Dynamic networking modes method and apparatus

• US 8,103,216 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ting, Albert H., Canova, Francis James Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US12/982,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20110103361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/556.1, 455/11.1, 455/552.1, 455/406, 455/414.1, 455/557, 709/213, 709/248, 370/310.2, 370/311, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A portable electronic device is disclosed. The portable electronic device includes a wireless transceiver, a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver, a memory coupled to the processor and a program stored in the memory and running on the processor. The program provides automatic transitioning between a wireless infrastructure communication mode to an ad-hoc communication mode. The infrastructure mode is used when a request from a mobile device is received to access a communications network. The ad-hoc mode is used when a request from the mobile device is received to access resources on the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a handheld computer to provide network access to a second device, the method being performed by one or more processors of the handheld computer and comprising:

transmitting a wireless signal to the second device in order to notify the second device that the handheld computer is available as a wireless access point for the network;

receiving a request from the second device, the request notifying the handheld computer that the second device has requested access to connect to the network using the handheld computer as the wireless access point for the network; and

in response to receiving the request from the second device, enabling the second device to access the network using the handheld computer as the wireless access point under a communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, initiating a program to enable the handheld computer to be available as a wireless access point for the network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the wireless signal includes transmitting the wireless signal over the IEEE 802.11 wireless communications protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the wireless signal includes transmitting the wireless signal over the Bluetooth wireless communications protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request includes receiving the request over the IEEE 802.11 wireless communications protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request includes receiving the request over the Bluetooth wireless communications protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a cellular network and the communication protocol is a cellular communication protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld computer is a cellular phone.

9. A method for connecting to a handheld computer to access a network, the method being performed by one or more processors of a computing device and comprising:

receiving a wireless signal from the handheld computer that notifies the computing device that the handheld computer is available as a wireless access point for the network;

transmitting a request to the handheld computer, the request notifying the handheld computer that the computing device has requested access to connect to the network using the handheld computer as the wireless access point for the network; and

accessing the network using the handheld computer as the wireless access point under a communication protocol.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the wireless signal includes receiving the wireless signal over the IEEE 802.11 wireless communications protocol.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the wireless signal includes receiving the wireless signal over the Bluetooth wireless communications protocol.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting a request includes transmitting the request over the IEEE 802.11 wireless communications protocol.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting a request includes transmitting the request over the Bluetooth wireless communications protocol.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the network is a cellular network and the communication protocol is a cellular communication protocol.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the handheld computer is a cellular phone.