Patent ID: 7688792

Claim:
A method of providing wireless data service using an Internet Protocol (IP)-based interface, comprising: providing a first wireless data service via a first application on a wireless device; obtaining a single IP address by the wireless device from a wireless network; assigning the single IP address over to a terminal equipment to define a first interface on the terminal equipment with the wireless device; assigning the single IP address to define a second interface on the wireless device with the wireless network; deriving a private IP address for use by the wireless device to exchange packets with the terminal equipment; assigning the private IP address to define a third interface on the wireless device with the terminal equipment; providing a first IP-based communication path between the terminal equipment and the wireless network via the second interface and the third interface on wireless device and using the single IP address; providing a second IP-based communication path between the wireless device and the terminal equipment using the third interface and the first interface; providing a third IP-based communication path between the wireless device and the wireless network using the second interface and using the single IP address; implementing the first, second and third IP-based communication paths for communications between the wireless device, the wireless network and the terminal equipment; and providing the first wireless data service to a second application on the terminal equipment via the first application on the wireless device using at least the second communication path, wherein the private IP address enables the wireless device to distinguish packets corresponding to the first wireless data service from general communication packets corresponding to the terminal equipment.