Sharing of wireless telephone services for a personal wireless telephone and a vehicular wireless telephone

• US 20020068543A1
• Filed: 10/03/2001
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Hitesh
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

Sharing of wireless telephone services between a subscriber'"'"'s personal wireless telephone and the subscriber'"'"'s vehicular wireless telephone. The shared service may be a connectivity service, allowing the subscriber'"'"'s personal wireless telephone to communicate directly with the subscriber'"'"'s vehicular wireless telephone. Alternately, or additionally, the shared service may be one or more services provided for by the wireless service agreement plan of the subscriber'"'"'s vehicular wireless telephone or the subscriber'"'"'s personal wireless telephone.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a vehicular wireless telephone integrated into a vehicle; and

a personal wireless telephone,

at least one of the wireless telephones being subscribed to a connectivity service for sharing information between the wireless telephones.

2. The wireless communication system recited in claim 1, wherein the connectivity service allows the personal wireless telephone to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone.

3. The wireless communication system recited in claim 2, wherein the personal wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone through a wireless local area network.

4. The wireless communication system recited in claim 3, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone and the personal wireless telephone each include a wireless communication unit for communicating over the wireless local area network.

5. The wireless communication system recited in claim 4, wherein at least one of the wireless communication units is inoperative until the connectivity service is activated.

6. The wireless communication system recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one of the wireless communication units is rendered operative upon receiving an activation code from a wireless service provider providing wireless service for at least one of the wireless telephones.

7. The wireless communication system recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one of the wireless communication units is rendered operative upon receiving a communication over the wireless local area network that includes proper identity authentication information.

8. The wireless communication system recited in claim 2, wherein the personal wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone through a wireless telephone network.

9. The wireless communication system recited in claim 8, wherein

the wireless telephone network includes a home location register for authorizing a wireless communication between the personal wireless telephone and the vehicular wireless telephone over the wireless telephone network.

10. The wireless communication system recited in claim 8, wherein the wireless telephone network receives identity authentication information from the personal wireless telephone before permitting wireless communication between the personal wireless telephone and the vehicular wireless telephone.

11. The wireless communication system recited in claim 8, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone receives identity authentication information from the personal wireless telephone before communicating with the personal wireless telephone over the wireless telephone network.

12. The wireless communication system recited in claim 2, wherein the personal wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone through a cable.

13. The wireless communication system recited in claim 2, wherein the personal wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone using voice communication.

14. The wireless communication system recited in claim 2, wherein the personal wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone using digital data communication.

15. The wireless communication system recited in claim 2, wherein the personal wireless telephone communicates with the vehicular wireless telephone by relaying communication signals intended for the personal wireless telephone to the vehicular wireless telephone.

16. The wireless communication system recited in claim 1, wherein the connectivity service allows the vehicular wireless telephone to communicate with the personal wireless telephone.

17. The wireless communication system recited in claim 16, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the personal wireless telephone over a wireless local area network.

18. The wireless communication system recited in claim 17, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone and the personal wireless telephone each include a wireless communication unit for communicating over the wireless local area network.

19. The wireless communication system recited in claim 18, wherein at least one of the wireless communication units is inoperative until the connectivity service is activated.

20. The wireless communication system recited in claim 19, wherein the at least one of the wireless communication units is rendered operative upon receiving an activation code from a wireless service provider providing wireless service for at least one of the wireless telephones.

21. The wireless communication system recited in claim 19, wherein the at least one of the wireless communication units is rendered operative upon receiving a communication over the wireless local area network that includes proper identity authentication information.

22. The wireless communication system recited in claim 16, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the personal wireless telephone through a wireless telephone network.

23. The wireless communication system recited in claim 22, wherein

the wireless telephone network includes a home location register for authorizing a wireless communication between the vehicular wireless telephone and the personal wireless telephone over the wireless telephone network.

24. The wireless communication system recited in claim 22, wherein the wireless telephone network receives identity authentication information from the vehicular wireless telephone before permitting wireless communication between the vehicular wireless telephone and the personal wireless telephone.

25. The wireless communication system recited in claim 22, wherein the personal wireless telephone receives identity authentication information from the vehicular wireless telephone before permitting wireless communication between the personal wireless telephone and the vehicular wireless telephone.

26. The wireless communication system recited in claim 16, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the personal wireless telephone through a cable.

27. The wireless communication system recited in claim 16, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the personal wireless telephone using voice communication.

28. The wireless communication system recited in claim 16, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone is configured to communicate with the personal wireless telephone using digital data communication.

29. The wireless communication system recited in claim 16, wherein the vehicular wireless telephone communicates with the personal wireless telephone by relaying communication signals intended for the vehicular wireless telephone to the personal wireless telephone.

30. The wireless communication system recited in claim 1, wherein the connectivity service allows the personal wireless telephone to reroute communication signals intended for the personal wireless telephone to the vehicular wireless telephone.

31. The wireless communication system recited in claim 1, wherein the connectivity service allows the vehicular wireless telephone to reroute communication signals intended for the vehicular wireless telephone to the personal wireless telephone.

32. A method of providing wireless telephone service, comprising:

providing wireless telephone service for a personal wireless telephone; and

configuring the personal wireless telephone to communicate with a vehicular wireless telephone.

33. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 32, further including configuring the personal wireless telephone to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone over a wireless local area network.

34. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 32, further including configuring the personal wireless telephone to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone over a wireless telephone network.

35. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 32, further including configuring the personal wireless telephone to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone over a cable connecting the personal wireless telephone to the vehicular wireless telephone.

36. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 35, further including

charging a fee for configuring the personal wireless telephone to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone.

37. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 36, further including

providing a portion of the fee to a wireless telephone service provider providing wireless service to the vehicular wireless telephone.

39. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 38, further including configuring the vehicular wireless telephone to communicate with the personal wireless telephone over a wireless local area network.

40. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 38, further including configuring the vehicular wireless telephone to communicate with the personal wireless telephone over a cable connecting the vehicular wireless telephone to the personal wireless telephone.

41. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 38, further including

charging a fee for configuring the personal wireless telephone to communicate with the vehicular wireless telephone.

42. The method of providing wireless telephone service recited in claim 41, further including

providing a portion of the fee to a wireless telephone service provider providing wireless service to the personal wireless telephone.

38. A method of providing wireless telephone service, comprising:

providing wireless telephone service for a vehicular wireless telephone; and

configuring the vehicular wireless telephone to communicate with a personal wireless telephone.

43. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a first wireless telephone subscribed to receive one or more services from a wireless service provider; and

a second wireless telephone sharing at least one service of the one or more services with the first wireless telephone.

44. The wireless communication system recited in claim 43, wherein the second wireless telephone is subscribed to receive one or more services from a second wireless service provider.

45. The wireless communication system recited in claim 44, wherein the second wireless service provider is different from the first wireless service provider.

46. The wireless communication system recited in claim 45, wherein the first wireless service provider cooperates with the second wireless service provider to share the at least one shared service with the second wireless telephone.

47. The wireless communication system recited in claim 44, wherein the first wireless telephone and the second wireless telephone share a single wireless service plan administered by the first wireless service provider or the second wireless service provider.

48. The wireless communication system recited in claim 44, wherein the first wireless telephone and the second wireless telephone share a single billing report under the single wireless service plan.

49. The wireless communication system recited in claim 48, wherein

the second wireless service provider is different from the first wireless service provider;

and

revenue obtained under the single wireless service plan is divided between the first wireless service provider and the second wireless service provider.

50. The wireless communication system recited in claim 43, wherein the first wireless telephone is a personal wireless telephone and the second wireless telephone is a vehicular wireless telephone.

51. A method of sharing wireless telephone service, comprising:

subscribing a first wireless telephone service to receive one or more services from a wireless service provider; and

arranging for at least one of the one or more services provided to the first wireless telephone to be shared with a second wireless telephone.

52. The method recited in claim 51, wherein arranging for at least one of the one ore more services provided to the first wireless telephone to be shared with a second wireless telephone includes requesting the wireless service provider to share the at least one service with the second wireless telephone.

53. The method recited in claim 51, wherein

subscribing the second wireless telephone service to receive one or more services from a second wireless service provider different from the first wireless service provider;

and

arranging for at least one of the one or more services provided to the first wireless telephone to be shared with a second wireless telephone includes requesting the second wireless service provider to arranged for the at least one service to be shared with the second wireless telephone.

54. The method recited in claim 51, further paying a fee for sharing the at least one service to the first wireless service provider providing wireless service to the first wireless telephone or to a second wireless service provider providing wireless service to the second wireless telephone.