Wireless interface extension for mobile devices

• US 7,970,436 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Stone, M. Jeffrey, Katzer, Robin D., Persson, Carl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): STERNBANE, LAURENCE J
• Application Number:
  US11/534,633
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/569.2, 455/575.1, 455/556.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/569.1, 455/3.06, 455/420, 345/2.3, 715/744
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A wireless interface extension for mobile devices is provided. The wireless interface extension includes a user interface, a wireless communication link, and a processor. The processor communicates with a mobile device over the wireless communication link and enables a user to use the user interface to interact with at least one user application on the mobile device.

Claims

1. A wireless interface display extension for mobile devices, comprising:

a user interface;

a short range wireless communication link; and

a processor that communicates with a first one of the mobile devices over the wireless communication link, and outputs to the user interface display content of the at least one user application on the first one of the mobile devices, wherein interactions with the content output to the user interface are controlled by user input from at least a second one of the mobile devices that is received over the wireless communication link.

2. The wireless interface extension of claim 1 wherein the user interface includes a touch screen to output content to a user of the wireless interface extension and receive input from the user of the wireless interface extension.

3. The wireless interface extension of claim 2 wherein communications over the wireless communication link are controlled by input from the user of the wireless interface extension on the touch screen.

4. The wireless interface extension of claim 1 further comprising a memory, wherein the processor stores content that the one of the mobile devices received over a mobile device network in the memory and outputs the content from the memory to the user interface.

5. The wireless interface extension of claim 4, wherein the content that the one of the mobile devices received over the mobile device network comprises streaming content received over the mobile device network, wherein storing the content in the memory comprises buffering the streaming content in the memory, and wherein outputting the content from the memory to the user interface comprises continuously outputting the streaming content buffered in the memory to the user interface regardless of whether the one of the mobile devices is communicating with the mobile device network.

6. The wireless interface extension of claim 1 wherein the user interface comprises a visual output device and an audio output device that are enhanced relative to a visual output device and an audio output device for the one of the mobile devices.

7. The wireless interface extension of claim 1 wherein the at least one user application on the one of the mobile devices comprises at least one of camera, ring-tone selection, calendar, games, instant messenger, video, web browser, electronic mail, navigation, music, radio, television, and global positioning.

8. The wireless interface extension of claim 1, wherein the user interface displays a larger amount of content than is available for display at one time on the one of the mobile devices.

9. The wireless interface extension of claim 8, wherein the processor processes a user input to the user interface to convert the user input to a form recognized by the at least one user application on the one of the mobile devices.

10. A mobile device interface enhancement method, comprising:

displaying on a wireless interface extension a graphical user interface associated with at least one user application on a mobile device, wherein the displaying further comprises;

storing, in a memory of the wireless interface extension, streaming content received by the mobile device over a mobile device network, wherein storing the content in the memory comprises buffering the streaming content in the memory, the memory physically disconnected from the mobile device and communication between the mobile device and the memory is conducted over a short range wireless communication link; and

outputting the streaming content from the memory to the graphical user interface regardless of whether the mobile device is communicating with the mobile device network;

receiving a user input via the wireless interface extension; and

communicating the user input to the at least one user application on the mobile device over the wireless communication link.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the user input via the wireless interface extension comprises receiving user input through a touch screen.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving the user input via input from the user on the mobile device.

13. A mobile device comprising:

a short range wireless communication link;

a user interface to enable a user to communicate with at least one user application on the mobile device; and

a processor to communicate activity of the at least one user application to a display of the least one user application on a wireless interface extension, wherein the processor communicates the activity over the wireless communication link, and wherein communications over the wireless communication link are controlled by input from the user on the user interface of the mobile device, and wherein at least some functions of the at least one user application are controlled by user input on another mobile device received from the wireless interface extension.

14. The mobile device of claim 13 wherein the wireless interface extension further comprises a touch screen to output content to the user and receive input from the user.

15. The mobile device of claim 14 wherein communications over the wireless communication link are controlled by input from the user on the touch screen.

16. The mobile device of claim 13 wherein the wireless interface extension further stores content that the mobile device received over a mobile device network in a memory and outputs the content to the display of the least one user application on the wireless interface extension.