Cellular connection sharing

• US 10,420,167 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2017
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), The Board of Trustees of Michigan State University (Michigan State University)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ji, Lusheng, Pang, Jeffrey, Wang, Jia, Venkataraman, Shobha, Shafiq, Muhammad Zubair, Liu, Xiang-Yang Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Tacsik, Ernest G
• Application Number:
  US15/405,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20170135152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Techniques for sharing a cellular network connection amongst multiple devices over a local area network are provided that reduce cellular network load during crowded events. In an aspect, a devices is configure to perform operations that include scanning an area for another device that has established a first wireless cellular connection with a cellular network device of a cellular network and that enables an indirect connection of the device to the cellular network device via a direct connection of the device to the other device via a local network device. The operations further include, in response to identifying the other device as a result of the scanning, sending a request to the other device to connect to the other device via the local network device and to receive the indirect connection to the cellular network device.

Claims

1. A first mobile device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

facilitating establishing a direct wireless connection with a cellular network via a radio access network device of the cellular network;

operating as an access point device to the cellular network for a second mobile device located within a defined coverage area associated with the radio access network device based on a determination that a current level of congestion associated with the defined coverage area exceeds a threshold level of congestion, wherein the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device are wireless communication devices utilized by a subscriber of the cellular network, and wherein the operating as the access point device comprises;

facilitating establishing an ad-hoc wireless connection with the second mobile device; and

facilitating a relay of data between the radio access network device and the second mobile device via the direct wireless connection and the ad-hoc wireless connection;

monitoring both first data communication activity on the direct wireless connection and second data communication activity on the ad-hoc wireless connection;

disconnecting the direct wireless connection with the radio access network device after detecting a first period of data communication inactivity on the direct wireless connection; and

disconnecting the ad-hoc wireless connection with the second mobile device after detecting a second period of data communication inactivity on the ad-hoc wireless connection, wherein the second period has a longer duration than the first period.

2. The first mobile device of claim 1, wherein the operating as the cellular network access point device is further based on reception, by the first mobile device, of a request from a network device of the cellular network for the first mobile device to operate as the cellular network access point device.

3. The first mobile device of claim 2, wherein the request is received based on the determination and the establishing of the direct wireless connection.

4. The first mobile device of claim 3, wherein the request comprises a first request, and wherein the operations further comprise:

ceasing the operating as the cellular network access point device based on reception, by the first mobile device, of a second request from the network device to cease the operating as the cellular network access point device, and wherein the second request is received based on a third determination that the current level of congestion has decreased.

5. The first mobile device of claim 2, wherein the request further defines a duration of time for the operating as the cellular network access point device, and wherein the operations further comprise:

ceasing the operating as the cellular network access point device based on passage of the duration of time from a start of the operating.

6. The first mobile device of claim 2, wherein the request is received based on a signal strength of the direct wireless connection.

7. The first mobile device of claim 2, wherein the request is received based on a current location of the first mobile device being located within the defined coverage area.

8. The first mobile device of claim 1, wherein the determination is a first determination and wherein the operating as the cellular network access point device is further based on a second determination that user accounts with the cellular network, respectively associated with the first mobile device and the second mobile device, are registered for participation in a cellular connection sharing service of the cellular network.

9. A method, comprising:

facilitating, by a first mobile device comprising a processor, establishing a direct wireless connection with a cellular network via a radio access network device of the cellular network;

receiving, by the first mobile device, a request from a second mobile device located within a defined coverage area associated with the radio access network device, to use the first mobile device as an access point device to connect to the cellular network wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are wireless communication devices utilized by a subscriber of the cellular network;

operating, by the first mobile device, as an access point to the cellular network for the second mobile device based on the receiving the request and a determination that a current level of congestion associated with the defined coverage area exceeds a threshold level of congestion, wherein the operating as the access point device comprises;

facilitating establishment of an ad-hoc wireless connection with the second mobile device; and

acting as a relay for data between the radio access network device and the second mobile device via the direct wireless connection and the ad-hoc wireless connection;

monitoring, by the first mobile device, both first data communication activity over the direct wireless connection and second data communication activity over the ad-hoc wireless connection;

disconnecting the direct wireless connection with the radio access network device in response to a first detection of a first period of data communication inactivity over the direct wireless connection; and

disconnecting the ad-hoc wireless connection with the second mobile device in response to a second detection of a second period of data communication inactivity over the ad-hoc wireless connection, wherein the second period has a longer duration than the first period.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the request comprises a first request, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the first mobile device, a second request from a network device of the cellular network for the first mobile device to operate as the access point device, wherein the operating as the access point device is further based on the receiving the second request.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving the second request is based on a current location of the first mobile device being within the defined coverage area.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving the second request is based on the determination and establishment of the direct wireless connection.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the first mobile device, a third request from the network device to cease the operating as the access point device based on a third determination that the current level of congestion has decreased; and

ceasing, by the first mobile device, the operating as the access point device based on the receiving the third request.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second request further defines a duration of time for the operating as the cellular network access point device, and wherein the operations further comprise:

ceasing the operating as the cellular network access point device based on passage of the duration of time from a start of the operating.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving the second request is further based on a signal strength of the direct wireless connection.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the determination is a first determination and wherein the operating as the cellular network access point device is further based on a second determination that user accounts with the cellular network, respectively associated with the first mobile device and the second mobile device, are registered for participation in a cellular connection sharing service of the cellular network.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a first mobile device, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

operating as an access point device to a cellular network for a second mobile device located within a defined coverage area associated with a radio access network device of the cellular network based on establishment of a direct wireless connection between the first mobile device and the radio access network device and a determination that a current level of congestion associated with the defined coverage area exceeds a threshold level of congestion, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are wireless communication devices utilized by a subscriber of the cellular network, and wherein the operating as the access point device comprises;

facilitating establishing an ad-hoc wireless connection with the second mobile device; and

relaying data between the radio access network device and the second mobile device via the direct wireless connection and the ad-hoc wireless connection;

monitoring both first data communication activity over the direct wireless connection and second data communication activity over the ad-hoc wireless connection; and

ceasing the operating as the access point device to the cellular network based on disconnecting the direct wireless connection with the radio access network device after a first detection of a first time period of data communication inactivity over the direct wireless connection, and further based on disconnecting the ad-hoc wireless connection with the second mobile device after a second detection of a second time period of data communication inactivity over the ad-hoc wireless connection, wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determination is a first determination and wherein the operating as the cellular network access point device is further based on a second determination that user accounts with the cellular network, respectively associated with the first mobile device and the second mobile device, are registered for participation in a cellular connection sharing service of the cellular network.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operating as the cellular network access point device is further based on receiving a request from a network device of the cellular network requesting the first mobile device to operate as the cellular network access point device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the request is received based on a current location of the first mobile device being located within the defined coverage area and a number of additional mobile devices within the defined coverage area capable of serving as access point devices to the cellular network.