Protocols for facilitating broader access in wireless communications

• US 9,693,214 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Tegreene, Clarence T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US13/839,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 455406-408, 4554221, 455405, 455436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update

Abstract

Structures and protocols are presented for signaling a status or decision concerning a wireless service or device within a region to a network participant or other communication device (smartphone or vehicle, e.g.).

Claims

1. A system comprising:

circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device;

circuitry configured for receiving an indication whether a second mobile device is within a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space;

circuitry configured for receiving an indication whether the first mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

circuitry configured for establishing a communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device that is initiated by the first mobile device responsive the indication whether the first mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

circuitry configured for allocating a first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

circuitry configured for allocating a second communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is not within the WLAN service space; and

circuitry configured for allocating a third communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component and the second communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not within the WLAN service space.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile device is a smartphone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device from at least one removable subscriber identity module (SIM) card.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second mobile device includes a passenger vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for obtaining an indication from a user of the first mobile device that the second communication service cost component is authorized.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for establishing a wireless communication channel from the second mobile device via a base transceiver station;

circuitry configured for establishing a wireless communication channel from the second mobile device via a WLAN access point; and

circuitry configured for signaling a decision of how much user data to transmit via the wireless communication channel from the second mobile device via the WLAN access point responsive to an indication that a data block delivery failure rate of the wireless communication channel from the second mobile device via the base transceiver station exceeds a threshold.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

circuitry configured for obtaining at the first mobile device an identifier of the second mobile device; and

circuitry configured for causing the first mobile device to display at least one indication whether the second mobile device is within a communication range of a WLAN access point without a bidirectional interpersonal communication existing between the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for obtaining at least one indication of whether the second mobile device exceeded a wireless service boundary crossing rate threshold within a time interval; and

circuitry configured for signaling an availability to participate in a bidirectional interpersonal communication conditionally, at least partly based on the indication whether the second mobile device exceeded the wireless service boundary crossing rate threshold within the time interval.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry configured for establishing a communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device that is initiated by the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for configuring the communication service between the first mobile device and one or more other devices as a part-cellular call.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry configured for establishing a communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device that is initiated by the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for configuring a WLAN access point to support the communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device whenever the first mobile device or the second mobile device is at a specific retail location.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for implementing a guard banded local network loading threshold.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for configuring a cohort identification module to allocate the communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device responsive to the communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication service cost component includes:

a debit to a call minute balance at a first rate, and wherein the second communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component includes;

a debit to the call minute balance at a second rate higher than the first rate.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication service cost component includes:

a monetary charge at a first rate, and wherein the second communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component includes;

a monetary charge at a second rate higher than the first rate.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry configured for allocating a third communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component and the second communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not within a WLAN service space includes:

circuitry configured for allocating a third communication service cost component higher than the first communication service cost component and the second communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not within a WLAN service space.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device includes:

at least one of;

circuitry configured for including an identifier of the first mobile device as a voltage configuration on one or more electrical nodes, the indication of the account comprising the identifier of the first mobile device;

or

circuitry configured for causing a subscriber status database to include an account identifier, an allocation, and a remaining balance in a database record digitally represented as a voltage configuration on one or more electrical nodes.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of WLAN service having been provided within a first service region by a third mobile device at an earlier time; and

circuitry configured for signaling a decision whether to indicate the WLAN service being operative within the first service region as an automatic and conditional response to an indication from a fourth mobile device of the WLAN service having been operative within the first service region at a later time.

18. A system comprising:

means for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device;

means for receiving an indication whether a second mobile device is within a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space;

means for receiving an indication whether the first mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

means for establishing a communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device that is initiated by the first mobile device responsive the indication whether the first mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

means for allocating a first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

means for allocating a second communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is not within the WLAN service space; and

means for allocating a third communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component and the second communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not within the WLAN service space.

19. A method comprising:

obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device;

receiving an indication whether a second mobile device is within a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space;

receiving an indication whether the first mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

establishing a communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device that is initiated by the first mobile device responsive the indication whether the first mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

allocating a first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is within the WLAN service space;

allocating a second communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is not within the WLAN service space; and

allocating a third communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component and the second communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the first mobile device and the second mobile device are not within the WLAN service space.

20. A system comprising:

circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device;

circuitry configured for receiving an indication whether a second mobile device is within a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space;

circuitry configured for establishing a communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device that is initiated by the first mobile device responsive the indication whether the first mobile device is within the WLAN service space including establishing only a unidirectional communication service between the first mobile device and the second mobile device when the second mobile device is not within a WLAN service space;

circuitry configured for allocating a first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is within the WLAN service space; and

circuitry configured for allocating a second communication service cost component different from the first communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device when the second mobile device is not within the WLAN service space.