Establishing call paths between source wireless computing systems and remote wireless computing systems using intermediary computing systems

• US 7,092,713 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raji, Vijaye G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivero, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US10/426,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20040219878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/445, 455/16, 455/41.2, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A mechanism that allows one wireless computing system to communicate with another even though they are out of range of each other'"'"'s transmitter/receiver circuitry, and without requiring dedicated external equipment to facilitate the communication. Instead, intermediary wireless computing systems may facilitate the communication. Upon receiving a request to communicate with a destination wireless device, each intermediary computing system discovers available wireless communications, and forwards the communication to them. The next intermediary computing system does the same, and so on and so forth, until the destination wireless device receives the wireless communication. The response is returned via the same path in reverse. Accordingly, the source wireless computing system may discover a possible wireless path to the destination wireless device. Possible wireless paths may be added and deleted as those wireless paths are created and destroyed, respectively, due to the mobility of the wireless computing systems.

Claims

1. In a network environment that includes a plurality of wireless computing systems and wherein at least one such system serves as a source wireless computing system from which a wireless communication is to be sent, and one such system serves as a remote wireless computing system intended to receive the wireless communication from the source wireless computing system, and wherein the source and remote wireless computing systems communicate with each other over a wireless path created by one or more intermediary wireless computing systems including a proximate wireless computing system that is most proximate the source wireless computing system in the wireless path, a method for the proximate wireless computing system facilitating wireless communication between the source wireless computing system and the remote wireless computing system by identifying a wireless path for connecting the source and remote wireless computing systems despite the source and remote wireless computing systems being out of range of each other'"'"'s transmitter/receiver circuitry, the method comprising the following:

a step for creating a first transmission link in a wireless path between the source and remote wireless computing systems, by performing

an act of receiving at the proximate wireless computing system a wireless communication from the source wireless computing system, the wireless communication specifying either the remote wireless computing system or a computing system that is communicatively coupled to the remote wireless computing system as a destination of the wireless communication; and

an act of determining at the proximate wireless computing system that the proximate wireless computing system is not the destination of the wireless communication;

a step for creating a next transmission link in the wireless path between the source and remote wireless computing systems, by performing

an act of identifying at the proximate wireless computing system a next wireless computing system in the wireless path; and

an act of transmitting the wireless communication to the next wireless computing system in the wireless path; and

if the next wireless computing system is the intended remote wireless computing system, then performing an act by which the proximate wireless computing system informs the source wireless computing system of each transmission link in the completed wireless path between the source and remote wireless computing systems,

but if the next wireless computing system is not the intended remote wireless computing system, then continuing to perform a further step for creating a next transmission link in the wireless path until the remote wireless computing system is reached and the wireless path is completed, and thereafter performing an act of informing the source wireless computing system of each transmission link in the completed path.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the following performed by the proximate wireless computing system:

an act of determining that the next wireless computing system is no longer within range of the proximate wireless computing system; and

an act of notifying the source wireless computing system that the wireless path is no longer available for communication between the source wireless computing system and the remote wireless computing system.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the wireless communication is a first wireless communication and the source wireless computing system is a first source wireless computing system, the method further comprising the following performed by the proximate wireless computing system:

an act of receiving a second communication from a second source wireless computing system;

an act of determining that the second communication is destined for the remote wireless computing system; and

an act of using the path identified for the first source wireless computing system to route the second communication to the next wireless computing system.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising the following performed by the proximate wireless computing system:

an act of determining that the wireless path is no longer available for wireless communication to the remote wireless computing system; and

an act of notifying the first source wireless computing system that the wireless path is no longer available for wireless communication between the source wireless computing system and the remote wireless computing system.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the wireless communication is a first wireless communication, the method further comprising the following performed by the proximate wireless computing system:

an act of receiving a second wireless communication from the source wireless computing system;

an act of determining that the next wireless computing system is no longer within range of the proximate wireless computing system; and

an act of identifying a new wireless path from the proximate wireless computing system to the remote wireless computing system.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising the following performed by the proximate wireless computing system:

an act of notifying the source wireless computing system of the new wireless path.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the following performed by the proximate wireless computing system:

an act of transmitting the second wireless communication to the remote wireless computing system over the new wireless path.

8. A method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising the following performed by the proximate wireless computing system:

an act of transmitting the second wireless communication to the remote wireless computing system over the new wireless path.

9. In a network environment that includes a plurality of wireless computing systems and wherein at least one such system serves as a source wireless computing system from which a wireless communication is to be sent, and one such system serves as a remote wireless computing system intended to receive the wireless communication from the source wireless computing system, and wherein the source and remote wireless computing systems communicate with each other over a wireless path created by one or more intermediary wireless computing systems including a proximate wireless computing system that is most proximate the source wireless computing system in the wireless path, a computer program product for implementing a method for the proximate wireless computing system facilitating wireless communication between the source wireless computing system and the remote wireless computing system by identifying a wireless path for connecting the source and remote systems despite the source and remote wireless computing systems being out of range of each other'"'"'s transmitter/receiver circuitry, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media for storing computer-executable instructions which implement the method when executed in a computer system, and wherein the method is comprised of:

a step for creating a first transmission link in a wireless path between the source and remote wireless computing systems, by performing,

an act of receiving at the proximate wireless computing system a wireless communication from the source wireless computing system, the wireless communication specifying either the remote wireless computing system or a computing system that is communicatively coupled to the remote wireless computing system as a destination of the wireless communication; and

an act of determining at the proximate wireless computing system that the proximate wireless computing system is not the destination of the wireless communication;

a step for creating a next transmission link in the wireless path between the source and remote wireless computing systems, by performing

an act of identifying at the proximate wireless computing system a next wireless computing system in the wireless path; and

an act of transmitting the wireless communication to the next wireless computing system in the wireless path; and

if the next wireless computing system is the intended remote wireless computing system, then performing an act by which the proximate wireless computing system informs the source wireless computing system of each transmission link in the completed wireless path between the source and remote wireless computing systems,

but if the next wireless computing system is not the intended remote wireless computing system, then continuing to perform a further step for creating a next transmission link in the wireless path until the remote wireless computing system is reached and the wireless path is completed, and thereafter performing an act of informing the source wireless computing system of each transmission link in the completed path.

10. A computer program product in accordance with claim 9, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical storage media.

11. A computer program product in accordance with claim 10, wherein the physical storage media is volatile system memory.

12. A computer program product in accordance with claim 10, wherein the physical storage media is non-volatile memory.

13. In a network environment that includes a plurality of wireless computing systems and wherein at least one such system serves as a source wireless computing system from which a wireless communication is to be sent, and one such system serves as a remote wireless computing system intended to receive the wireless communication from the source system, and wherein the source and remote wireless computing systems communicate with each other over a wireless path created by one or more intermediary wireless computing systems including a proximate wireless computing system that is most proximate the source wireless computing system in the wireless path, a method for the source wireless computing system to communicate with the remote wireless computing system by identifying a wireless path for connecting the source and remote systems despite the source and remote wireless computing systems being out of range of each other'"'"'s transmitter/receiver circuitry, the method performed by the source wireless computing system comprising the following:

an act of identifying at the source wireless computing system a plurality of wireless devices within range of the source wireless computing system, wherein one of the identified plurality of wireless devices is a proximate wireless computing system to which a first link in the wireless path is to be established;

an act of transmitting from the source wireless computing system a first wireless communication to at least the proximate wireless computing system in the wireless path, the first wireless communication specifying the remote wireless computing system or a computing system that is communicatively coupled to the remote wireless computing system as the destination of the wireless communication;

an act of receiving at the source wireless computing system a response to the first wireless communication from the proximate wireless computing system, the response specifying the first link of the wireless path;

an act of identifying at the proximate wireless computing system a next wireless computing system in the wireless path; and

an act of transmitting the first wireless communication to the next wireless computing system in the wireless path; and

if the next wireless computing system is the intended remote wireless computing system, then performing an act by which the proximate wireless computing system (1) receives a response to the first wireless communication from the remote wireless computing system, the response specifying the next link of the wireless path, and (2) informs the source wireless computing system of each transmission link in the completed wireless path between the source and remote wireless computing systems, so that a second wireless communication can then be transmitted along the wireless path from the source wireless computing system to the remote wireless computing system,

but if the next wireless computing system is not the intended remote wireless computing system, then continuing to transmit the first wireless communication to a next wireless computing system so as to identify a next transmission link in the wireless path, and so on, until the remote wireless computing system is reached and each link of the wireless path is completed, and thereafter performing an act of informing the source wireless computing system of each transmission link in the completed path so that the second wireless communication can be transmitted along the wireless path from the source wireless computing system to the remote wireless computing system.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the wireless path is a first wireless path, the method further comprising the following:

an act of transmitting the first wireless communication to a first intermediary wireless computing system in a second wireless path that leads to the remote wireless computing system; and

an act of receiving a response to the first wireless communication from the first intermediary wireless computing system in the second wireless path.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, further comprising the following:

an act of identifying that the first wireless path is more efficient than the second wireless path.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the act of identifying that the first wireless path is more efficient than the second wireless path comprises the following:

an act of comparing performance statistics received in the response from the proximate wireless computing system in the first wireless path with performance statistics received in the response from the first intermediary wireless computing system in the second wireless path.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising the following:

an act of determining that the first wireless path is no longer available for communication with the remote wireless computing system; and

after the act of determining that the first wireless path is no longer available, an act of using the second wireless path to communicate with the remote wireless computing system.

18. A computer program product for use in a network environment that includes a plurality of wireless computing systems and wherein at least one such system serves as a source wireless computing system from which a wireless communication is to be sent, and one such system serves as a remote wireless computing system intended to receive the wireless communication from the source wireless computing system, and wherein the source and remote wireless computing systems communicate with each other over a wireless path created by one or more intermediary wireless computing systems including a proximate wireless computing system that is most proximate the source wireless computing system in the wireless path, a computer program product for implementing a method for the source wireless computing system to communicate with the remote wireless computing system by identifying a wireless path for connecting the source and remote systems despite the source and remote wireless computing systems being out of range of each other'"'"'s transmitter/receiver circuitry, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media for storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed in a computer system, implement the method recited in claim 13.

19. A computer program product in accordance with claim 18, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical storage media.

20. A computer program product in accordance with claim 19, wherein the physical storage media is volatile system memory.

21. A computer program product in accordance with claim 19, wherein the physical storage media is non-volatile memory.

22. A computer program product in accordance with claim 18, wherein the one or more computer-readable media further having thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing the first wireless communication to be transmitted to a first intermediary wireless computing system in a second wireless path that leads to the remote wireless computing system; and

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a response to the first wireless communication from the first intermediary wireless computing system in the second wireless path.

23. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the one or more computer-readable media further having thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for identifying that the first wireless path is more efficient than the second wireless path.

24. A computer program product in accordance with claim 23, wherein the computer-executable instructions for identifying that the first wireless path is more efficient than the second wireless path comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for comparing performance statistics received in the response from the first intermediary wireless computing system in the first wireless path with performance statistics received in the response from the first intermediary wireless computing system in the second wireless path when executed by the source wireless computing system.

25. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the one or more computer-readable media further have thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for determining that the first wireless path is no longer available for communication with the remote wireless computing system; and

computer-executable instructions for using the second wireless path to communicate with the remote wireless computing system after executing the computer-executable instructions for determining that the first wireless path is no longer available.