Protocols for allocating communication services cost in wireless communications

• US 9,706,382 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• 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., Tegreene, Clarence T., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Hyde, Roderick A., Levien, Royce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US13/931,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20140269441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1421 Indication of expected costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1435 volume-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1457 using an account
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• 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 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

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 management system comprising:

one or more electronic devices including at least;

circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device, the account associated with the first mobile device by being identified with a user of the first mobile device and with the first mobile device in a record, the account not being associated with a user of the second mobile device, and the account not being associated with the second mobile device;

circuitry configured for detecting a communication service via at least the first mobile device and a second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space boundary;

circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the 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 to the account associated with the first mobile device; and

circuitry configured for authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first mobile device conditionally, responsive to the second mobile device losing access to WLAN service during the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

2. The communication service management system of claim 1 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the indication of a telephone call to a user of the first mobile device and to a user of a third mobile device.

3. The communication service management system of claim 1 further comprising:

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

4. The communication service management system of claim 1 further comprising:

circuitry configured for authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first mobile device conditionally, responsive to the second mobile device losing access to WLAN service during the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

5. The communication service management system of claim 1 further comprising:

circuitry configured for handing off an interpersonal communication service from a cellular base station to a WLAN access point, a usage of the cellular base station resulting in the communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device, the interpersonal communication service being bidirectional and being the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device;

circuitry configured for causing a configurable core in a first core operating mode to draw from a first data queue of the first mobile device; and

circuitry configured for signaling 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 thermal state of a temperature sensor in the first mobile device, wherein

the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes at least circuitry configured for 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, wherein the wireless connectivity map includes at least automatically curated map data.

6. A communication service management system comprising:

one or more electronic devices including at least;

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

circuitry configured for detecting a communication service via at least the first mobile device and a second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space boundary;

circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the 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 to the account associated with the first mobile device; and

circuitry configured for authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first mobile device conditionally, responsive to the second mobile device losing access to WLAN service during the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

7. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device comprises:

circuitry configured for obtaining the indication of the account associated with the first mobile device, the account associated with the first mobile device by being identified with a user of the first mobile device and with the first mobile device in a record, the account not being associated with a user of the second mobile device, and the account not being associated with the second mobile device.

8. The communication service management system of claim 6 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 circuitry configured for obtaining the indication of the account associated with the first mobile device, the second portion of the IC chip being the circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device.

9. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

the first mobile device, wherein the circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes at least firmware.

10. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

circuitry configured for establishing the communication service in response to a request from the first mobile device.

11. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary includes:

circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by including the indication in a wireless signal.

12. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary includes:

circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device, wherein a charge to the account associated with the first mobile device identifies the second mobile device and the communication service.

13. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary includes:

circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device, wherein the communication service is established as a real-time response to a charge authorization having been received from a user at the first mobile device.

14. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

the second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is a rooted communication device.

15. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein:

the second mobile device is configured to use a first nominal uplink frequency of at least about 2.4 GHz and of at most about 5 GHz; and

the second mobile device configured to use a first nominal downlink frequency of at least about 2.4 GHz and of at most about 5 GHz.

16. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

a third mobile device configured for indicating some of a wireless connectivity map after a decision whether to update the wireless connectivity map automatically and conditionally partly based on a first location estimate describing a first location of the second mobile device and partly based on first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the second mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate.

17. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

circuitry configured for obtaining a first location estimate describing a first location of the second mobile device by receiving the first location estimate from the second mobile device; and

circuitry configured for obtaining first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the second mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate by receiving the first provenance data from the second mobile device.

18. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

circuitry configured for causing the second mobile device to indicate some of a wireless connectivity map visibly.

19. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

circuitry configured for causing at least some of a wireless connectivity map to be displayed via the second mobile device after a decision whether to update the wireless connectivity map automatically and conditionally partly based on a first location estimate describing a first location of a third mobile device and partly based on first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the third mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate.

20. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

a third mobile device configured as a wearable assembly configured to present an audible notification of the WLAN service space boundary, the WLAN service space boundary being a component of a wireless connectivity map after a decision whether to update the wireless connectivity map automatically and conditionally partly based on a first location estimate describing a first location of a fourth mobile device and partly based on first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the fourth mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate.

21. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for displaying via a third mobile device at least some of a wireless connectivity map depicting a cost-indicative service boundary prospectively relating to the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device, the cost-indicative service boundary prospectively relating to the communication service being the WLAN service space boundary.

22. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for causing a configurable core in a first core operating mode to draw from a first data queue of the first mobile device; and

circuitry configured for signaling a decision whether or not 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 an indication of a data volume of the first data queue crossing a volume threshold.

23. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for causing a configurable core in a first core operating mode to draw from a first data queue of the first mobile device; and

circuitry configured for signaling a decision whether or not 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 thermal state of a temperature sensor in the first mobile device.

24. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for handing off an interpersonal communication service from a cellular base station to a WLAN access point, a usage of the cellular base station resulting in the communication service cost component to the account associated with the first mobile device, the interpersonal communication service being bidirectional and being the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

25. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to a user account conditionally, at least partly based on a portion of the communication service using WLAN access, the user account being the account associated with the first mobile device.

26. The communication service management system of claim 6 wherein the circuitry configured for signaling an indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

circuitry configured for causing the second mobile device to indicate some of a wireless connectivity map that includes at least automatically curated map data.

27. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

the first mobile device, wherein the first mobile device is configured to generate an audible indication of whether the second mobile device is available to participate in a bidirectional interpersonal communication service 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, the first mobile device having a nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory containing an antenna configuration data structure, the first mobile device also having a field programmable gate array (FPGA), the FPGA implementing a position estimation module;

wherein

the circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes at least circuitry configured for authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to a user account conditionally, at least partly based on a portion of the communication service using WLAN access, the user account being the account associated with the first mobile device.

28. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

circuitry configured for establishing the communication service in response to a request from the first mobile device, wherein

the circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device including circuitry configured for displaying via a third mobile device at least some of a wireless connectivity map depicting a cost-indicative service boundary prospectively relating to the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device, the cost-indicative service boundary prospectively relating to the communication service being the WLAN service space boundary; and

the circuitry configured for obtaining the indication of the account associated with the first mobile device obtains the indication of an account that is associated with the first mobile device by being identified with a user of the first mobile device and with the first mobile device in a record, the account not being associated with a user of the second mobile device, and the account not being associated with the second mobile device.

29. The communication service management system of claim 6 further comprising:

the second mobile device, wherein the second mobile device is a rooted communication device;

circuitry configured for obtaining a first location estimate describing a first location of the second mobile device by receiving the first location estimate from the second mobile device;

circuitry configured for obtaining first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the second mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate by receiving the first provenance data from the second mobile device; and

circuitry configured for causing the second mobile device to indicate some of a wireless connectivity map visibly.

30. The communication service management system of claim 6, wherein the circuitry configured for detecting a communication service via at least the first mobile device and a second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space boundary includes:

at least one of

circuitry configured for generating a comparison result as a direct or indirect Boolean indication that a maximum crossing rate threshold was greater than an average rate at which a device had apparently crossed wireless service zone boundaries in a region during a particular time interval;

circuitry configured for receiving a series of indications of crossing events and comparing a count of the indications with a threshold;

circuitry configured for maintaining status data about availability of wireless services within a region depicted by map and estimating a position of an access point using GPS or triangulation protocols;

circuitry configured for detecting an availability to participate in a telephonic communication responsive to a Boolean indication whether a device exceeded a boundary crossing rate threshold within a recent time interval;

circuitry configured for detecting a series of service region departure events;

circuitry configured for implementing a positional model that represents both an isotropic radiator and an anisotropic radiator;

circuitry configured for decreasing a dataflow through a wireless communication channel incrementally;

circuitry configured for mapping a cost-indicative service boundary relating to a prospective intercommunication;

circuitry configured for comparing a data block delivery failure rate against a threshold;

circuitry configured for report service region departure events subsequent to the departure events via telephone switch or when a device enters a WLAN communication range of a WLAN router;

circuitry configured for comparing a data block delivery failure rate against a threshold;

circuitry configured for detecting an availability to participate in one or more modes of telephonic dialog as a conditionally response to an indirect Boolean indication whether a device crossed boundaries too rapidly based at least partially on a threshold;

or

circuitry configured for determining an availability to participate in telephonic dialog in response to a successful communication via a router.

31. A communication management system comprising:

one or more electronic devices including at least;

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

means for detecting a communication service via at least the first mobile device and a second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space boundary;

means for signaling an indication of a communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the 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 to the account associated with the first mobile device; and

means for authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first mobile device conditionally, responsive to the second mobile device losing access to WLAN service during the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

32. A communication service management method comprising:

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

detecting a communication service via at least the first mobile device and a second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space boundary;

invoking circuitry configured for signaling an indication of a communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the 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 to the account associated with the first mobile device; and

authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first mobile device conditionally, responsive to the second mobile device losing access to WLAN service during the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

33. The communication service management method of claim 32 wherein the invoking circuitry configured for signaling the indication of the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary by allocating the communication service cost component that depends upon when the second mobile device crossed the WLAN service space boundary to the account associated with the first mobile device includes:

causing a configurable core in a first core operating mode to draw from a first data queue of the first mobile device; and

signaling 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 an indication of a data volume of the first data queue crossing a volume threshold.

34. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more non-transitory, physical signal bearing storage media configured to bear a device-detectable implementation of a method including at least;

one or more instructions for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first mobile device;

one or more instructions for detecting a communication service via at least the first mobile device and a second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed a wireless local area network (WLAN) service space boundary;

one or more instructions for signaling an indication of a communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device having been in progress when the second mobile device crossed the 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 to the account associated with the first mobile device; and

one or more instructions for authorizing the communication service cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first mobile device conditionally, responsive to the second mobile device losing access to WLAN service during the communication service via at least the first mobile device and the second mobile device.