode identifying the (generated or selected) first connectivity information CH, and controls the display 108 to display said visual code VC (block 304). Alternatively, it may simply retrieve the appropriate visual code corresponding to the selected or generated first connectivity information from memory / storage.

[0141] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mobile device 140 obtains (e.g., captures) the visual code VC displayed on the display 108 of the electric appliance 100 using its camera device 160 (block 306).

[0142] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mobile device 140 processes the obtained visual code VC using a visual code recognition software application (for example using a software application provided by the appliance management system or the manufacturer of the mobile phone) to retrieve the first connectivity information CH (block 308).

[0143] At this point, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flow of operations depends on the content of the connectivity information CH . Each diagram illustrated in Figures 3A- 3D corresponds to a different exemplary content of the first connectivity information CH according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0144] More specifically, the diagram illustrated in Figure 3A regards operations carried out by the electric appliance 100, the mobile device 140 and the (device providing the) access point 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in case the first connectivity information CH has the connectivity parameter CP that is set to “Wz-Fz” and the role parameter RP that is set to “initiator = appliance”. It will be appreciated that although the technology, role and node is indicated with words in the description of Figure 3A to 3D, in reality the value of CP and RP may be a number such a ‘O’, ‘1’ or ‘2’ which the controller and the app on the mobile device are preprogrammed to understand as related to a technology or role. The diagram illustrated in Figure 3B regards operations carried out by the electric appliance 100, the mobile device 140 and the (device providing the) access point 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in case the first connectivity information CH has the connectivity parameter CP that is set to “Wi-Fi” and the role parameter RP that is set to “initiator = mobile”.

[0145] The diagram illustrated in Figure 3C regards operations carried out by the electric appliance 100, the mobile device 140 and the (device providing the) access point 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in case the first connectivity information CH has the connectivity parameter CP that is set to “Bluetooth” and the role parameter RP that is set to “initiator = appliance”.

[0146] The diagram illustrated in Figure 3D regards operations carried out by the electric appliance 100, the mobile device 140 and the (device providing the) access point 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in case the first connectivity information CH has the connectivity parameter CP that is set to “Bluetooth” and the role parameter RP that is set to “initiator = mobile”.

[0147] By making reference in particular to Figure 3A, in which the first connectivity information CH has the connectivity parameter CP set to “Wi-Fi” and the role parameter RP set to “initiator = appliance” , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure the mobile device 140 sets-up a local Wi-Fi access point at a Wi-Fi frequency channel corresponding to the one provided by the communication channel parameter CCP (block 310). The mobile device starts broadcasting its SSID. In this case, the first connectivity information CH may further comprise the identity information parameter IIP set to a value corresponding to the SSID to be used by the mobile device 140 when setting up the local Wi-Fi access point for the first wireless connection WC1 and the mobile device may set its SSID to correspond to the value indicated by the IIP and broadcast this SSID.

[0148] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 initiates a connection to the mobile device 140 by controlling the Wi-Fi communication module 114 to scan for Wi-Fi local access points, select the Wi-Fi local access point corresponding to the mobile device and send a request to connect to the selected local Wi-Fi access point generated by the mobile device 140, establishing the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 (block 312). Selecting the Wi-Fi local access point corresponding to the mobile device may include selecting the Wi-Fi local access point with an SSID corresponding to the value to which the appliance previously set the identity information parameter IIP. The control unit 105 may control Wi-Fi communication module 114 to scan for local access points at the frequency channel set by the communication channel parameter CCP in the first connectivity information. Sending a request to connect to the selected local Wi-Fi access point may comprise sending a request using the frequency channel indicated by the CCP.

[0149] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mobile device 140 sends the second connectivity information C12 to the electric appliance 100 over the first wireless connection WC1 (block 314).

[0150] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second connectivity information C12 comprises a name identifying the access point 116, such as the SSID of the access point 116 generated by the router device, and possibly a corresponding password for accessing the access point 116.

[0151] As already mentioned above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure the second connectivity information C12 is already stored in the (memory of the) mobile device 140, or it is retrieved by the latter.

[0152] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 then receives the second connectivity information C12 (block 316) and uses the second connectivity information C12 to accordingly control the Wi-Fi communication module 114 to connect to the access point 116, establishing the second wireless connection WC2 between the electric appliance 100 and the access point 116 (blocks 318-319).

[0153] At this point, the configuration of the electric appliance 100 for allowing communication with an external communication network 118 through the access point 116 is completed. In this condition, the electric appliance 100 may for example exchange data with remote servers 120 of the appliance management system (see Figure 1). For this purpose, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric appliance 100 may also store and / or receive from the mobile device 140 (e.g., through the first wireless connection WC1) data allowing the electric appliance 100 to connect (through the access point 116) to a specific one of available remote servers 120.

[0154] Passing now to Figure 3B, the first connectivity information CH has the connectivity parameter CP set to “Wi-Fi” and the role parameter RP set to “initiator = mobile appliance” . In this case, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first connectivity information CH may further comprise the identity information parameter IIP to be used by the mobile device 140 to obtain the SSID of the electric appliance 100.

[0155] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 controls the Wi-Fi communication module 114 to set-up a local Wi-Fi access point at a Wi-Fi frequency channel corresponding to the one provided by the communication channel parameter CCP and having an SSID corresponding to, or having an SSID which can be derived from, the value of the identity information parameter IIP of the first connectivity information CH to allow the mobile device 140 to recognize the access point as the electric appliance through the identity information parameter IIP (block 320).

[0156] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mobile device 140, once it has scanned the QR code and retrieved the first connectivity information C / 7, initiates a connection to the (Wi-Fi communication module 114 of the) electric appliance 100 by scanning for Wi-Fi local access points, selecting, from the local access points found in the scan, a Wi-Fi local access point having an SSID based on the value of the identity information parameter IIP and sending a request to connect to the selected local Wi-Fi access point generated by the (Wi-Fi communication module 114 of the) electric appliance 100, establishing the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 (block 322). Scanning for Wi-Fi local access points may comprise scanning for local access points at the frequency channel indicated by the CCP in the QR code. Similarly, sending a request to connect to the selected local Wi-Fi access point may comprise sending it in the frequency channel indicated by the CCP.

[0157] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, once the first wireless connection WC1 is established, the mobile device 140 then sends the second connectivity information CI2 to the electric appliance 100 over the first wireless connection WC1 (block 324).

[0158] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 then receives the second connectivity information CI2 (block 326) and uses the second connectivity information CI2 to accordingly control the Wi-Fi communication module 114 to connect to the access point 116, establishing the second wireless connection WC2 between the electric appliance 100 and the access point 116 (blocks 328-329).

[0159] At this point, the configuration of the electric appliance 100 for allowing communication with an external communication network 118 through the access point 116 is completed, and the electric appliance 100 may for example exchange data with remote servers 120 of the appliance management system. As already mentioned above, the electric appliance 100 is able to connect (through the access point 116) to a specific one of available remote servers 120 exploiting data stored in the electric appliance 100 and / or received from the mobile device 140.

[0160] Passing now to Figure 3C, the first connectivity information CI I has the connectivity parameter CP set to “Bluetooth” and the role parameter RP set to “initiator = appliance” . In this case, the IIP of the first connectivity information CI I may, for example, be the Bluetooth Device Name for the mobile device to adopt or information for deriving the Bluetooth Device Name for the mobile device to adopt.

[0161] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 controls the Bluetooth communication module 130 so that the electric appliance 100 operates as a Bluetooth central device (block 330), and the mobile device 140, once the mobile device 140 has retrieved the first connectivity information CH, controls its Bluetooth communication module to operate as a Bluetooth peripheral device (block 332) at a Bluetooth frequency channel corresponding to the one provided by the communication channel parameter CCP. The mobile device 140 may broadcast an advertisement at the Bluetooth frequency channel corresponding to the CCP of the first connectivity information CH and including a Bluetooth Device name corresponding to the IIP of the first connectivity information CH. The electric appliance may listen on the relevant frequency, pick up the message and respond with a pairing request to the mobile device, thereby initiating the establishment of the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140. In some implementations, it may prompt the user of the mobile device to confirm before sending the pairing request.

[0162] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mobile device 140 sends the second connectivity information CI2 to the electric appliance 100 over the first wireless connection WC1 (block 334) once the mobile device and the electric appliance have paired.

[0163] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 then receives the second connectivity information CI2 (block 336) and uses the second connectivity information CI2 to accordingly control the Wi-Fi communication module 114 to connect to the access point 116, establishing the second wireless connection WC2 between the electric appliance 100 and the access point 116 (blocks 338-339).

[0164] At this point, the configuration of the electric appliance 100 for allowing communication with an external communication network 118 through the access point 116 is completed, and the electric appliance 100 may for example exchange data with remote servers 120 of the appliance management system. As already mentioned above, the electric appliance 100 is able to connect (through the access point 116) to a specific one of available remote servers 120 exploiting data stored in the electric appliance 100 and / or received from the mobile device 140.

[0165] Passing now to Figure 3D, the first connectivity information CH has the connectivity parameter CP set to “Bluetooth” and the role parameter RP set to “initiator = mobile device”. In this case, the IIP of the first connectivity information CH may, for example, be the Bluetooth Device Address or Bluetooth Device Name for the electric appliance or information for deriving the Bluetooth Device Address or Name or other device identifying information of the electric appliance acting as a peripheral Bluetooth node.

[0166] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, once the mobile device 140 has retrieved the first connectivity information CH (block 308), the mobile device 140 sets up as a Bluetooth central device (block 340) (if not already acting as a Bluetooth central device) and starts listening for advertisements at a Bluetooth frequency channel corresponding to the one indicated by the communication channel parameter CCP. Meanwhile, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 controls the Bluetooth communication module 130 so that the electric appliance 100 operates as a Bluetooth peripheral device (block 342) and advertises on the frequency channel indicated by the CCP. The mobile device 140 may initiate the establishment of the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 by responding with a pairing request to an advertisement broadcast on the frequency channel indicated by the CCP and including device identifying information corresponding to the IIP. The pairing request may also be sent on the frequency channel indicated by the CCP.

[0167] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the mobile device 140 sends the second connectivity information C12 to the electric appliance 100 over the first wireless connection WC1 (block 344).

[0168] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 105 of the electric appliance 100 then receives the second connectivity information C12 (block 346) and uses the second connectivity information C12 to accordingly control the Wi-Fi communication module 114 to connect to the access point 116, establishing the second wireless connection WC2 between the electric appliance 100 and the access point 116 (blocks 348-349).

[0169] At this point, the configuration of the electric appliance 100 for allowing communication with an external communication network 118 through the access point 116 is completed, and the electric appliance 100 may for example exchange data with remote servers 120 of the appliance management system. As already mentioned above, the electric appliance 100 is able to connect (through the access point 116) to a specific one of available remote servers 120 exploiting data stored in the electric appliance 100 and / or received from the mobile device 140.

[0170] Although in the examples illustrated in Figures 3A-3D the wireless technologies employed for the first wireless connection WC1 between the electric appliance 100 and the mobile device 140 are the Wi-Fi technology and the Bluetooth technology, similar considerations apply to other kinds of wireless communication technologies, such as for example cellular communication technologies, loT wireless technologies, Zigbee communication technologies, and so on.

[0171] The mobile device will now be described in more detail with respect to Figure 4. The mobile device 110 comprises a controller 405 coupled to a user interface 409 and a communication interface 410 of the mobile device. The controller 405 may run an operating system such as Android™ or iOS™, interacting with a number of software applications stored in the mobile device. The user interface 409 may comprise a display such as a touchscreen. The communication interface 410 may comprise one or more wireless communication modules 414, 430 for establishing the first wireless connection WC1 with the electric appliance 100. The communication interface 410 may also be configured to communicate with the access point 116 in the form of a Wi-Fi router via one of its communication modules. For example, the communication interface may comprise a Wi-Fi module 414 and a Bluetooth module 430. The controller may control the communication interface 410 to establish the first wireless connection WC1 to the electric appliance 110, based on the first connectivity information, and transmit the second connectivity information to the electric appliance via the first wireless connection. The electric appliance 100 further comprises memory and storage 450 for storing software and data, including the operating system and the software applications. The control unit 405 may be configured to execute one or more computer programs, comprising computer program instructions, stored in memory to carry out some of the methods described herein. At least part of the memory may be internal memory of the control unit 405. The software applications interacting with the operating system may form part of the computer programs. They may be stored in storage at manufacture or downloaded into storage via the Internet. They may be loaded into memory for execution by the operating system, run by the controller, when the user launches an application. The computer programs may for example include a dedicated software application 460 provided by the appliance manufacturer. It may comprise instructions for obtaining the first connectivity information, setting up the first wireless connection based on the first connectivity information, obtaining the second connectivity information and transmitting the second connectivity information to the electric appliance via the first wireless connection. The mobile device may receive at least some of the second connectivity information from a user via the user interface 409. A user may for example select a network and input a password via a touchscreen of the user interface 409. In some implementations or under some circumstances, the mobile device may retrieve the second connectivity from the memory or storage 450. The controller 405 is also coupled to the camera 160 for capturing the visual code. The software application 460 may comprise instructions for handling data received from the camera, e.g. via an application controlling the camera. The software application 460 may obtain from the camera unit 160 of the mobile device, for example via the application controlling the camera, data corresponding to the visual code VC displayed on a display unit 108 of the appliance 100. In some implementations, the data corresponding to the visual code comprises the actual code VC. In other implementations, the data corresponding to the visual code is only a part of, partially decoded or decoded data obtained from, the visual code VC. The software application 460 may identify the first connectivity information based on the data corresponding to the visual code VC. In some implementations, the software application 460 may comprise, or be able to interact with, visual code recognition software to process the obtained code and identify the first connectivity information CH . Specifically, in embodiments in which the visual code is a QR code or a barcode, the software applications may comprise a QR code or barcode reader or be able to interact with a QR code or barcode reader application stored in the mobile phone. In other implementations, it may access a service, for example from a remote server, to transform the code into the connectivity information CI1. The software application 460 may then cause the communication interface of the mobile device to set-up said first wireless connection WC1 between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information. The software application may retrieve second connectivity information, from memory / storage 450 and / or via the user interface 409. The software application may then cause the communication interface to communicate to the appliance, through said first wireless connection, the second connectivity information for establishing a second wireless connection WC2 between the appliance 100 and an access point 116. The software application may comprise instructions for cancelling the first wireless connection between the appliance and the mobile device when the necessary information has been sent to the appliance.

[0172] Moreover, while in the description thus far, and in Figure 4 in particular, reference has been made to the management of remote connection of an electric appliance using a mobile device, the concepts of the present disclosure can be directly extended to the management of remote connection of any first electric / electronic device using a second electric / electronic devices. Moreover, while it has been described that the electric appliance connects to an external server via the access point, in some implementations, the relevant methods and actions described may be used to set up a wireless connection between a first and a second device for any purpose. The wireless connection can be used to receive by a first device from the second device connectivity information for connecting the first device to a third device.

[0173] While a specific set of parameters has been described to be indicated in the visual code generated by the electric appliance, it will be appreciated that not all of the parameters mentioned may be included and / or the code may include additional parameters. In some implementations, the communication channel parameter may indicate merely a frequency band and therefore the appropriate channels within that band, rather than specify one or more specific channels within a band. By indicating a specific frequency channel, the communication channel parameter indicates the band to which the channel belongs. The role parameter could be used to indicate any role appropriate for setting up a wireless connection using a wireless communication technology supported by the two devices.

[0174] Naturally, in order to satisfy local and specific requirements, a person skilled in the art may apply to the disclosure described above many logical and / or physical modifications and alterations. More specifically, although the present disclosure is provided with a certain degree of particularity with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details as well as other embodiments are possible. In particular, different embodiments of the disclosure may even be practiced without the specific details set forth in the preceding description for providing a more thorough understanding thereof; on the contrary, well-known features may have been omitted or simplified in order not to encumber the description with unnecessary details. Moreover, it is expressly intended that specific elements and / or method steps described in connection with any disclosed embodiment of the disclosure may be incorporated in any other embodiment.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for connecting an appliance (100) to an external server (120), comprising:- displaying (304) on a display (108) of the appliance a visual code (VC) representing first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection (WC1) between the appliance and a mobile device (140), said first connectivity information comprising at least one out of:- a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection (WC1), and- a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection (WC1);- obtaining (306) the visual code through a camera unit (160) of the mobile device and identifying the first connectivity information based on the visual code;- setting-up (310, 312; 320, 322; 330, 332; 340, 342) said first wireless connection (WC1) between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information;- providing (314; 324; 334; 344) to the appliance, over the first wireless connection (WC1), second connectivity information for connecting to an access point (116) in a wireless communication system;- connecting the appliance (100) to the access point (116) using said second connectivity information; and- connecting the appliance to the external server (120) through said access point (116).

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:- at the appliance (100), carrying out an analysis (302) of current conditions of the appliance and / or of the environment wherein the appliance is located, and- at the appliance (100), dynamically generating (302) the first connectivity information based on said analysis.

3. The method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising:- setting (302) the role parameter to indicate that the appliance (100) is to take the initiator role if at least one of the following conditions cl), c2), c3) is verified: cl) the appliance has an existing wireless connection and the appliance did not take the initiator role in the establishment of the existing wireless connection; c2) available memory resources of the appliance are lower than a memory resourcethreshold; and c3) CPU utilisation in the appliance is higher than a CPU resource threshold.

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the communication channel parameter indicates a selected frequency channel among a set of frequency channels within the frequency band and said setting-up (310, 312; 320, 322; 330, 332; 340, 342) said first wireless connection (WC1) between the mobile device (140) and the appliance (100) based on the first connectivity information comprises setting-up said first wireless connection exploiting a frequency channel based on said communication channel parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising setting (302) the communication channel parameter based on at least one among;- the geographical location wherein the appliance (100) is installed;- data traffic on the frequency channels of the set of frequency channels; and- signal strength on the frequency channels of the set of frequency channels.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein:- said first connectivity information further comprises a connectivity parameter indicative of a selected wireless technology among a set of wireless technologies.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said setting-up (310, 312; 320, 322; 330, 332; 340, 342) said first wireless connection (WC1) between the mobile device (140) and the appliance (100) based on the first connectivity information comprises setting-up said first wireless connection using a wireless technology based on said connectivity parameter.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, further comprising the appliance (100) setting the connectivity parameter based on wireless technology capabilities of the appliance.

9. The method of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein said selected wireless technology is a Wi-Fi communication technology and said setting-up (310, 312; 320, 322) said first wireless connection (WC1) between the mobile device (140) and the appliance (100) comprising:- the one out of the appliance (100) and the mobile device (140) which does not have said role of initiator setting-up a Wi-Fi access point; and- the other one scanning for accessing points and initiating connection to said Wi-Fi access point.

10. The method of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein said selected wireless technology is a Bluetooth communication technology and said setting-up (330, 332; 340, 342) said first wireless connection (WC1) between the mobile device (140) and the appliance (100) comprising:- the one out of the appliance (100) and the mobile device (140) which takes the role of initiator operating as a Bluetooth central device; and- the other one, out of the appliance and the mobile device, operating as a Bluetooth peripheral device.

11. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said visual code (VC) is a QR code.

12. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said second connectivity information comprise a name identifying said access point (116).

13. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein said access point (116) is provided by a Wi-Fi router device external to the appliance (100).

14. A method, comprising:- displaying (304) on a display (108) of a first device (100) visual data (VC) representing first connectivity information for establishing a wireless connection (WC1) between the first device (100) and a second device (140), said connectivity information comprising at least one out of:- a role parameter indicative of a role of the first device and / or the second device to be used for the established of the wireless connection, and- a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the wireless connection;- capturing (306) the visual data through a camera unit (160) of the second device and identifying the connectivity information based on the visual data;- setting-up (310, 312; 320, 322; 330, 332; 340, 342) said wireless connection between the first and the second devices based on the connectivity information.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising:- the first device (100) carrying out an analysis (302) of current conditions of the first device and / or of the environment wherein the first device is located, and- the first device (100) dynamically generating (302) the first connectivity information based on said analysis.

16. An appliance (100), comprising:- one or more processor units (105) configured to generate first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection (WC1) between the appliance (100) and a mobile device (140), said first connectivity information comprising at least one out of:- a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection;- a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection;- a display unit (108) configured to display a visual code (VC) representing said first connectivity information; and- a communication interface (110), wherein:- the one or more processor units are configured to control the communication interface to set-up said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information;- the one or more processor units are configured to receive from the mobile device, via said communication interface and said first wireless connection, second connectivity information for establishing a second wireless connection (WC2) between the appliance and an access point (116);- the one or more processor units are configured to control the communication interface to establish the second wireless connection to the access point (116) exploiting said second connectivity information; and- the one or more processor units are configured to control the communication interface to connect the appliance to an external server (120) through said access point.

17. The appliance (100) of claim 16, wherein the one or more processor units (105) are configured to:- carry out an analysis (302) of current conditions of the appliance and / or of the environment wherein the appliance is located, and- dynamically generate (302) the first connectivity information based on said analysis.

18. The appliance (100) of claim 16 or 17, wherein the one or more processor units (105) are configured to:- set the role parameter to indicate that the appliance is to take the initiator role if at least one of the following conditions cl), c2), c3) is verified: cl) the appliance has an existing wireless connection and the appliance did not take the initiator role in the establishment of the existing wireless connection; c2) available memory resources of the appliance are lower than a memory resource threshold, and c3) CPU utilisation in the appliance is higher than a CPU resource threshold.

19. The appliance (100) of any of claims 16 to 18, wherein the one or more processor units (105) are configured to control the communication unit (110) to set-up said first wireless connection (WC1) exploiting a frequency band based on said communication channel parameter.

20. The appliance (100) of claim 19, wherein the communication channel parameter indicates a selected frequency channel among a set of frequency channels within the frequency band and the one or more processor units (105) are configured to set the communication channel parameter based on at least one among;- the geographical location wherein the appliance is installed;- data traffic on the frequency channels of the set of frequency channels; and- signal strength on the frequency channels of the set of frequency channels.

21. The appliance (100) of any of claims 16 to 20, wherein:- said first connectivity information further comprises a connectivity parameter indicative of a selected wireless technology among a set of wireless technologies.

22. The appliance (100) of claim 21, wherein the one or more processor units (105) are configured to control the communication interface (110) to set up said first wireless connection (WC1) using a wireless technology based on said connectivity parameter.

23. The appliance (100) of claim 21 or 22, wherein the one or more processor units (105) are configured to set the connectivity parameter based on wireless technology capabilities of theappliance.

24. A computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processor units (105) of an appliance, cause the one or more processor units to carry out the following steps:- generate (302) first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection (WC1) between the appliance (100) and a mobile device (140), said first connectivity information comprising at least one out of:- a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection;- a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection;- control (304) a display unit (108) configured to display a visual code (VC) representing said first connectivity information; and- control (310, 312; 320, 322; 330, 332; 340, 342) a communication interface (110) to setup said first wireless connection between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information;- receive (316; 326; 336; 346) from the mobile device, through said first wireless connection (WC1) and the communication interface, second connectivity information for establishing a second wireless connection (WC2) between the appliance and an access point (116);- control (318, 319; 328, 329; 338, 339; 348, 349) the communication unit to connect to the access point (116) through the second wireless connection exploiting said second connectivity information; and- control the communication unit to connect the appliance to an external server (120) via said access point.

25. A computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processor units of a mobile device (140), cause the one or more processor units to carry out the following steps:- obtain from (306) a camera unit (160) of the mobile device data corresponding to a visual code (VC) displayed on a display unit (108) of an appliance (100) representing first connectivity information for establishing a first wireless connection (WC1) between the appliance and the mobile device, said first connectivity information comprising at least one out of:- a role parameter indicative of which one, out of the mobile device and the appliance, is to take a role of initiator of the establishment of the first wireless connection;- a communication channel parameter indicative of a selected frequency band, to be used for the establishment of the first wireless connection; and - identify (308) the first connectivity information based on the data corresponding to the visual code (VC);- cause (310; 322; 332; 340) a communication interface of the mobile device to set-up said first wireless connection (WC1) between the mobile device and the appliance based on the first connectivity information; and - cause the communication interface to communicate (314; 324; 334; 344) to the appliance, through said first wireless connection, second connectivity information for establishing a second wireless connection (WC2) between the appliance (100) and an access point (116).

Images