Systems, devices, and methods effected in response to establishing and/or terminating a physical communications link

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods that are effected in or by an electronic device in response to establishing and/or terminating a physical communications link are described. An electronic device may be entered into deep sleep and may include a power control circuit that activates the device out of deep sleep in response to establishing a physical communications link with a source of electric power, such as another electronic device. Either in combination with or separate from this, an electronic device may establish wireless communications with another electronic device in response to establishing and terminating a physical communications link with the other electronic device. The physical communications link may be used to transfer device identity data from one device to the other and thereby bypass the cumbersome “discovery” process common to conventional wireless communication techniques. Portable electronic devices and personal computing devices that are operative to perform the above are described.

1 . An electronic device comprising:
 a tethered connector port;   a wireless transceiver;   a processor; and   a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to each of the tethered connector port, the wireless transceiver, and the processor, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium stores processor-executable wireless communications initiation instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:   receive by the tethered connector port, via a physical communications link between the electronic device and another electronic device, an identifier that identifies the other electronic device;   in response to a termination of the physical communications link between the electronic device and the other electronic device, wirelessly transmit by the wireless transceiver a request to initiate a wireless communications session with the other electronic device, wherein the request to initiate a wireless communications session includes a representation of the identifier that identifies the other electronic device; and   establish the wireless communications session with the other electronic device.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , further comprising a second tethered connector port, wherein the wireless transceiver is plugged in to the second tethered connector port. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the processor-executable wireless communication initiation instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to receive by the tethered connector port, via a physical communications link between the electronic device and another electronic device, an identifier that identifies the other electronic device, cause the electronic device to retrieve, via the physical communications link between the electronic device and another electronic device, the identifier that identifies the other electronic device. 
     
     
         4 . An electronic device comprising:
 a tethered connector port;   a wireless transceiver;   a processor; and   a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the processor and at least the tethered connector port, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium stores i) an identifier that identifies the electronic device, and ii) processor-executable wireless communication instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:   provide another electronic device, via a physical communications link between the electronic device and the other electronic device, the identifier that identifies the electronic device;   in response to a termination of the physical communications link between the electronic device and the other electronic device, wirelessly receive from the other electronic device a request to initiate a wireless communications session, wherein the request to initiate a wireless communications session includes a representation of the identifier that identifies the electronic device; and   establish the wireless communications session with the other electronic device.   
     
     
         5 . The electronic device of  claim 4  wherein the processor-executable wireless communication instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to provide another electronic device, via a physical communications link between the electronic device and the other electronic device, the identifier that identifies the electronic device cause, when executed by the processor, the electronic device to provide the other electronic device with access to the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium that stores the identifier that identifies the electronic device. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic device of  claim 4  wherein the processor-executable wireless communication instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the electronic device to:
 wirelessly transmit an acceptance of the request to initiate the wireless communications session based on inclusion of the representation of the identifier that identifies the electronic device in the request to initiate the wireless communications session. 
 
     
     
         7 . The electronic device of  claim 4  wherein the electronic device includes a device selected from the group consisting of: a portable electronic device and a wearable electronic device. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic device of  claim 4  wherein the identifier that identifies the electronic device includes a media access control (“MAC”) address of the electronic device. 
     
     
         9 . A method of activating a portable electronic device out of deep sleep, wherein the portable electronic device includes a processor, a power storage component, a switch communicatively coupleable to both the processor and the power storage component and which is controllably switchable between a first state in which the power storage component and the processor are communicatively isolated from one another and a second state in which the power storage component and the processor are communicatively coupled to one another, and a tethered connector port communicatively coupled to the processor, and wherein the portable electronic device is in a deep sleep mode in which i) the power storage component is at least partially charged, and ii) the switch is in the first state in which the power storage component and the processor are communicatively isolated from one another, the method comprising:
 in response to an establishing of a physical communications link between the tethered connector port and a source of electric power, triggering the switch into the second state in which the power storage component and the processor are communicatively coupled to one another. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the portable electronic device includes a wireless transceiver and the source of electric power includes another electronic device, and wherein the method further comprises:
 providing by the portable electronic device to the other electronic device, via the physical communications link between the portable electronic device and the other electronic device, an identifier that identifies the portable electronic device. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 in response to a termination of the physical communications link between the portable electronic device and the other electronic device, wirelessly receiving by the portable electronic device from the other electronic device a request to initiate a wireless communications session, wherein the request to initiate a wireless communications session includes a representation of the identifier that identifies the portable electronic device; and   establishing the wireless communications session with the other electronic device by the portable electronic device.   
     
     
         12 . A portable electronic device comprising:
 a processor;   a power storage component, wherein the power storage component is at least partially charged and the power storage component and the processor are communicatively isolated from one another;   a tethered connector port; and   a power control circuit that communicatively couples to the processor, the power storage component, and the tethered connector port, wherein the power control circuit includes at least one switch, and wherein in response to an establishing of a physical communications link between the tethered connector port and a source of electric power, the at least one switch communicatively couples the processor and the power storage component to one another.   
     
     
         13 . The portable electronic device of  claim 12  wherein the portable electronic device includes a wearable electronic device. 
     
     
         14 . The portable electronic device of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a non-transitory storage medium communicatively coupled to at least the first tethered connector port, wherein the non-transitory storage medium stores an identifier that identifies the portable electronic device, and wherein in response to the establishing of the physical communications link between the tethered connector port and the source of electric power, the portable electronic device provides the identifier via the physical communications link.