Mobile communication system identity pairing

• US 9,439,240 B1
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Shipley, Trevor D., Spanel, Robert L., Urbanek, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Thai
• Application Number:
  US13/218,503
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/567, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/575.9, 455/152.1, 455/297, 455/345
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A system for emulating a mobile communication device comprising a first mobile communication device comprising a processor; a memory; an application stored in the memory that is operable to emulate an identity of a second mobile communication device; a transceiver configured to communicatively couple to the second mobile communication device and further configured to present the identity of the second mobile communication device to a wireless communication network; a temporary memory configured to store the identity of the second mobile communication device while the first mobile communication device is communicatively coupled to the second mobile communication device; a long-range antenna; and a short-range antenna.

Claims

1. A system for connecting a mobile communication device to a wireless communication network comprising:

an access point comprising;

a processor;

a non-transitory memory;

a short-range antenna;

a long-range antenna;

an application stored in the non-transitory memory that is operable to;

detect and intercept a network access attempt by the mobile communication device to establish a wireless communication session on the wireless communication network via long-range connection without the access point,

before the wireless communication session is independently established by the mobile communication device via long-range connection, request, from the mobile communication device, indicia of the mobile communication device for establishing the long-range connection from the access point instead of the mobile communication device,

receive the indicia from the mobile communication device, and

assume, via use of the indicia, the identity of the mobile communication device such that the access point completes the establishment of the wireless communication session instead of the mobile communication device;

an access point transceiver configured to;

communicatively couple, via the short-range antenna, to the mobile communication device to establish a short-range connection between the mobile communication device and the access point,

present, to the wireless communication network the assumed identity of the mobile communication device, and

communicatively couple, via the long-range antenna, to the wireless communication network under the assumed identity of the mobile communication device such that the long-range connection is established between the access point and the wireless communication network instead of directly with the mobile communication device; and

a temporary memory configured to store the identity of the mobile communication device while the access point transceiver is communicatively coupled to the mobile communication device and delete the stored indicia of the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device is no longer communicatively coupled to the access point,

wherein the application is further operable to;

enable the mobile communication device to conduct and complete the wireless communication session that includes one or more of a voice communication, a web browser session, or a text message communication, wherein a content of the wireless communication session is one of received by the access point transceiver from the mobile communication device via the short-range connection and transmitted by the access point transceiver via the long-range connection to the wireless communication network or received by the access point transceiver from the wireless communication network via the long-range connection and transmitted by the access point transceiver via the short-range connection to the mobile communication device for presentation by the mobile communication device, and wherein the assumed identity of the mobile communication device is used by the access point to establish the long-range connection and the use of the assumed identity masks the existence of the access point from the wireless communication network; and

terminate the assumption of the identity of the mobile communication device upon termination of the wireless communication session.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the long-range antenna is configured to communicate over a wireless network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the short-range antenna is configured to permit the access point transceiver to communicatively couple to the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is proximate to the access point.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identity of the mobile communication device is one or more of a media access control (MAC) address, a mobile equipment identifier (MEID), a mobile station identifier (MSID), a mobile directory number (MDN), a network access identifier (NAI), and a password.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the temporary memory is further configured to irreversibly erase the stored identity of the mobile communication device when the mobile communication device is no longer communicatively coupled to the access point transceiver.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein assuming the identity of the mobile communication device comprises accessing assets of the mobile communication device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the assets of the mobile communication device comprise the address book of the mobile communication device and the history of the mobile communication device.

8. A method of connecting a mobile communication device to a wireless communication network comprising:

detecting and intercepting, by an access point, a request from a mobile communication device to access a wireless communication network and establish a wireless communication session via long-range connection;

communicatively coupling, by the access point, to the mobile communication device to establish a short-range connection between the mobile communication device and the access point;

before the mobile communication device independently accesses the wireless communication network via the long-range connection, requesting, by the access point, indicia of the mobile communication from the mobile communication device;

receiving, by the access point, the indicia from the mobile communication device;

assuming, by the access point via use of the indicia, the identity of the mobile communication device such that the access point completes the establishment of the wireless communication session instead of the mobile communication device;

storing, by the access point in a temporary memory of the access point, the indicia of the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is communicatively coupled to the access point;

presenting, by the access point, to the wireless communication network the assumed identity of the mobile communication device;

communicatively coupling, by the access point, to the wireless communication network under the assumed identity of the mobile communication device such that the long-range connection is established between the access point and the wireless communication network instead of directly with the mobile communication device;

enabling, by the access point, the mobile communication device to conduct and complete the wireless communication session that includes one or more of a voice communication, a web browser session, or a text message communication, wherein a content of the wireless communication session is one of received by the access point transceiver from the mobile communication device via the short-range connection and transmitted by the access point transceiver via the long-range connection to the wireless communication network or received by the access point transceiver from the wireless communication network via the long-range connection and transmitted by the access point transceiver via the short-range connection to the mobile communication device for presentation by the mobile communication device, and wherein the assumed identity of the mobile communication device is used by the access point to establish the long-range connection and the use of the assumed identity masks the existence of the access point from the wireless communication network;

terminating, by the access point, the assumption of the identity of the mobile communication device upon termination of the wireless communication session; and

deleting, by the access point, the stored indicia of the mobile communication device from the temporary memory of the access point when the mobile communication device is no longer proximate to the access point.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the indicia of the mobile communication device is one or more of a media access control (MAC) address, a mobile equipment identifier (MEID), a mobile station identifier (MSID), a mobile directory number (MDN), a network access identifier (NAI), and a password.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein assuming the identity of the mobile communication device comprises presenting, by the access point, the indicia of the communication device to the wireless communication network such that the wireless communication network perceives that the wireless communication device is making a request to connect to the wireless communication network.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein deleting the stored indicia of the mobile communication device comprises irreversibly removing the stored indicia of the mobile communication device from the temporary memory.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein terminating the wireless communication session comprises one or more of exiting a web browser, ending a phone call, and exiting an email server.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein assuming the identity of the mobile communication device further comprises accessing assets of the mobile communication device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the assets of the mobile communication device comprise the history of the mobile communication device and the address book of the mobile communication device.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein communicatively coupling is a reduced-power coupling conducted between the access point and the mobile communication device.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication session is a higher-power connection between the access point and the wireless communication network.

17. A method of connecting a mobile communication device to a wireless communication network comprising:

detecting and intercepting, by an access point, a request from a mobile communication device to access a wireless communication network and establish a wireless communication session via long-range connection;

coupling communicatively, by the access point, to the mobile communication device to establish a short-range connection between the mobile communication device and the access point;

before the mobile communication device independently accesses the wireless communication network via the long-range connection, requesting, by the access point, an indicia of the mobile communication device from the mobile communication device;

storing, by the access point, in a temporary memory of the access point, the indicia of the mobile communication device while the mobile communication device is proximate to the access point;

assuming, by the access point via use of the indicia, the identity of the mobile communication device such that the access point completes the establishment of the wireless communication session instead of the mobile communication device;

accessing, by the access point, a history of the mobile communication device;

accessing, by the access point, an address book of the mobile communication device;

presenting, by the access point to the wireless communication network, the assumed identity of the mobile communication device;

coupling communicatively, by the access point, to the wireless communication network under the assumed identity of the mobile communication device such that the long-range connection is established between the access point and the wireless communication network instead of directly with the mobile communication device;

enabling, by the access point, the mobile communication device to conduct and complete the wireless communication session that includes one or more of a voice communication, a web browser session, or a text message communication, wherein a content of the wireless communication session is one of received by the access point transceiver from the mobile communication device via the short-range connection and transmitted by the access point transceiver via the long-range connection to the wireless communication network or received by the access point transceiver from the wireless communication network via the long-range connection and transmitted by the access point transceiver via the short-range connection to the mobile communication device for presentation by the mobile communication device, and wherein the assumed identity of the mobile communication device is used by the access point to establish the long-range connection and the use of the assumed identity masks the existence of the access point from the wireless communication network; and

deleting, by the access point, the indicia of the mobile communication device from the temporary memory of the access point when the mobile communication device is no longer communicatively coupled to the access point.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the history of the mobile communication device comprises previous incoming and outgoing phone calls.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the communicative coupling between the access point and the mobile communication device terminates when a distance between the access point and the mobile communication device exceeds a maximum range of communication between the access point and the mobile communication device.