Multi-path gateway communications device

• US 7,263,102 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IoT Innovations LLC (Empire IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett Morris, Peterson, Jonathan M., Hodges, Donna K.
• Primary Examiner(s): QURESHI, AFSAR M
• Application Number:
  US10/306,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/402, 370363-371, 370/395.71, 370/395.5, 370/395.54, 370/395.51, 370/466, 719311-313, 719321-327, 719/330, 718/105, 725 75- 77, 725 82-104, 713/201, 709/203, 709/208, 709/221, 709/206, 709/224, 707/104.1, 726/12
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are disclosed for enabling a virtual personalized network. Communications are established with a personal digital gateway to control access, sharing, security, and/or management of up-to-date personalized data exchanged between or among a plurality of associated communications devices and/or communications networks. The associated communications devices are owned, operated, and/or accessed by a common user.

Claims

1. A personal digital gateway, comprising:

a database of personal digital gateway rule-based profiles for communicating data to a communications device selected from a plurality of communications devices, the rule-based profile categorizing the data as at least one of (1) data associated with an access agent, (2) data associated with a configuration agent, (3) data associated with a security agent, and (4) data associated with a management agent;

a processor communicating with a memory device, the processor associating a personal digital gateway rule-based profile with the selected communications device; and

a communications interface between the personal digital gateway and, the selected communications device,

wherein the personal digital gateway enables communication of the data with each communications device of the plurality of communications devices, the plurality of communications devices comprising at least one of a wireless communications device, a mobile phone, a wireless phone, a WAP phone, an IP phone, a satellite phone, a computer, a modem, a pager, a digital music device, a digital recording device, a personal digital assistant, an interactive television, a digital signal processor, and a Global Positioning System device, and

wherein the memory device is removable from the personal digital gateway.

2. The personal digital gateway of claim 1, further comprising:

a server for selecting the personal digital gateway rule-based profile from the database of personal digital gateway rule-based profiles.

3. The personal digital gateway of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one input/output port to for communicating data to the personal digital gateway.

4. The personal digital gateway of claim 3, wherein the at least one input/output port comprises at least one of the following:

a keyboard port;

a mouse port;

a serial port; and

a parallel port.

5. The personal digital gateway of claim 1, further comprising:

a display for communicating visual data with the personal digital gateway.

6. The personal digital gateway of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio subsystem for communicating audio data with the personal digital gateway.

7. The personal digital gateway of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source for the personal digital gateway.

8. The personal digital gateway of claim 7, wherein the power source is a rechargeable battery power source.

9. The personal digital gateway of claim 1, further comprising:

a telecommunications switch, the telecommunications switch establishing a telephony connection with a telecommunications network, the telecommunications switch engaged in a data connection associated with the selected communications device.

10. The personal digital gateway of claim 9, the telecommunications switch further communicating the data with the telecommunications network.

11. The personal digital gateway of claim 10, the telecommunications network further communicating the data with a data network.

12. The personal digital gateway of claim 11, the data network connected with a gateway, the gateway communicating the data with the selected communications device.

13. The personal digital gateway of claim 10, the telecommunication network having a rule-based application dataserver providing a rule-based engine to categorize the data as at least one of (1) data associated with an access agent, (2) data associated with a configuration agent, (3) data associated with a security agent, and (4) data associated with a management agent.

14. A personal digital gateway, comprising:

at least one input/output processor to input and to output data with the personal digital gateway;

at least one communications interface for communicating data with a communications device selected from a plurality of communications devices, the plurality of communications devices comprising at least one of a wireless communications device, a mobile phone, a wireless phone, a WAP phone, an IP phone, a satellite phone, a computer, a modem, a pager, a digital music device, a digital recording device, a personal digital assistant, an interactive television, a digital signal processor, and a Global Positioning System device;

a memory device for storing the data;

a rule-based application dataserver providing a rule-based engine to categorize the data as at least one of (1) data associated with an access agent, (2) data associated with a configuration agent, (3) data associated with a security agent, and (4) data associated with a management agent; and

a processor communicating with the memory device, the processor selecting data stored in the memory device based upon information contained within a rule-based profile.

15. The personal digital gateway of claim 14, further comprising:

an audio/video recorder; and

an audio/video player.

16. The personal digital gateway of claim 14, wherein the at least one communications interface comprises at least one of a wireless communications transceiver and a wired communications port.

17. The personal digital gateway of claim 16, wherein the wireless communications interface communicates signals, the signals comprising at least one of:

cellular telephone frequencies, satellite telephone frequencies, 2.4-2.5 GHz, infrared frequencies.

18. The personal digital gateway of claim 16, wherein the wireless communications interface communicates signals, the signals further comprising any frequency signal in the electromagnetic spectrum.

19. The personal digital gateway of claim 14, further comprising:

a biometric sensor for identifying a user of the personal digital gateway.

20. The personal digital gateway of claim 14, further comprising:

an edge side assembler application for accessing, integrating, and converting the data to a format presentable to the selected communications device.