Network supported network file sharing among mobile subscribers

• US 7,546,299 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2004
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Benco, David S., Sheen, Baoling S., Voight, Kenneth J., True, Sandra L., Overend, Kevin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US10/843,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 707/9, 707/104.1, 707/8, 707/203, 707/205, 715/505, 370/352, 370/390, 370/329, 709/202, 709/213, 709/206, 455/414.1, 455/422, 455/41.2, 455/557, 455/509, 455/558, 455/3.01, 455/419, 710/305, 713/189
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Embodiments of the method and apparatus provide remote access and file sharing functionality between mobile terminals of mobile subscribers in a telecommunication network. One embodiment may have the steps of: defining at least one privileged mobile terminal that has remote access to a first mobile terminal; defining file sharing strategy for at least one file that is sharable with the at least one privileged mobile terminal; and storing, in a database of the network, identification of the at least one privileged mobile terminal that has remote access privileges to the first mobile terminal, and the file sharing strategy for the at least one file on the first privileged mobile terminal. The apparatus implements the method.

Claims

1. A method for use in a telecommunications network for providing remote access and file sharing functionality between mobile terminals of mobile subscribers in the network, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing only at a first mobile terminal a plurality of file sharing strategies, the first mobile terminal further having a plurality of sharable files;

assigning a respective single file sharing strategy of the plurality of file sharing strategies to each respective file of the plurality of sharable files;

defining at least one privileged mobile terminal that has remote access to the first mobile terminal;

defining a respective file sharing strategy of the plurality of file sharing strategies for a respective file of the plurality of sharable files that is sharable with the at least one privileged mobile terminal; and

storing, in a database of the network, identification of the at least one privileged mobile terminal that has remote access privileges to the first mobile terminal, and the plurality of file sharing strategies for the plurality of files on the first privileged mobile terminal; and

sharing files of the plurality of files between the first mobile terminal and the at least one privileged mobile terminal based on the respective file sharing strategies;

wherein a user of the first mobile terminal establishes a file sharing strategy that determines which files are viewable and downloadable by which other mobile terminals of remote users, and wherein shared files at the first mobile terminal are retrieved by the other mobile terminals in real time and displayed at the other mobile terminals;

wherein a first application is resident on at least the first mobile terminal that lists files available for sharing, wherein a second application is resident on at least the first mobile terminal that for transmitting a requested file, and wherein the at least the first mobile terminal has a capability to respond to messages to send a list of sharable files and to transmit contents of a specific file.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one privileged mobile terminal, which has remote access to the first mobile terminal, has capabilities of at least one of viewing files and downloading files according to the file sharing strategy of the first mobile terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of privileged mobile terminals are defined to have remote access to a first mobile terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mobile terminal has a plurality of sharable files and, wherein a respective file sharing strategy is defined for each file of the plurality of sharable files.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mobile terminal has a plurality of sharable files and, wherein the file sharing strategy is applicable to each file of the plurality of sharable files.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises defining file sharing strategy only at the first mobile terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing network support for secure remote access for each user of respective privileged mobile terminals.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the network provides password protection for the secure remote access for each user of respective privileged mobile terminals.

9. A method for use in a telecommunications network for providing remote access and file sharing functionality between mobile terminals of mobile subscribers in the network, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing only at a first mobile terminal a plurality of file sharing strategies, the first mobile terminal further having a plurality of sharable files;

assigning a respective single file sharing strategy of the plurality of file sharing strategies to each respective file of the plurality of sharable files;

defining at the first mobile terminal a set of privileged mobile terminals that have remote access to a first mobile terminal;

storing identification data indicative of the set of privileged mobile terminals in a mobile terminal identification database in the network;

defining a respective file sharing strategy of the plurality of file sharing strategies for a respective file of a plurality of files that are sharable with the set of privileged mobile terminals;

storing the plurality of file sharing strategies in a file sharing strategy database in the network;

requesting remote access to the first mobile terminal by a second mobile terminal;

checking the stored identification data in the mobile terminal identification database to determine if the second mobile terminal is in the set of privileged mobile terminals;

rejecting the remote access request if the second mobile terminal is not in the set of privileged mobile terminals;

granting the remote access request if the second mobile terminal is in the set of privileged mobile terminals;

displaying at the second mobile terminal sharable files at the first mobile terminal;

requesting, by the second mobile terminal, at least one of viewing and downloading at least one of the sharable files;

checking the stored file sharing strategy in the file sharing strategy database to determine if the second mobile terminal has permission to at least one of view and download the requested sharable files;

rejecting the file request if the file sharing strategy does not allow viewing and/or downloading of the requested sharable files by the second mobile terminal; and

granting the file request if the file sharing strategy does allow viewing and/or downloading of the requested sharable files by the second mobile terminal;

wherein a user of the first mobile terminal establishes a file sharing strategy that determines which files are viewable and downloadable by which other mobile terminals of remote users, and wherein shared files at the first mobile terminal are retrieved by the other mobile terminals in real time and displayed at the other mobile terminals;

wherein a first application is resident on at least the first mobile terminal that lists files available for sharing, wherein a second application is resident on at least the first mobile terminal that for transmitting a requested file, and wherein the at least the first mobile terminal has a capability to respond to messages to send a list of sharable files and to transmit contents of a specific file.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first mobile terminal has a plurality of sharable files and, wherein a respective file sharing strategy is defined for each file of the plurality of sharable files.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first mobile terminal has a plurality of sharable files and, wherein the file sharing strategy is applicable to each file of the plurality of sharable files.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method comprises defining file sharing strategy only at the first mobile terminal.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises providing network support for secure remote access for each user of respective privileged mobile terminals.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the network provides password protection for the secure remote access for each user of respective privileged mobile terminals.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the network provides authentication checking for the secure remote access for each user of respective privileged mobile terminals.

16. An apparatus for use in a telecommunications network in which is provided remote access and file sharing functionality between mobile terminals of mobile subscribers in the network, the apparatus comprising:

a telecommunication network operatively connected to at least first and second mobile terminals, the first mobile terminal having a plurality of sharable files, only the first mobile terminal establishing a plurality of file sharing strategies;

the telecommunication network having a call controller, a mobile subscriber database, and a remote file sharing system;

identification data indicative of a set of privileged mobile terminals stored in a mobile terminal identification database in the network;

defining a respective file sharing strategy of the plurality of file sharing strategies for a respective file of a plurality of files that are sharable with respective ones of the set of privileged mobile terminals, the plurality of file sharing strategies stored in a file sharing strategy database in the network;

the remote file sharing system having a controller module operatively connected to a remote access module and to a file sharing module, the controller module also operatively connected to the call controller, to the mobile terminal identification database and to the file sharing strategy database; and

wherein the second mobile terminal, which has remote access to the first mobile terminal, has capabilities of at least one of viewing files and downloading files in the plurality of files according to respective file sharing strategies of the plurality file sharing strategies of the first mobile terminal;

wherein a user of the first mobile terminal establishes a file sharing strategy that determines which files are viewable and downloadable by which other mobile terminals of remote users, and wherein shared files at the first mobile terminal are retrieved by the other mobile terminals in real time and displayed at the other mobile terminals;

wherein a first application is resident on at least the first mobile terminal that lists files available for sharing, wherein a second application is resident on at least the first mobile terminal that for transmitting a requested file, and wherein the at least the first mobile terminal has a capability to respond to messages to send a list of sharable files and to transmit contents of a specific file.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus further comprises network support for secure remote access for each user of respective privileged mobile terminals.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the network support for secure remote access comprises an authentication database having security data for each of the privileged mobile terminals.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the security data comprises passwords.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the authentication database is a portion of the mobile subscriber database.

21. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the mobile terminal identification database and the file sharing strategy database are portions of the mobile subscribers database.

22. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first mobile terminal has a plurality of sharable files and, wherein a respective file sharing strategy is defined for each file of the plurality of sharable files.

23. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the first mobile terminal has a plurality of sharable files and, wherein the file sharing strategy is applicable to each file of the plurality of sharable files.

24. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the file sharing strategy is defined only at the first mobile terminal.