Protocols for facilitating broader access in wireless communications

• US 9,866,706 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• 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): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US13/954,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 455406-408, 455411, 455436
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/39 Arrangements for preventing metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/80 Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

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 articles of manufacture including at least;

a first transistor-based circuit configured to obtain an identification of a first unsubscribed mobile device;

a second transistor-based circuit configured to obtain an indication of an account associated with a first currently-subscribed mobile device; and

a third transistor-based circuit configured to signal a decision whether to post a cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally, partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had access to wireless local area network (WLAN) service and partly based on a communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device, including at least

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause first content of a wireless signal to pass either through a first memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device or through a second memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device selected as an automatic and conditional response to whether second content of the wireless signal satisfies a first criterion.

2. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes

an electrical node set upon which a voltage configuration manifests the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

3. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to obtain an indication of an account associated with a firth currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain from a user of the first currently-subscribed mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating the first unsubscribed mobile device with the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device

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

4. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the second transistor-based circuit configured to obtain an indication of an account associated with a first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain from a user of the first currently-subscribed mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating the first unsubscribed mobile device with the account associated with the first mobile device

wherein the network access authorization includes an explicitly defined duration specified by the user of the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

5. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes firmware including at least transistor-based circuitry configured to obtain from a user of the first currently-subscribed mobile device a network access authorization temporarily associating the first unsubscribed mobile device with the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

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

a fourth transistor-based circuit configured to establish the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device, the communication being a telephone call originating at a second unsubscribed mobile device.

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

the first currently-subscribed mobile device, including a processor;

wherein

the first transistor-based circuit includes a first medium containing a first instruction set that when executed by the processor obtains the identification of the first unsubscribed mobile device;

the second transistor-based circuit includes a first medium containing a first instruction set that when executed by the processor obtains the indication of the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device; and

the third transistor-based circuit includes a first medium containing a first instruction set that when executed by the processor signals the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first formerly-subscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

8. The communication management system of claim 1 further comprising

the first currently-subscribed mobile device including at least a nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory containing an antenna configuration data structure.

9. The communication management system of claim 1 further comprising

the first currently-subscribed mobile device including at least a field programmable gate array (FPGA), the FPGA implementing a position estimation module.

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

the first unsubscribed mobile device, wherein the first unsubscribed mobile device is a jailbroken communication device.

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

a wearable assembly including the first unsubscribed mobile device, the wearable assembly configured to indicate some or all 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 first unsubscribed mobile device and partly based on first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the first unsubscribed mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate.

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

a second unsubscribed mobile device configured to indicate some of a wireless connectivity map indicating the WLAN service provided within a region as a response to an indication from the first unsubscribed mobile device of the WLAN service being operative within the region.

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

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

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

a fourth transistor-based circuit, configured to obtain a first location estimate describing a first location of a second unsubscribed mobile device by receiving the first location estimate from the second unsubscribed mobile device; and

a fifth transistor-based circuit, configured to obtain first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the second unsubscribed mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate by receiving the first provenance data from the second unsubscribed mobile device.

15. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein:

the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision by authorizing the cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally is responsive to the first unsubscribed mobile device losing the access to the WLAN service during the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

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

a fourth transistor-based circuit configured to handoff the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device from a WLAN access point to a cellular base station conditionally, responsive to the first unsubscribed mobile device losing the access to the WLAN service during the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

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

a fourth transistor-based circuit configured to cause at least some of a wireless connectivity map to be displayed via the first unsubscribed 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 second unsubscribed mobile device and partly based on first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the second unsubscribed mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate.

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

a fourth transistor-based circuit configured to cause at least some of a wireless connectivity map to be displayed, the wireless connectivity map indicating a service boundary relating to a prospective interpersonal communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

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

a second unsubscribed mobile device being a wearable assembly configured to present an audible notification of a boundary of the WLAN service.

20. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least transistor-based circuitry causing a wireless connectivity map to include a specific positional model that represents both an isotropic radiator and an anisotropic radiator.

21. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein for the transistor-based circuitry configured to cause first content of a wireless signal to pass either through a first memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device or through a second memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device selected as an automatic and conditional response to whether second content of the wireless signal satisfies a first criterion, wherein the first criteria includes:

at least one of (1) indication of data type of the second content of the wireless signal wherein the data type includes at least one of auditory data, audio data, voice data, video data, a short message service (SMS) text string, or a telephone call, (2) indication of propensity of data in the second content of the wireless signal to cause performance degradation;

(3) indication of propensity of data in the second content of the wireless signal to cause performance degradation resulting from excessive interaction with non-volatile memory, (4) indication of encryption status of the second content of the wireless signal, (5) indication of propensity of data in the second content of the wireless signal to cause performance degradation unless passed through accessible memory, (6) indication of processing of data of the second content of the wireless signal via speech recognition circuitry, (7) indication of processing of data of the second content of the wireless signal via a signal processor, (8) indication of latency considerations of treatment of data of the second content of the wireless signal, (9) indication of thermal state of the first currently-subscribed mobile device, or (10) indication of thermal state of the first currently-subscribed mobile device as sensed by a temperature sensor in the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

22. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service or not and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least transistor-based circuitry configured to implement a handoff of an interpersonal communication from a WLAN access point in a vicinity of the first unsubscribed mobile device to a cellular base station in the vicinity of the first unsubscribed mobile device, the interpersonal communication comprising the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

23. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least transistor-based circuitry configured to authorize the cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally, at least partly based on a portion of a wireless communication using a WLAN protocol, the wireless communication including the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

24. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least transistor-based circuitry configured to cause a second unsubscribed mobile device to indicate a boundary of a wireless connectivity map depicting a present location of the first unsubscribed mobile device and including automatically curated map data.

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

a fourth transistor-based circuit, configured to obtain a first location estimate describing a first location of a second unsubscribed mobile device by receiving the first location estimate from the second unsubscribed mobile device;

a fifth transistor-based circuit, configured to obtain first provenance data indicating a protocol by which the second unsubscribed mobile device apparently obtained the first location estimate by receiving the first provenance data from the second unsubscribed mobile device, the second unsubscribed mobile device being a wearable assembly configured to present an audible notification of a boundary of the WLAN service; and

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

26. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least transistor-based circuitry configured to cause a second unsubscribed mobile device to indicate a boundary of a wireless connectivity map depicting a present location of the first unsubscribed mobile device and including automatically curated map data;

wherein the communication management system further includes at least

a fourth transistor-based circuit configured to establish the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device, the communication being a telephone call originating at the second unsubscribed mobile device, the second unsubscribed mobile device configured to indicate some of the wireless connectivity map, the wireless connectivity map indicating the WLAN service provided within a region as a response to an indication from the first unsubscribed mobile device of the WLAN service being operative within the region.

27. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein:

the first transistor-based circuit includes a first electrical node set upon which a voltage configuration manifests the identification of the first unsubscribed mobile device;

the second transistor-based circuit includes a second electrical node set upon which a voltage configuration manifests the indication of the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device;

the third transistor-based circuit includes a third electrical node set upon which a voltage configuration manifests the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device;

wherein the communication management system further includes at least

a fourth transistor-based circuit configured to establish the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device, the communication being a telephone call originating at a second unsubscribed mobile device; and

the first unsubscribed mobile device, wherein the first unsubscribed mobile device is a jailbroken communication device.

28. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause a data component of a wireless signal to be processed by a special-purpose module in the first currently-subscribed mobile device as an automatic and conditional response to a charging state of a battery in the first currently-subscribed mobile device;

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 currently-subscribed 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 currently-subscribed 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.

29. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least

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 control component of the wireless signal and to a thermal state of a temperature sensor in the handheld device, the handheld device being the first currently-subscribed mobile device; and

transistor-based circuitry configured to authorize the cost component to be posted to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally, at least partly based on a portion of a wireless communication using a WLAN protocol, the wireless communication comprising the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

30. The communication management system of claim 1 wherein the third transistor-based circuit configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least

transistor-based circuitry causing a wireless connectivity map to include a specific positional model that represents both an isotropic radiator and an anisotropic radiator;

transistor-based circuitry configured to cause the first unsubscribed mobile device to indicate a boundary of the wireless connectivity map, the wireless connectivity map depicting a present location of the first unsubscribed mobile device and including automatically curated map data; and

transistor-based circuitry configured to implement a handoff of an interpersonal communication from a WLAN access point in a vicinity of the first unsubscribed mobile device to a cellular base station in the vicinity of the first unsubscribed mobile device, the interpersonal communication comprising the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device.

31. A communication management system comprising:

one or more articles of manufacture including at least;

means for obtaining an identification of a first unsubscribed mobile device;

means for obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first currently-subscribed mobile device; and

means for signaling a decision whether to post a cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally, partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had access to wireless local area network (WLAN) service and partly based on a communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device, including at least;

means for causing a data component of a wireless signal to be processed by a special-purpose module in the first currently-subscribed mobile device as an automatic and conditional response to a charging state of a battery in the first currently-subscribed mobile device;

means for causing a configurable core in a first core operating mode to draw from a first data queue of the first currently-subscribed mobile device; and

means for signaling a decision whether to cause the configurable core to draw from the first data queue of the first currently-subscribed 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.

32. The communication management system of claim 31 wherein the means for signaling the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least means for causing first content of a wireless signal to pass either through a first memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device or through a second memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device selected as an automatic and conditional response to whether second content of the wireless signal satisfies a first criterion.

33. A communication management method comprising:

obtaining an identification of a first unsubscribed mobile device;

obtaining an indication of an account associated with a first currently-subscribed mobile device; and

invoking transistor-based circuitry configured to signal a decision whether to post a cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally, partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had access to wireless local area network (WLAN) service and partly based on a communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed 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 currently-subscribed mobile device.

34. The communication management method of claim 33 wherein the invoking transistor-based circuitry configured to signal the decision whether to post the cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had the access to the WLAN service and partly based on the communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and the one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device includes:

at least causing first content of a wireless signal to pass either through a first memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device or through a second memory of the first currently-subscribed mobile device selected as an automatic and conditional response to whether second content of the wireless signal satisfies a first criterion.

35. An article of manufacture comprising:

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

obtaining an identification of a first unsubscribed mobile device;

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

signaling a decision whether to post a cost component to the account associated with the first currently-subscribed mobile device conditionally, partly based on whether the first unsubscribed mobile device had access to wireless local area network (WLAN) service and partly based on a communication between the first unsubscribed mobile device and one or more communication devices that include the first currently-subscribed mobile device;

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

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