Portable Communications Device and Method

• US 20070118426A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Wounder GmbH (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Barnes, Melvin Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.130
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 : Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 : Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 : Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 : User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A device and method of providing wireless communications is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes determining that a plurality of wireless networks are concurrently available to provide wireless communication for a telephone device wherein the plurality of wireless networks include different types of networks, selecting one of the plurality of wireless networks based, at least in part, one or more rules, establishing a first wireless communication link with a remote device via the selected network, and wherein the one or more rules are configured to reduce a cost of communicating data. Other embodiments may include various other selection criteria for selecting a network such as, for example, the available bandwidth of one or more of the networks and the type of data to be communicated.

Claims

1. A method of using a mobile telephone sized to be carried on a user'"'"'s person, comprising:

determining that a wireless local area network and a mobile telephone network are concurrently available to provide wireless communication for the telephone;

selecting either the wireless local area network or the mobile telephone network for communication based, at least in part, on selection criteria; and

establishing a first wireless communication link via the selected network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises information of the type of each network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises the available bandwidth of at least one of the networks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises a request to communicate a particular data type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises anticipated user activity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises a cost of using at least one of the networks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises a relative cost of communicating via each network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises a cost per amount of data communicated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises the available bandwidth of at least one of the networks and a bandwidth desired for communication.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises the type of data to be communicated.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises the amount of data to be communicated.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises the execution of a particular application on the telephone.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises the type of data to be communicated and a cost associated with using at least one of the networks.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises the type of data to be communicated and the available bandwidth of at least one of the networks.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication link is for communicating with a remote device, the method further comprising:

determining that a network switching condition exists; and

establishing a second wireless communication link for communicating with the remote device via a different network.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising terminating the first wireless communication link.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the network switching condition comprises a change in network conditions of the first wireless communication link.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the network switching condition comprises a reduction in the available bandwidth of the first wireless communication link.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the network switching condition comprises a change in the type of data to be communicated via the first wireless communication link.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the network switching condition comprises determining that a user has initiated an application.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the network switching condition comprises a change in on or more conditions of the network not selected for communications.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting comprises selecting the wireless local area network based, at least in part, on the lower cost of using the wireless local area network.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing image data via an image input device;

transmitting the image data via the first wireless communication link.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving video data via the first wireless communication link; and

presenting the video to the user.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising

establishing a second wireless communication link and wherein one of said first wireless communication link and said second communication link communicates voice data, and the other wireless communication link communicates non-voice data;

and

wherein said first wireless communication link and said second wireless communication link exist contemporaneously to concurrently provide voice and data communications.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises one or more rules stored in a memory.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection criteria comprises one or more rules configured to reduce the cost to a user of the telephone.

28. A mobile telephone sized to be carried on the user'"'"'s person, comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to said processor;

a mobile telephone network transceiver communicatively coupled to said processor and configured to provide mobile telephone network communications;

a wireless local area network transceiver communicatively coupled to said processor and configured to provide wireless local area network communications;

wherein said processor is configured to;

determine that a wireless local area network and a mobile telephone network are concurrently available to provide wireless communications for the telephone;

select one of said wireless local area network transceiver and said mobile telephone network transceiver for a communication based on selection criteria; and

cause said selected transceiver to establish a first wireless communication link.

29. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises a request to communicate a particular data type.

30. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises an amount of data to be communicated.

31. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises a cost of using at least one of the networks.

32. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises an available bandwidth of at least one of the networks and a bandwidth desired for communication.

33. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises an available bandwidth of at least one of the networks.

34. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises a type of data to be communicated.

35. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises an execution of a particular application on the telephone.

36. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises a type of data to be communicated and a cost associated with using at least one of the networks.

37. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises one or more rules configured to reduce a cost to a user of the telephone.

38. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises a type of data to be communicated and an available bandwidth of at least one of the networks.

39. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the first wireless communication link is for communicating with a remote device and said processor is configured to:

determine the existence of a network switching condition; and

cause the non-selected transceiver to establish a second wireless communication link with the remote device.

40. The telephone of claim 28, further comprising:

an image input device coupled to said processor and configured to receive an image input; and

wherein said processor is configured to cause the selected transceiver to transmit the image data via the first wireless communication link.

41. The telephone of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving video data via the first wireless communication link; and

presenting the video to the user.

42. The telephone of claim 28, wherein the selection criteria comprises one or more rules stored in said memory.

43. A method of using a mobile telephone sized to be carried on the user'"'"'s person, comprising:

determining that a plurality of wireless networks are concurrently available to provide wireless communication for the telephone;

wherein the plurality of wireless networks include different types of networks;

selecting one of the plurality of wireless networks based, at least in part, one or more rules;

establishing a first wireless communication link with a remote device via the selected network; and

wherein the one or more rules are configured to reduce a cost of communicating data.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the plurality of wireless networks include a wireless local area network and a mobile telephone network and the one or more rules are configured to select the wireless local area network.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the one or more rules are further configured to select a network based on the bandwidth of one or more of the plurality of wireless networks.