Protocols for facilitating broader access in wireless communications

• US 9,706,060 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Malamud, Mark A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Hyde, Roderick A., Levien, Royce A., Tegreene, Clarence T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US13/954,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 455406-408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1457 using an account
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/723 using the user's device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8033 location-dependent, e.g. business or home
• 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 communication device (smartphone or wearable device, e.g.) or other wireless communication participant (motor vehicle having a wireless communication capability, e.g.).

Claims

1. A communication service management system comprising:

one or more articles of manufacture including at least;

a first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from a user of a first mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating a second mobile device with an account associated with the first mobile device;

the first mobile device, in which the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device comprises firmware of the first mobile device, the first transistor-based circuit including a first electrical node set upon which a first voltage configuration manifests the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device; and

a second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to an interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing a communication service charge automatically and conditionally, partly based on a hotspot network access being inadequate in a vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device, the second transistor-based circuit including a second electrical node set upon which a second voltage configuration manifests the communication service charge, the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to an interpersonal communication via the second mobile device including at least;

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause a configurable core in a first core operating mode to draw from a first data queue of the first mobile device; and

transistor-based circuitry configured to signal a decision whether to cause the configurable core to draw from the first data queue of the first mobile device in a second core operating mode as an automatic and conditional response to a charging state of a battery in the first mobile device.

2. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein for the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device:

the authorization includes an explicitly defined duration of at most a day.

3. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein for the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device:

the authorization includes an explicitly defined duration specified by the user of the first mobile device.

4. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein for the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device:

the vicinity of the second mobile device includes a cell of a cellular network.

5. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein:

the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device is responsive to an indication of hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device expressed in a wireless signal from the second device.

6. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to signal a decision whether to adjust a latency threshold for user data used at the second mobile device.

7. The communication management system of claim 1 further comprising:

the first mobile device, in which the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device comprises firmware of the first mobile device, the first transistor-based circuit including a first electrical node set upon which a first voltage configuration manifests the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device;

wherein

the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes at least;

a second electrical node set upon which a second voltage configuration manifests the communication service charge;

transistor-based circuitry causing the second mobile device to present some of a wireless connectivity map comprising a specific positional model that represents both an isotropic radiator and an anisotropic radiator; and

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause a data component of a wireless signal to be processed by a special-purpose module in a handheld device as an automatic and conditional response to a thermal state of a temperature sensor in the handheld device, the handheld device being the first mobile device.

8. A communication management system comprising:

one or more articles of manufacture including at least;

a first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from a user of a first mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating a second mobile device with an account associated with the first mobile device; and

a second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to an interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing a communication service charge automatically and conditionally, partly based on a hotspot network access being inadequate in a vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device including at least

transistor-based circuitry configured to signal a decision whether to adjust a latency threshold for user data used at the second mobile device.

9. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein for the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device:

the authorization includes an explicitly defined duration specified by the user of the first mobile device.

10. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein for the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device:

the vicinity of the second mobile device includes a cell of a cellular network.

11. The communication management system of claim 8 further comprising:

a third transistor-based circuit configured to establish the interpersonal communication, the interpersonal communication being a telephone call originating at a third mobile device.

12. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space boundary by allocating a communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary.

13. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

circuit configured for including an amount of the communication service charge in a wireless signal.

14. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein for the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device wherein:

the network access authorization identifies the second mobile device and the interpersonal communication.

15. The communication management system of claim 8 further comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC) chip, the IC chip having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the IC chip being the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device, the second portion of the IC chip being the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device.

16. The communication management system of claim 8 further comprising:

the first mobile device, configured to generate an audible indication of whether the second mobile device is available to participate in a bidirectional interpersonal communication conditionally, partly based on an indication whether the second mobile device exceeded a wireless service boundary crossing rate threshold within a recent time interval and partly based on an indication of the second mobile device having WLAN service.

17. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured for causing the second mobile device to present some of a wireless connectivity map including a specific positional model that represents both an isotropic radiator and an anisotropic radiator.

18. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to display via a third mobile device at least some of a wireless connectivity map depicting a cost-indicative service boundary prospectively relating to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device.

19. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to display via the second mobile device at least some of a wireless connectivity map depicting a cost-indicative service boundary prospectively relating to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device.

20. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause a data component of a wireless signal to be processed by a special-purpose module in a handheld device as an automatic and conditional response to a thermal state of a temperature sensor in the handheld device, the handheld device being the first mobile device.

21. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause a configurable core in a first core operating mode to draw from a first data queue of the first mobile device; and

transistor-based circuitry configured to signal a decision whether to cause the configurable core to draw from the first data queue of the first mobile device in a second core operating mode as an automatic and conditional response to a charging state of a battery in the first mobile device.

22. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to hand off a wireless linkage from a WLAN access point to a cellular base station, a usage of the cellular base station resulting in a communication cost component being posted to the account associated with the first mobile device, the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device including the wireless linkage.

23. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause the second mobile device to indicate some of a wireless connectivity map that includes automatically curated map data.

24. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to establish a conference call among several devices as the interpersonal communication, the several devices including the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

25. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to establish the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device responsive to receiving the network access authorization from a user of a third device.

26. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein:

the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device in which the authorization includes an explicitly defined duration of at most a day, the explicitly defined duration specified by the user of the first mobile device;

the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device being responsive to an indication of hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device comprising an indication of a data block delivery failure rate exceeding a failure rate threshold, the second transistor-based circuit including transistor-based circuitry configured to compare a data block delivery failure rate against a threshold used at the second mobile device; and

the communication management system further includes a third transistor-based circuit configured to establish the interpersonal communication, the interpersonal communication being a telephone call from a user of the second mobile device.

27. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein:

the first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain from the user of the first mobile device the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device in which the authorization includes an explicitly defined duration of at most a day, the explicitly defined duration specified by the user of the first mobile device;

the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device being responsive to an indication of hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device comprising an indication of a data block delivery failure rate exceeding a failure rate threshold, the second transistor-based circuit including transistor-based circuitry configured to compare a data block delivery failure rate against a threshold used at the second mobile device; and

the communication management system further includes a third transistor-based circuit configured to establish the interpersonal communication, the interpersonal communication being a telephone call from a user of the second mobile device.

28. The communication management system of claim 8 wherein:

the second transistor-based circuit configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device being responsive to an indication of hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device including an indication that the second mobile device exceeded a wireless service boundary crossing rate threshold within a recent time interval, the recent time interval being less than an hour, the indication of the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device expressed in a wireless signal from the second device; and

the second mobile device is configured to use a nominal frequency of at least about 900 MHz and of at most about 2.2 GHz in wireless signal reception but inoperable to perform wireless signal transmission at any nominal frequency between 900 MHz and 2.2 GHz.

29. A communication management system comprising:

one or more articles of manufacture including at least;

means for obtaining from a user of a first mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating a second mobile device with an account associated with the first mobile device; and

means for responding to an interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing a communication service charge automatically and conditionally, partly based on a hotspot network access being inadequate in a vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device including at least

means for causing a data component of a wireless signal to be processed by a special-purpose module in a handheld device as an automatic and conditional response to a thermal state of a temperature sensor in the handheld device, the handheld device being the first mobile device.

30. The communication management system of claim 29 further comprising:

means for signaling the second decision whether to establish the communication via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device automatically and conditionally partly based on the second determination whether the charge authorization has been associated with the first mobile device and partly based on the first decision whether to establish the communication via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been negative and partly based on the second determination whether the second mobile device has WLAN service including at least;

means for causing a handoff of an interpersonal communication from a WLAN access point to a cellular base station, a usage of the cellular base station resulting in a communication cost component being posted to an account associated with the first mobile device, the interpersonal communication including the communication via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

31. A communication management method comprising:

obtaining from a user of a first mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating a second mobile device with an account associated with the first mobile device;

invoking transistor-based circuitry configured to respond to an interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing a communication service charge automatically and conditionally, partly based on a hotspot network access being inadequate in a vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device; and

signaling a decision whether to adjust a latency threshold for user data used at the second mobile device.

32. The communication management method of claim 31 wherein the invoking transistor-based circuitry configured to respond to the interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing the communication service charge automatically and conditionally partly based on the hotspot network access being inadequate in the vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device includes:

assigning a cost component of the interpersonal communication to an account associated with a third mobile device conditionally, in response to receiving the network access authorization from the third mobile device before receiving any network access authorization from the first mobile device.

33. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more physical media bearing a device-detectable output manifesting an occurrence of;

obtaining from a user of a first mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating a second mobile device with an account associated with the first mobile device; and

responding to an interpersonal communication via the second mobile device by authorizing a communication service charge automatically and conditionally, partly based on a hotspot network access being inadequate in a vicinity of the second mobile device and partly based on the network access authorization temporarily associating the second mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device from the user of the first mobile device including at least

causing a data component of a wireless signal to be processed by a special-purpose module in a handheld device as an automatic and conditional response to a thermal state of a temperature sensor in the handheld device, the handheld device being the first mobile device.