Server Virtualization for Shared Bluetooth Device Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bluetooth devices connected to client terminals are limited to access by only the host client terminal, preventing access to other users within a computer network.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that virtualizes Bluetooth devices on a server, allowing access to redirected Bluetooth devices across multiple user sessions and client terminals through a hook driver that manages the Bluetooth stack and HCI transport layer, enabling the server to load the necessary drivers and emulate the device, thus making it accessible to multiple users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Bluetooth devices are connected directly to client terminals, then the devices are easily accessible by the host client terminal, but the devices cannot be accessed by other users on the network
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary between client terminals and Bluetooth devices. The server receives Bluetooth devices from client terminals and manages their virtualization, allowing multiple users to access the same Bluetooth device through the server without direct connections. This mediator approach enables network-wide accessibility while maintaining manageable system complexity through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of Bluetooth devices on the server. When a Bluetooth device is connected to a client terminal, the server generates a virtual representation of that device that can be accessed by multiple users simultaneously. This copying mechanism allows the same physical Bluetooth device to be shared across multiple user sessions without requiring multiple physical devices or complex direct connections.
2Productivity
If Bluetooth devices are shared across multiple user sessions, then resource utilization is improved, but the system complexity increases due to driver management and device emulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the Bluetooth device management functionality into the server environment. Instead of each client terminal managing its own Bluetooth devices independently, the server consolidates driver management, device emulation, and access control in one centralized location. This merging improves resource utilization by allowing multiple users to share the same Bluetooth device while the server handles the complexity of driver management and device state coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that abstracts the complexity of Bluetooth driver management from client terminals. The server loads and manages the necessary Bluetooth drivers, emulates the device behavior, and coordinates access between multiple users. This intermediary approach allows resource sharing while containing system complexity within the server's driver management infrastructure.
3Ease of manufacture
If client terminals have minimal resources, then total cost of ownership is minimized, but the client terminals cannot provide Bluetooth device access to other users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves Bluetooth device management from the horizontal dimension (individual client terminals) to the vertical dimension (server infrastructure). Client terminals maintain their minimal resource configuration for cost-effectiveness, while the server provides the enhanced capability for device sharing. This dimensional shift allows low-cost client terminals to gain access to device sharing functionality through the server without requiring local hardware upgrades.
Solution Approach 2:
The server provides universal access to Bluetooth devices for all connected client terminals. Instead of each client terminal needing individual Bluetooth sharing capabilities, the server creates a universal access point that any user on the network can utilize. This multi-functionality approach allows minimal-resource client terminals to participate in device sharing through the server's centralized management system.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system includes, by a computing device, redirecting a connected Bluetooth device connected to a local client such that the properties and functionalities of the Bluetooth device are available to applications hosted at a server. A virtual Bluetooth device is created and a virtual Bluetooth driver and a real Bluetooth driver a loaded by the operating system of the server. Requests from applications at the server are converted to transaction requests and transmitted to the Bluetooth device whereupon responses from the Bluetooth device are directed to the requesting application.