Method and system for extended network access notification via a broadband access gateway

• US 7,962,164 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2009
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambirajan, Abrams, Marc, Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US12/582,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20100040025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 455/442, 455/434, 455/412.2, 455/436, 455/438, 455/439, 455/507, 455/509, 455/452.1, 455/515, 455/517, 455/3.06
• US Class Current: 455/515
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/121 Details of network access arrangements or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/125 Details of gateway equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/365 by manual user interaction

Abstract

A system and method supporting extended network access notification via a broadband access gateway is disclosed. A representative embodiment of the present invention may comprise a wireless interface and may be capable of exchanging multimedia communication between the wireless interface and a broadband network. The gateway may support multimedia communication via access devices that may seamlessly hand off from a wireless wide area network to a personal area network supported by the wireless interface. The hand off may be coordinated by the gateway and the wireless wide area network via the broadband network. A user of an access device may be notified when such a hand off has been automatically initiated, and a user may configure aspects of such hand offs.

Claims

1. A system supporting mobile user access to multimedia information, the system comprising:

at least one processor in a gateway capable of communicatively coupling to at least one wireless interface and to a broadband network, the at least one processor operable to, at least;

selectively communicate multimedia information among the at least one wireless interface and the broadband network;

communicate with a plurality of access devices via the at least one wireless interface, at least a portion of the plurality of access devices also being capable of communication via a wireless wide area network;

coordinate hand off of multimedia communication by the at least a portion of the plurality of access devices from the wireless wide area network or the at least one wireless interface to the other; and

wherein the at least one processor enables the at least a portion of the plurality of access devices to notify a user of the handoff of communication between the wireless wide area network and the at least one wireless interface.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the multimedia information comprises one or more of streaming video, broadcast video, digitized audio, data, digitized video, and/or digitized still pictures.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless interface is compliant with the BLUETOOTH V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless interface is compliant with one or more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and/or 802.11n standards.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wireless interface communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the at least one wireless interface communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the broadband network comprises a digital subscriber line (DSL) network.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the broadband network comprises a cable network.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the broadband network comprises a satellite network.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the broadband network comprises the Internet.

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein notifying the user comprises displaying a visual indication of the handoff of communication between the wireless wide area network and the at least one wireless interface.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein notifying the user comprises playing an audible indication of the handoff of communication between the wireless wide area network and the at least one wireless interface.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway collects access-related information for at least one of the plurality of access devices and the broadband network.

14. The system according to claim 13 wherein the gateway manages access to the collected information.

15. The system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway and the wireless wide area network interact to coordinate the transitioning of multimedia communication.

16. The system according to claim 1 wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular network.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the cellular network comprises one or more of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and/or a universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) network.

18. The system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of access devices comprises one or more of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or a personal computer (PC).

19. The system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of access devices comprises one or more of a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and/or a pointing device.

20. One or more circuits for use in an access device supporting mobile user access to multimedia information through one of a gateway serving a plurality of the access devices and a wireless wide area network, the one or more circuits comprising:

at least one processor capable of communicatively coupling to at least one wireless interface of the gateway and to the wireless wide area network, the at least one processor operable to, at least;

communicate multimedia information with one of the wireless wide area network and the at least one wireless interface;

coordinate hand off of multimedia communication from the wireless wide area network or the at least one wireless interface to the other; and

notify a user of the access device of the handoff of multimedia communication between the wireless wide area network and the at least one wireless interface.

21. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the multimedia information comprises one or more of streaming video, broadcast video, digitized audio, data, digitized video, and/or digitized still pictures.

22. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the access device communicates with the at least one wireless interface according to the BLUETOOTH V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.

23. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the access device communicates with the at least one wireless interface according to one or more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and/or 802.11n standards.

24. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the access device communicates with the at least one wireless interface using an unlicensed frequency band.

25. The one or more circuits according to claim 24 wherein the access device communicates with the at least one wireless interface at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.

26. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the broadband network used in communicating multimedia information to and from the gateway comprises a digital subscriber line (DSL) network.

27. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the broadband network used in communicating multimedia information to and from the gateway comprises a cable network.

28. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the broadband network used in communicating multimedia information to and from the gateway comprises a satellite network.

29. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the broadband network used in communicating multimedia information to and from the gateway comprises the Internet.

30. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein notifying the user comprises displaying a visual indication of the handoff of communication between the wireless wide area network and the at least one wireless interface.

31. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein notifying the user comprises playing an audible indication of the handoff of communication between the wireless wide area network and the at least one wireless interface.

32. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the gateway collects access-related information for at least one of the plurality of access devices and the broadband network.

33. The one or more circuits according to claim 32 wherein the gateway manages access to the collected information by the plurality of access devices.

34. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the gateway and the wireless wide area network interact to coordinate the transitioning of multimedia communication.

35. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular network.

36. The one or more circuits according to claim 35 wherein the cellular network comprises one or more of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and/or a universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) network.

37. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the access device comprises one or more of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or a personal computer (PC).

38. The one or more circuits according to claim 20 wherein the access device comprises one or more of a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and/or a pointing device.