System and method for digital communication between computing devices

• US 9,756,549 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gotenna, Inc
• Original Assignee: Gotenna, Inc
• Inventors: Perdomo, Jorge
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Costin, Jeremy
• Application Number:
  US14/659,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/00 Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• 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 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location

Abstract

A wireless communication device, comprising radio frequency transceivers which transmit outbound messages to targeted receivers, and receive the inbound messages addressed to the respective transceiver; each having a processor which controls the transceiver to establish communication sessions according to a protocol, and processes targeting and address information. The transceiver communicates with a telephone device having a telephone address book containing information which defines the targets and address for a telephone network and perhaps other networks. The address book entries are human editable through a human machine user interface. The address book entries are intended for centrally controlled switch networks having hierarchically formatted address information, but since these are at least quasi-unique, they are used as address labels in an unswitched peer-to-peer network formed of the transceivers. This permits a common address scheme across the peer-to-peer network and switched network of the telephone device.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

(a) a communication device having a wireless personal area network interface and a radio frequency transceiver configured to communicate digital information though packets, the radio frequency transceiver supporting communications though transmit bursts;

(b) a personal area network communication port configured to pair the communication device with a smartphone;

(c) at least one automated processor, which is configured, in a first mode, to;

define, within the smartphone, a communication destination representing a user-selected telephone number from an address book comprising telephone numbers within the smartphone;

define, within the smartphone, first digital data comprising at least one of a text message and geolocation information;

transfer the selected telephone number and the first digital data to the communication device through the wireless personal area network interface;

negotiate, by the communication device, a communication over a radio frequency control channel with a first other communication device based on the selected telephone number;

communicate, by the communication device, the first digital data over a radio frequency data communication channel to the first other communication device; and

receive an acknowledgement, by the communication device, of receipt of the first digital data from the first other communication device; and

(d) the at least one automated processor, which is configured, in a second mode, to;

determine a self-identifying telephone number for the communication device;

monitor the radio frequency control channel for attempted negotiations for a communication addressed to the self-identifying identifier;

receive, by the communication device, second digital data comprising at least one of a text message and geolocation information over the radio frequency data communication channel from a second other communication device;

transmit, by the communication device, an acknowledgement of receipt of the second digital data to the second other communication device;

transfer the second digital data from the communication device to the smartphone through the wireless personal area network interface; and

present, within the smartphone, the at least one of a text message through a text interface, and the geolocation information through a map interface.

2. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the targeting information is derived from a user selection, through the user interface, of an entry from the address book containing at least user-editable telephone numbers for defining a counterparty for a telephone call.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless personal area network interface comprises a communication port selected from the group consisting of a Bluetooth communication port, a Universal Serial Bus port, a Zigbee communication port, a Z-wave communication port, a WiFi communication port, and an Insteon communication port.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the digital radio frequency communication device is operated in the first mode of operation with transmit bursts having a transmit duty cycle of less than 0.1%.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the digital radio frequency communication device is further configured, to broadcast at a transmit power of 2 Watts, with an average power consumption resulting from the transmit bursts of less than 2 milliWatts in the first mode of operation.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the digital radio frequency communication device is further configured, in the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation, to communicate on the radio frequency transceiver at a rate of less than about 9.6 kilobits per second.

7. The communication system according to claim 1,

further comprising a memory,

wherein the digital radio frequency communication device is further configured to, in a third mode of operation:

autonomously receive the second digital data, having an associated destination address that does not match the destination address received through the wireless personal area network interface;

store the received second digital data and the associated destination address that does not match the destination address received through the wireless personal area network interface in the memory; and

autonomously retransmit the second digital data in association with the associated destination address that does not match the destination address received through the wireless personal area network interface.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the acknowledgement of receipt of the first digital data is received, in the first mode of operation, on a single data communication channel and not the control channel;

and

the acknowledgment of receipt of the second digital data is transmitted, in the second mode of operation, on a single data communication channel and not the control channel.

9. The communication system according to claim 8,

further comprising a rewritable memory, wherein:

the at least one automated processor of the digital radio frequency communication device is further configured to operate according to firmware communicated through the wireless personal area network interface and stored in the rewritable memory, the firmware being updatable by rewriting the rewritable memory;

the firmware controls a communication protocol employed in at least the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the digital radio frequency communication device communicates in a <

25 kHz wide band having a carrier frequency under 900 MHz.

11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the digital radio frequency communication device is further configured to employ a cryptographic security algorithm to encrypt communications through the radio frequency transceiver.

12. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation each communicate through packetized digital data communicated through the radio frequency transceiver, and support retransmission of packetized digital data if not correctly received.

13. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first digital data comprises location information of the selected target, the automated processor being further configured to adapt a communication protocol in the first mode of operation in dependence on at least a determined location of the selected target.

14. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the the digital radio frequency communication device is controlled to enforce compliance with government regulatory authority rules dependent on a location of the digital radio frequency communication device.

15. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the digital radio frequency communication device is further configured to retransmit the second digital data as the first digital data according to a mesh network communication protocol.

16. A communication method, comprising:

(a) pairing a smartphone with a digital radio frequency communication system through a communication port;

(b) receiving, through the wireless personal area network interface, first digital data comprising at least one of a first text message entered through the user interface of the smartphone and first geolocation information, through the communication port

(c) receiving, through the communication port, a self-identification in a form of a telephone number of the smartphone, and a telephone number from an address book selected by a user through a user interface of the smartphone, as targeting information for transmission of the first digital data to a target identified by the targeting information in a first mode of operation;

(d) controlling, with an automated processor, the digital radio frequency communication system to negotiate a first communication session with a target corresponding to the targeting information over a shared control information communication channel;

(e) wirelessly transmitting messages comprising the first digital data addressed based on the targeting information and receiving acknowledgements of receipt of portions of the first digital data in the first mode of operation;

(f) controlling, with the automated processor, the digital radio frequency communication system in a second mode of operation to negotiate a second communication session with a source based on a correspondence of targeting information received from the source, with the self-identification of the digital radio frequency communication system, in a second mode of operation, over the shared control information communication channel;

(g) wirelessly receiving second digital data from the source and transmitting acknowledgements of receipt of portions of the second digital data through the digital radio frequency communication system over the private data communication channel;

(h) wirelessly transmitting the received second digital data, comprising at least one of a second text message and second geolocation information, to the smartphone through the communication port;

(i) presenting, with the smartphone, the at least one of the second text message through the user interface, and the second geolocation information through a map interface; and

(j) monitoring the shared control information communication channel for requests for communication comprising the targeting information corresponding to the self-identification of the digital radio frequency communication system in a third mode of operation,

wherein the digital radio frequency communication system is operative in the first mode of operation and second mode of operation to transmit in bursts, and is operative in the third mode of operation to remain in a listen-only mode.

17. The communication method according to claim 16, further comprising providing a communication port configured to transfer at least the first digital data, the second digital data, the targeting information, and the self-identification of the digital radio frequency communication system, wherein the communication port employs a distinct physical communication channel from the digital radio frequency communication system.

18. The communication method according to claim 16, wherein the shared control information communication channel and the unshared data communication channel are each channels of at least one of the Family Radio System (FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), and Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS), and wherein communication over the shared control information communication channel employs digital information packets which are smaller than digital information packets for the communication over the unshared data communication channel.

19. The communication method according to claim 16, further comprising:

providing an app to the smartphone which defines a user interface on the smartphone for receipt of information from, and presentation of information to, a user, and controls the communications through the Bluetooth communication port;

executing the app on the smartphone to present a user interface to a user for selection of the telephone number from the address book;

executing the app on the smartphone to present a user interface to a user for entry of the first text message; and

executing the app on the smartphone to present a user interface presentation the second text message to the user.

20. The communication method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving location information within the second digital data from the source;

automatically displaying a location on a map corresponding to the location information on the smartphone; and

transmitting location information within the first digital data.

21. The communication method according to claim 16, further comprising

autonomously receiving the second digital data, having targeting information that does not correspond to the self-identification of the digital radio frequency communication system;

storing the received second digital data and the targeting information that does not correspond to the self-identification of the digital radio frequency communication system in a memory; and

autonomously retransmitting the second digital data in association with the targeting information that does not correspond to the self-identification of the digital radio frequency communication system.

22. The communication method according to claim 16,

wherein the digital radio frequency communication system is operated in the first mode of operation with transmit bursts having a transmit duty cycle of less than 0.1%, at a peak transmit power of about 2 Watts, and at a data rate of less than 9.6 kilobits per second, further comprising:

receiving, by the automated processor, the targeting information comprising the telephone number from an address book selected by a user through the user interface of the smartphone, the smartphone executing an app for selecting the telephone number;

receiving, by the automated processor, the first text message entered through the app defining the user interface of the smartphone through the Bluetooth communication port as the first digital data; and

presenting, to the user, the second text message extracted from the second digital data, by the app defining the user interface of the smartphone;

receiving the second geolocation information within the second digital data from the source;

automatically displaying a location on a map displayed by the smartphone corresponding to the second geolocation information; and

transmitting second geolocation information within the first digital data.

23. A communication method, comprising:

(a) providing a communication device having a wireless personal area network interface and a radio frequency transceiver configured to communicate digital information though packets, the radio frequency transceiver supporting communications though transmit bursts;

(b) pairing the communication device with a smartphone;

(c) in a first mode,

defining, within the smartphone, a communication destination representing a user-selected telephone number from an address book comprising telephone numbers within the smartphone;

defining, within the smartphone, first digital data comprising at least one of a text message and geolocation information;

transferring the selected telephone number and the first digital data to the communication device through the wireless personal area network interface;

negotiating, by the communication device, a communication over a radio frequency control channel with a first other communication device based on the selected telephone number;

communicating, by the communication device, the first digital data over a radio frequency data communication channel to the first other communication device;

receiving an acknowledgement, by the communication device, of receipt of the first digital data from the first other communication device;

(d) in a second mode,

determining a self-identifying telephone number for the communication device;

monitoring the radio frequency control channel for attempted negotiations for a communication addressed to the self-identifying identifier;

receiving, by the communication device, second digital data comprising at least one of a text message and geolocation information over the radio frequency data communication channel from a second other communication device;

transmitting, by the communication device, an acknowledgement of receipt of the second digital data to the second other communication device;

transferring the second digital data from the communication device to the smartphone through the wireless personal area network interface;

presenting, within the smartphone, the at least one of a text message through a text interface, and the geolocation information through a map interface.