Employing multiple mobile devices with varying functional capabilities

• US 8,320,894 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Raghunath, Mandayam Thondanur, Tathawadekar, Nilesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US13/250,924
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/414.1, 455/416, 455/417, 455/418, 455/422.1, 455/435.1, 455/461, 455/463, 455/551, 455/558, 370/310.2, 370/328, 370/338, 379156-166, 379171-173, 379177-179, 379/185, 379/211.01, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained

Abstract

Communications over a network are selectively routed to one of multiple mobile devices identified by the same mobile device number. In one example, a method includes identifying a first mobile phone associated with a first activation priority by a phone number and identifying a second mobile phone associated with a second activation priority by the same phone number. The activation priority indicates a priority with which the first and the second mobile phones are activated for communications on a network. Communications associated with the phone number are selectively routed to one of the first mobile phone or the second mobile phone having a highest activation priority. The phone number defines an address at which the communications are routed to the one of the first mobile phone or the second mobile phone having the highest activation priority without being routed to an intervening address defined by another device number.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device comprising a processor and memory, a plurality of mobile devices by one device number, wherein each of the mobile devices is associated with an activation priority that indicates a priority with which the respective mobile device is activated for communications on a network;

registering the mobile devices on the network;

selectively routing communications associated with the one device number to one of the mobile devices having a highest activation priority, wherein the one device number defines an address at which the communications are routed to the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority without being routed to an intervening address defined by another device number; and

deregistering the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority from the network when the battery life of a battery of the one of the mobile devices falls below a threshold,

wherein one of the mobile devices registered on the network comprises a smart mobile phone and another of the mobile devices registered on the network comprises a basic mobile phone, the smart mobile phone having an activation priority that is higher than an activation priority of the basic mobile phone, and

wherein deregistering the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority comprises deregistering the smart mobile phone from the network when the battery life of a battery of the smart mobile phone falls below a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising deregistering one of the mobile devices after the device has not communicated with the mobile device network within a network timeout limit.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing data between two or more of the mobile devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein synchronizing data comprises synchronizing at least one of contacts, calendar, text messaging, e-mail, voice mail, or phone call data between two or more of the mobile devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein synchronizing data comprises synchronizing data between two or more of the mobile devices based on at least one of memory capacity, processing power, or display capabilities of each of the two or more of the mobile devices.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein synchronizing data comprises synchronizing data between two or more of the mobile devices over at least one of a cellular network or a local wireless connection.

7. A tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to:

identify a plurality of mobile devices with one device number, wherein each of the mobile devices is associated with an activation priority that indicates a priority with which the respective mobile device is activated for communications on a network;

register the mobile devices on the network;

selectively route communications associated with the one device number to one of the mobile devices having a highest activation priority, wherein the one device number defines an address at which the communications are routed to the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority without being routed to an intervening address defined by another device number; and

deregister the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority from the network when the battery life of a battery of the one of the mobile devices falls below a threshold,

wherein one of the mobile devices registered on the network comprises a smart mobile phone and another of the mobile devices registered on the network comprises a basic mobile hone and wherein the smart mobile phone comprises an activation priority that is higher than an activation priority of the basic mobile phone, and

wherein the smart mobile phone comprises a battery and the computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions for causing the programmable processor to deregister the smart mobile phone from the network when the battery life of the battery falls below a threshold.

8. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 further comprising instructions for causing a programmable processor to synchronize data between two or more of the mobile devices.

9. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein synchronizing data comprises synchronizing at least one of contacts, calendar, text messaging, e-mail, voice mail, or phone call data between two or more of the mobile devices.

10. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein synchronizing data comprises synchronizing data between two or more of the mobile devices based on at least one of memory capacity, processing power, or display capabilities of each of the two or more of the mobile devices.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for causing the processor to;

identify a plurality of mobile devices with one device number, wherein each of the mobile devices is associated with an activation priority that indicates a priority with which the respective mobile device is activated for communications on a network;

register the mobile devices on the network;

selectively route communications associated with the one device number to one of the mobile devices having a highest activation priority, wherein the one device number defines an address at which the communications are routed to the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority without being routed to an intervening address defined by another device number; and

deregister the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority from the network when the battery life of a battery of the one of the mobile devices falls below a threshold,

wherein one of the mobile devices registered on the network comprises a smart mobile phone and another of the mobile devices registered on the network comprises a basic mobile phone, and wherein the smart mobile phone comprises an activation priority that is higher than an activation priority of the basic mobile phone, and

wherein the processor deregistering the one of the mobile devices having the highest activation priority comprises deregistering the smart phone from the network when the battery life of a battery of the smart phone falls below a threshold.