System and method for integrating local-area and wide-area wireless networks

• US 20040203346A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Holmes, David, Daly, Brian, Myhre, John, Leuca, Ileana, Shaw, Venson, Smith, David K.
• Application Number:
  US10/326,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for allowing a mobile telephone or mobile terminal to interact with its wireless telephone/data service, including conventional 2G and 3G systems (hereinafter the “wireless network”), and also to interact with local-area services such as WLAN, BlueTooth, and personal area networks, and to communicate with and use systems and peripherals available on those networks. Since the mobile terminal is a trusted device on the wireless network, it also then acts as a gateway to allow other local-area services and devices to connect and communicate with the wireless network.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

circuitry for connecting to a wide-area wireless network system and communicating with a first device on the wide-area wireless network system, wherein the mobile terminal is a trusted device on the wide-area wireless network;

circuitry for connecting to a local-area wireless network system and communicating with a second device on the local-area wireless network system; and

means for allowing the first device to communicate with the second device, using the mobile terminal as a gateway between the wire-area wireless system and the local-area wireless system.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the wide-area wireless network system is a mobile telephone network.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the wide-area wireless network system is a GPRS network.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the wide-area wireless network system is a cellular packet-switched network.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the local-area wireless network system is a WLAN network.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the local-area wireless network system is a Bluetooth network.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the local-area wireless network system comprises only the second device.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile telephone handset.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile data processing system.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising means for authenticating the second device.

11. A method for data communications, comprising:

communicating, in a wide-area wireless network, with a mobile terminal;

receiving, from the mobile terminal, data identifying at least one local-area wireless device that is communicating with the mobile terminal;

storing a profile corresponding to the local-area wireless device; and

authorizing the local-area wireless device to communicate with the wide-area wireless network via the mobile terminal, wherein the mobile terminal acts as a gateway between the local-area wireless device and the wide-area wireless network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising authenticating the local-area wireless device by the mobile terminal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the wide-area wireless network system is a mobile telephone network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wide-area wireless network system is a GPRS network.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the wide-area wireless network system is a cellular packet-switched network.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the local-area wireless network system is a WLAN network.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the local-area wireless network system is a Bluetooth network.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile telephone handset.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile data processing system.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a user selection before authorizing the local-area wireless device.