REMOTE ACCESS TO A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE OVER A WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK (WLAN)

• US 20130070740A1
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yovin, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and arrangement is provided which allows a PC or other client device to be used to communicate with third parties through a mobile communication device when a user and the mobile communication device are not in the vicinity of one another. The arrangement allows the user to control operation of the mobile communication device over a WLAN so that the user can send or receive messages such as voice and text messages to a remote party from the client device through the mobile communication device over the WLAN and the mobile communication network employed by the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of using a mobile communications device, comprising:

controlling operation of a mobile communication device over a WLAN;

causing the mobile device to route a communication between a user and a remote party over the WLAN and a mobile communication network and through the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 in which controlling operation of the mobile communication device includes establishing communication between the mobile communication device and the client device over the WLAN and further comprising monitoring the operation of the mobile communication device over the WLAN.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising using an interface associated with the client device to communicate over the WLAN with the remote party who is in communication with the mobile device over the mobile network.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising rendering a communication from, or initiating a communication to, the remote party using the client device and not the mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 in which rendering the communication includes rendering a phone call received from the remote party through a speaker associated with the client device.

6. The method of claim 1 in which rendering the communication includes rendering a text communication received from the remote party on a display screen associated with the client device.

7. The method of claim 1 in which sending the communication includes sending an audio communication to the remote party through a microphone associated with the client device.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the WLAN operates in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 protocol.

9. The method of claim 3 further comprising using the interface associated with the client device to initiate a phone call to the remote party through the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 3 further comprising using the interface to expose controls to a user based on functionality available through a user interface of the mobile communication device.

11. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving a call or message from a remote party over a mobile network; and

forwarding the call or message to the client device over a WLAN so that communication between the client device and the remote party is established over both the mobile network and the WLAN.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a plurality of calls or messages from the remote party, at least one of the calls or messages being of a predetermined type to be forwarded to the client device; and

forwarding only calls or messages of the predetermined type to the client device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 in which the predetermined type includes calls or messages received from specified parties.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 in which the predetermined type includes calls or messages received during specified times of day.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 in which the call or message is received and forwarded by a mobile communication device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising maintaining or placing a display screen of the mobile communication device in an off state while forwarding the call or message.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 in which the client device is a personal computer.

18. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more wireless transmitters and receivers for communicating with third parties over a mobile communication network and with a client device over a WLAN;

one or more processors for executing machine-executable instructions; and

one or more machine-readable storage media for storing the machine-executable instructions, the instructions when executed by the one more processors implementing,

a call event listener arranged for listening for calls or messages received from third parties over the mobile communication network; and

processing logic configured, in response to a determination by the call event listener that a call or message has been received from a third party, to forward the call or message to the client device over a WLAN under predetermined circumstances so that communication between the client device and the remote party is established over both the mobile network and the WLAN.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 18 further comprising a data handler for fetching metadata from the call or message pertaining to an identity of the third party from the received call or message, said processing logic being further configured to forward calls or messages for which the metadata indicates that the prescribed circumstances have been satisfied.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 18 in which the prescribed circumstances includes a match between metadata indicating an identity of the third party and a third party included on a list of third parties previously specified through the client device.