WIRELESS WIDE AREA NETWORK (WWAN) MOBILE GATEWAY WITH COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL MANAGEMENT

• US 20080117860A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuo, Kotaro, Rodriguez, Romeo Hernandez, Johnson, Michael D., Sunder, Arockia
• Granted Patent: US 7,821,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A wireless wide area network (WWAN) mobile gateway is configured to execute a selected communication protocol from a plurality of communication protocols to communicate with a connected WWAN modem card connected through a WWAN device interface. The connected WWAN modem card is one of a plurality of WWAN modem cards where each of the WWAN modem cards is configured to communicate using one of the plurality of communication protocols and includes a WWAN transceiver for exchanging WWAN signals with a WWAN communication system.

Claims

1. A wireless wide area network (WWAN) mobile gateway comprising:

a local area network (LAN) interface configured to exchange data with at least one user device;

a wireless wide area network (WWAN) device interface configured to connect to a WWAN modem card of a plurality of WWAN modem cards, each of the plurality of WWAN modem cards configured to communicate with the WWAN device interface using a communication protocol and comprising a WWAN transceiver configured to exchange WWAN signals with a WWAN communication system; and

a controller configured to execute a selected communication protocol of a plurality of the communication protocols to communicate with the WWAN modem card through the WWAN device interface.

2. The WWAN mobile gateway of claim-1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the selected communication protocol based on a message received through the WWAN device interface.

3. The WWAN mobile gateway of claim 2, wherein the message is transmitted by a connected WWAN modem card in response to an inquiry message sent through the WWAN device interface.

4. The WWAN mobile gateway of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication protocols comprise a default communication protocol enabling an execution of a set of default functions by the plurality of WWAN modem cards and an enhanced communication protocol enabling execution of at least one enhanced function in addition to the set of default functions by an enhanced feature WWAN modem card of the plurality of WWAN modem cards.

5. The WWAN mobile gateway of claim 4, wherein the set of default functions comprise exchanges of default information through the WWAN device interface and the at least one enhanced function comprises exchanges of additional information through the WWAN device interface, the additional information is additional to the default information.

6. The WWAN mobile gateway of claim 5, wherein the additional information is selected from the group consisting of WWAN signal power level, WWAN received signal strength, network type, device diagnostic information, network diagnostic information, and any suitable combination of the foregoing information.

7. The WWAN mobile gateway of claim 4, wherein the at least one enhanced function comprises providing a control signal to the controller based on a short message service (SMS) message received at the enhanced function WWAN modem card.

8. The WWAN mobile gateway of claim 4, further comprising:

a memory device configured to store enhanced protocol code for executing the enhanced communication protocol.

9. A method for communicating with a wireless wide area network (WWAN) modem card performed at a WWAN mobile gateway, the method comprising:

determining a WWAN modem card connected to the WWAN mobile gateway supports an enhanced communication protocol; and

using the enhanced communication protocol to communicate with the WWAN modem card.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the using the enhanced communication protocol enables at least one enhanced function in addition to a set of default functions supported by a default communication protocol.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining comprises:

sending an inquiry message to the WWAN modem card; and

determining the WWAN modem card supports the enhanced communication protocol if a response message to the inquiry message is received from the WWAN modem card.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the default communication protocol enables an execution of a set of default functions by a plurality of WWAN modem cards and the enhanced communication protocol enables execution of at least one enhanced function, in addition to the set of default functions, by an enhanced feature WWAN modem card of the plurality of WWAN modem cards.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of default functions comprise exchanges of default information through a WWAN device interface of the WWAN mobile gateway connected to the WWAN modem card and the at least one enhanced function comprises exchanges of additional information through the WWAN device interface, the additional information is additional to the default information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional information is selected from the group consisting of WWAN signal power level, WWAN received signal strength, network type, device diagnostic information, network diagnostic information, and any suitable combination of the foregoing information.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one enhanced function comprises providing a control signal to the controller based on a short message service message received at the enhanced function WWAN modem card.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving from a memory enhanced protocol code corresponding to the enhanced communication protocol;

loading the enhanced protocol code into a controller; and

executing the enhanced protocol code.