APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR COMMUNICATION MOBILITY MANAGEMENT USING NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20080090520A1
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Philip Marc, Camp, William O.
• Application Number:
  US11/550,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20080090520A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for managing mobile communications includes a dual-mode mobile terminal that has a first mobile transceiver configured to perform near-field communication operations and a second mobile transceiver configured to perform short-range communication operations. The system also includes a first network transceiver in a local-area-network (LAN) configured to transmit access data to the first mobile transceiver using near-field communication operations and a second network transceiver in the LAN configured to communicate, using short-range communication operations, with the second mobile transceiver, based on the access data.

Claims

1. A method for managing mobile communications in a mobile terminal, comprising:

communicating access data from a local area network (LAN) to the mobile terminal through a near-field-communication (NFC) link;

initiating a short-range communication link from the mobile terminal in response to the receipt of the access data by the mobile terminal; and

transmitting routing data, responsive to the short-range communication link, from the mobile terminal to a telecommunication network to cause the telecommunication network to route communications through the short-range communication link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting routing data comprises sending the routing data through the short-range communication link.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting routing data comprises sending the routing data using the near-field communication operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting routing data comprises sending the routing data to a cellular network through a cellular communication link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating access data comprises receiving into the mobile terminal a network address of a short-range network device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a short-range communication link comprises powering-on a short-range transceiver in the mobile terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a short-range communication link comprises transmitting access payment information from the mobile terminal through the short-range communication link to a LAN operator to obtain further access to the short-range communication link.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a short-range communication link comprises transmitting access payment information from the mobile terminal through the near-field-communication link to a LAN operator to obtain access to the short-range communication link.

9. A system for managing mobile communications, comprising:

a first network transceiver in a local-area-network (LAN) configured to transmit access data through a close-range communication link;

a dual-mode mobile terminal comprising a first mobile transceiver configured to receive the access data through the close-range communication link and a second mobile transceiver configured to communicate LAN access data through a short-range communication link in response to the receipt of the access data; and

a second network transceiver in the LAN configured to receive the LAN access data through the short-range communication link from the second mobile transceiver.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first network transceiver is further configured to receive mobile terminal data from the first mobile transceiver and send the mobile terminal data to a communications network and wherein the close-range communication link comprises a near-field-communication link.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a third mobile transceiver configured to communicate with a telecommunication network through a remote transceiver.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a client of the LAN and the access data comprises authentication data, wherein the first mobile transceiver receives location data from the first network transceiver over the close-range communication link, and wherein the communication network is configured to allocate network resources responsive to the location data.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising updating means for providing updated access data when a subsequent close-range communication operation occurs at a third network transceiver in the LAN.

14. A method of managing mobile communications for a multiple mode mobile terminal, comprising:

enabling short-range wireless communication between the mobile terminal and a network in response to near-field signals received by the mobile terminal from a near-field-communication transmitter.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein enabling short-range wireless communication comprises receiving, into the mobile terminal from the near-field communication transmitter, access data corresponding to the network.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein enabling short-range wireless communication comprises sending incoming call routing data from the mobile terminal to a communications system routing device responsive to cause communications to the mobile terminal to be routed using a short-range wireless communication link between the network and the mobile terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein sending incoming call routing data comprises communicating via a cellular communication transceiver in the mobile terminal.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising sending payment information from the mobile terminal to the network.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting, using cellular communication, a routing identifier to a communication system responsive to cause communications to the mobile terminal to be rerouted through the short-range wireless communication link.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising disabling a short-range wireless communication circuit in the mobile terminal responsive to receipt of a near-field termination signal.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising sending mobile terminal data to the communication network via through a network near-field communication device.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising authenticating a mobile client responsive to the near-field signals.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining a location of the mobile client using the near-field signals; and

assigning a network resource to the mobile client based on the location.

24. A mobile communication device comprising:

a close-range communications transceiver configured to receive a close-range communication signal from a network; and

a short-range wireless communications transceiver configured to be enabled to communicate with the network responsive to the received close-range communication signals.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the close-range communications transceiver comprises a signal receiver configured to receive the close-range communication signal via magnetic induction.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the close-range communication signal comprises a near-field-communication signal.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the close-range communication signal comprises close-range communication access data corresponding to the network.

28. The device of claim 24, wherein payment data is transferred from the mobile terminal to the network.

29. The device of claim 24, wherein the close-range communications transceiver is configured to receive a disable signal from the network and wherein the short-range wireless communications transceiver is disabled responsive to the disable signal.

30. The device of claim 24, further comprising a cellular transceiver configured to change enablement states responsive to the close-range communication signal.