Enhanced method of transferring data from a data originating device to a mobile terminal

• US 20050282490A1
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Nurmi, Mikko
• Granted Patent: US 7,469,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for transferring data from a data originating device to a first mobile terminal. A request identifying at least part of the required data is defined by the first mobile terminal and sent to at least one intermediary mobile terminal. The intermediary mobile terminal sends to the data originating device a request for transmitting the data requested by the mobile terminal. The received data is transmitted from the intermediary mobile terminal to the first mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data from a data originating device to a first mobile terminal, the method comprising:

defining, in response to a need to request data from the data originating device for the first mobile terminal, a request identifying at least part of the data required by the first mobile terminal,

sending the request to at least one intermediary mobile terminal,

sending from the intermediary mobile terminal to the data originating device a request for transmitting the data requested by the first mobile terminal, and

transmitting the received data from the intermediary mobile terminal to the first mobile terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising:

defining a first part and a second part of the data requested by the first mobile terminal, and

arranging the transmission of the first part and the second part via different routes.

3. The method according to claim 2, the method comprising:

sending a first request from the first mobile terminal for transmitting the first part of the data via a network element of a mobile network to the data originating device without intervention from the intermediary mobile terminal,

sending a second request from the first mobile terminal to the intermediary mobile terminal for transmitting the second part of the data,

sending from the intermediary mobile terminal to the data originating device a request for transmitting the second part of the data,

transferring the first part of the data from the network element to the first mobile terminal and the second part of the data to the intermediary mobile terminal,

transmitting the second part of the data from the intermediary mobile terminal to the first mobile terminal, and

receiving in the first mobile terminal the first part of the data from the network element and the second part of the data from the intermediary mobile terminal.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the structure of the data entity is obtained,

the division to the first part and the second part is determined based on a pre-determined division criterion and the structure of the data entity, and

the received data is reinstated to the original format by the first mobile terminal.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the definition of the first part and the second part is arranged such that the first part and the second part are of different data format.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein availability information on the available intermediary mobile terminals is obtained from the first mobile terminal, and

the applied at least one intermediary mobile terminal is selected on the basis of the availability information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the properties of the available intermediary mobile terminals are obtained from the first mobile terminal, and

the at least one intermediary mobile terminal is selected based on the properties.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data transfer between the mobile terminal and the intermediary mobile terminal is arranged by a wireless local area networking technique.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request identifying at least part of the data is defined in a further device on the basis of a request for the data required by the mobile terminal, and the request is sent from the further device to at least one intermediary mobile terminal.

10. A system for downloading data, the system comprising a first mobile terminal and at least one intermediary mobile terminal, wherein

the first mobile terminal is configured to define, in response to a need to request data from a data originating device for the first mobile terminal, a request identifying at least part of the required data,

the first mobile terminal is configured to send the request to at least one intermediary mobile terminal,

the intermediary mobile terminal is configured to send to the data originating device a request for transmitting the data requested by the first mobile terminal, and

the intermediary mobile terminal is configured to transmit the received data to the first mobile terminal.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the intermediary mobile terminal comprises means for connecting to the same mobile network as the mobile terminal and is configured to receive the second part of the data via the mobile network.

12. A mobile terminal comprising:

transceiver means for data transmission with an intermediary mobile terminal, wherein

the mobile terminal is configured to define, in response to a need to request data from a data originating device for the mobile terminal, a request identifying at least part of the required data,

the mobile terminal is configured to send the request to at least one intermediary mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal is configured to receive the requested data from the intermediary mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein

the mobile terminal is configured to define a first part and a second part of the data requested by the first mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal is configured to arrange the transmission of the first part and the second part via different routes.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein

the mobile terminal further comprises transceiver means for data transmission with a network element of a mobile network,

the mobile terminal is configured to send a first request for transmitting the first part of the data via a network element of a mobile network to the data originating device without intervention from the intermediary mobile terminal,

the mobile terminal is configured to send a second request to the intermediary mobile terminal for transmitting the second part of the data,

the mobile terminal is configured to receive the first part of the data from the network element, and

the mobile terminal is configured to receive the second part of the data from the intermediary mobile.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to obtain the structure of the data entity,

the mobile terminal is configured to define the division to the first part and the second part based on a pre-determined division criterion and the structure of the data entity, and

the mobile terminal is configured to reinstate the received data to the original format.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to define the first part and the second part such that the first part and the second part are of different data format.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to obtain availability information on the available intermediary mobile terminals, and

the mobile terminal is configured to select the applied at least one intermediary mobile terminal on the basis of the availability information.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to obtain the properties of the available intermediary mobile terminals, and

the mobile terminal is configured to select the at least one intermediary mobile terminal based on the properties of the available intermediary mobile terminals.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the data transfer between the mobile terminal and the intermediary mobile terminal is arranged by a wireless local area networking technique.

20. A mobile terminal comprising transceiver means for data transmission with a mobile terminal, wherein

the mobile terminal is configured to receive a request identifying requested data from a data requesting mobile terminal,

the mobile terminal is configured to send to a data originating device a request for transmitting the data requested by the requesting mobile terminal, and

the mobile terminal is configured to transmit the received data to the requesting mobile terminal.

21. The mobile terminal according to claim 20, wherein the data transfer between the mobile terminal and the requesting mobile terminal is arranged by a wireless local area networking technique.

22. A detachable hardware module for a mobile terminal, the module comprising:

means for causing the mobile terminal to define, in response to a need to request data from a data originating device for the mobile terminal, a request identifying at least part of the required data,

means for causing the mobile terminal to send the request to at least one intermediary mobile terminal, and

means for causing the mobile terminal to receive the requested data from the intermediary mobile terminal.

23. A detachable hardware module for a mobile terminal, the module comprising:

means for causing the mobile terminal to receive a request identifying requested data from a data requesting mobile terminal,

means for causing the mobile terminal to send to a data originating device a request for transmitting the data requested by the requesting mobile terminal, and

means for causing the mobile terminal to transmit the received data to the requesting mobile terminal.

24. A computer program product for controlling a mobile terminal by executing a program code included in the computer software product in a processor of the mobile terminal, the computer software product comprising:

a program code portion for causing the mobile terminal to define, in response to a need to request data from a data originating device for the mobile terminal, a request identifying at least part of the required data,

a program code portion for causing the mobile terminal to send the request to at least one intermediary mobile terminal, and

a program code portion for causing the mobile terminal to receive the requested data from the intermediary mobile terminal.

25. A computer program product for controlling a mobile terminal by executing a program code included in the computer software product in a processor of the mobile terminal, the computer software product comprising:

a program code portion for causing the mobile terminal to receive a request identifying requested data from a data requesting mobile terminal,

a program code portion for causing the mobile terminal to send to a data originating device a request for transmitting the data requested by the requesting mobile terminal, and

a program code portion for causing the mobile terminal to transmit the received data to the requesting mobile terminal.