Coordination among mobile stations servicing terminal equipment

• US 7,184,774 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, William Neil, Dorenbosch, Jheroen Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor; Barry
• Application Number:
  US10/012,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/517, 455/445, 455/41.2, 455/11.1, 455/426.2, 455/554.1
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5691 Access to open networks; Ingress point selection, e.g. ISP selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Coordination among mobile stations enables a terminal device (114) to establish a most appropriate wireless network connection. According to the present invention, a connection request, including network connectivity requirements, is communicated from the terminal device (114) to a first mobile station (116). The first mobile station (116) then transmits the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station (117–119) that is also capable of establishing a wireless network connection. A determination based in part or in whole on the network connectivity requirements is then made at one of the first and second mobile stations (116–119) which station can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection. A network connection is then established through one of the first and second mobile stations (116–119) based on the determination of which of the first and second mobile stations (116–119) can provide the most appropriate wireless network connection.

Claims

1. A method of linking a terminal device to a communications network, the method including the steps of:

receiving a service request, including network connectivity requirements, from the terminal device at a first mobile station;

at the first mobile station, communicating the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station that is capable of providing a wireless network connection from the terminal device to the communication network;

determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection from the terminal device to the communication network based on the service request; and

establishing the most appropriate wireless network connection through one of the first and second mobile stations based on the determining at one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide the most appropriate wireless network connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station that is capable of providing a wireless network connection and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection are performed during an existing wireless network connection established for the terminal device through the first mobile station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating of the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station that is capable of providing a wireless network connection and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection are executed when the terminal device requires additional bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating of the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station that is capable of providing a wireless network connection and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection are executed when the existing wireless network connection is degraded by a predetermined amount.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station that is capable of providing a wireless network connection and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection result in a handover of the existing wireless network connection from the first mobile station to the second mobile station as a result of network-based instructions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station that is capable of providing a wireless network connection is executed over one of an ad hoc wireless network, a cellular system, and a local wireless network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the network connectivity requirements to a second mobile station that is capable of providing a wireless network connection is executed via the terminal device.

8. A method of linking a terminal device to a communications network, comprising:

communicating network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station, both of which are capable of establishing a wireless network connection from the terminal device to the communication network;

determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide an appropriate wireless network connection from the terminal device to the communication network based on the network connectivity requirements; and

establishing the appropriate wireless network connection based on results from the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection based on the network connectivity requirements.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicating of network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection based on the network connectivity requirements are performed during an existing terminal device wireless network connection established through the first mobile station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the communicating of network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection based on the network connectivity requirements are performed when additional bandwidth is required.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the communicating of network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection based on the network connectivity requirements are executed when the existing wireless network connection established through the first mobile station is degraded to a predetermined level.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicating of network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station and the determining at at least one of the first and second mobile stations which of the first and second mobile stations can provide a most appropriate wireless network connection based on the network connectivity requirements further comprises:

evaluating, by a service provider, network connectivity capabilities of the first mobile station and the second mobile station; and

transmitting network-based instructions to at least one of the first mobile station and the second mobile station.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicating of network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station is executed over one of an ad hoc wireless network, a cellular system, and a local wireless network.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicating of network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station is executed via the terminal device.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicating of network connectivity requirements from a first mobile station to a second mobile station, both of which are capable of establishing an appropriate wireless network connection, comprises communicating one of bandwidth requirements, connectivity pricing parameters, connectivity quality and connectivity type from the first mobile station to the second mobile station.

16. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a terminal device operable to connect to a network via a wireless network connection;

a first mobile station for providing an initial wireless network connection between the terminal device and the network;

a second mobile station for communicating with the first mobile station to exchange network connectivity requirements of the terminal device when potential connectivity switching conditions exist, the second mobile station suitable for providing a wireless network connection from the terminal device to the communication network; and

at least one of the first and second mobile stations is for determining, whether the potential connectivity switching conditions exist based on the network connectivity requirements.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined connectivity switching conditions exist when the terminal device requires additional bandwidth.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined connectivity switching conditions exist when the initial wireless network connection is degraded by a predetermined amount.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first mobile station is further for handing over the initial wireless network connection to the second mobile station when the predetermined connectivity switching conditions exist.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the second mobile station is further for communicating with the first mobile station and the communicating is executed via the terminal device.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of second mobile stations for communicating with the first mobile station to exchange the network connectivity requirements of the terminal device when the potential connectivity switching conditions exist;

and

the first mobile station or one of the plurality of second mobile stations is for determining whether the potential connectivity switching conditions exist based on the network connectivity requirements.