Federated multiprotocol communication
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, apparatus, and business techniques are disclosed for use in distributed communication systems comprising a plurality of communication protocols. In one embodiment a first air interface is used to initiate communication between a wireless client and a remote server at least partially using a first wireless access point. The server sends the wireless client a stub of a distributed object. The stub is used to instantiate an object class. The object class defines an interface that the remote client can use to communicate with the remote server using an upper layer interface. The distributed object stub also provides an implementation of a software radio configuration for a set of lower protocol layers in a second air interface. The wireless client can thereby communicate with a second wireless access point using said second air interface protocol. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are disclosed that focus on toll-tag and electronic-commerce related highway systems, distributed federated wireless access systems, and wide area wireless system capacity augmentation.
-
Citations
43 Claims
-
1-20. -20. (canceled)
-
21. A method for use in a system comprising at least a first wireless access point that uses a first air interface protocol and a second wireless access point that uses a second air interface protocol, and a remote server system that is remotely coupled via an Internet to both the first and second wireless access points, wherein a mobile unit communicates via the Internet with the remote server system to facilitate a system-level handoff operation from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point, and the mobile unit couples to the Internet using a first connection via the first wireless access point prior to the system-level handoff operation, the method comprising:
-
determining whether the mobile unit is compatible with the second wireless access point; and
if the determining indicates that further software is needed to make the mobile unit compatible with the second wireless access point, sending from the remote server system to the mobile unit one or more executable software modules to be loaded into the mobile unit and to be used to reconfigure the mobile unit to couple to the Internet using a second connection via the second wireless access point;
wherein the sending is performed substantially just prior to and in anticipation of the system-level handoff operation. - View Dependent Claims (22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
-
-
23. The method according to claim 23, wherein the mobile unit uses a software radio architecture and the reconfigured software layer is a member of the group consisting of a link layer and a physical layer.
-
42. A method for use in a system comprising at least a first wireless access point that uses a packet-switched wireless local area network air interface protocol and a second wireless access point that uses a circuit switched cellular communications air interface protocol, and a remote server system that is remote to both the first and second wireless access points and is configured to facilitate a system-level handoff operation from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point, the method comprising:
-
the remote server system determining whether the mobile unit is compatible with the second wireless access point; and
if the determining indicates that further software is needed to make the mobile unit compatible with the second wireless access point, sending from the remote server system to the mobile unit one or more executable software modules to be loaded into the mobile unit and to be used to reconfigure the mobile unit to couple to communicate via the via the second wireless access point;
wherein the sending is performed substantially just prior to and in anticipation of the system-level handoff operation.
-
-
43. A method for use in a system comprising at least a first wireless access point that uses a packet-switched wireless local area network air interface protocol and a second wireless access point that uses a circuit switched cellular communications air interface protocol, and a remote server system that is remote to both the first and second wireless access points and is configured to facilitate a system-level handoff operation from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point, the method comprising:
-
determining whether the mobile unit is compatible with the second wireless access point; and
if the determining indicates that further software is needed to make the mobile unit compatible with the second wireless access point, sending from the remote server system to the mobile unit one or more executable software modules to be loaded into the mobile unit and to be used to reconfigure the mobile unit to couple to communicate via the via the second wireless access point;
wherein the sending is performed substantially just prior to and in anticipation of the system-level handoff operation.
-
Specification