NETWORK BANDWIDTH SHARING FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20170048754A1
• Filed: 10/19/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ely, Colin M., Rothkopf, Fletcher R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,973,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/43 using shared identity modules, e.g. SIM sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Client devices with wireless functionality, but without wide area network or cellular network functionality, can obtain network access via a host device, where the host device has network access. Such network access can be obtained when a client device of a user is in local range of a host device, e.g., of a different user. An indication of a relative movement between the client device and a host device can be used to establish a network sharing connection.

Claims

1. A method of using a client device associated with a second user to access a network via a first host device associated with a first user that is different than the second user, the client device and the first host device being portable electronic devices, the method comprising:

at the client device comprising a wireless interface;

receiving, via the wireless interface, an indication that the first host device is available for network sharing;

determining an indication of a first relative movement between the client device and the first host device;

determining, using the indication of the first relative movement, to establish a first network-sharing communication link with the first host device; and

communicating, via the first network-sharing communication link, data with the network after the first network-sharing communication link is established.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device includes one or more sensors, the one or more sensors comprising at least one of a GPS unit or an accelerometer, and wherein the first relative movement is determined using one or more sensor measurements of the one or more sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the client device:

terminating the first network-sharing communication link with the first host device based at least in part on motion of at least one of the client device or the first host device;

receiving, via the wireless interface, an indication that a second host device is available for network sharing;

determining an indication of a second relative movement between the client device and the second host device;

determining, using the indication of the second relative movement, to establish a second network-sharing communication link with the second host device; and

communicating, via the second network-sharing communication link, data with the network after the second network-sharing communication link is established.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second network-sharing communication link is established in response to a communication not being completed using the first network-sharing communication link.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a first part of a communication is received via the first network-sharing communication link and a second part of the communication is received via the second network-sharing communication link.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the client device:

using at least one of proximity to the first host device, a signal strength associated with the first host device, or a battery level of the first host device in determining to establish the first network-sharing communication link.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the client device:

determining a first metric corresponding to the first relative movement between the client device and the first host device;

determining a second metric corresponding to a second relative movement between the client device and a second host device; and

determining, using the first metric and the second metric, with which of the first host device and the second host device to establish a network-sharing communication link.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first relative movement includes determining a velocity of the first host device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the client device:

determining not to establish a second network-sharing communication link with a second host device when the client device and the second host device are determined to be moving away from one another.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the client device:

determining not to establish a second network-sharing communication link with a second host device when a velocity of the second host device exceeds a velocity threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the client device:

establishing a second network-sharing communication link with a second host device, wherein the first network-sharing communication link and the second network-sharing communication link at least partially overlap in time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device comprises a wearable device.

13. A method of using a host device to provide access to a communications network to an unassociated first client device, the method comprising:

at the host device comprising a first wireless interface and a second wireless interface;

receiving, via the second wireless interface, a data sharing request from the unassociated first client device;

determining a first relative movement between the unassociated first client device and the host device;

determining whether to establish a first network-sharing communication link with the unassociated first client device based on the first relative movement;

when the first network-sharing communication link is established;

communicating an item of data with the unassociated first client device via the second wireless interface; and

communicating the item of data with the communications network via the first wireless interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the item of data comprises an alert, and wherein the first network-sharing communication link is limited to communicating of the alert.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising, at the host device:

determining a first metric based at least in part on the first relative movement between the unassociated first client device and the host device;

determining a second metric based at least in part on a second relative movement between a second client device and the host device; and

determining, using the first metric and the second metric, with which of the unassociated first client device and the second client device to establish a network-sharing communication link.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising, at the host device:

receiving data from the network based at least in part on a prediction that the host device is within effective communication range of the unassociated first client device and is able to send the data to the unassociated first client device.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising, at the host device:

terminating the first network-sharing communication link in response to movement of the unassociated first client device, the host device, or both.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising, at the host device:

using a proximity to the unassociated first client device and/or a signal strength associated with the unassociated first client device in determining whether to establish the first network-sharing communication link with the unassociated first client device.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising, at the host device:

determining not to establish the first network-sharing communication link with the unassociated first client device when the unassociated first client device and the host device are determined to be moving away from one another.

20. A wearable communications device operable to access a network via an unassociated host device, the wearable communications device comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless interface; and

a memory storing a set of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to;

determine an indication of a relative movement between the wearable communications device and the unassociated host device;

determine, using the indication of the relative movement, whether to establish a network-sharing communication link with the unassociated host device; and

communicate, via the network-sharing communication link, data with the network after the first network-sharing communication link is established.