Enabling plural computing devices to communicate using a master account

• US 8,621,056 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2010
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Coussemaeker, Didier M., Wheeler, Graham A., Mai, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US12/958,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Functionality is described that allows plural computing devices to share a master account. In one implementation, the functionality allows any candidate device to directly communicate with a communication system using the master account, providing that the candidate device satisfies a prescribed condition with respect to a master device. For example, the functionality can allow the candidate device to communicate with the communication system if it is within a threshold distance of the master device. In another implementation, the functionality instructs the master device and the candidate device to set up a tethering relationship. The functionality can then allow the candidate device to communicate with the communication system, via the master device, using the master account. In one implementation, the functionality can set up the tethering relationship without substantial (or any) involvement of the user (or users) who operate the master device and candidate device.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a physical communication system, for interacting with plural computing devices, including at least a master device of a plurality of master devices and a candidate device, comprising:

receiving condition information regarding an operating environment associated with the candidate device, the condition information defining a current relation between the candidate device and the plurality of master devices, the condition information including (i) an indication of a distance between the candidate device and the plurality of master devices and (ii) a bandwidth parameter relating to an amount of bandwidth that communication between the plurality of master devices and the candidate device would use;

determining, based on the condition information, whether the candidate device and a master device of the plurality of master devices satisfies a communication-enabling condition;

enabling the candidate device to engage in wireless communication with the communication system upon the candidate device satisfying the communication-enabling condition;

once the candidate device is enabled, communicating with the candidate device via wireless communication based on usage terms specified in a master account, the master account governing interaction of all of the plural computing devices with the communication system;

receiving usage data pertaining to communication resources that are consumed by the candidate device in the course of said communicating; and

associating the usage data with the master account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication-enabling condition corresponds to an indication that the distance is less than a threshold distance.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the distance by:

determining location information which indicates the absolute or relative locations of the master device and the candidate device; and

determining a separation between the master device and the candidate device based on the location information, the separation corresponding to the distance.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising preventing the candidate device from engaging in wireless communication, using the master account, if the distance is not less than the threshold distance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the master device among the plural computing devices based on at least one of:

a manual selection of the master device; and

an assessment of suitability of the master device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the master account specifies an amount of available communication resources which can be utilized by the plural computing devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the master account is associated with a single user, and the plural computing devices are operated by the single user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of a distance between the candidate device and the master device is based on whether the devices can read respective RFID tags on the devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein only one of the plural computing devices is permitted to communicate using the master account at any given time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a first computing device and a second computing device are permitted to communicate using the master account at any given time.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising allocating a first amount of communication resources to the first computing device, and allocating a second amount of communication resources to the second computing device, wherein the first amount differs from the second amount.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the master device is chosen from the plurality of master devices based on the combination of (i) a type of wireless communication available on the master device being a most advanced wireless communication type available;

and (2) the amount of memory on the master device.

13. A method, performed by a physical communication system, for interacting with plural computing devices, including at least a master device of a plurality of master devices and a candidate device, comprising:

receiving condition information;

defining, based on the condition information, a tethering relationship between a master device of the plurality of master devices and the candidate device;

sending instructions to the master device to set up the tethering relationship;

sending instructions to the candidate device to set up the tethering relationship; and

communicating with the candidate device via the master device, as per the tethering relationship,

wherein the condition information includes (i) an indication of a distance between the candidate device and the master device and (ii) a bandwidth parameter relating to an amount of bandwidth that communication between the master device and the candidate device would use.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting the master device based on a manual selection of the master device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting the master device based on an assessment of suitability of the master device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the master device is assessed as suitable based on a consideration of communication resources provided by the master device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the master device is assessed as suitable based on a consideration of power capacity provided by the master device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the condition information specifies a distance between the master device and the candidate device, and wherein the tethering relationship is defined provided that the distance is less than a prescribed threshold distance.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said defining of the tethering relationship and said sending of instructions to the master device and the candidate device occurs without involvement of a user who is associated with master device and the candidate device.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving usage data pertaining to communication resources consumed by the candidate device in the course of said communicating; and

associating the usage data with a master account.

21. A computer readable memory for storing computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions providing a communication system when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer readable instructions comprising:

a configuration module configured to recommend at least one master device based on an assessment of a suitability of the master device for performing master device tethering functions;

a communication enabler module configured to receive an indication of a distance between a master device and a candidate device, and to determine whether the distance is less than a threshold distance;

a communication module configured to communicate with the candidate device if the distance is less than the threshold distance; and

an account management module configured to receive usage data pertaining to communication resources consumed by the candidate device in the course of communicating, and to associate the usage data with a master account that applies to both the master device and the candidate device,

the master account specifying an amount of available communication resources which can be utilized by the master device and the candidate device,

wherein the configuration module has independent access to past usage information indicating a manner in which a user has used the candidate device in the past, and

wherein the assessment is based on (1) the past usage information and (2) condition information forwarded from the candidate device describing communications capabilities of the candidate device.