Seamless tethering setup between phone and laptop using peer-to-peer mechanisms

• US 9,634,726 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuscher, Alexander Friedrich, Wuellner, Trond Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): SANDIFORD, DEVAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/668,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20140127992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The subject technology discloses configurations for determining, at a first computing device, if a second computing device is within a predetermined distance of the first computing device. The subject technology then establishes, at the first computing device, a wireless near field communication (NFC) connection with the second computing device. Information for configuring a wireless tethering connection with the second computing device is then transmitted over the wireless NFC connection. Further, the subject technology receives, over the wireless NFC connection, confirmation that the wireless tethering connection has been configured.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

identifying, at a first computing device, that a connection to an Internet is required;

in response to the identifying, determining, at the first computing device, if a second computing device that has the connection to the Internet is within a predetermined distance of the first computing device;

establishing, at the first computing device, a wireless near field communication (NFC) connection with the second computing device, wherein establishing the wireless NFC connection is responsive to the determination that the first computing device is within the predetermined distance of the second computing device;

transmitting, over the wireless NFC connection by the first computing device, information for configuring another wireless connection between the first computing device and the second computing device;

receiving, over the wireless NFC connection and prior to connecting to the another wireless connection, a confirmation message that indicates that the another wireless connection between the first computing device and the second computing device has been configured to be connected to by the first computing device; and

upon receiving the confirmation message over the wireless NFC connection, connecting to the another wireless connection of the second computing device and accessing the connection to the Internet of the second computing device through the another wireless connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is a laptop computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device is a mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the first computing device is within the predetermined distance of the second computing device is responsive to the first computing device physically tapping the second computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance corresponds with a communication range of the NFC connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information for configuring the another wireless connection between the first computing device and the second computing device includes a request for setting up the another wireless connection, credential information, or a network interface address of the first computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the credential information comprises a username and password.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the credential information comprises a subscriber identification information.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the credential information comprises a verified certificate.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the network interface address comprises a unique identifier assigned to a network interface of the first computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the connection to the Internet of the second computing device through the another wireless connection comprises:

transmitting, by the first computing device over the another wireless connection to the second computing device, a request for a web page on the Internet; and

receiving, by the first computing device over the another wireless connection from the second computing device, the requested web page, wherein the web page is retrieved from the Internet via the connection to the Internet of the second computing device.

12. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

determining, at a first computing device, if a second computing device is within a predetermined distance of the first computing device, wherein the first computing device has a connection to an Internet;

establishing, at the first computing device, a wireless near field communication (NFC) connection with the second computing device, wherein establishing the wireless NFC connection is responsive to the determination that the first computing device is within the predetermined distance of the second computing device;

receiving, over the wireless NFC connection, information for configuring a wireless tethering connection with the second computing device;

performing, at the first computing device, a configuration to set up the wireless tethering connection with the second computing device;

transmitting, over the wireless NFC connection, a confirmation that the wireless tethering connection between the first computing device and the second computing device has been configured to be connected to by the second computing device;

receiving, over the wireless tethering connection from the second computing device, a request for data on the Internet and forwarding the request over the connection to the Internet; and

receiving, over the connection to the Internet, the requested data and forwarding the requested data to the second computing device over the wireless tethering connection.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first computing device is a mobile device and the second computing device is a laptop computing device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein performing, at the first computing device, the configuration to set up the wireless tethering connection with the second computing device further comprises:

transmitting, by the first computing device, an indication of a plurality of connections to the Internet;

receiving, by the first computing device, a selection, by the second computing device, of one of the plurality of connections; and

establishing, by the first computing device, the selected one of the plurality of connections to the Internet.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing, by the first computing device, the second computing device with access to the Internet through the first computing device and through the selected one of the plurality of connections.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein performing, at the first computing device, the configuration to set up the wireless tethering connection comprises:

setting up a hotspot connection for accessing the Internet through the first computing device based at least in part on the information for configuring the wireless tethering connection with the second computing device; and

adding, by the first computing device, a network interface address of the second computing device to a list of restricted network interface addresses for connecting to the hotspot connection at the first computing device.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, over the wireless tethering connection, data from a web browser running on the second computing device to access one or more web sites on the Internet through the first computing device.

18. A system, the system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors;

one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the modules comprising;

a wireless near field communication (NFC) module configured to determine if a computing device with a connection to an Internet is within a predetermined distance, establish a wireless NFC connection with the computing device, wherein establishing the wireless NFC connection is responsive to the determination that the computing device with the connection to the Internet is within the predetermined distance;

a wireless tethering module configured to transmit, over the wireless NFC connection, information for configuring a wireless tethering connection between the system and the computing device, receive, over the wireless NFC connection, confirmation that the wireless tethering connection has been configured; and

a wireless local area network (WLAN) module that is configured to directly connect to the Internet when the Internet is accessible to the WLAN module, and upon receipt of the confirmation, connect to the wireless tethering connection of the computing device and access the Internet through the connection of the computing device via the wireless tethering connection.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the wireless tethering module is further configured to:

transmit, over the wireless tethering connection, data from a web browser to access one or more web sites on the Internet through the computing device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the wireless NFC module is further configured to:

determine if a second computing device is within a predetermined distance; and

establish a second wireless near field communication (NFC) connection with the second computing device, wherein establishing the wireless NFC connection is responsive to the determination that the second computing device is within the predetermined distance.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the wireless tethering module is further configured to:

receive, over the wireless NFC connection, information for configuring a wireless tethering connection with the second computing device;

perform a configuration to set up the wireless tethering connection with the second computing device; and

transmit, over the wireless NFC connection, a confirmation that the wireless tethering connection has been configured to the second computing device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the wireless tethering module is further configured to:

receive, over the wireless tethering connection, data from a web browser running on the second computing device to access one or more web sites on the Internet.

23. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

identifying, at a first computing device that a connection to an Internet is unavailable;

in response to the identifying, determining, at the first computing device, if a second computing device is within a predetermined distance of the first computing device;

establishing, at the first computing device, a wireless near field communication (NFC) connection with the second computing device, wherein establishing the wireless NFC connection is responsive to the determination that the first computing device is within the predetermined distance of the second computing device;

transmitting, over the wireless NFC connection by the first computing device, information for configuring a wireless tethering connection between the first computing device and the second computing device;

waiting, by the first computing device, for an acknowledgment message indicating that the wireless tethering connection has been configured before connecting to the wireless tethering connection;

receiving, at the first computing device and over the wireless NFC connection, the acknowledgment message indicating that the wireless tethering connection has been configured;

in response to receiving the acknowledgment message, connecting to the wireless tethering connection; and

transmitting, over the wireless tethering connection between the first computing device and the second computing device, data from a web browser of the first computing device to access one or more web sites on the Internet through the second computing device.