Patent ID: 12256260

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

FIG.1is a schematic block diagram of a representative mobile station MS. The mobile station MS comprises a central processing unit CP105and memory110. In addition, the mobile station MS comprises or utilizes external input-output circuitry115which constitutes the multimode terminal's user interface and comprises an input circuitry120and an output circuitry125. The input circuitry120comprises the mobile station's microphone and user-input device, such as a keypad and/or touch screen. The output circuitry125comprises the mobile station's display and earphone or loudspeaker. The mobile station MS further comprises reception/transmission circuitry130which comprises a transmission circuitry135, reception circuitry140and antenna145. A subscriber identity module, SIM,150is used by an authentication function160to authenticate the mobile station user and to identify the user's subscription to the access network. The mobile station also comprises WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) circuitry155whose normal mode of usage is acting as a WLAN client to a WLAN base station (not shown).

In order to support installable program modules, the mobile station's memory MEM110may comprise routines for downloading installable program modules and for storing the installable program modules in the memory MEM for execution by the central processing unit CP.FIG.1shows an arrangement in which the mobile station is configured to download installable program modules from a repository RP via a data network DN, an access network AN, the antenna145and reception circuitry140, although other arrangements are equally possible, such as downloading the installable program modules via the data network DN to a personal computer PC, from which the installable program modules are transferred to the mobile station the WLAN circuitry155or via some other short-range connection, such as Bluetooth or Universal Serial Bus (USB, not shown separately). The reference sign PC/CT means that the personal computer PC serves as an example of a client terminal CT. The access network AN is typically a broadband-capable mobile communication network, while the data network DN is typically the internet or some closed subnetwork implementing internet protocol (IP), commonly called intranets or extranets. At this level of generalization, all previously-discussed elements ofFIG.1can be conventional as used in the relevant art. One or more external hosts190are accessible via the access network AN and data network DN, as will be described in more detail below. Finally, reference numeral180denotes an area of the memory110used to store parameters and variables.

The foregoing description ofFIG.1describes an applicable mobile station in technical terms. Such mobile stations are commercially available: For instance, at the priority date of the present invention, mobile stations based on Symbian S60 or S80 platforms can be used, provided that they support WLAN and broadband communications. A departure from prior art mobile stations can be seen in the fact that the mobile station comprises the inventive gateway application170, either as a factory-installed software application or as a downloadable application. The reference sign PC, which denotes the personal computer being used as the client terminal, is derived from “personal computer”, but those skilled in the art will realize that the mobile station MS provided with the inventive gateway application170supports virtually any client terminal capable of acting as a WLAN client, such as laptop computers, smart telephones, personal digital assistants, home entertainment devices, digital cameras, etc., to name just a representative sample of applicable device types.

FIG.2shows some preparatory acts, some of which may not be necessary in all embodiments of the present invention. In step2-2the mobile station MS is authenticated. This step, which is well known to those skilled in the art, involves reception of a PIN code via the mobile station's user interface, and using the mobile stations SIM card in a registration process to the access network AN. In step2-4the mobile station's WLAN circuitry is activated according to a setting from the mobile station's user interface. In steps2-6through2-8the inventive gateway application is downloaded via a personal computer PC from the repository RP. In cases wherein the gateway application is downloaded without the personal computer, the download request and application download would take place directly between the mobile station MS and the repository RP. In step2-10the downloaded gateway application is stored in the mobile station's memory for later execution, as will be further described in connection withFIG.3.

The WLAN activation step may not be necessary if the mobile station's WLAN circuitry is permanently enabled. The downloading and storing acts may be omitted in embodiments having the gateway application permanently stored or pre-installed in the mobile station's memory.

FIG.3depicts an illustrative scenario involving a client terminal (represented inFIG.3by a personal computer PC) and a mobile station which supports a gateway application according to the present invention. In step3-0the inventive gateway application is executed in the mobile station. The execution of the gateway application is typically started in response to a user instruction via the mobile station's user interface. In a typical implementation, the mobile station receives user interface navigation instructions to “Applications” from which the inventive gateway application is selected for execution. One of the acts performed by the mobile station's processor, under control of the inventive gateway application, is to ensure that the WLAN circuitry of the mobile station is operational. The significance of step3-0, and of the corresponding deactivation step3-40, is that the mobile station is only reserved for wireless broadband gateway applications for a user-specified time, and at other times the mobile station can perform whatever tasks required by its user.

In step3-2the gateway application instructs the mobile station's processor to prepare an ad-hoc WLAN network around the mobile station, by acting as a WLAN base station (as opposed to the mobile station's more conventional usage as a WLAN client). In step3-4the gateway application instructs the mobile station to initiate broadcasting of a beacon ID message, which typically is an IBSSID message as defined in standard IEEE 802.11x. Step3-4is depicted as an arrow, but in practice the broadcasting of the beacon ID message should be repeated until step3-40in which the execution of the gateway application is terminated.

In step3-6the client terminal PC searches for available WLAN networks and detects the broadcasted beacon ID and selects the WLAN network created by the mobile station MS. In step3-8the client terminal PC, as part of a conventional WLAN attach procedure, requests an IP address from the mobile station's WLAN base station, which returns the requested IP address in step3-10. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is typically used for steps3-8and3-10.

Let us assume that the client terminal PC tries to retrieve a web page from the internet host (item190inFIG.1). In step3-12the client terminal PC sends a domain name service (DNS) query for the IP address of the host's web page to the DNS server of the mobile station's gateway application. In step3-14the mobile station's gateway application forwards the DNS query to internet's domain name service and obtains the host's IP address in step3-16. In step3-18the mobile station's gateway application returns the host's IP address to the client terminal PC.

In step3-20the client terminal PC requests a web page from the host's IP address. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is typically used for this purpose. This request, like any communication between the client terminal PC and any internet hosts, takes place via the inventive gateway application being executed in the mobile station. Step3-22is an optional step which may be omitted in some embodiments. When performed, step3-22comprises redirecting the first HTTP page request from client terminal PC to another internet host, called Host′. This means that in step3-24the gateway application forces the client terminal's first HTTP page request to a forced home page at the IP address of Host′. For example, the operator of the site Host′ may display advertisements in exchange of sponsoring communication costs over the access network AN. In step3-26the web site Host′ returns the requested web page, which the gateway application relays to the client terminal PC in step3-28.

In step3-30the client terminal PC again requests the web page from the host's IP address. Since this the second (or further) page request from the client terminal, the gateway application no longer redirects the HTTP request but relays it to the Host in step3-32. In steps3-34and3-36the requested web page from the Host is transmitted to the client terminal. As shown by arrow30, the process can return from step3-36to step3-20when future web pages are requested. The loops3-30through3-36can be repeated until the gateway application is terminated in step3-40. If the forced home page feature (step3-22) is not implemented, the first HTTP request (step3-20) is processed similarly to the subsequent HTTP requests (step3-30). In subsequent executions of step3-30, if the HTTP page request relates to a web page for which the gateway application does not have an IP address, a DSN query will be performed (cf. steps3-14and3-16).

FIG.3also shown an additional client terminal, denoted PC′. Steps3-6through3-36will be repeated for each additional client terminal. This means that by virtue of the inventive gateway application, which instructs the mobile station MS to act as a WLAN base station (as opposed to a WLAN client), the mobile station MS can support an arbitrary number of client terminals which act as WLAN client terminals and which, by virtue of the authentication performed by the mobile station, can share a single subscription to the access network.

FIG.3and the foregoing description of it illustrate use of HTTP protocol. The inventive gateway application supports other protocols in an analogous manner and assigns a specific port number to each supported protocol. For instance, the gateway application can instruct the mobile station to convey encrypted HTTPS traffic by utilizing the Proxy Configuration field of HTTPS protocol.

In addition to merely conveying internet traffic between the client terminal PC and the internet host, the inventive gateway application can, in some specific embodiments, provide additional or supplementary services which utilize some of the functionality of modern mobile stations. In some implementations, such supplementary services are provided by an arrangement in which a supplementary server enhances the service(s) provided by a primary server. Such a supplementary server can be part of the functionality of the inventive WLAN gateway application, or it can be implemented as a network element distinct from the primary server.

One exemplary implementation of such additional services involves utilization of GPS (Global Positioning System) devices incorporated into some mobile stations. The inventive gateway application may be enhanced to associate GPS-provided geographical coordinates to the PC-to-host traffic, or some of that traffic. For instance, the gateway application can tag still or video image data with geographical coordinates and/or use some additional service (not shown separately) that maps the with geographical coordinates to a plaintext name of the relevant location. In another implementation the gateway application associates GPS-provided coordinates to the traffic, or some of it, while the actual tagging of the images with the coordinates is provided by some additional server, such as an image sharing server (not shown separately). Actually, what matters is the location of the client terminal and not the location of the mobile station acting as a WLAN gateway. But considering the short range of the mobile station's WLAN transmission, the mobile station's location can be used as the client terminal's location for virtually all practical purposes.

In a more ambitious implementation, the gateway application can provide additional services on the basis of the geographical coordinates. For instance, the gateway application can recognize various queries initiated by the client terminal and/or responses to those queries by internet servers and enhance the query responses by relevant map or photography information. For instance, the gateway application can detect a query to “post” and provide the query response with a map and/or photograph of the post office closest to the mobile station's GPS-provided geographical coordinates. In order to obtain the map and/or photograph, the gateway application may query a supplementary server which provides the requested functionality.

Another example of such additional services relates to traffic statistics which the gateway application collects and transmits to some internet-based supplementary server (not shown separately). For example, such a supplementary server may use the traffic statistics to monitor Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, which can be used to maintain the QoS at a specified level and/or to optimize resource usage in the access network. In some embodiments the supplementary server is an advertising server. The advertising server may utilize the traffic statistics for targeted or tailored advertising to the client terminal PC. Such traffic statistics may include, for example, user identification, usage (amount of traffic, usage times, internet addresses visited, query parameters, or the like). Alternatively or additionally, the gateway application can transmit traffic statistics to a billing server which participates in charging the client terminal's subscriber. Yet further, the advertising server and the billing server may cooperate in such a manner that the advertising server's operator sells advertisement space or time and the advertising server credits the client terminal's subscriber for any advertisements received. The credits are then relayed to and used by the billing server in order to reduce the client terminal's subscriber's invoice, generate additional services, extend pre-paid subscription time, to name just a few examples.

Finally, the gateway application may be configured to convey the mobile station's location, or some derivative it, to the advertising server for targeted or tailored advertising on the basis of the mobile station's location. For instance, targeted advertising for some goods or service may include sending an advertisement to a client terminal only if the mobile station's location indicates that the client terminal is reasonably close to the outlet of the goods or service. On the other hand, tailored advertising may be implemented such that the advertisement indicates the address or location of the closest outlet.

FIGS.4and5illustrate some exemplary embodiments in which the present invention benefits from the functionality of modern mobile stations, such that the resulting WLAN gateway is functionally superior to dedicated WLAN base stations.FIG.4shows an embodiment in which the WLAN circuitry, and optionally the WLAN gateway application, in the mobile station MS is activated periodically to detect possible WLAN client terminals CT nearby. In one representative scenario, a WLAN-capable digital camera acts as a WLAN client terminal. In the embodiment shown inFIG.4, the mobile station MS employs two timers which may be realized by means of software-implemented tick counters, as is well known to those skilled in the art. One of the timers is called a sleep timer while the other is called a watchdog timer. The sleep timer's function is to periodically wake up the mobile station's WLAN circuitry, and optionally the WLAN gateway application. The watchdog timer is used to detect non-activity periods of predetermined length in the WLAN network so that the WLAN circuitry can be powered off in order to optimise battery resources.

In step41the WLAN circuitry of the mobile station MS is powered off and the execution of the WLAN gateway application may be suspended or terminated. Step41terminates when the sleep timer expires. For instance, the sleep timer may generate a processor interrupt which directs the mobile station's processor to perform program routines for activating the WLAN circuitry and starting or resuming execution of the WLAN gateway application. After step42the mobile station has established a WLAN network. In step43the mobile station checks if any client terminal(s), such as the exemplary digital camera, attempt(s) to attach to the WLAN network. If not, the process proceeds to step48, in which the WLAN network and circuitry are deactivated and the process begins anew at step41. On the other hand, if any client terminal attaches to the WLAN network, the mobile station starts a watchdog timer in step44and maintains the WLAN network as indicated in step45. Step46includes a test to detect client terminal activity. If client terminal activity is detected, the process returns to step44in which the watchdog timer is restarted. Naturally, any client-related requests are served as well, as part of the basic functionality of the WLAN gateway application. On the other hand, if no client terminal activity is detected, the process proceeds to step47which is a test as to whether the watchdog timer has expired. If not, the process returns to step45in which the WLAN network is maintained without restarting the watchdog timer. Eventually, a moment occurs when no client activity has been detected and the watchdog timer expires, and this is detected in step47. Then, in step48, the WLAN network and circuitry are deactivated and the process begins anew at step41.

By virtue of the embodiment described in connection withFIG.4, the WLAN gateway application may terminate its own execution and power off the mobile station's WLAN circuitry. The automatic execution of the gateway application and the accompanying automatic activation of the mobile station's WLAN circuitry provides certain benefits. For instance, both digital cameras and mobile stations are handicapped by small user interfaces and relatively short battery life, particularly when their liquid-crystal displays (LCD) are illuminated. The automation described in connection with the present embodiment alleviates such handicaps.

FIG.5shows an embodiment in which the mobile station's location-determination functionality is used to enhance image uploading to an image hosting server. In step5-0a WLAN connection is established between the gateway application being executed in the mobile station MS and the WLAN-equipped digital camera CAM acting as a client terminal CT. For details of the WLAN connection establishment a reference is made toFIGS.3and4. In step5-2the camera CAM/CT initiates a DNS inquiry to obtain the internet address of the image hosting server. In step5-4an embodiment of the gateway application being executed in the mobile station MS detects that the camera/client terminal CAM/CT executes a location-aware application. Accordingly, the gateway application uses the mobile station's location-determination functionality to determine the mobile station's location. For instance, the mobile station's location may be determined on the basis of the mobile station's built-in satellite-positioning device (GPS) or on the basis of cell ID determination in the access networks. In an optional step5-8, the gateway application sends the mobile station's location to an embodiment of the supplementary server SS, which in this scenario receives the mobile station's location and returns a plaintext-formatted location description. For instance, the geographical coordinates or cell ID of Piccadilly Circus might be converted to a plaintext description of “Piccadilly Circus, London”. In step5-10, the camera/client terminal CAM/CT begins uploading of image data to the image hosting server. In step5-12the gateway application complements the image data with the mobile station's location. In one particular implementation, the location data is placed in a metadata field of the image(s).

It is readily apparent to a person skilled in the art that, as the technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.