Dynamic networking modes method and apparatus

• US 8,428,517 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ting, Albert H., Canova, Francis James Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US13/464,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20120220235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/556.1, 455/11.1, 455/552.1, 455/406, 455/414.1, 455/557, 709/213, 709/248, 370/310.2, 370/311, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A portable electronic device is disclosed. The portable electronic device includes a wireless transceiver, a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver, a memory coupled to the processor and a program stored in the memory and running on the processor. The program provides automatic transitioning between a wireless infrastructure communication mode to an ad-hoc communication mode. The infrastructure mode is used when a request from a mobile device is received to access a communications network. The ad-hoc mode is used when a request from the mobile device is received to access resources on the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A handheld device comprising:

a wireless transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver, the processor to;

enable wireless communications with a communications network using the wireless transceiver;

initiate an application to enable the handheld device to receive a request from a computing device to use resources of the handheld device to connect to the communications network; and

in response to receiving the request from the computing device, use the application to enable the computing device to access the communications network by using the resources of the handheld device.

2. The handheld device of claim 1, further comprising a touch-sensitive display screen.

3. The handheld device of claim 1, further comprising a memory resource for storing one or more applications, and wherein the processor enables a user to operate the one or more applications.

4. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the resources of the handheld device are in a first communication configuration and the request includes a second communication configuration, and wherein enabling the computing device to access the communications network includes reconfiguring the resources of the handheld device as the second communication configuration.

5. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the processor receives the request from the computing device over an IEEE 802.11 communications protocol.

6. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the processor receives the request from the computing device over a Bluetooth communications protocol.

7. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the handheld device is capable of cellular communications, and wherein the communications network is a cellular network.

8. A system comprising:

a handheld device comprising;

a wireless transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver, the processor to;

enable wireless communications with a communications network using the wireless transceiver;

initiate an application to enable the handheld device to receive a request from a computing device to use resources of the handheld device to connect to the communications network; and

in response to receiving the request from the computing device, use the application to enable the computing device to access the communications network by using the resources of the handheld device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the handheld device further comprises a touch-sensitive display screen.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the handheld device further comprises a memory resource for storing one or more applications, and wherein the processor of the handheld device enables a user to operate the one or more applications.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the resources of the handheld device are in a first communication configuration and the request includes a second communication configuration, and wherein enabling the computing device to access the communications network includes reconfiguring the resources of the handheld device as the second communication configuration.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor of the handheld device receives the request from the computing device over an IEEE 802.11 communications protocol.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor of the handheld device receives the request from the computing device over a Bluetooth communications protocol.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the handheld device is capable of cellular communications, and wherein the communications network is a cellular network.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

enabling wireless communications with a communications network using a wireless transceiver of a handheld device;

initiating an application on the handheld device to enable the handheld device to receive a request from a computing device to use resources of the handheld device to connect to the communications network; and

in response to receiving the request from the computing device, using the application to enable the computing device to access the communications network by using the resources of the handheld device.