Enabling a Mobile Broadband Hotspot by an Auxiliary Radio

• US 20130182693A1
• Filed: 01/16/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Sperling, David, Mains, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 9,220,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

There is provided a method of enabling a mobile broadband hotspot by an auxiliary radio. By utilizing a commonly available auxiliary radio, such as a Bluetooth radio, hotspot connectivity using a primary radio, such as Wi-Fi, can be readily enabled. Accordingly, device connections, guest access, and device disconnections can be easily requested on demand from a mobile broadband hotspot. Additionally, the mobile broadband hotspot may be configured to enable or disable connections using a predetermined schedule. The pre-determined schedule may provide Internet access only when necessary, such as during scheduled device updates.

Claims

1. A mobile broadband hotspot for providing an auxiliary radio transceiver for receiving a request to activate an access point mode, the mobile broadband hotspot comprising:

a processor configured to;

detect, using the auxiliary radio transceiver, the request to activate the access point mode from a terminal device;

enable the access point mode of the mobile broadband hotspot in response to receiving the request to activate; and

establish, using a primary radio transceiver, a connection with a connecting device.

2. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein the radio transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

3. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein the primary radio transceiver comprises a Wi-Fi transceiver.

4. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein the connecting device comprises the terminal device.

5. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein the connecting device comprises another terminal device.

6. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect, using the auxiliary radio transceiver, a request to deactivate the access point mode from the terminal device;

disable the access point mode of the mobile broadband hotspot in response to receiving the request to deactivate; and

terminate, using the primary radio transceiver, the connection between a connected device and the mobile broadband hotspot.

7. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein prior to detecting, the processor is configured to transmit a scheduled connection request to the terminal device, wherein the scheduled connection request causes the terminal device to transmit the request to activate the access point mode.

8. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein the establishing the connection comprises performing a successful authentication between the mobile broadband hotpot and the connecting device.

9. The mobile broadband hotspot of claim 1, wherein the detecting further comprises the receiving of a Pre-Shared Key in the request, and wherein the connection uses the Pre-Shared Key for security purposes.

10. A system for activating an access point mode of a mobile broadband hotspot through an auxiliary radio transceiver, the system comprising:

a terminal device comprising a terminal radio transceiver, wherein the terminal radio transceiver is configured to transmit a request to activate the access point mode; and

a mobile broadband hotspot comprising the auxiliary radio transceiver and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to;

detect, using the auxiliary radio transceiver, the request to activate the access point mode from the terminal device;

enable the access point mode of the mobile broadband hotspot in response to receiving the request to activate; and

establish, using a primary radio transceiver, a connection with a connecting device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the connecting device comprises the terminal device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the connecting device comprises another terminal device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to detect a Pre-Shared Key in the request, and wherein the processor is configured to establish the connection using the Pre-Shared Key for security purposes.

14. A method for using an auxiliary radio transceiver to set a mobile broadband hotspot to access point mode, the method comprising:

detecting, using the auxiliary radio transceiver, the request to activate the access point mode from a terminal device;

enabling the access point mode of the mobile broadband hotspot in response to receiving the request to activate; and

establishing, using a primary radio transceiver, a connection with a connected device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary radio transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the connecting device comprises the terminal device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the connecting device comprises another terminal device.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

detecting, using the auxiliary radio transceiver, a request to deactivate the access point mode from the terminal device;

disabling the access point mode of the mobile broadband hotspot in response to receiving the request to deactivate; and

terminating, using the primary radio transceiver, the connection between a connected device and the mobile broadband hotspot.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising, prior to the detecting, transmitting a scheduled connection request to the terminal device, wherein the scheduled connection request causes the terminal device to transmit the request to activate the access point mode.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the detecting further comprises receiving a Pre-Shared Key in the request, and wherein the establishing of the connection uses the Pre-Shared Key for security.