Apparatus, system and method for providing services through a multi-mode wireless terminal device

• US 7,761,087 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Jarvis, Scott, Suri, Atul, Juneja, Anupam, Kharia, Yash
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US11/459,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20080019333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/552.1, 455/41.2, 455/426.2, 455/3.05, 455405-408, 370/338, 370/328, 370/401, 709/204
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A multi-mode wireless terminal device includes a first network interface for communicating with a first wireless network and a second network interface for communicating with a second wireless network. The second wireless network offers services that are not necessarily provided by the first wireless network. The multi-mode wireless terminal device acts as a gateway so that wireless terminal devices operating on the first wireless network may connect to the multi-mode wireless terminal device in order to access the services of the second wireless network. The multi-mode terminal device can limit access to the services based on operational parameters such as battery power level, wireless signal strength, usage time, processing load and the like.

Claims

1. A method for providing one or more services of a first wireless network to a wireless terminal device communicating with a second wireless network, comprising:

establishing a session between the wireless terminal device and a multi-mode wireless terminal device capable of communicating with the first and second wireless networks;

determining one or more operational parameters of the multi-mode wireless terminal device;

selectively providing the services to the wireless terminal device through the multi-mode wireless terminal device based on the operational parameters of the multi-mode wireless terminal device;

monitoring the wireless signal strength between the wireless terminal device and multi-mode wireless terminal device;

transmitting a warning message to the wireless terminal device when the wireless signal strength drops below a predetermined threshold; and

terminating the session between the wireless terminal device and the multi-mode wireless terminal device after the wireless signal strength has remained below the predetermined threshold for a predetermined time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scanning the second wireless network for a multi-mode wireless terminal device offering the services to devices located on the second wireless network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the multi-mode wireless terminal device from a plurality of multi-mode wireless terminal devices offering the services to devices located on the second wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the wireless terminal device of a charge for accessing the services through the multi-mode wireless terminal device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving charge account information from the wireless terminal device; and

charging the charge account for the amount of services accessed by the wireless terminal device through the multi-mode wireless terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a battery power level of the multi-mode wireless terminal device; and

selectively providing the services to the wireless terminal device based on the determined battery power level.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a predetermined time period during which the wireless terminal device may access the services through the multi-mode wireless terminal device; and

providing the services to wireless terminal device only during the predetermined time period.

8. A multi-mode wireless terminal device, comprising:

a first transceiver for communicating with a first wireless network;

a second transceiver for communicating with a second wireless network; and

access means for a wireless terminal device communicating with the second wireless network to access one or more services of the first wireless network by way of the first and second transceivers;

a user interface that permits a user of the multi-mode wireless terminal device to selectively enable the access means;

a battery; and

a circuit configured to determine a charge level of the battery and to selectively provide the services to the wireless terminal device based on the battery charge level.

9. The multi-mode wireless terminal device of claim 8, wherein the second wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

10. The multi-mode wireless terminal device of claim 8, wherein the second transceiver supports a peer-to-peer protocol for communicating with the wireless terminal device.

11. The multi-mode wireless terminal device of claim 8, wherein the first wireless network is a wide-area cellular network.

12. The multi-mode wireless terminal device of claim 8, wherein the services include voice service, data service, E911 service or short messaging service (SMS).

13. A communication system, comprising:

a multi-mode wireless terminal device including a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver configured to exchange wireless signals with a WLAN and a cellular transceiver configured to exchange wireless signals with a cellular wireless network providing one or more cellular services that are not offered by the WLAN;

a WLAN terminal device configured to connect to the multi-mode wireless terminal device over the WLAN in order to access the cellular services by way of the WLAN and cellular transceivers and including means for selecting the multi-mode wireless terminal device from a plurality of multi-mode wireless terminal devices offering the cellular services to devices communicating with the WLAN; and

a server, in communication with the multi-mode wireless terminal device, for maintaining an online account on behalf of a user of the WLAN terminal device, wherein the multi-mode wireless terminal device charges the online account for the cellular services used by the WLAN terminal device.

14. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the WLAN terminal device includes a display for displaying to a user fees associated with accessing the cellular services by way of the multi-mode wireless terminal device.

15. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the WLAN terminal device includes means for scanning the WLAN for a multi-mode wireless terminal device offering the services to devices communicating with the WLAN.