U.S. patent application number 11/039020 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-27 for method and system for providing registration, authentication and access via broadband access gateway.
Invention is credited to Abrams, Marc, Karaoguz, Jeyhan, Seshadri, Nambirajan.
Application Number | 20050239445 11/039020 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35096208 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050239445 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Karaoguz, Jeyhan ; et
al. |
October 27, 2005 |
Method and system for providing registration, authentication and
access via broadband access gateway
Abstract
A system and method supporting user registration, authentication
and access to multimedia services via a broadband access gateway is
disclosed. A representative embodiment of the present invention may
comprise a wireless interface and may be capable of exchanging
multimedia communication between the wireless interface and a
broadband network. The gateway may determine access to available
media-related services based upon information that is provisioned
in a broadband access gateway prior to the first access by a user
of an access device. The gateway may automatically allow access to
access devices that are pre-registered, and may support
opportunistic registration for those users of access devices that
have not been pre-registered. Restricted access to services and
networks available through the gateway may be provided even when
registration is not successful, or when the access device is not
pre-registered. Interactive registration for gateway access may be
supported, and one-button access using either soft or hard buttons
may be provided.
Inventors: |
Karaoguz, Jeyhan; (Irvine,
CA) ; Abrams, Marc; (Aliso Viejo, CA) ;
Seshadri, Nambirajan; (Irvine, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCANDREWS HELD & MALLOY, LTD
500 WEST MADISON STREET
SUITE 3400
CHICAGO
IL
60661
|
Family ID: |
35096208 |
Appl. No.: |
11/039020 |
Filed: |
January 18, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60563894 |
Apr 16, 2004 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/414.1 ;
455/435.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 2250/02 20130101;
H04M 1/27453 20200101; H04L 2012/2849 20130101; H04M 1/72502
20130101; H04L 65/104 20130101; H04L 65/103 20130101; H04N 21/4221
20130101; H04W 12/06 20130101; H04W 12/72 20210101; H04L 65/1036
20130101; H04M 1/575 20130101; H04L 12/2812 20130101; H04M 1/576
20130101; H04W 88/08 20130101; H04L 12/282 20130101; H04L 2012/2841
20130101; H04L 12/281 20130101; H04M 1/2535 20130101; H04M 1/56
20130101; H04L 12/2803 20130101; H04N 21/43637 20130101; H04M
1/72403 20210101; H04L 63/0823 20130101; H04M 2250/06 20130101;
H04L 65/1026 20130101; H04M 3/42068 20130101; H04W 88/16 20130101;
H04M 11/062 20130101; H04W 60/00 20130101; H04L 29/06027 20130101;
H04L 2012/285 20130101; H04N 21/4126 20130101; H04M 1/7243
20210101; H04M 11/007 20130101; H04W 74/00 20130101; H04M 2250/60
20130101; H04W 12/71 20210101; H04W 92/02 20130101; H04L 12/2818
20130101; H04L 67/16 20130101; H04N 21/42676 20130101; H04N 21/478
20130101; H04M 15/8235 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/414.1 ;
455/435.1 |
International
Class: |
H04Q 007/20 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system supporting user controlled access to multimedia
information, the system comprising: a gateway communicatively
coupled to a broadband network and at least one wireless interface,
the gateway capable of selectively exchanging multimedia
information among the at least one wireless interface and the
broadband network, and of communicating with a plurality of access
devices via the at least one wireless interface; the gateway
capable of providing to the plurality of access devices via the at
least one wireless interface, access to at least one media-related
service; the gateway capable of controlling access to multimedia
information by each of the plurality of access devices based upon
registration information; and software supporting user management
of the registration information, via at least one of the gateway
and the broadband network.
2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the multimedia
information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast
video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still
images, digitized video, and digitized music.
3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one
media-related service comprises at least one of accessing,
recording, playing, exchanging, transmitting, receiving,
converting, and translating of multimedia information.
4. The system according to claim 1 wherein registration information
comprises at least one of a user identifier, an identifier of an
access device, information identifying allowable accesses, a
password, and a digital certificate.
5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one
wireless interface is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or
compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.
6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one
wireless interface is compliant with at least one of the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g, and 802.11n standards.
7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one
wireless interface communicates using an unlicensed frequency
band.
8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one
wireless interface communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4
gigahertz.
9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the broadband network
comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network,
a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless wide area network,
and the Internet.
10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the wireless wide area
network comprises a cellular network.
11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the cellular network
comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications
(GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a
code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal
mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) network.
12. The system according to claim 1 wherein the gateway collects
access-related information for at least one of the plurality of
access devices and the broadband network.
13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the gateway manages
access to the collected information.
14. The system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of access
devices comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a
personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a
digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a
pointing device.
15. A method of operating a gateway supporting user controlled
access to multimedia information, the method comprising:
initializing communication via a broadband network; detecting, via
one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network,
the presence of an access device; receiving an access device
identifier via the one of a personal area network and a wireless
local area network; and determining allowable access to multimedia
information by the identified access device based upon registration
information.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising: collecting, via the
one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network,
information comprising accessibility of at least one access
device.
17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the personal area
network is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible personal
area network (PAN) specification.
18. The method according to claim 15 wherein the wireless local
area network is compliant with at least one of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11g, and 802.11n standards.
19. The method according to claim 15 wherein the one of a personal
area network and a wireless local area network communicates using
an unlicensed frequency band.
20. The method according to claim 15 wherein the one of a personal
area network and a wireless local area network communicates at a
frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.
21. The method according to claim 15 wherein the broadband network
comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network,
a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless wide-area network,
and the Internet.
22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the wireless wide-area
network comprises a cellular network.
23. The method according to claim 22 wherein the cellular network
comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications
(GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a
code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal
mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) network.
24. The method according to claim 15 wherein the multimedia
information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast
video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still
images, digitized video, and digitized music.
25. The method according to claim 15 wherein the at least one
access device comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia
handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer
(PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones,
and a pointing device.
26. The method according to claim 15 wherein registration
information comprises at least one of a user identifier, an
identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable
accesses, a password, and a digital certificate.
27. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer
program having a plurality of code sections for operating a gateway
supporting user controlled access to multimedia information, the
code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to
perform the operations comprising: initializing communication via a
broadband network; detecting, via one of a personal area network
and a wireless local area network, the presence of an access
device; receiving an access device identifier via the one of a
personal area network and a wireless local area network; and
determining allowable access to multimedia information by the
identified access device based upon registration information.
28. The machine-readable storage of claim 27 wherein the code
sections executable by a machine further causing the machine to
perform the operations comprising: collecting, via the one of a
personal area network and a wireless local area network,
information comprising accessibility of at least one access
device.
29. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the
personal area network is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or
compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.
30. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the
wireless local area network is compliant with at least one of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a,
802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.
31. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the
one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network
communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.
32. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the
one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network
communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.
33. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the
broadband network comprises at least one of a digital subscriber
line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite network, a
wireless wide-area network, and the Internet.
34. The machine-readable storage according to claim 33 wherein the
wireless wide-area network comprises a cellular network.
35. The machine-readable storage according to claim 34 wherein the
cellular network comprises at least one of a global system for
mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple
access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA)
network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS)
network.
36. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the
multimedia information comprises at least one of streaming video,
broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio,
digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.
37. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein the
at least one access device comprises at least one of a mobile
multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal
computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer,
headphones, and a pointing device.
38. The machine-readable storage according to claim 27 wherein
registration information comprises at least one of a user
identifier, an identifier of an access device, information
identifying allowable accesses, a password, and a digital
certificate.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application makes reference to, claims priority
to, and claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.
No. 60/563,894, entitled "Method And System For Handling And
Backhauling Traffic From A Wired And/Or Wireless WAN, LAN, And/Or
PAN Using A Broadband Access Gateway" (Attorney Docket No.
15656US01 BP3607), filed Apr. 16, 2004, the complete subject matter
of which is hereby incorporate herein by reference, in its
entirety.
[0002] The present application makes reference to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______, entitled "Method And System For
Extended Network Access Services Advertising Via A Broadband Access
Gateway" (Attorney Docket No. 15723US02 BU3607.2), filed Dec. 23,
2004, the complete subject matter of which is hereby incorporate
herein by reference, in its entirety.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0003] [Not Applicable]
MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE
[0004] [Not Applicable]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] One major common problem faced by cellular and landline
service providers is market competition. In today's climate of
competitive markets, cellular service providers have found that one
way for them to grow market share and defend their businesses is to
be proactive and form alliances, and to partner with landline
service providers. In addition, cellular service providers seek to
differentiate their service offerings, and to capture the largest
portion of market revenue by meeting an ever increasing demand for
access to a wide range of media forms such as MP3 encoded audio,
still and video imaging, data, instant messaging, and email. In a
similar manner, the landline service providers have found that to
grow market share and ward off competition, they too must be
proactive and form alliances, and to partner with cellular service
providers. Support for broad economical access to these converging
forms of communication is needed to enable unfettered market
growth, and to support the development and use of new handheld
devices needed to provide increasing levels of mobile multimedia
communication functionality.
[0006] Although the formation of alliances and partnerships between
cellular service providers and landline service providers may help
to ward off competition, such alliances and partnerships are faced
with other problems. For example, the erection of cellular
infrastructure such as cellular towers may be an expensive venture
since this may require acquisition of real estate, whether in the
form of outright purchases or through leasing. Cellular
infrastructure also requires the establishment of one or more
expensive backbone links to handle core network traffic. Another
cellular-related problem is that the cellular signals do not
penetrate and propagate in buildings such as homes and offices very
well. This is especially true with the frequencies that are
typically utilized in the United States, which may vary between 800
MHz and 1900 MHz or 1.9 GHz.
[0007] In present day systems, users of wireless mobile devices,
such as WiFi-equipped PDAs and laptops, that wish to access a
wireless broadband network must manually configure the wireless
mobile device with parameters specific to the wireless network
access point or gateway, to identify the wireless device to the
network or gateway, and to enable the network or gateway to
authenticate the device. For example, in a WiFi (i.e., IEEE
802.11a/b/g) network, parameters such as the service set identifier
(SSID), channel number, operating mode (e.g., add hoc or
infrastructure mode) and encryption parameters (e.g., the wireless
equivalent privacy (WEP) key) must be configured manually before
communication over the network can take place. Many users find the
configuration or programming of such electronic devices to be
intimidating and confusing. The parameters frequently have strange
names or abbreviations, or are referred to by acronyms unfamiliar
to the user. Hence, potential users fail to adopt such systems that
involve the use of new information or procedures, or if they do,
they have difficultly during setup. This is demonstrated by the
anecdotal evidence of the "flashing VCR clock", that suggests that
many consumers find even the programming of the clock on their VCRs
to be too complex and/or intimidating. Users of current wireless
networks find a lack of consistency in how system parameters are to
be entered into their access device, and the management of such
parameters over a population of intimidated or confused users is a
continual source of frustration for operators of these types of
networks.
[0008] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the
present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present
application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Aspects of the present invention may be seen in a system
supporting user controlled access to multimedia information. Such a
system may comprise a gateway communicatively coupled to a
broadband network and at least one wireless interface. The gateway
may be capable of selectively exchanging multimedia information
among the at least one wireless interface and the broadband
network, and of communicating with a plurality of access devices
via the at least one wireless interface. In addition, the gateway
may be capable of providing to the plurality of access devices via
the at least one wireless interface, access to at least one
media-related service, and of controlling access to multimedia
information by each of the plurality of access devices based upon
registration information. The system may also comprise software
supporting user management of the registration information, via at
least one of the gateway and the broadband network.
[0010] In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the
multimedia information may comprise at least one of streaming
video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio,
digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music, and
the at least one media-related service may comprise at least one of
accessing, recording, playing, exchanging, transmitting, receiving,
converting, and translating of multimedia information. In various
representative embodiments of the present invention, registration
information may comprise at least one of a user identifier, an
identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable
accesses, a password, and a digital certificate. The at least one
wireless interface may be compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or
compatible personal area network (PAN) specification, and may be
compliant with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n
standards. The at least one wireless interface may communicate
using an unlicensed frequency band, and may communicate at a
frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz. In various representative
embodiments of the present invention, the broadband network may
comprise at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a
cable network, a satellite network, a wireless wide area network,
and the Internet.
[0011] In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the
wireless wide area network may comprise a cellular network, and the
cellular network may comprise at least one of a global system for
mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple
access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA)
network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS)
network. The gateway may collect access-related information for at
least one of the plurality of access devices and the broadband
network, and the gateway may manage access to the collected
information. In various representative embodiments of the present
invention, the plurality of access devices may comprise at least
one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital
camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device.
[0012] Additional aspects of the present invention may be observed
in a method of operating a gateway supporting user controlled
access to multimedia information. A method in accordance with a
representative embodiment of the present invention may comprise
initializing communication via a broadband network, and detecting,
via one of a personal area network and a wireless local area
network, the presence of an access device. The method may also
comprise receiving an access device identifier via the one of a
personal area network and a wireless local area network, and
determining allowable access to multimedia information by the
identified access device based upon registration information. The
method may also comprise collecting, via the one of a personal area
network and a wireless local area network, information comprising
accessibility of at least one access device.. The personal area
network may be compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible
personal area network (PAN) specification, and may be compliant
with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.
The one of a personal area network and a wireless local area
network may communicate using an unlicensed frequency band, and may
communicate at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.
[0013] In various representative embodiments of the present
invention, the broadband network may comprise at least one of a
digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite
network, a wireless wide-area network, and the Internet. The
wireless wide-area network may comprise a cellular network, and the
cellular network may comprise at least one of a global system for
mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple
access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA)
network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)
network. The multimedia information may comprise at least one of
streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text,
digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and
digitized music. In a representative embodiment in accordance with
the present invention, the at least one access device may comprise
at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a
digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device. The
registration information may comprise at least one of a user
identifier, an identifier of an access device, information
identifying allowable accesses, a password, and a digital
certificate.
[0014] Yet other aspects of the present invention may be found in a
machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program
having a plurality of code sections for executable by a machine for
causing the machine to perform the above listed operations.
[0015] These and other advantages, aspects, and novel features of
the present invention, as well as details of illustrated
embodiments, thereof, will be more fully understood from the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of an
exemplary communications system in which a representative
embodiment of the present invention may be practiced.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
communication system, in accordance with a representative
embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 3A shows an illustration of an exemplary screen of an
access device such as, for example, the laptop or the PDA of FIG.
2, showing information for potential wireless users of a broadband
access gateway such as, for example, the gateways or routers of
FIGS. 1 and 2, in accordance with a representative embodiment of
the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 3B shows an exemplary new user registration screen that
may be employed to enter user registration information such as, for
example, that shown in the illustration of FIG. 3A for the
registration of users and/or access devices, in accordance with a
representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of a display that may be
visible on an exemplary access device upon entering the coverage
area of a wireless gateway with which it has been pre-registered,
in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present
invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 shows an illustration of an exemplary display that
may, for example, correspond to the display of an access device
such as, for example, the access device of FIGS. 1 and 2, upon
entering the coverage area of a wireless gateway with which it has
not been pre-registered, in accordance with a representative
embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 6A shows an illustration of an exemplary display that
may correspond to the display of an access device such as, for
example, the access device of FIGS. 1 and 2, upon entering the
coverage area of a wireless broadband access gateway with which it
has not been pre-registered, in accordance with another
representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6B shows an illustration of a display with an exemplary
access notification message screen that may be displayed by an
access device such as, for example, the access device of FIG. 2
upon receiving notification of an access attempt at a broadband
access gateway such as the gateway of FIG. 2, by an unregistered
access device, in accordance with a representative embodiment of
the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of registering
an access device for access to available services using a broadband
access gateway such as, for example, the gateway and router of
FIGS. 1 and 2, in accordance with a representative embodiment of
the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary method of registering
an access device with a broadband access gateway such as the
gateway and router of FIGS. 1 and 2, in accordance with another
representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method of
registering an access device with a broadband access gateway such
as the gateway and router of FIGS. 1 and 2 using an interactive
process, in accordance with another representative embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] Aspects of the present invention relate to the seamless
merging of wide area networks, from any kind of wired and/or
wireless wide area networks, to pockets of wired and/or wireless
local area networks and personal area networks, which may be
located in homes or other environment such as an office or
business. More specifically, aspects of the present invention
pertain to simplified (e.g., one-button) and/or automatic
registration, authentication, and access of wireless access devices
to services available via a broadband network gateway. Such a
gateway may permit broadband network access via, for example, a
personal cellular microcell, a personal area network (PAN), a wired
or wireless wide area network (WAN), wireless local area network
(WLAN) or other type of network located within a premises such as,
for example, a home, office, business, or the like. Services that
may be available via such a broadband gateway connection include,
for example, access to the public switched telephone network
(PSTN); Internet protocol (IP) phone access; extended access to
commercial cellular and PCS networks such as, for example, TDMA,
CDMA, and GSM; and access to and/or control of a variety of
multimedia access devices or networked resources capable of
providing streams of images, still pictures, video, and audio; to
name only a few. The merging of these various types of networks may
enable transparent communication of all types of media between
access devices, which may be coupled in a wired or wireless fashion
to one or more of these networks. In an embodiment of the present
invention, access to services available through a wireless
broadband gateway may be simplified, permitting their use by a
wider group of users of access devices in, for example, homes,
offices, and businesses.
[0028] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture of an
exemplary communications system in which a representative
embodiment of the present invention may be practiced. Referring to
FIG. 1, there is shown a first location 102, a second location 104,
a broadband access provider (BAP) 106, public switched telephone
network (PSTN) 108, a transport network 110, wireless networks
including CDMA network 112 and GSM network 114, and access devices
126 and 128. The first location 102 comprises a gateway 118 having
a modem 116, a wireless interface(s) block 120, and the access
devices 122, 124. The access devices 122, 124, 126, 128 may
comprise, for example, a mobile multimedia handset having a high
level of functionality such as, for example, that of one or more of
a digital video or still camera, a portable audio (MP3) player, a
personal digital assistant, and a voice handset. The access devices
122, 124, 126, 128 may be capable of operating using, for example,
a personal area network and/or wireless local area network
compliant with, for example, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n, and/or
IEEE 802.15.3a ultrawideband standards. The second location 104
comprises a router 130 having a modem 132, and a plurality of
wireless access devices. The plurality of wireless access devices
at the second location 104 may comprise a personal computer (PC)
138, a laptop 136 and a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA)
134. A peripheral such as a digital camera 142 may be coupled to
the personal computer 138. Other peripherals such as printers,
digital scanners, speakers, and the like, which are not shown, may
also be coupled to the personal computer 138 and/or laptop 136. The
wireless interface block 120 may comprise a plurality of interfaces
such as a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE 802.15.3a ultrawideband
interface, and any combination of an IEEE 802.11 a, b, g and/or n
interface.
[0029] FIG. 1 also comprises an "other broadband access provider"
block 144, an "other cellular/PCS service provider" block 146, a
central control and management block 148, and content provider 150.
The "other broadband access provider block 144" may be, for
example, a cable, DSL, or other type of broadband access provider.
The central control and management block 148 may comprise suitable
logic, circuitry and/or code that may be adapted to handle content
delivery and security functions such as authentication, validation,
key or certificate management, and authorization. The central
control and management block 148 may also be adapted to handle
provisioning and service management. In a representative embodiment
of the present invention, the central control and management block
148 may establish communications links with, for example, the
gateway 118, the broadband access provider 106, the other broadband
access provider 144, the other cellular/PCS service provider 146,
the CDMA network 112, and the GSM network 114 using actual or
virtual connections.
[0030] The broadband access provider 106 may be, for example, a
cable operator, telephone company, or satellite operator providing
Internet access along with other communication services. In
instances where BAP 106 is a telephone company, broadband service
to locations 102, 104 may be provided via DSL or other broadband
access technology. Accordingly, the modems 116, 132 may be DSL
modems. In instances where BAP 106 is a cable operator, broadband
service to locations 102, 104 may be provided via cable.
Accordingly, the modems 116, 132 may be DOCSIS compliant or other
type of cable modem. Given the rapid decrease in the cost of leased
telephone lines over the past decade or more, the connection to the
location 102, 104 may also be T1 or T3 connections. For example, a
switch located at a central office (CO) (not shown) may be utilized
to couple a T1 or T3 connection between the second location 104 and
the PSTN 108.
[0031] The gateway 118 may comprise an integrated DSL modem, cable
modem or other high-speed modem that may be required for handling a
connection such as a T1 or T3 connection. Alternatively, the
gateway 118 may be coupled to an external DSL modem, cable modem or
other high-speed modem that may be capable of handling connections
such as a T1 or a T3 connection. The gateway 118 may be adapted so
that it has access to protocol stack information that may be
related to the GSM and/or CDMA networks 114, 112, respectively. The
gateway 118 may also be adapted to provide protocol support for
communication with "other cellular/PCS service provider" block
146.
[0032] Each of the CDMA and GSM networks 112, 114 may comprise a
plurality of cell sites (a/k/a cellular towers) that are located in
geographical cells within each of the networks. Within the GSM
network 114, each of the cell sites such as, for example, cell site
114a may comprise a base transceiver station (BTS), and one or more
base transceiver stations (BTSs) may be coupled to wireless carrier
central office 114b. The wireless carrier central office 114b may
comprise a base station controller/radio network controller
(BSC/RNC) such as BSC/RNC 114d. One or more base station
controllers/radio network controllers (BSCs/RNCs) may be coupled to
the core network 114e, that comprises a network edge switch called
a mobile switching center (MSC), such as MSC 114g, and a serving
GPRS support node (SGSN)/packet data serving node (PDSN) 114f, of
the GSM network 114. The mobile switching center may be coupled to,
for example, the PSTN 108 via the transport network 110. As an
access device moves out of range of a first cell site to within
range of a second cell site, the decrease signal power received
from the first cell site and the increase in signal power received
from the second cell site causes initiation of handoff of a call
from the first cell site to the second cell site. In cases where
there is no second cell site to handoff to, the call may be
maintained by the first cell site power until it is attenuated to a
threshold where it is no longer feasible to maintain the call. At
the point where the power reaches or falls below this threshold,
the call may drop and any related call resources may be
relinquished. In a home and/or office environment, it may be
desirable to have a second network to which the call may be handed
off to.
[0033] As an illustration, a user may be on their way home and as
the user approaches their home, the signal may fall below a minimum
signal power threshold that is required to maintain a call.
However, instead of dropping the call, the call may be handed off
to, for example, a PAN or a wireless local area network (WLAN) that
may be located within the user's home or an unlicensed wireless
access system that may be located in the user's home. For example,
with reference to FIG. 1, as access device 126 migrates from the
vicinity of the serving cell site 114a in GSM network 114 towards
the wireless interface 120 in the first location 102, the call may
be handed off from the cell site 114a GSM network 114 to the
wireless interface 120 coupled to the gateway (GW) 118 at the first
location 102. Accordingly, instead of the call being dropped, the
call has been seamlessly handed off and is now being handled by the
gateway 118 via the wireless interface 120. The resulting wireless
data may then be communicated to the GSM network 114 via the
broadband connection to the BAP 106 which is connected to the
broadband wireless local area network controller (BWC) 114c.
[0034] In this illustration, the user is handed off to their PAN,
WLAN, or other network located within their home. However, the user
could also have been handed off to another network system such as a
neighbor's network. In any case, a gateway coupled to the wireless
interface which is providing service to the user may communicate at
least a portion of the data to, for example, the cable or DSL BAP
106, the GSM network 114, CDMA network 112, other broadband access
service provider 144, other cellular/PCS service provider 146 and
central control and management block 148. The user may be provided
with a notification that indicates the presence of the PAN, WLAN,
or other unlicensed network. For example, an icon representative of
a personal area network may be displayed on the screen of the
access device 126 once a soft or hard handoff is achieved from a
serving cell site in GSM network 114 to the-wireless interface 120
at the first location 102. A special tone or other audio alert may
also be utilized to indicate that the call has switched to the
wireless interface 120.
[0035] In instances where the gateway 118 detects a compatible
access device that may be within the range of the wireless
interface 120, the gateway 118 may immediately advertise its
available services to the access device. In this regard, the
gateway 118 may be adapted to transmit service advertisements to
the access device in order to alert a user of the access device of
the types of services that are being offered by the gateway 118.
Signals containing icons representative of the services may be
transmitted to and displayed on a screen of the access device
and/or audio alerts may be utilized to notify the user of these
services.
[0036] In another embodiment of the invention, quality of service
(QoS) may also be advertised by the gateway 118. For example, when
a user is being serviced by the wireless interface 120, the gateway
118 may advertise that stereo audio is available.
[0037] Access devices may be pre-registered so that when they are
within the range of the wireless interface 120, the gateway 118 may
automatically recognize them. For the pre-registration, an
administrator of the gateway 118 at the first location 102 may
register access devices that are allowed to access the gateway 118
when they are within the range of the wireless interface 120.
Pre-registration may be done prior to the access device accessing
the gateway 118. During pre-registration, an administrator or owner
of the gateway 118 may enter registration or configuration
information such as device IDs of access devices belonging to
friends and/or family member's into a registration database
associated with the gateway 118. As a result, these devices will be
allowed to access at least a portion of the services offered by the
gateway 118 whenever they attempt to access the gateway 118 by
pressing a single button, for example. Opportunistic registration
permits a user of an access device to register with the gateway 118
automatically with little or no effort on the part of the user. In
this regard, registration information may be sent to the gateway
118 from an access device during an initial access and the gateway
118 may chose to accept or deny the registration. The registration
information may be automatically or manually sent to the gateway
118.
[0038] In certain instances, an access device may not have been
pre-registered to access the network. In this case, one button
access may be provided. A single button such as a hard coded button
or software-enabled button on an access device may be programmed to
transmit identifying information from the access device to the
gateway 118. The gateway 118 may utilize this transmitted
identifying information to grant or deny access to its services.
For example, one button may be programmed to contain access device
identifying information related to accessing the services provided
by gateway 118 at the first location 102. The gateway 118 may also
be adapted to utilize digital certificates to authenticate access
devices.
[0039] An interactive process may also be provided, whereby the
gateway 118 may prompt or request particular information, for
example a password from an access device requiring network access.
If the particular information is received, then access to at least
some of the services provided by the gateway 118 may be granted and
if not, the access to at least some of the gateway's services may
be denied.
[0040] In another embodiment of the invention, the one button
access may be provided via software-enabled button (soft button) or
hardware-enabled button (hard button). In this regard, the software
button may be displayed on a screen of an access device. A "walled
garden" approach may be utilized to provide access to the services
that may be offered by a particular gateway, for example, gateway
118. Under the walled garden approach, when an access device first
registers or is identified, a basic set of services may be provided
by the serving gateway 118 to the access device 124. The basic
services offered may vary among each gateway. At least some of the
basic services that are provided by a gateway such as gateway 118,
may be offered without authenticating the access device 124.
However, other services may only be offered if an access device
such as access device 124 is properly authenticated. These services
that are offered may be services that were advertised by the
gateway 118.
[0041] In an aspect of the invention, access to additional services
may be granted based on, for example, user identity, access device
identity and or user input. The services offered to an access
device by a gateway may be arranged in a hierarchical structure
such as a tier. For example, in a first tier, a user may be
prompted to enter membership information such as a member
identification number. Upon authentication of the membership
identification number, the first tier may provide restricted access
with pop-up advertisements that may not be disabled. In a second
tier, for example, a user may be prompted to enter a password. Upon
authentication of the password, second tier information may provide
restricted access to gateway services without pop-up
advertisements. In a third tier, for example, entering billing
information such as an account number or credit card or check card
number may provide unlimited and/or unrestricted access to all the
services offered by a gateway. A fourth tier may provide only
operating instruction and information for guests.
[0042] An administrator of the gateway may establish the type of
access provided by the walled garden. For example, if the first
location 102 is a hotspot at a Caf, the provider of the gateway may
establish the service access levels or tiers that may be provided
by the gateway 118.
[0043] When an access device is within the range of the gateway
118, wireless service is handed off from a serving cell site 114a
in the GSM network 114 to the gateway 118. The access device may be
authenticated by the gateway 118 and permitted to access at least
some of the services offered by the gateway 118. Once the access
device is authenticated, at least a portion of the information on
the access device may be made available as a networked resource via
the gateway 118. A user of the access device may chose whether
information on the access device may be made available to the
gateway and if so, that information which will be made available,
and that information which will be unavailable to the gateway 118.
In this regard, where information is made available, the gateway
118 may maintain a list of the resources that may be available on
access devices that may be coupled to the gateway 118. For example,
a list of contact information, calendar information, audio files,
video file and/or data files stored on the access device may be
sent to the gateway 118.
[0044] The resources that are available on the access device may
also be advertised to other access devices that may be in
communication with the gateway 118. Advertisement of the resources
that may be available on an access device may be restricted to, for
example, a list of particular devices, a particular type of devices
or to a particular user. Accordingly, a user may have to be
properly authenticated prior to certain information being made
available to the user. Additionally, advertisement of the resources
may cause certain icons representative of the resources to be
displayed on other access devices. In a similar manner, icons
representative of the resources that may be available on these
other access devices may also be presented on the access
device.
[0045] An access device may be provided with a welcoming screen
that may allow a user of a device to sign up for either free or
paid services. Once the signup is complete, subsequent access by
the user may be authenticated by the gateway 118 utilizing the
signup information. Whenever an access device registers with and/or
is authenticated by the gateway 118, information on the access
device may be updated and/or synchronized with information that may
be on the gateway 118.
[0046] Devices within the location of the gateway 118 may be
configured to register certain portions of their data content with
the gateway 118 through a gateway registration process. Once data
for these devices is registered to the gateway 118, the gateway may
maintain a database, which keeps track of the data that is
available, and its location. Accordingly, if the data previously
stored in the database is no longer available, then information
representative of the previously stored data may be removed from
the database. Data from devices coupled to the gateway 118 such as
on laptops, CD players, digital video disk (DVD) players, TIVO,
personal video recorders (PVRs), personal digital assistants (PDAs)
and other devices, may be registered with the gateway 118. This
data may comprise audio, video, still pictures, and/or text.
[0047] At least a portion of the registered data may be made
available to other network access devices via the gateway 118. In
an aspect of the invention, the gateway 118 may be adapted to
maintain a searchable list of data that may be available via the
gateway. In this regard, the gateway may comprise a search engine
that may be utilized to locate and distribute data that may be made
available through the gateway 118. In another aspect of the
invention, data may be made available to access devices via
advertising by the gateway 118. Access devices may be configured to
seek out particular data that may be of interest. Accordingly, an
access device may be adapted to receive and process only those
gateway advertisements may fit particular criteria. Those
advertisements that may not fit the particular criteria may be
discarded or ignored.
[0048] When an access device is within the range of the gateway
118, wireless service may be handed off from a serving cell site
114a in the GSM network 114 to the gateway 118. The access device
may be authenticated by the gateway 118 and permitted to access at
least some of the services offered by the gateway 118. Once the
access device is authenticated, a user of the access device may
have a desire to locate a particular video presentation. The user
may access the search engine, which may have been advertised to the
user's access device by the gateway 118. The search engine may
appear on the display of the user's access device as an icon. The
user may then activate a search by selecting the search engine
icon, inputting a name of the video presentation and executing the
search.
[0049] In another embodiment of the invention, the gateway may be
adapted to classify information based on a given criterion. This
classification may assist with locating information based on a
particular criterion. In this regard, a user of the access device
may be presented with a list of classifications and may select one,
which may be of interest based on a particular criterion. This may
narrow the focus of a search.
[0050] The gateway may also be utilized to facilitate seamless
synchronization of data between devices that may be wired or
wirelessly coupled to the gateway 118. For example, audio files
located in a music folder on a PC coupled to the gateway 118 may be
synchronized with a wireless media player coupled to a hot spot in
an airport while a user of the wireless access media player waits
to board a flight. In this regard, the gateway may determine what
files need to be synchronized and control how the synchronization
is accomplished. The same is true for files that may be downloaded
from the PC to the wireless access media player, and for files that
may be uploaded from the wireless access media player to the PC.
Calendar and/or contact information may also be updated and/or
synchronized with a mobile multimedia handset in a similar manner
utilizing the gateway 118.
[0051] A location-aware service determines an approximate location
of a network device and adapts delivery of a particular service
application and/or content according to a quality of service
criterion. The delivery of location-aware services may be
controlled by the gateway 118. For example, a user of an access
device may request playback of an audio clip via the gateway 118.
After receiving the request for playback of the audio clip, the
gateway 118 may determine that a channel between the gateway 118
and the user's access device may only be capable of maintaining a
reduced playback rate. As a result, instead of sending 128 kbps
encoded audio data, then the gateway may send 96 kbps data. Hence,
in a case where the audio data was originally stored in 128 kbps
sampled audio data, then the gateway 118 may transcode the 128 kbps
sampled data to 96 kbps audio data.
[0052] In another illustrative embodiment of the invention, while
the GSM network 114 is servicing the access device, lower
compression rates may be utilized to provide service to the access
device. However, when the access device roams within range of the
wireless interface 120 and is being served by the gateway 118
through wireless interface 120, higher compression rates may be
utilized. For example, audio data sampled at a data rate of 64 kbps
may be utilized for playback on an MP3 enabled telephone while the
phone is being serviced by a cell site 114a in the GSM network 114.
However, once the MP3 enabled telephone is within the operating
range of the wireless interface 120 and is being serviced by the
gateway 118, the gateway 118 may automatically adapt to a higher
data rate of, for example, 92 kbps or 128 kbps.
[0053] Automatic format conversion by the gateway 118 may include
converting data from a first format to at least a second format
suitable for delivery and/or display on an access device. This may
permit data that would otherwise be incompatible with a first
access device to be played on that first access device. For the
location-aware services based on QoS, data was converted from a
first format 128 kbps to a second format 96 kbps to achieve and/or
maintain a particular QoS, but the data type remained the same. In
this case, the audio format and/or its data type may be different.
For example, if the audio format was MP3, then after the
conversion, the format remained WAV and/or the sampling rate may
have decreased from 128 kbps top 96 kbps.
[0054] In conventional wired caller ID systems, a name and/or
directory number (DN) of a calling party may be transferred either
in-band or out-of-band to a called party and may be displayed on
the called party's caller ID display when a call is answered. In
these conventional systems, the caller ID information is limited to
a callers name, directory number (DN), general location and/or time
of call. In wireless telephone systems, in order to save on
bandwidth, only a caller's directory number is transferred and
displayed to a calling party. However, if the calling party's
directory number and name is stored in the called party's phone,
then the stored name and stored directory number will be presented
on a display of the called party's terminal. In this case, the
stored directory number is compared with the transferred caller's
directory number, and if a match occurs, then a name corresponding
to the matching directory number is also displayed on the called
party's terminal.
[0055] In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the
gateway 118 is adapted to determine the appropriate caller ID
information that may be displayed in a called and/or calling
party's caller ID. In this case, reverse caller ID information may
be displayed on both a calling and a called parties terminal by the
gateway 118.
[0056] If a called and/or calling device is a mobile multimedia
handset and/or laptop, for example, contact or other personal
information may be displayed the caller's and/or calling party's
directory number. The level or amount of information that may be
displayed may be varied. Certain sensitive information relating to
either the called or calling party may be restricted from being
displayed.
[0057] In current cellular communication systems, over the air
(OTA) programming is utilized to program a cellular telephone
during the provisioning process. In some instances, cellular
providers have established websites that may be utilized or OTA
programming. In this regard, a cellular subscriber may access the
website and enter information such as the assigned directory number
and the electronic serial number of the cellular telephone being
programmed.
[0058] In accordance with a representative embodiment of the
invention, an access device may be registered using over the air
programming via the gateway 118. A user of an access device may
send access device information to the gateway 118 using, for
example, a default interface that may be presented to and displayed
on a screen of the access device when the access device first
enters the service area of the wireless interface 120. During
registration, the capabilities of an access devices may be sent to
the gateway 118 and may be shared with devices that may be coupled
to the gateway 118.
[0059] Since the gateway acts as a registrar of information for all
the access devices that may be wired or wirelessly coupled to it,
the gateway may function as a personal digital assistant for any of
these access devices. In an illustrative example, a first device, a
first PC and a second PC are being serviced by the gateway 118. The
first access device receives a call and the caller ID information
shows the callers name, home directory number and home address.
However, the first PC contains the business address for the caller
and the second PC contains the monthly calendar information for the
caller. Assume that the caller had a desire to setup a business
meeting. In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the gateway
118 may be adapted to provide the business address of the caller to
the first access device and also provide the caller's calendar to
the first access device. In this manner, the network centrally
provides all the information necessary for scheduling the meeting.
In this example, the first PC may belong to the user of the first
access device and the second PC may belong to the caller.
[0060] This concept may be extended to a look-up or 411 directory
assistance on the Internet. The lookup may also be location
dependent. In this regard, if a user is located in Hollywood and
requests a hotel location, the gateway 118 may only cause the
hotels that are located in Hollywood to be displayed to the
user.
[0061] The gateway 118 may also be adapted to create profile
information based on data usage. These created profiles may be
utilized to create social networks for people having common
interests. Accordingly, users may be permitted to post their
interests and also select those people having similar interests
based on the created profile. Based on the created profile
information and the posted user interests, the gateway 118 may also
generate a list of those people who have similar interest and also
those users that may potentially have similar interests.
[0062] Given the capability to seamlessly operate an access device
as one migrates from outside the home into the home, it is
desirable to have a single device that may be adapted to control at
least some of the devices that may be found within the home. In
addition to its normal voice or data communication operating mode,
an access device may be configured to operate as a universal remote
that may be utilized to remotely control a plurality or other
devices such as a TV, DVD, CD, Stereo, display monitor, or a
combination thereof. Most access devices currently have an IR
transmitter, which may be adapted to communicate with other IR
receiver devices.
[0063] The access device may be used for wireless communication and
for remotely controlling an electronic device with as a TV, CD/DVD
recorder/player, or other device. The access device may also
include at least one soft-button that may be enabled through the
gateway 118 and may be utilized to control any other device that
may be coupled to the gateway 118.
[0064] The gateway 118 is adapted to virtually aggregate data that
may be visible from a plurality of access devices or other network
devices. Although the gateway 118 may be adapted to store some
service and content related information, the gateway 118 does not
actually store copies of data that resides the access devices
and/or other network devices that may be wired or wirelessly
coupled to it. However, the gateway 118 may store, for example,
metadata information that may be utilized to locate and access the
information stored on the access devices and/or other network
devices. The gateway is therefore adapted to function as a
registrar of both service and content related information.
[0065] Whenever an access device registers with and/or is
authenticated by the gateway 118, information may be collected from
the access device and related metadata information may be updated
and/or synchronized with information that may be currently stored
on the gateway 118. Additionally, when a device is no longer being
serviced by the gateway 118, associated information may be released
from the gateway 118. In this regard, the virtual aggregations
function performed by the gateway 118 guarantees that the most
current information is accessible from the access devices.
[0066] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
communication system 100, in accordance with a representative
embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 100
shown in FIG. 2 comprises a wireless interface 120, a gateway (GW)
118 with a modem 116, a printer 103, a stereo receiver 105, a
laptop 117 and a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) 119, at
location 102. The communication system 100 of FIG. 2 also comprises
an access device 124 that may correspond, for example, to the
access devices 122, 124, 126 of FIG. 1. A second location 104
within communication system 100 comprises a router 130 with a modem
132, and a plurality of wireless access devices. The plurality of
wireless access devices at the second location 104 may comprise a
personal computer (PC) 138, a laptop 136, and a wireless personal
digital assistant (PDA) 134. A peripheral such as, for example, a
digital camera 142 may be coupled to the personal computer 138.
Other peripherals such as, for example, printers, digital scanners,
speakers, and the like, that are not shown in FIG. 2, may also be
coupled to the personal computer 138 and/or laptop 136. The
wireless interface 120 may comprise a plurality of interfaces such
as, for example, a Bluetooth interface, a cellular interface, and
any combination of an IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, and/or n interface,
and/or an IEEE 802.15.3a ultrawideband interface. Although the
following discussion refers frequently to the capabilities and
actions of the gateway 118 and wireless interface 120, the same may
be said of the router 130 with the modem 132 of FIGS. 1 and 2, for
example, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
[0067] In accordance with a representative embodiment of the
present invention, a wireless access device such as access device
124 may be mobile, and may move between the personal area
network/wireless local area network coverage provided by wireless
interface 120 at location 102, the wide area network coverage
provided by, for example, GSM network 114, and the coverage
provided by the router 130 and modem 132 at location 104. The
location 102 may, for example, be the home of the user of the
access device 124, the home of a friend or relative of the user of
access device 124, or an office, business, etc., where the user of
access device 124 may travel. The location 104 may, for example, be
a second home of the user of access device 124, the home of a
friend or relative, an office, or may have no personal or business
relationship with the user of access device 124. In a
representative embodiment of the present invention, the gateway 118
may comprise, for example, a set top box that may be coupled in a
wireless or wired fashion to access devices such as, for example, a
laptop computer or television, such as the laptop 117 and the
television 115 of FIG. 2. Access to the communication bandwidth of
a broadband network as previously described may be provided by the
gateway 118 and the modem 116 to wired or wireless access devices
in the vicinity of location 102, and via router 130 and modem 132
to wired or wireless access devices in the vicinity of location
104, as shown in FIG. 2. This architecture may provided extended
access to wireless networks such as, for example, the GSM network
114, CDMA network 112, other cellular/PCS service provider 146,
Internet 140 and public switched telephone network 108, of FIG. 1.
The modem 116 is shown connected to a broadband access provider
(BAP) 106 via a broadband connection 107. The broadband connection
107 may comprise, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL)
connection, a cable network connection, a satellite connection, a
T1 or T3 network connection, or similar broadband communication
link. The modem 116 is compatible with the broadband connection
107, and may be, for example, a DSL modem, a DOCSIS-compliant cable
modem, a satellite service modem, or T1 or T3 compatible modem-type
device. The broadband connection may provide access through BAP 106
to location 104, and via transport network 110 to, for example, GSM
network 114.
[0068] In the example illustration of FIG. 2, a user of the access
device 124 may or may not be engaged in communication with another
system or subscriber accessible via the GSM network 114, or other
wide area network of FIG. 1. Although the present example of FIG. 2
shows a GSM network 114, a representative embodiment of the present
invention may be employed with respect to other wide area networks
such as, for example, the CDMA network 112 and other cellular/PCS
service provider 146, shown in FIG. 1.
[0069] In a representative embodiment of the present invention, an
access device such as, for example, the access device 124 of FIG. 2
may be pre-registered with a gateway or a router such as the
gateway 118 or the router 130, of FIG. 2, for example, for access
to multimedia information and media services via the personal area
networks supported by access device 124, wireless interface 120,
and router 130. An operator of the gateway 118 or the router 130,
for example, may establish registration and/or configuration
information corresponding to a particular access device. The
registration and/or configuration information may enable that
particular access device to access the services that may be
available through the gateway or router. For example, in one
representative embodiment of the present invention, the operator
and/or owner of the gateway 118 may interact with the gateway 118
via a second access device in direct communication with the gateway
118. The same may occur for router 130 of FIG. 2, using an access
device in communication with the router 130. The operator and/or
owner may configure a gateway such as gateway 118 using an access
device such as, for example, the laptop 117 or the PDA 119. In
another representative embodiment, the operator or owner of gateway
118 may interact with gateway 118 via an intermediary such as the
central control and management block 148. This may take place, for
example, via the BAP 106 from location 104, or via the Internet 140
from virtually anywhere.
[0070] FIG. 3A shows an illustration of an exemplary screen 300 of
an access device such as, for example, the laptop 117 or the PDA
119 of FIG. 2, showing information for potential users of a
broadband access gateway such as, for example, the gateways 118 or
routers 130 of FIGS. 1 and 2, in accordance with a representative
embodiment of the present invention. The screen 300 of FIG. 3A is
characterized by a tabular format, although in other representative
embodiments of the present invention, other formats may be used. As
shown, the screen 300 comprises a user ID column 310, an access
device ID column 312, and an allowed accesses column 314
representing the services to which access is allowed from the
access device having the associated access device ID. In the
example of FIG. 3A, the user ID column 310 may contain text or
other information for identifying a user of an access device. The
access device ID column 312 may contain, for example, an electronic
serial number, a media access control (MAC) address, or other
unique identifier of an access device that may receive services via
the wireless or wired networks supported by a broadband access
gateway or router such as gateway 118 or router 130 of FIG. 2.
Additional access-related information may be associated with each
of the entries in the screen 300, and may be used to authenticate
access by an access device such as access device 124. The allowed
accesses column 314 may represent the set of services accessible to
the access device of the identified user. The screen 300 of FIG. 3A
shows a number of entries including an entry for the access device
of the operator of the gateway 118, Ted 316, an entry for the
access device of his wife, Carol 318, an entry for the access
device of Ted's father, Dad 320, Ted's son, Bobby 322, Ted's uncle,
Uncle Jim 324, and Ted's friend, Fred 326. In addition, an
"unknown" entry 328 is shown that specifies the services accessible
to a user of an unregistered access device who's identity is
unknown. Although the access device ID column 312 and other
authentication, configuration or registration information are
described herein as being associated with a device and/or a user,
such information may also be described as being associated with an
access right or privilege, and may be portable across a number of
access devices through manual entry, or via an electronic means
such as, for example, an integrated circuit card, smart card, or an
electronic token that may be coupled to the access device.
[0071] Each of the entries shown in screen 300 may permit a
broadband access gateway such as gateway 118 to identify the
service/multimedia information access permissions associated with
an access device. Although the entries in the access device ID
column 312 are all the same length, and all numeric in nature, the
present invention is not limited in this fashion. In addition, a
different complement of columns of information than that shown in
FIG. 3A may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope
of the present invention.
[0072] FIG. 3B shows an exemplary new user registration screen 300
that may be employed to enter user registration information such
as, for example, that shown in the illustration of FIG. 3A for the
registration of users and/or access devices, in accordance with a
representative embodiment of the present invention. The new user
registration screen 300 of FIG. 3B may be displayed on and modified
using an access device such as, for example, the access device 124
or the laptop 117 at location 102, or the PC 138 or wireless PDA
134 at location 134. The new user registration screen 300 comprises
a user identifier (ID) field 312, an access device identifier (ID)
field 316, and an allowed accesses portion 318. The user ID field
310 may comprise, for example, an easily recognized textual
identifier of a user. The access device ID field 316 may comprise,
for example, a dialable telephone number, an Internet protocol (IP)
address, an electronic serial number, a media access control (MAC)
address, or any of a number of other forms of access device
identification. As shown in the example of FIG. 3B, the allowed
accesses portion 318 comprises multiple check boxes 320, 322, 324,
326, 328, 330 that permit an authorized user of the new user
registration screen 300 to select the services to be made available
to the user identified in the user ID field 310, or an access
device having the value shown in the access device ID field 316.
Authentication using the entry in the user ID field 310 and/or the
access device ID field 316 may be performed by a broadband access
gateway such as, for example, the gateway 118 or the router 130 of
FIG. 2. In the example illustration of FIG. 3B, the check boxes
displaying an "X" indicate that the user with a user ID field 312
value of "Bobby", having an access device ID field 316 value of
"5266377896" has been enabled (via check box 324) to access the
stereo entertainment service, and (via check box 328) to access the
printer service.
[0073] Information shown in the new user registration screen 300 of
FIG. 3B may be entered/modified using an access device such as, for
example, the access device 124 or the laptop 117 of FIG. 2 via the
personal area/wireless wide area network supported by a broadband
access gateway such as the gateway 118 of FIG. 2, or from any
location having access to the gateway 118, for example. In one
representative embodiment of the present invention, the new user
registration screen 300 may be available as a web page accessible
via the Internet 140 of FIG. 1, permitting access from virtually
anywhere in the world. The information represented in the new user
registration screen 300 may, for example, reside in a broadband
access gateway such as the gateway 118 of FIG. 2, or in a central
control and management function such as the central control and
management function 148. It should be noted that although a
particular user interface is shown in the example new user
registration screen 300 shown in FIG. 3B, other arrangements of
textual and graphical elements, and other information items may be
employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
[0074] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of a display 400 that may be
visible on an exemplary access device upon entering the coverage
area of a wireless gateway with which it has been pre-registered,
in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present
invention. The display 400 may, for example, correspond to a
display of an access device such as the access device 124 of FIGS.
1 and 2. The display 400 comprises a network indicator 410, a
network services indicator area 412, a battery life indicator, a
time of day indicator, and a day and date indicator. The display
400 also comprises a display area 420 to allow an access device to
present graphical or textual information for a variety of reasons
and from a number of sources.
[0075] The access device having the display 400 of FIG. 4 may, for
example, correspond to an access device that has been
pre-registered using the entry for Dad 320 on screen 300 of FIG.
3A. Upon entering the coverage area of a wireless broadband access
gateway configured as in FIG. 3A, an access device in accordance
with a representative embodiment of the present invention may share
information identifying the access device with the gateway. The
display 400 of the access device may then immediately indicate the
available access to media-related services, and may require minimal
additional action by the user of the access device. For example, in
the illustration of FIG. 4, the network indicator 410, and the text
message 430 in the display area 420 may be updated to indicate that
a personal area network has been detected, and that the access
device has been pre-registered for access to the associated
gateway. In addition, in the example of FIG. 4, the network
services indicator area 412 has been updated to comprise an
Internet protocol (IP) phone service icon 415, a printer service
icon 416, a stereo entertainment icon 417, and a pay music service
icon 418, showing those services advertised by the wireless
broadband access gateway as being available to the pre-registered
user of the access device. Further details concerning the
advertising of media services by a broadband access gateway may be
found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled "Method
And System For Extended Network Access Services Advertising Via A
Broadband Access Gateway" (Attorney Docket No. 15723US02 BU3607.2),
filed Dec. 23, 2004, the complete subject matter of which is hereby
incorporate herein by reference, in its entirety. The services
indicated in the network services indicator area 412 may correspond
to those which the pre-registered user, Dad, has been given access.
In the example of FIG. 4, the services match those shown in the
entry for Dad 320 in the screen 300 of FIG. 3A. Access to a greater
or lesser number of media services may be conveyed by the gateway,
and represented on the screen of an access device, depending upon
the registration, configuration, and authentication information
provisioned for a broadband access gateway and/or the access
device. In another representative embodiment of the present
invention, a press of a single user-defined or pre-defined button
may permit access to the services and networks available via a
broadband access gateway. An access device in accordance with a
representative embodiment of the present invention may, for
example, furnish a digital certificate to the broadband access
gateway as proof or authentication of entitlement to access the
services of a gateway or router. This may be in place of, or in
combination with, the registration information shown in the
exemplary screen 300 of FIG. 3A.
[0076] FIG. 5 shows an illustration of an exemplary display 500
that may, for example, correspond to the display of an access
device such as, for example, the access device 124 of FIGS. 1 and
2, upon entering the coverage area of a wireless gateway with which
it has not been pre-registered, in accordance with a representative
embodiment of the present invention. The display 500 of FIG. 5
comprises a network indicator 510, a network services indicator
area 512, a battery life indicator, a time of day indicator, and a
day and date indicator. The display 500 also comprises a display
area 520 to allow the access device having display 500 to show
graphical or textual information for a variety of reasons and from
a number of sources.
[0077] In the example of FIG. 5, the access device having the
display 500 may not have been pre-registered with the broadband
access gateway of whose coverage area it has entered. Such an
access device may be authenticated for service by a broadband
access gateway via a personal area network, using the user ID entry
"unknown" 328, in the screen 300 of FIG. 3A. Upon entering the
coverage area of a wireless broadband access gateway configured as
in FIG. 3A, the display 500 of an access device in accordance with
a representative embodiment of the present invention may
immediately indicate the presence of a personal area network by
displaying the network indicator 510 shown in FIG. 5. As defined by
the information shown on screen 300 of FIG. 3A, the services
available to an unknown or "unregistered" access device are limited
to only the pay music service, if no additional action is taken by
the user of the access device. This is also indicated by the pay
music service icon 518 shown on the display 500 of FIG. 5. The user
of the access device may, however, choose to register the access
device and/or their identity, in order to gain access to addition
services. For example, as shown in the text message 530 in the
display area 520 of FIG. 5, the user may register with the
broadband access gateway by pressing "OK". This "impromptu" or
"opportunistic" form of registration may permit a user of an access
device to gain access to additional services. In a representative
embodiment of the present invention, a press of a single
user-defined or pre-defined button may transmit identifying
information that permits access to the services and networks
available via the broadband access gateway. The information
transmitted to the wireless broadband access gateway or router for
registration may, for example, comprise the same information items
shown in columns of the screen 300 of FIG. 3A, and may be stored
within the access device for later use. As part of this process, an
access device in accordance with a representative embodiment of the
present invention may, for example, furnish a digital certificate
to the broadband access gateway as proof or authentication of
entitlement to access the services of a gateway or router. This may
be in place of, or in combination with, the registration
information shown in the exemplary screen 300 of FIG. 3A.
[0078] FIG. 6A shows an illustration of an exemplary display 600
that may correspond to the display of an access device such as, for
example, the access device 124 of FIGS. 1 and 2, upon entering the
coverage area of a wireless broadband access gateway with which it
has not been pre-registered, in accordance with another
representative embodiment of the present invention. The display 600
of FIG. 6A comprises a network indicator 610, a network services
indicator area 612, a battery life indicator, a time of day
indicator, and a day and date indicator. The display 600 also
comprises a display area 620 to allow the access device having
display 600 to show graphical or textual information for a variety
of reasons and from a number of sources.
[0079] In the example of FIG. 6A, the display 600 may be part of an
access device that has not been pre-registered, and that does not
have stored within it the information used to register for access
to the services of a gateway. Such an access device may be
authenticated for service by a broadband access gateway using, for
example, the entry for an unknown or unregistered access device
such as, for example, the user entry "unknown" 328 in the screen
300 of FIG. 3A. Upon entering the coverage area of a broadband
access gateway configured as in FIG. 3A, the display 600 of an
access device in accordance with a representative embodiment of the
present invention may indicate the presence of a personal area
network by displaying the network indicator 610 shown in FIG. 6A.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the availability of services for an unknown
access device is limited to only the pay music service, if no
additional action is taken by the user of the access device. This
is shown by the pay music service icon 618 in the network services
indicator area 612. The user of the access device may, for example,
choose to register their access device and/or their identity, in
order to gain access to addition services. As shown in the
exemplary text message 630 in the display area 620 of FIG. 6A,
because the information used for registration is not present in the
access device, the user may be prompted to enter user ID and
password information such as, for example, the User ID 635 (i.e.,
identity) and password 640 information of FIG. 3A, and to initiate
registration and/or authentication by pressing "OK" on the keypad
or display 600 of the access device. If successful, this
interactive form of registration may permit a user of an access
device in communication with a gateway in accordance with a
representative embodiment of the present invention to gain access
to services that would otherwise be inaccessible.
[0080] It should be noted that the information items shown in the
display area 620 of FIG. 6A are for illustrative purpose only, as
the information items used for the admittance of a new access
device and/or user may be selected from a number of possible
identifiers. For example, the User ID 635 may comprise a name, a
social security number, an electronic serial number, an account
number for a credit or debit card, and a media access control (MAC)
address, to name only a few possibilities. The password 640 may
comprise a user-selected password, a personal identification number
(PIN) such as that provided with a credit or debit card, and may in
the future represent, for example, the results of a fingerprint or
retinal scan using a scanning device built into the access device.
In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the
information transmitted to the gateway or router may, for example,
comprise some of the same information items shown in columns of the
screen 300 of FIG. 3A.
[0081] In a representative embodiment of the present invention, a
designated user such as, for example, the owner/operator of and/or
subscriber responsible for a broadband access gateway may be
notified when an unregistered user/access device attempts to access
the gateway. Such notification may be in the form of, for example,
an email message, a short message service (SMS) message, a
multimedia messaging service (MMS), a form of instant messaging
(IM), a graphical indicator or icon, or other form of communication
received at an access device such as, for example, the access
device 124, the laptop 117, the wireless PDA 134, or the television
115 of FIG. 2. The user designated to receive such notifications
may be identified to a broadband access gateway such as, for
example, the gateway 118 using a telephone number, an Internet
protocol address, a media access control address, an electronic
serial number, or any of a number of other forms of device or user
identifiers/addresses. Upon receiving notification of an access
attempt, the designated user may approve the access by, for
example, acknowledging the received email, SMS message, etc., or by
visiting a web site and enabling access using a mechanism such as
that shown in FIG. 3B, for example.
[0082] FIG. 6B shows an illustration of a display 600 with an
exemplary access notification message screen 620 that may be
displayed by an access device such as, for example, the access
device 124 of FIG. 2 upon receiving notification of an access
attempt at a broadband access gateway such as the gateway 118 of
FIG. 2, by an unregistered access device, in accordance with a
representative embodiment of the present invention. The display 600
may, for example, correspond to a display of an access device such
as the access device 124 or the laptop 117 of FIG. 2. Similar
information about the access attempt may be presented on other
access devices including, for example, the television 115 or the
PDA 134. The display 600 comprises a network indicator 610, a
network services indicator area 612, a battery life indicator, a
time of day indicator, and a day and date indicator. The network
services indicator 612 comprises an Internet protocol (IP) phone
service icon 615, a printer service icon 616, a stereo
entertainment icon 617, and a pay music service icon 618, to
indicate those services available to the user of the access device.
The display 600 also comprises a display area 620 to allow an
access device to present graphical or textual information for a
variety of reasons and from a number of sources.
[0083] In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the
owner/operator of a residential gateway such as the gateway 118 of
FIG. 2 may identify or designate the the user to be the recipient
of such notices. In the example of FIG. 6B, the access notification
message screen 620 provides to the designated user an access
identifier (ID) 630 and a user identifier (ID) 640 of the access
device attempting entry, to enable the designated user to recognize
the person attempting to access the associated broadband access
gateway. The response instruction 650 indicates to the designated
user that access to the gateway may be granted by pressing "1" on
the displaying access device. The information delivered in the
example of FIG. 6B may be presented in terms of a number of
different forms including, for example, an email message, a short
message service message, a multimedia messaging service message, an
instant message (IM), or a pop-up window on a web page, to name
only a few.
[0084] FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 of an exemplary method of
registering an access device for access to available services using
a broadband access gateway such as, for example, the gateway 118
and router 130 of FIGS. 1 and 2, in accordance with a
representative embodiment of the present invention. The following
description of the method illustrated in FIG. 7 makes reference to
the elements of FIGS. 1 and 2. The actions of the method of FIG. 7
begin at the start (710) when a broadband access gateway such as
the gateway 118 is activated. The gateway may first initialize
communication via any broadband network connections (712).
Initializing communication may comprise, for example, establishing
physical and higher layer connectivity to network resources,
servers, and other entities. At some later time, the gateway may
detect the presence of an access device (714). The access device
may be in communication with the gateway via, for example, a wired
or wireless connection. Identifying information may be received by
the gateway (716), and may be used to determine whether the device
is pre-registered (718). If the access device is not
pre-registered, access to the information and services available
via the broadband access gateway may be denied (722), and the
method may end (724). If the access device is pre-registered,
access to the information and services available via the broadband
access gateway may immediately be permitted without further input
by the user of the access device (720). The method of FIG. 7 then
ends (724).
[0085] FIG. 8 is a flowchart 800 of an exemplary method of
registering an access device with a wireless broadband access
gateway such as the gateway 118 and router 130 of FIGS. I and 2, in
accordance with another representative embodiment of the present
invention. The following description of the method illustrated in
FIG. 8 makes reference to the elements of FIGS. 1 and 2. The
actions of the method of FIG. 8 begin at the start (810) when a
broadband access gateway such as the gateway 118 is activated. The
gateway may initialize communication via any broadband network
connections (812). Initializing communication may comprise, for
example, establishing physical and higher layer connectivity to
network resources, servers, and other entities. At some later time,
the gateway may detect the presence of an access device within
range of the personal area network of the gateway (814), and may
receive an access device ID (816). The gateway may then determine
whether the access device is pre-registered (818). This may be
performed using information such as, for example, the information
shown in the screen 300 of FIG. 3A. If the access device is
pre-registered, immediate access to the multimedia information and
services available via the broadband access gateway may be
permitted (824) as in the example of FIG. 7, and the method may end
(830). If, however, the access device is not pre-registered, the
user may at some later time decide to register, to gain access to
the services and multimedia information available via the broadband
access gateway. The user may then cause the registration
information to be sent wirelessly to the broadband access gateway.
Registration information may include, for example, user
identification information, proof of ability to pay, and other
factors. The registration information may, for example, be stored
within the memory of the access device, or within a device such as
an integrated circuit or smart card coupled to the access device,
and may be transmitted to the gateway upon user activation of a
soft (re-definable) or hard (physical) button on the access device.
The gateway then receives the registration information (820). The
registration information from the access device may then be
verified by the gateway (822). If the registration information is
verified successfully, access to the services of the broadband
access gateway may be permitted (824), and the method of FIG. 8
ends (830). If the registration information cannot be verified
successfully, access to the services of the broadband access
gateway may be denied (826), and the method of FIG. 8 ends
(830).
[0086] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart 900 of an exemplary method of
registering an access device with a wireless broadband access
gateway such as the gateway 118 and router 130 of FIGS. 1 and 2
using an interactive process, in accordance with another
representative embodiment of the present invention. The following
description of the method illustrated in FIG. 9 makes reference to
the elements of FIGS. 1 and 2. The actions of the method of FIG. 9
begin at the start (910) when a broadband access gateway such as
the gateway 118 is activated. The gateway may then initialize
communication via any broadband network connections (912).
Initializing communication may comprise, for example, establishing
physical and higher layer connectivity to network resources,
servers, and other entities. At some later time, the gateway may
detect the presence of an access device within range of the
personal area network of the gateway (914), and may receive an
access device ID (916). The gateway may then determine whether the
access device is pre-registered (918). This may be performed using
information such as, for example, the information shown in the
screen 300 of FIG. 3A.
[0087] If the access device is pre-registered, access to the
services of the broadband access gateway may immediately be
permitted (920), and the method may end (930). If the access device
is not pre-registered, the user may be prompted to provide, for
example, a user ID and password information (922). The user ID may,
for example, comprise personal identification information such as a
social security number, a credit or debt card number, an identifier
of a digital certificate, or other forms of user-specific
information. A password may include, for example, a personal
identification number, a password for the gateway, a public or
private key, or other information. The user may then cause the user
ID and password information to be sent wirelessly to the broadband
access gateway. Although in the example of FIG. 9 two pieces of
information are requested of the user, a different number of items,
and/or a different complement of items may be involved in the
interactive exchange between the user and the broadband access
gateway, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. In FIG. 9, the gateway then receives the user ID and
password information (924), and a check is made whether the
received password information matches with that expected (926). If
the password information matches that expected from the user of the
access device, access to the broadband access gateway services and
networks is then permitted (920), and the method of FIG. 9 ends. If
the password information fails to match that expected, restricted
access to the services and networks available via the broadband
access gateway may be permitted (928). The method of FIG. 9 then
ends (930).
[0088] In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the
wireless local area networks may include data networks such as, for
example, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer (IEEE)
802.11 a/b/g/n compliant wireless networks such as those located in
homes, hot spots or an office. Such local area networks may operate
in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum such as in, for example, the
2.4 and 5 gigahertz regions. Examples of wide area networks may
include cellular digital packet data (CDPD), voice and data
networks such as public switched telephone networks (PSTN), Global
System For Mobile Communication (GSM), GSM General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS), GSM Short Message Service (SMS), GSM Enhanced Data
Rates For Global Evolution (EDGE), North American Time Division
Multiplex Access (TDMA), iDEN, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
and CDMA2000 1xRT, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS) network, to name only a few.
[0089] A personal area network (PAN) may be formed by a plurality
of wireless communication access devices such as, for example,
mobile multimedia handsets, PDAs, telephones, and computers. Other
elements of such a network may, for example, include computer
peripherals such as digital scanners, digital cameras, printers,
headphones, and pointing devices, that may be located within the
immediate proximity of a person. A PAN may be an ad-hoc network of
such communication devices. In a representative embodiment of the
present invention, access devices within the PAN may communicate
with other access devices within the PAN and also with other access
devices that are located in other networks accessible via the PAN.
The personal area networks may include data networks such as, for
example, a Bluetooth compliant network, and Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineer (IEEE) 802.15.3a compliant wireless
networks. Such personal area networks may operate in unlicensed
radio frequency spectrum such as, for example, the 2.4 and 5
gigahertz regions. Details of one example of a personal area
network are provided in the document "Bluetooth Core Specification
V1.2", Nov. 5, 2003, from Bluetooth SIG, Inc., the complete subject
matter of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, in its
entirety. For example, in a Bluetooth.RTM. wireless PAN, a first
Bluetooth.RTM.-enabled wireless access device may communicate with
a second Bluetooth.RTM.-enabled wireless access device within the
PAN. Additionally, either of the first and second
Bluetooth.RTM.-enabled wireless access devices may communicate with
the Internet or another LAN or WAN via the Bluetooth.RTM. wireless
PAN.
[0090] In a representative embodiment of the present invention, a
gateway may be adapted to provide seamless and transparent
communication between a plurality of access devices and a plurality
of networks. The functionality of the gateway may be divided, for
example, into application content functionality, and configuration
and management functionality. The application content functionality
may, for example, deal with the types of applications that may be
supported by the gateway as well as the various types of data that
may be received, processed and/or transmitted by the gateway. In
this regard, application content functionality may also include the
manner in which other devices and/or systems may utilize data from
the gateway.
[0091] Content and application services are important because all
the information coming into and leaving the home from either the
WAN side (i.e., the broadband connection side), or from the PAN
side (i.e., the access device side) converges at the gateway. The
PAN side may comprise Bluetooth, wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11
a/b/g/n), IEEE 802.15.3a ultrawideband, or cellular, for example.
Notwithstanding, the gateway may be adapted to convert, for
example, wirelessly received GSM-formatted information into, for
example, Internet protocol (IP)-formatted information and in
reverse, converts IP-formatted information into wireless
GSM-formatted information suitable for over-the-air transmission.
Support for other wireless communication protocols such as TDMA,
CDMA, and UMTS may also be provided. In a representative embodiment
of the present invention, the gateway may comprise suitable
circuitry, logic and/or code that may be adapted to receive and
process MPEG related data, which may be suitable for display on a
screen. The gateway in an embodiment of the present invention
functions as a focal point where data converges from a plurality of
wired and wireless services. Although, in a particular embodiment
of the present invention the gateway may do very little in terms of
actual content aggregation, there is virtual aggregation of data.
The converged data may be integrated and or otherwise utilized to
offer unique opportunities for launching various content and
application services from a single strategic location. Since the
gateway in an embodiment of the present invention is the focal
point where data converges, one or more protocol stacks may be
employed for launching the various content and application
services.
[0092] The gateway in a representative embodiment of the present
invention may be adapted to route calls based on established rules
that may be programmed into the gateway. For example, the gateway
may be governed by a rule which states that local calls are to be
routed to an incumbent local exchange carrier (iLEC), while long
distance calls are to be handled by Long Distance Carrier Company.
Accordingly, when a call originates at the gateway and it is
determined that the call is a local call, the gateway may be
adapted to route the call to the iLEC. However, if the gateway
determines that the call is a long distance call, then the gateway
may be adapted to route the call to Long Distance Carrier
Company.
[0093] A representative embodiment of the present invention may
leverage existing broadband infrastructure that is commonly found
in many homes and businesses today. Because a consumer is already
paying for the use of the broadband infrastructure in their home or
office, leveraging the use of the existing broadband infrastructure
for communication with wide area networks results in minimal or no
communication costs. The broadband infrastructure may be, for
example, a cable or DSL infrastructure.
[0094] The wireless interface function provided by the gateway
located within a home, for example, may be utilized to route or
communicate a great deal of traffic to a wired network such as a
broadband network or a wireless network such as a GSM or CDMA
network via a broadband connection. In other words, the wireless
gateway infrastructure provided by a representative embodiment of
the present invention provides a scalable network infrastructure
that rides on an existing access infrastructure already supplied by
a broadband service provider to a home, office or business.
Additionally, the scalable infrastructure provided by the gateway
also solves the problems associated with signal penetration and
propagation, thereby providing improved quality of service (QoS).
From a market perspective, a wireless service provider may now have
access to the necessary infrastructure to provide improved wireless
services to users within a home or office. Accordingly, in order to
rapidly increase their growth, wireless service providers may now
target that portion of the in-home landline or plain old telephone
system (POTS) business, which have traditionally been handled by
incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) or other LECs.
[0095] The unlicensed mobile access gateway described above may
possess a significant amount of processing power. The gateways of
existing systems fall short of realizing the full potential of the
merged wired and wireless communication network that is enabled by
a representative embodiment of the present invention. Numerous
basic and enhanced communication services may be enabled or
provided by the gateway. Support for access devices such as, for
example, mobile multimedia handsets and PDAs may be involved in
order to utilize these basic and enhanced communication services
enabled by the new wave of digital technologies. Current and/or
proposed mobile access gateway systems, however, do not provide the
range of support needed for their use by the everyday consumer.
[0096] The present invention may be realized in hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention
may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer
system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are
spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of
computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the
methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of
hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with
a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls
the computer system such that it carries out the methods described
herein.
[0097] The present invention may also be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context means any expression, in
any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended
to cause a system having an information processing capability to
perform a particular function either directly or after either or
both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or
notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
[0098] While the present invention has been described with
reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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