MOBILE ROUTER WITH SERIAL DEVICE INTERFACE

• US 20100118846A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Autonet Mobile, Inc.
• Inventors: Moeller, Douglas S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,072,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A mobile router having a serial interface is disclosed. According to various embodiments, the mobile router may comprise a serial port data publisher module that may take data received from a serial device connected to a serial port of the mobile router and make the data from the serial device available via a TCP stream. In that way, the serial port data publisher module may be used, for example, to populate a remote database with the data from the serial device. That way, the data from the serial device may be remotely accessed via the Internet, for example. In addition, the mobile router can be used to output a received signal from the device connected to its serial interface.

Claims

1. A mobile router comprising:

a local network interface for wirelessly communicating with a mobile device via a local wireless network;

a backhaul network interface for wirelessly communicating with a backhaul network;

one or more processors;

a serial data device interface for communicating with a serial data device connected to the interface; and

a memory in communication with the one or more processors and the serial data device interface, wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to transmit data received from the serial data device over the backhaul network to a destination device.

2. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein:

the serial data device connected to the serial data device interface comprises a GPS receiver; and

the data transmitted by the mobile router over the backhaul network to the destination device comprises location data from the GPS receiver.

3. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the serial data device comprises a serial data device selected from the group consisting of a GPS receiver, a vehicle telematics device, a point-of-sale (POS) device, and a remote control.

4. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the memory additionally stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

monitor the layer 2 and layer 3 links of the mobile router for the backhaul network; and

reestablish the network connection to the backhaul network when a failure of the layer 2 and/or layer 3 link is detected.

5. The mobile router of claim 4, wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to monitor the layer 2 and layer 3 links by sending test packets to a destination device over the backhaul network.

6. The mobile router of claim 5, wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to adapt the frequency at which test packets are sent to the destination device based on whether the network connection to the backhaul network is active.

7. The mobile router of claim 6, wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to send test packets to the destination device less frequently when the network connection to the backhaul network is active.

8. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the memory additionally stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect an attempt by the mobile device to establish a transport protocol session between the mobile device and a destination device through the mobile router over the local wireless network and the backhaul network; and

initiate, when the attempt to establish the protocol session is detected, a first replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the mobile device over the local wireless network and a second replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the destination device over the backhaul network.

9. The mobile router of claim 7, wherein the memory additionally stores instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect an attempt by the mobile device to establish a transport protocol session between the mobile device and a destination device through the mobile router over the local wireless network and the backhaul network; and

initiate, when the attempt to establish the protocol session is detected, a first replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the mobile device over the local wireless network and a second replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the destination device over the backhaul network.

10. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-Fi network.

11. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-MAX network.

12. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the backhaul network comprises a cellular network.

13. The mobile router of claim 12, wherein the cellular network comprises a GSM/GPRS network.

14. The mobile router of claim 12, wherein the cellular network comprises a UMTS network.

15. The mobile router of claim 9, wherein the backhaul network comprises a cellular network.

16. The mobile router of claim 15, wherein the cellular network comprises a GSM/GPRS network.

17. The mobile router of claim 15, wherein the cellular network comprises a UMTS network.

18. The mobile router of claim 15, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-Fi network.

19. The mobile router of claim 15, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-MAX network.

20. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a wireless-enabled computer device selected from the group consisting of a laptop equipped with a wireless network interface card, a wireless-enabled PDA, a pocket computer, a WiFi phone, a WiFi appliance, a portable, network-enabled gaming station, a video screen, a digital camera, an audio player, a navigation device, a security camera, an alarm device, a wireless payment device, and a wireless POS device.

21. The mobile router of claim 1, wherein the mobile router is installed in a vehicle.

22. The mobile router of claim 21, wherein the vehicle is a vehicle selected from the group consisting of an automobile, a truck, a rail car, a bus, and a boat.

23. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile router from a serial data device that is connected to a serial data device interface of the mobile router, data from the serial data device, wherein the mobile router is in communication with a mobile device via a local wireless communication link and wherein the mobile router is in communication with a backhaul network; and

transmitting, by the mobile router, the serial data received from the serial data device to a destination device over the backhaul network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the serial data device connected to the serial data device interface comprises a GPS receiver; and

transmitting the data comprises transmitting location data from the GPS receiver.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the serial data device comprises a serial data device selected from the group consisting of a GPS receiver, a vehicle telematics device, a point-of-sale (POS) device, and a remote control.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

monitoring the layer 2 and layer 3 links of the mobile router for the backhaul network; and

reestablishing the network connection to the backhaul network when a failure of the layer 2 and/or layer 3 link is detected.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein monitoring the layer 2 and layer 3 links comprises sending test packets to a destination device over the backhaul network.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising adapting the frequency at which test packets are sent to the destination device based on whether the network connection to the backhaul network is active.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein adapting comprises sending test packets to the destination device less frequently when the network connection to the backhaul network is active.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

detecting an attempt by the mobile device to establish a transport protocol session between the mobile device and a destination device through the mobile router over the local wireless network and the backhaul network; and

initiating, when the attempt to establish the protocol session is detected, a first replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the mobile device over the local wireless network and a second replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the destination device over the backhaul network.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

detecting an attempt by the mobile device to establish a transport protocol session between the mobile device and a destination device through the mobile router over the local wireless network and the backhaul network; and

initiating, when the attempt to establish the protocol session is detected, a first replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the mobile device over the local wireless network and a second replacement transport protocol session between the mobile router and the destination device over the backhaul network.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-Fi network.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-MAX network.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein the backhaul network comprises a cellular network.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the cellular network comprises a GSM/GPRS network.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the cellular network comprises a UMTS network.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the backhaul network comprises a cellular network.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the cellular network comprises a GSM/GPRS network.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the cellular network comprises a UMTS network.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-Fi network.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein the local wireless network comprises a Wi-MAX network.

42. The method of claim 23, wherein the mobile device is a wireless-enabled computer device selected from the group consisting of a laptop equipped with a wireless network interface card, a wireless-enabled PDA, a pocket computer, a WiFi phone, a WiFi appliance, a portable, network-enabled gaming station, a video screen, a digital camera, an audio player, a navigation device, a security camera, an alarm device, a wireless payment device, and a wireless POS device.

43. The method of claim 23, wherein the mobile router is installed in a vehicle.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the vehicle is a vehicle selected from the group consisting of an automobile, a truck, a rail car, a bus, and a boat.