Feature sharing

• US 7,949,332 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Peuziat, Xavier, Guyot, Galina, Clauzel, Gilbert
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US11/491,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20070072597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 455415-423
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile telephone operable to use a feature of a second mobile telephone comprising a share module for obtaining details of one or more features on the second mobile telephone which are available for use by the mobile telephone a user interface for selecting an available feature; and a communication module for communicating data with the second mobile telephone to enable the selected feature to be used by the mobile telephone.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone configured to use a feature of another mobile telephone, the mobile telephones each comprising:

a share module for allowing access between the mobile telephones to share selected features on the mobile telephones via the share modules, if a user of an other mobile telephone is a selected trusted party of a user of one of the mobile telephones and the selected features are not available on the other mobile telephone, for obtaining details of one of the selected features on one of the mobile telephones which are available for use by the other mobile telephone;

a user interface for selecting an available feature from a list of the one or more features;

a network-based share coordinator configured as an intermediary between the mobile telephones, the share coordinator protecting respective addresses of each of the mobile telephones; and

a communication module for communicating data between the mobile telephones to enable the selected feature to be used on the one of the mobile telephones by the user of the other mobile telephone without transferring the feature to the other mobile telephone.

2. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the share modules are adapted for providing one or more features on one mobile telephone which are available for use by the other mobile telephone.

3. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the share modules are further adapted to obtain, for each available feature, usage information indicating the how to use that feature.

4. The mobile telephones of claim 3, wherein the communication module of one mobile telephone is arranged to communicate data with the other mobile telephone in accordance with the obtained usage information relating to the selected feature.

5. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the communication module of one mobile telephone is arranged to communicate with the other mobile telephone over a local wireless communication link, and further wherein the share module of one mobile telephone is arranged to obtain the details over the local wireless communication link.

6. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the user interfaces are adapted to offer a service, the service requiring one or more functions at least one of which is not available on one mobile telephone, the share modules being arranged to determine when the required features are available on one mobile telephone, and to enable use of the service on the other mobile telephone when it is determined that the required features are available on the one mobile telephone, and wherein the service is not offered unless all of the required features are available.

7. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the share modules are arranged to charge the other mobile telephone for use made of a feature on the one mobile telephone.

8. The mobile telephones of claim 7, further comprising a counter tracking a predetermined number of credits for sharing features with the other mobile telephones, wherein sharing is suspended when the counter expires.

9. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the share modules are arranged to obtain pricing information relating to the one or more features and to display such information to the user.

10. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephones do not know the identity and location of the other mobile telephone on which the selected feature is being used.

11. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the selected feature is provided transparently to the user such that the selected feature appears to the user to be available directly on the user'"'"'s mobile telephone without appearing to the user as a shared feature.

13. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the selected feature comprises multimedia message service (MMS) capability.

14. The mobile telephones of claim 1, wherein the selected feature comprises video conferencing.

12. A method of using, from a first mobile telephone, a sharable service comprising at least one feature available on a second mobile telephone, the method comprising:

allowing access by a share module of the first mobile telephone to the shareable service on the second mobile telephone via a share module of the second mobile telephone, the shareable service not available on the first mobile telephone, if a user of the first mobile telephone is a selected trusted party of a user of the second mobile telephone;

obtaining details of the sharable service on the second mobile telephone which are available for use by the first mobile telephone;

providing a list of the one or more sharable service even if only a portion of the sharable service is available;

selecting an available service from the list; and

receiving input for the sharable service even if all features for the sharable service are unavailable, until such time as all features for the sharable service become available, and at such time, then executing the sharable service using the received input;

communicating data between mobile telephones to enable the first mobile telephone to use the selected service on the second mobile telephone without transferring the service to the first mobile telephone.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising protecting identities of the first and second mobile telephones from each other.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising transparently providing the selected service on the first mobile telephone, such that the selected service appears on the first mobile telephone as though the selected service is directly available on the first mobile telephone.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising tracking a predetermined number of credits for accessing the sharable features, wherein accessing the sharable features is suspended when the credits expire.