Distributed computing over a wireless ad hoc network

• US 9,072,117 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Channey, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): SEFCHECK, GREGORY B
• Application Number:
  US13/297,823
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments of a telecommunication environment including a wireless transmitter in a first mobile device that enables the first mobile device to communicate over a network infrastructure. An application may be executed in the first mobile device such that the application enables the first mobile device to communicate with a second mobile device over a wireless ad hoc network. The application may further facilitate a requisitioning of a remote computer resource of the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network.

Claims

1. A first mobile device comprising:

a wireless transmitter included in the first mobile device, the wireless transmitter enabling the first mobile device to establish a direct communication over a network infrastructure; and

a communication system in the first mobile device, the communication system configured to;

establish, via the wireless transmitter, communication over a wireless ad hoc network with a second mobile device, wherein the wireless ad hoc network is separate from the network infrastructure;

facilitate receiving an uplink message from the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network, the uplink message being directed to intended for a node within the network infrastructure;

store the uplink message in a memory buffer when the direct communication over the network infrastructure is unavailable to the first mobile device;

facilitate forwarding the uplink message to the node using the network infrastructure at a time after the direct communication over the network infrastructure is available to the first mobile device;

facilitate receiving a downlink message from the node over the network infrastructure, the downlink message being intended for the second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is not in direct communication with the network infrastructure; and

calculate a pattern of access for a communication link with the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network, wherein the communication system is further configured to either;

store the downlink message in the memory buffer when the communication link is unavailable with the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network and predicted to become available at a particular point in time based at least in part on the calculated pattern of access for the communication link with the second mobile device; and

facilitate forwarding the downlink message to the second mobile device over the communication link with the second mobile device at the particular point in time in which the communication link was predicted to be available using the wireless ad hoc network;

or

facilitate discarding the downlink message intended for the second mobile device when the communication link is not predicted to become available based at least in part on the calculated pattern of access for the communication link with the second mobile device.

2. The first mobile device of claim 1, wherein the network infrastructure is a cellular network.

3. The first mobile device of claim 1, wherein the communication system is further configured to detect whether the second mobile device is configured to communicate over the network infrastructure.

4. A system, comprising:

a first mobile device;

a wireless transmitter included in the first mobile device, the wireless transmitter enabling the first mobile device to communicate over a network infrastructure; and

a communication system in the first mobile device, the communication system being configured to;

enable the first mobile device to communicate with a second mobile device over a wireless ad hoc network, wherein the wireless ad hoc network is separate from the network infrastructure;

establish communication with a first node within the network infrastructure through a link with the second mobile device using the wireless ad hoc network, wherein the first mobile device relays communications between the first node and the second mobile device via the first mobile device communicating with the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network and the first mobile device communicating with the first node over the network infrastructure;

facilitate receiving an electronic message from the first node over the network infrastructure, the electronic message being intended for the second mobile device;

calculate a pattern of access for a communication link of the first mobile device with the second mobile device in the wireless ad hoc network, wherein buffering of the electronic message by the first mobile device is based at least in part on the calculated pattern of access for the communication link with the second mobile device in the wireless ad hoc network;

store the electronic message in a memory buffer when direct communication with the second mobile device is unavailable to the first mobile device and is predicted to become available at a particular point in time over the wireless ad hoc network based at least in part on the calculated pattern of access for the communication link of the first mobile device with the second mobile device in the wireless ad hoc network; and

forward the electronic message to the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network at the particular point in time.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the network infrastructure is a cellular network.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein enabling the first mobile device to communicate with the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network comprises using the wireless transmitter.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the communication system is further configured to transition the wireless transmitter from communicating over the network infrastructure to communicating over the wireless ad hoc network.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the communication system is further configured to disable the wireless transmitter.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the wireless transmitter is a first wireless transmitter, and wherein communicating with the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network comprises using a second wireless transmitter included in the first mobile device.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the wireless ad hoc network is a mesh network including a third mobile device.

11. A method, comprising:

calculating, by a first mobile device, a pattern of access for a communication link with a second mobile device in a wireless ad hoc network, wherein a scheduling of a subsequent communication with the second mobile device is based at least in part on the calculated pattern of access for the communication link with the second mobile device in the wireless ad hoc network;

establishing communication with the second mobile device using the first mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network based at least in part on the calculated pattern of access for the communication link with the second mobile device in the wireless ad hoc network, the wireless ad hoc network being separate from a network infrastructure to a second network, wherein the second mobile device is in communication with the network infrastructure; and

requisitioning, using the first mobile device, a remote computer resource of the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network, wherein the requisitioning comprises;

sending, to the second mobile device, application data to be processed via the remote computer resource of the second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is instructed to download specific application software, from a node within the infrastructure, the specific application software being configured to execute the application data; and

obtaining an output from the second mobile device after completion of processing the application data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, in the second mobile device, an electronic message from a second node within the network infrastructure; and

forwarding, using the second mobile device, the electronic message to the first mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the network infrastructure is a cellular network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless ad hoc network is a mesh network.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote computer resource is employed to assist the first mobile device in executing an application.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein requisitioning the remote computer resource is implemented when a degree of signal strength between the first mobile device and the second mobile device exceeds a threshold level.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising facilitating an access by the second mobile device to a local computer resource included in the first mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising implementing, in the first mobile device, at least one policy that manages the access by the second mobile device to the local computer resource.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying at least one program executable in a computing device, the at least one program having instructions that perform a method comprising:

enabling a first mobile device to communicate with a second mobile device over a wireless ad hoc network, the wireless ad hoc network being separate from a network infrastructure to a second network;

facilitating a requisitioning of a computer resource of the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network, wherein the requisitioning comprises;

sending, to the second mobile device, application data to be processed via the computer resource of the second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is instructed to download specific application software, from a node within the network infrastructure, the specific application software being configured to execute the application data; and

obtaining an output from the second mobile device after completion of processing the application data; and

facilitating receiving, in the first mobile device, an electronic message from the second mobile device over the wireless ad hoc network, wherein the second mobile device receives the electronic message from a node within the network infrastructure.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein facilitating the requisitioning of the computer resource comprises sending, to the second mobile device, a request to requisition the computer resource.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein facilitating the requisitioning of the computer resource comprises determining a distributed application for the second mobile device.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein facilitating the requisitioning of the computer resource comprises instructing the second mobile device to execute the specific application software.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein facilitating the requisitioning of the computer resource comprises attempting to requisition the computer resource when a degree of signal strength between the first mobile device and the second mobile device exceeds a threshold level.