Handheld device processing for providing data tethering services while maintaining suite of handheld service functions

• US 10,057,928 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Masputra, Cahya
• Primary Examiner(s): Beyen, Zewdu A
• Application Number:
  US15/185,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Embodiments include an improved tethering system in which a handheld device may be used by a user to reach the same network that the handheld device also provides access to for a tethering machine. Some embodiments include performing the following on a hand held device concurrently with the hand held device providing a user of the handheld device with access to a data network: receiving a packet from a tethering machine, replacing the packet'"'"'s source address with a new source address, and transmitting the packet into a wireless network. Some embodiments include receiving from the wireless network a response packet, replacing the response packet'"'"'s destination address with the packet'"'"'s source address, and transmitting the response packet to the tethering machine.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor of a hand held device, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

providing an application of the handheld device with access to a wireless network;

concurrently with the providing, receiving a packet from a tethered machine;

replacing a source address of the packet with a new source address, comprising;

identifying the packet based at least in part on the source address;

assigning a scope to the packet, wherein the scope corresponds to a tethering interface associated with the wireless network; and

performing a lookup based at least in part on the scope to determine the new source address;

transmitting the packet to the wireless network;

receiving from the wireless network a response packet;

replacing a destination address of the response packet with the source address of the packet; and

transmitting the response packet to the tethered machine.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the receiving the packet occurs via:

a Bluetooth interface;

a WiFi interface;

a Universal Serial Bus interface;

or

a local area network interface.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises:

a WiFi network;

or

a cellular network.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations comprise:

replacing source port information of the packet with new source port information; and

replacing destination port information of the response packet with the source port information.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

concurrently with the receiving the packet from the tethered machine via a first interface, receiving another packet from another tethered machine via a second interface, wherein the first and second interfaces are coupled to a subnet address;

replacing an other source address of the another packet with another new source address; and

transmitting the another packet to the wireless network.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the replacing an other source address comprises:

flagging the another packet based at least in part on the second interface;

assigning a second scope to the another packet, wherein the second scope corresponds to another tethering interface associated with the wireless network; and

performing a lookup based at least in part on the second scope to determine the another new source address.

7. A hand held device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

provide an application of the handheld device with access to a wireless network;

receive a packet from a tethered machine;

replace a source address of the packet with a new source address, wherein the processor is further configured to;

identify the packet based at least in part on the source address;

assign a scope to the packet, wherein the scope corresponds to a tethering interface associated with the wireless network; and

perform a lookup based at least in part on the scope to determine the new source address;

transmit the packet to the wireless network;

receive, from the wireless network, a response packet, wherein a destination address of the response packet comprises the new source address;

replace the destination address of the response packet with the source address; and

transmit the response packet to the tethered machine.

8. The hand held device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

replace a source port of the packet with a new source port; and

replace a destination port of the response packet with the source port.

9. The hand held device of claim 7, wherein to transmit the response packet, the processor is configured to:

perform a lookup based at least in part on the source address of the packet to determine an interface to the tethered machine.

10. The hand held device of claim 9, wherein the interface comprises:

a Bluetooth interface;

a WiFi interface;

a Universal Serial Bus interface;

or

a local area network interface.

11. The hand held device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

concurrently with receiving the packet from the tethered machine via a first interface, receive another packet from another tethered machine via a second interface, wherein the first and second interfaces are coupled to a subnet address;

replace an other source address of the another packet with another new source address; and

transmit the another packet to the wireless network.

12. The hand held device of claim 11, wherein to replace the other source address, the processor is further configured to:

flag the another packet based at least in part on the second interface;

assign a second scope to the another packet, wherein the second scope corresponds to another tethering interface associated with the wireless network; and

perform a lookup based at least in part on the second scope to determine the another new source address.

13. The hand held device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive from the wireless network another response packet, wherein a destination address of the another response packet is the another new source address;

replace the destination address of the another response packet with the another source address;

perform a lookup based at least in part on an identifier of the second interface and the another source address; and

transmit the another response packet to the another tethered machine.

14. The hand held device of claim 7, wherein to transmit the packet, the processor is configured to:

determine that the tethering interface is not available; and

assign another scope to the packet, wherein the another scope corresponds to another tethering interface associated with another wireless network, and wherein the another wireless network is different than the wireless network.

15. The hand held device of claim 7, wherein the wireless network comprises:

a WiFi network;

or

a cellular network.

16. The hand held device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to provide the application of the handheld device with access to the wireless network concurrently with receiving the packet from the tethered machine.

17. A method comprising:

providing an application of a handheld device with access to a wireless network;

concurrently with the providing, receiving a packet from a tethered machine;

replacing a source address and a source port of the packet with a new source address and a new source port, comprising;

flagging the packet based at least in part on the source address;

assigning a scope to the packet wherein the scope corresponds to a tethering interface associated with the wireless network; and

performing a lookup based at least in part on the scope to determine the new source address;

transmitting the packet to the wireless network;

receiving, from the wireless network, a response packet;

replacing a destination address and a destination port of the response packet with the source address and the source port; and

transmitting the response packet to the tethered machine.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transmitting the response packet comprises:

performing a lookup based at least in part on the source address to determine an interface to the tethered machine.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

concurrently with the receiving the packet from the tethered machine via a first interface, receiving another packet from another tethered machine via a second interface, wherein the first and second interfaces are coupled to a subnet address;

replacing an other source address of the another packet with another new source address; and

transmitting the another packet to the wireless network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the replacing the other source address comprises:

flagging the another packet based at least in part on the second interface;

assigning a second scope to the another packet, wherein the second scope corresponds to another tethering interface associated with the wireless network; and

performing a lookup based at least in part on the second scope to determine the another new source address.