Method and system for brokering frequencies to facilitate peer-to-peer communication

• US 7,239,882 B1
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cook, Fred S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/298,062
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 455/519, 455/416, 455/426.1, 455/439, 455/552.1, 455/513, 455/518, 455/414.1, 455/63, 455/67.1, 455/517
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A method and system for brokering frequencies for use in peer-to-peer communication sessions. A frequency broker receives session-participation messages from multiple parties wishing to communicate wirelessly with each other. The broker selects a frequency for the parties to use and then instructs the parties to communicate with each other on the selected frequency. And the parties then engage in peer-to-peer communication with each other over the selected frequency.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving session-participation messages from a plurality of parties seeking to participate in a peer-to-peer wireless communication session with each other, at least one of the session-participation messages carrying a session-identifier keyed to the wireless communication session;

recognizing the session-identifier in at least the one session-participation message; and

responsive to the session-participation messages, instructing the parties to directly communicate with each other on a common frequency,

whereby the parties then directly communicate with each other on the common frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the parties are directly communicating with each other on the common frequency, instructing the parties to communicate with each other on another common frequency,

whereby the parties then switch to directly communicate with each other on the other common frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving session-participation messages from a plurality of parties comprises receiving a session-participation message respectively from each of the parties.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the session-participation messages is a registration message for the communication session, the method further comprising:

responsive to receiving the registration-message, establishing in data storage a session-record for the communication session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the session-participation messages further carries a source-identifier keyed to the party from whom the session-participation message was received, the method further comprising, for each session-participation message received:

reading the source-identifier from the session-participation-message; and

tailoring the session-record to reflect participation in the communication session by the party from whom the session-participation message was received.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a registration message for the communication session; and

responsive to the registration message, establishing in data storage a session-record for the communication session.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the session-participation messages further carries a source-identifier keyed to the party from whom the session-participation message was received, the method further comprising, for each session-participation message received:

reading the source-identifier from the session-participation-message; and

tailoring the session-record to reflect participation in the communication session by the party from whom the session-participation message was received.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the common frequency.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting the common frequency comprises randomly selecting the common frequency.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting the common frequency comprises:

receiving frequency-availability information from the parties; and

selecting the common frequency based on the frequency-availability information received from the parties.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the session-participation messages are wirelessly transmitted from the plurality of parties on one or more frequencies that do not overlap the common frequency.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more frequencies are within a licensed frequency range, and the common frequency is an unlicensed frequency.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the common frequency is an unlicensed frequency.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the common frequency is an FRS band frequency.

15. A frequency broker comprising:

a processor;

data storage;

machine language instructions stored in the data storage and executable by the processor (i) to receive session-participation messages from a plurality of parties seeking to participate in a peer-to-peer wireless communication session with each other, wherein at least one of the session-participation messages carries a session-identifier keyed to the wireless communication session, (ii) to recognize the session-identifier in at least the one session-participation message, and (iii) responsive to the session-participation messages, to instruct the parties to directly communicate with each other on a common frequency.

16. The frequency broker of claim 15, wherein one of the session-participation messages is a registration message for the communication session, and wherein the machine language instructions are further executable by the processor, in response to the registration message, to establish in data storage a session-record for the communication session.

17. The frequency broker of claim 15,

wherein the machine language instructions are further executable by the processor to select the common frequency.

18. The frequency broker of claim 17,

wherein the machine language instructions are executable by the processor to receive frequency-availability information from the parties and to select the common frequency based on the frequency-availability information received from the parties.

19. The frequency broker of claim 18,

wherein the machine language instructions are executable by the processor to request the frequency-availability information from the parties, and to receive the frequency-availability information in response.

20. The frequency broker of claim 15, wherein the common frequency is an unlicensed frequency.