Seamless tethering setup between phone and laptop using peer-to-peer mechanisms

• US 10,009,068 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuscher, Alexander Friedrich, Wuellner, Trond Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): SANDIFORD, DEVAN A
• Application Number:
  US15/457,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20170187425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The subject technology discloses configurations for determining, at a first computing device, if a second computing device is within a predetermined distance of the first computing device. The subject technology then establishes, at the first computing device, a wireless near field communication (NFC) connection with the second computing device. Information for configuring a wireless tethering connection with the second computing device is then transmitted over the wireless NFC connection. Further, the subject technology receives, over the wireless NFC connection, confirmation that the wireless tethering connection has been configured.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

establishing, by a first device, a wireless connection with a second device;

transmitting, by the first device over the wireless connection, information for configuring a wireless tethering connection with the second device;

receiving, by the first device over the wireless connection, confirmation that the wireless tethering connection has been configured by the second device; and

connecting, by the first device, to the wireless tethering connection with the second device after receiving the confirmation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing, by the first device, the wireless connection with the second device comprises:

establishing, by the first device, the wireless connection with the second device responsive to determining, by the first device, that the second device is within a predetermined distance of the first device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information for configuring the wireless tethering connection comprises at least one of a network interface address of the first device or login credential information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the login credential information comprises at least one of a username or a password.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, by the first device, a connection to an Internet of the second device through the wireless tethering connection.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying, by the first device, that the connection to the Internet is required prior to establishing, by the first device, the wireless connection with the second device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein accessing the connection to the Internet of the second device through the wireless tethering connection comprises:

transmitting, by the first device over the wireless tethering connection, a request for a web page on the Internet; and

receiving, by the first device over the wireless tethering connection, the requested web page, wherein the web page is retrieved from the Internet via the connection to the Internet of the second device.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, by the first device over the wireless connection, an indication of a plurality of connections to the Internet of the second device;

selecting, by the first device, one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the second device; and

transmitting, by the first device over the wireless connection, an indication of the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the second device, wherein the connection to the Internet of the second device comprises the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the second device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless connection utilizes a first communication protocol and the wireless tethering connection utilizes a second communication protocol that is different than the first communication protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first communication protocol comprises at least one of near a near field communication (NFC) protocol, a Bluetooth communication protocol, or a Wi-Fi communication protocol.

11. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

establishing, by a first device, a wireless connection with a second device;

receiving, by the first device over the wireless connection, information for configuring a wireless tethering connection with the second device;

performing, by the first device, a configuration to set up the wireless tethering connection for the second device; and

receiving, by the first device, a connection to the wireless tethering connection by the second device after transmitting, by the first device over the wireless connection, confirmation that the wireless tethering connection has been configured to be connected to by the second device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first device has a connection to an Internet and the method further comprising:

receiving, by the first device over the wireless tethering connection, a request for data on the Internet; and

forwarding, by the first device, the request over the connection to the Internet.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the first device over the connection to the Internet, the requested data; and

forwarding, by the first device, the requested data to the second device over the wireless tethering connection.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless tethering connection comprises a hotspot connection for accessing the Internet, and performing, by the first device, the configuration to set up the wireless tethering connection with the second device further comprises:

setting up the hotspot connection for accessing the Internet based on the information for configuring the wireless tethering connection with the second device; and

adding a network interface address of the second device to a list of network interface addresses associated with devices that are authorized to connect to the hotspot connection.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein performing, by the first device, the configuration to set up the wireless tethering connection with the second device further comprises:

transmitting, by the first device over the wireless connection, an indication of a plurality of connections to the Internet of the first device;

receiving, by the first device over the wireless connection, a selection, by the second device, of one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the first device; and

establishing, by the first device, the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet, wherein the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet comprises the connection to the Internet.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless connection utilizes a first communication protocol and the wireless tethering connection utilizes a second communication protocol that is different than the first communication protocol.

17. A device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

establish a first wireless connection with an other device;

transmit, over the first wireless connection, information for configuring a second wireless connection by the other device;

receive, over the first wireless connection, confirmation that the second wireless connection has been configured by the other device; and

connect to the second wireless connection with the other device upon receipt of the confirmation.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

access a connection to an Internet of the other device through the second wireless connection.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to access the connection to the Internet of the other device through the second wireless connection by:

transmitting, over the second wireless connection, a request for a web page on the Internet; and

receiving, over the second wireless connection, the requested web page, wherein the web page is retrieved from the Internet via the connection to the Internet of the other device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive, over the first wireless connection, an indication of a plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device;

select one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device; and

transmit, over the first wireless connection, an indication of the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device, wherein the connection to the Internet of the other device comprises the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the second wireless connection comprises a wireless tethering connection.

22. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

establishing a wireless connection with an other device;

transmitting, over the wireless connection, information for configuring an other wireless connection by the other device;

waiting to receive, over the wireless connection, confirmation that the other wireless connection has been configured by the other device before attempting to connect to the other wireless connection;

receiving, over the wireless connection, the confirmation that the other wireless connection has been configured by the other device; and

connecting to the other wireless connection of the other device upon receipt of the confirmation.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing a connection to an Internet of the other device through the other wireless connection.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the operations for accessing the connection to the Internet of the other device further comprise:

transmitting, over the other wireless connection, a request for a web page on the Internet; and

receiving, over the other wireless connection, the requested web page, wherein the web page is retrieved from the Internet via the connection to the Internet of the other device.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, over the wireless connection, an indication of a plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device;

selecting one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device; and

transmitting, over the wireless connection, an indication of the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device, wherein the connection to the Internet of the other device comprises the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet of the other device.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the other wireless connection comprises a wireless tethering connection and the wireless connection comprises at least one of a near field communication (NFC) connection, a Bluetooth connection, or a Wi-Fi connection.