Peer to peer sharing of functionality of mobile devices

• US 9,055,106 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tuen Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tuen Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Tsui, Chi Ying, Murch, Ross David, Cheng, Roger Shu Kwan, Mow, Wai Ho, Lau, Vincent Kin Nang
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONADO, FRANK E
• Application Number:
  US13/683,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/32 for charging batteries from a charging set comprising a non-electric prime mover rotating at constant speed
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/18 producing electrical output from mechanical input, e.g. generators for measurement devices G01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

Functionality is shared among mobile devices in a peer to peer manner. A mobile device can include a plurality of functional components that can each perform respective functionality. Examples of the functionalities can include transceiver communications, processing, power, memory, input and output for the mobile device. Further, the mobile device can include a sharing component that enables sharing a particular third party functional component to replace or supplement operation of a corresponding functional component of the mobile device. The third party functional component, for instance, can be made available for sharing by at least one of a disparate mobile device or a stand alone functional component. Moreover, a host component can allow a disparate mobile device to use an available one or more of the plurality of functional components of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, that executes or facilitates execution of the instructions to at least;

determine whether one or more functional components of the mobile device has transitioned from a functional state to a disabled state due to limited processing power provided by the processor;

in response to a determination that the one or more functional components of the processor has transitioned from the functional state to the disabled state due to limited processing power provided by the processor,

search for a remote processor of a remote mobile device having second processing power available for share by a disparate mobile device to supplement operation of the processor to perform a task;

determine a network path from the mobile device to the disparate mobile device via at least one intermediate mobile device that facilitates, via the intermediate device, data exchange between the mobile device and the disparate mobile device; and

access the remote processor via the network path and supplement the functional component of the processor using functionality of the remote mobile device to facilitate performance of the task.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to identify a set of remote functional components, including the remote processor, available for share and to enable the mobile device to select one of the remote functional components from the set of remote functional components.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to determine that the processor has transitioned from the functional state to at least one of an unavailable state, an inactivated state, or an inefficient state.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to identify, based on analysis of the task, at least one first functional component of the mobile device to be used to accomplish the task and at least one second functional component of the disparate mobile device to be used to accomplish the task.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to identify an available functional component hosted by the disparate mobile device and available to be shared with the mobile device.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to allow the disparate mobile device to use an available functional component of the mobile device.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to at least one of authorize or authenticate the disparate mobile device in response to selection by the disparate mobile device of the available functional component of the mobile device.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to allocate use of the available functional component among multiple disparate mobile devices in response to reception of concurrent or substantially concurrent requests for use of the available functional component from the multiple disparate mobile devices.

9. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes or facilitates the execution of the instructions to generate debit information that debits an account in response to usage of the remote processor by the mobile device.

10. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is configured to act as a node within a mesh network of devices that share functional components according to a peer-to-peer protocol.

11. A method, comprising:

in response to determining that one or more functional components of a mobile device has transitioned from a functional state to a disabled state due to a limited first processing power provided by a first processor;

searching for a second processor of a remote mobile device having second processing power made available for sharing by a second mobile device to supplement operation of the first processor to perform a task;

determining a network path from the first mobile device to the second mobile device through an intermediate mobile device;

exchanging data between the first mobile device and the second mobile device via the intermediate mobile device; and

supplementing the one or more functional components with the second processing power of the second mobile device via the network path in connection with performance of the task.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a set of remote functional components, including the second processor, available for share by the second mobile device; and

receive selection input at the first mobile device that selects a remote functional component from the set of remote functional components.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing an available functional component of the first mobile device for use by the second mobile device over the network path or a different network path.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising searching for the second processor in response to a determination that the first processor has transitioned from the functional state to at least one of an unavailable state, an inactivated state, or an inefficient state.

14. A system comprising:

means for determining that one or more functional components of a mobile device have transitioned from an operational state to a non-operational state due to a limited amount of available processing power of a processor;

means for searching, in response to the determining, for a remote processor of a remote mobile device, wherein the remote processor is made available for share by the remote mobile device;

means for identifying at least one intermediate mobile device in a network path from the mobile device to the remote mobile device; and

means for supplementing performance of the one or more functional components with functionality of the remote mobile device by communication with the remote mobile device via the intermediate mobile device.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for determining comprises means for determining that a state of the processor has changed from the operational state to at least one of a disabled state, an unavailable state, an inactivated state, or an inefficient state.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a mobile device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

in response to determining that one or more functional components of the mobile device has transitioned from an operational state to a non-operational state due to a limited amount of available first processing power of the processor,

searching for a second mobile device comprising a remote processor with available second processing power made sharable by the second mobile device;

determining a network path from the first mobile device to the second mobile device through an intermediate mobile device; and

accessing the remote processor via the intermediate mobile device to supplement operation of the one or more functional components using the remote mobile device to perform a task.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise selecting a set of functional components for performance of the task, wherein the set of functional components comprise at least one first functional component of the first mobile device and a second functional component of the second mobile device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise allowing the second mobile device or another mobile device to access an available functional component of the first mobile device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise authenticating the second mobile device or the other mobile device in response to receiving a request from the second mobile device or the other mobile device to access the available functional component.