SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR A PORTABLE TRANSCEIVER DEVICE THAT OPERATES AS A GATEWAY TO A PROPRIETARY NETWORK SERVICE

• US 20110096726A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott A. Schlack
• Original Assignee: Scott A. Schlack
• Inventors: Schlack, Scott Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,488,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A portable gateway device facilitating shared access to a proprietary wireless network. The portable gateway device acts as an external modem for one or more auxiliary personal computing devices, and the device includes: a local power supply, one or more processors, one or more memories, an identification module associated with a proprietary wireless network, a first wireless communications component, and a second wireless communications component having longer range communications capability than the first wireless communications component. The portable gateway device is configured to facilitate one or more external computing device accessing the proprietary wireless network by: establishing communications with a first external computing device using the first wireless communications component, authenticating access with the proprietary wireless network using the second wireless communications component, and subsequently relaying communications between the first external computing device and the proprietary wireless network using both the first and the second wireless communications components.

Claims

1. A portable gateway device facilitating shared access to a proprietary wireless communications network, the portable gateway device comprising:

a local power supply;

at least one processor;

at least one memory;

an identification module associated with a proprietary wireless network;

a first wireless communications component; and

a second wireless communications component having longer range communications capability than the first wireless communications component,

wherein the portable gateway device facilitates one or more external computing device accessing the proprietary wireless network by;

establishing communications with a first external computing device using the first wireless communications component;

authenticating access with the proprietary wireless network using the second wireless communications component; and

relaying communications between the first external computing device and the proprietary wireless network using both the first and the second wireless communications components.

2. The portable gateway device of claim 1, wherein the second wireless communications component has WiMAX communications capability and the first wireless communications component has WiFi or Bluetooth communications capability.

3. The portable gateway device of claim 2, wherein the portable gateway device further facilitates a second external computing device accessing the proprietary wireless network at the same time the first external computing device has access to the proprietary wireless network.

4. The portable gateway device of claim 3, wherein the portable gateway device is further configured to facilitate simultaneous data transfers for the first and second external computing devices by allocating available bandwidth access with the proprietary wireless network to the first and second external computing devices equally.

5. The portable gateway device of claim 3, wherein the portable gateway device is further configured to facilitate simultaneous data transfers for the first and second external computing devices by allocating available bandwidth access with the proprietary wireless network to the first and second external computing devices in accordance with a predefined set of data transfer prioritization rules.

8. The portable gateway device of claim 2, wherein the portable gateway device authenticates access for the first external computing device before the proprietary wireless network authenticates access for the portable gateway device.

9. The portable gateway device of claim 3, wherein a user of the first external computing device who is registered as the owner of the portable gateway device is prompted prior to allowing the second external computing device shared access to the proprietary wireless network.

6. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions that facilitate shared access to a proprietary wireless communications network, which when executed, performs the following method:

initiating a portable gateway device comprising and identification module associated with a proprietary wireless network;

establishing communications between a first external computing device and the portable gateway device using a first wireless communications component of the portable gateway device;

authenticating access to the proprietary wireless network with a second wireless communications component of the portable gateway device that has longer range communications capability than the first wireless communications component; and

relaying communications between the first external computing device and the proprietary wireless network using both the first and the second wireless communications components.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the second wireless communications component has WiMAX communications capability and the first wireless communications component has WiFi or Bluetooth communications capability.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the portable gateway device allowing a second external computing device access to the proprietary wireless network at the same time the first external computing device has access to the proprietary wireless network.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the portable gateway device authenticating access for the first external computing device before the proprietary wireless network authenticates access for the portable gateway device.

7. A computer-implemented method that facilitates shared access to a proprietary wireless communications network, comprising:

initiating a portable gateway device comprising and identification module associated with a proprietary wireless network;

establishing communications between a first external computing device and the portable gateway device using a first wireless communications component of the portable gateway device;

authenticating access to the proprietary wireless network with a second wireless communications component of the portable gateway device that has longer range communications capability than the first wireless communications component; and

relaying communications between the first external computing device and the proprietary wireless network using both the first and the second wireless communications components.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the second wireless communications component has WiMAX communications capability and the first wireless communications component has WiFi or Bluetooth communications capability.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the portable gateway device allowing a second external computing device access to the proprietary wireless network at the same time the first external computing device has access to the proprietary wireless network.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprises the portable gateway device authenticating access for the first external computing device before the proprietary wireless network authenticates access for the portable gateway device.