System and method for using presence to configure an access point

• US 20060067285A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Patente GmbH & Co. KG (Atos Se), RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Beyda, William J., Caspi, Rami
• Granted Patent: US 7,545,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• 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 telecommunications system includes a wireless packet network; a cellular telephone network; at least one computing device including a wireless network interface card for communicating over the wireless packet network; at least one cellular telephone device, the cellular telephone device having a cellular telephone mode for communicating over the cellular network and a packet network mode for communicating over the packet network; a presence server on said packet network; wherein the cellular telephone device is configured to function as a wireless access point for said at least one computing device by interfacing the wireless network interface card to the wireless packet network via the cellular network; wherein the presence server communicates with said at least one cellular telephone device to activate and deactivate said wireless access point based on a presence status.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a wireless packet network;

a cellular telephone network;

at least one computing device including a wireless network interface card for communicating over the wireless packet network;

at least one cellular telephone device, the cellular telephone device having a cellular telephone mode for communicating over the cellular network and a packet network mode for communicating over the packet network;

a presence server on said packet network;

wherein the cellular telephone device is configured to function as a wireless access point for said at least one computing device by interfacing the wireless network interface card to the wireless packet network via the cellular network;

wherein the presence server communicates with said at least one cellular telephone device to activate and deactivate said wireless access point based on a presence status.

2. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cellular network comprises a GPRS network.

3. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the wireless packet network comprises the Internet.

4. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the wireless packet network comprises a wireless local area network.

10. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 1, wherein said wireless packet network controller is configured to turn on and off a function of the wireless network access point controller responsive to a presence status of a user and override a signal strength connection measure.

12. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 10, wherein said wireless packet network controller is configured to turn on and off a function of the wireless network access point controller responsive to a presence status of a user and override a signal strength connection measure.

5. A wireless telephone, comprising:

a cellular telephone controller configured to interface the cellular telephone to a telephone network;

a wireless packet network controller configured to interface the wireless telephone to one or more packet networks for voice over IP voice connection; and

a wireless network access point controller configured to function as a wireless access point for interfacing a computer to said packet network via the telephone network;

wherein the wireless packet network controller is configured to turn on and off a function of the wireless network access point controller responsive to a presence status of a user.

6. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5, wherein a presence status of a user is received at said telephone via the wireless packet network controller.

7. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5, wherein said packet network is an 802.11 wireless network.

8. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5, wherein said packet network is a wireless Internet.

9. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5, wherein said telephone network includes a GPRS cellular network.

11. A wireless telephone having a voice over IP controller for voice communication over a packet network and a cellular network controller for voice communication over a cellular telephone network, the wireless telephone configured to function as a cellular wireless network interface, wherein said wireless telephone is configured to implement a wireless access point function so as to interface a computer equipped with a wireless network interface to a packet network via the cellular telephone network;

wherein said voice over IP controller is configured to turn on and off said wireless access point function responsive to a presence status of a user.

13. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 11, wherein said packet network is an 802.11 wireless network.

14. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 11, wherein said packet network is a wireless Internet.

15. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 11, wherein said cellular telephone network includes a GPRS cellular network.

16. A telecommunications method, comprising:

using an 802.11 interface in a cellular telephone to provide a wireless network access point for a computer; and

using said 802.11 interface to search for available 802.11 network access points and turn on and off a wireless network access point function on said cellular telephone responsive to a user presence indication.

17. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 16, further comprising using said 802.11 interface to turn off said network access point function even if a signal strength priority indicates the wireless network access point function on said cellular telephone is optimal.

18. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 17, wherein said using an 802.11 interface in a cellular telephone to provide a wireless network access point for a computer comprises interfacing to the computer using an 802.11 protocol and interfacing to a packet network using a cellular network protocol.

19. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said cellular network protocol comprises a GPRS protocol.