Wireless signal forwarder

• US 20040077309A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Brass, Richard, Wecker, David
• Application Number:
  US10/273,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20040077309A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18543 for adaptation of transmission parameters, e.g. power control for detecting or preventing errors in the information received H04L1/00

Abstract

An implementation of a technology, described herein, for wireless signal transmission and/or reception. One of the implementations, described herein, wirelessly couples a wireless device to a non-co-located antenna. This non-co-located antenna receives long-range wireless signals. It converts those signals into a short-range wireless signal and transmits them to the non-co-located wireless device. This abstract itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. The scope of the present invention is pointed out in the appending claims.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method comprising:

receiving a long-range wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the long-range wireless service;

decoding the protocol of the long-range wireless service;

converting the results of the decoding into a protocol of a short-range wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the short-range wireless service;

sending the converted results via the short-range wireless service.

2. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal of the long-range wireless service is relatively weak compared to the signal of the short-range wireless service.

3. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein, as compared to the signal of the short-range wireless service, the signal of the long-range wireless service is more easily hindered by a Faraday shield.

4. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the long-range wireless service is selected from a group consisting of pager service, personal communication service, cellular communications, satellite communications, global positioning system (GPS) service, GPRS, and IEEE 802.11.

5. A medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless service is selected from a group consisting of Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.11 , and Infrared (IR).

6. A signal-forwarding device comprising:

a processor;

a long-range wireless service receiver;

a short-range wireless service transmitter;

a medium as recited in claim 1.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method comprising:

receiving a short-range wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the short-range wireless service;

decoding the protocol of the short-range wireless service;

converting the results of the decoding into a protocol of a long-range wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the long-range wireless service;

sending the converted results via the long-range wireless service.

8. A medium as recited in claim 7, wherein the signal of the long-range wireless service is relatively weak compared to the signal of the short-range wireless service.

9. A medium as recited in claim 7, wherein, as compared to the signal of the short-range wireless service, the signal of the long-range wireless service is more easily hindered by a Faraday shield.

10. A medium as recited in claim 7, wherein the long-range wireless service is selected from a group consisting of pager service, personal communication service, cellular communications, satellite communications, global positioning system (GPS) service, GPRS, and IEEE 802.11.

11. A medium as recited in claim 7, wherein the short-range wireless service is selected from a group consisting of Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.11, and Infrared (IR).

12. A signal-forwarding device comprising:

a processor;

a long-range wireless service receiver;

a short-range wireless service transmitter;

a medium as recited in claim 7.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method comprising:

receiving a first wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the service;

decoding the protocol of the first wireless service;

converting the results of the decoding into a protocol of a second wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the service;

sending the converted results via the second wireless service;

wherein the first and second wireless services are different.

14. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the signal of one of the first and second wireless services is relatively weak compared to the signal of the other.

15. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein, as compared to the signal of the other service, the signal of one of the first and second wireless services is more easily hindered by a Faraday shield.

16. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein one of the first and second wireless services is selected from a group consisting of pager service, personal communication service, cellular communications, satellite communications, global positioning system (GPS) service, GPRS, and IEEE 802.11.

17. A medium as recited in claim 13, wherein one of the first and second wireless services is selected from a group consisting of Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.11, and Infrared (IR).

18. A signal-forwarding device comprising:

a processor;

a receiver for one of the first and second wireless services;

a transmitter for other service;

a medium as recited in claim 13.

19. A method for wireless signal forwarding, the method comprising:

receiving a first wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the service;

decoding the protocol of the first wireless service;

converting the results of the decoding into a protocol of a second wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the service;

sending the converted results via the second wireless service;

wherein the first and second wireless services are different.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the signal of one of the first and second wireless services is relatively weak compared to the signal of the other.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein, as compared to the signal of the other service, the signal of one of the first and second wireless services is more easily hindered by a Faraday shield.

22. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein one of the first and second wireless services is selected from a group consisting of pager service, personal communication service, cellular communications, satellite communications, global positioning system (GPS) service, GPRS, and IEEE 802.11.

23. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein one of the first and second wireless services is selected from a group consisting of Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.11, and Infrared (IR).

24. A wireless-signal forwarding system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a first wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the service;

a decoder configured to decode the protocol of the first wireless service;

a protocol converter configured to convert the results of the decoding into a protocol of a second wireless service having a protocol for encoding data into a signal of the service;

a transmitter configured to send the converted results via the second wireless service;

wherein the first and second wireless services are different.

25. A system as recited in claim 24 further comprising a battery-based power source.

26. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the signal of one of the first and second wireless services is relatively weak compared to the signal of the other.

27. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein, as compared to the signal of the other service, the signal of one of the first and second wireless services is more easily hindered by a Faraday shield.

28. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein one of the first and second wireless services is selected from a group consisting of pager service, personal communication service, cellular communications, satellite communications, global positioning system (GPS) service, GPRS, and IEEE 802.11.

29. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein one of the first and second wireless services is selected from a group consisting of Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.11, and Infrared (IR).

30. A system as recited in claim 24 further comprising an affixation mechanism configured to affix the system to a body.

31. A system as recited in claim 30, wherein the body is a Faraday shield.

32. A system as recited in claim 30, wherein the body is selected from a group consisting of an automobile, a house, a boat, a train, an airplane, a transportation vehicle, a building, and a tunnel.

33. A system as recited in claim 30, wherein the affixation mechanism configured to permanently affix the system to the body.

34. A system as recited in claim 30, wherein the affixation mechanism configured to temporarily affix the system to the body.

35. A system as recited in claim 30, wherein the affixation mechanism selected from a group consisting of magnets, adhesive, rivets, screw fasteners, clamp fasteners, and suction cups.