Granted Patent B2

US 7,545,783 · App. 10/952,132 · Granted Jun 9, 2009

Abstract

Claims (34)

1. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a wireless packet network;

a cellular telephone network;

at least one computing device including a wireless network interface card for communicating over the wireless packet network;

at least one cellular telephone device, the cellular telephone device having a cellular telephone mode for communicating over the cellular telephone network and a wireless packet network mode for communicating over the wireless packet network;

a presence server on said wireless packet network;

wherein the cellular telephone device is configured to function in wireless packet network mode as a wireless access point for said at least one computing device by interfacing the wireless network interface card to the wireless packet network via the cellular network;

wherein the presence server communicates with said at least one cellular telephone device to activate and deactivate said wireless packet network mode based on a presence status, the cellular telephone functioning as a wireless access controller when said wireless packet network mode is activated.

2. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the cellular telephone network comprises a GPRS network.

3. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the wireless packet network comprises the Internet.

4. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the wireless packet network comprises a wireless local area network.

5. A wireless telephone, comprising:

a cellular telephone controller configured to interface the wireless telephone to a cellular telephone network;

a wireless packet network controller configured to interface the wireless telephone to one or more packet networks for voice over IP voice connection; and

a wireless network access point controller configured for the wireless telephone to function as a wireless access point for interfacing a computer to said packet network via the cellular telephone network;

wherein the wireless packet network controller is configured to turn on and off a function of the wireless network access point controller responsive to a presence status of a user, the wireless telephone functioning as a wireless access controller when said wireless packet network controller is turned on.

6. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5 , wherein a presence status of a user is received at said telephone via the wireless packet network controller.

7. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said wireless packet network is an 802.11 wireless network.

8. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said wireless packet network is a wireless Internet.

9. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said cellular telephone network includes a GPRS cellular network.

10. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said wireless packet network controller is configured to turn on and off a function of the wireless network access point controller responsive to said presence status of a user, overriding a signal strength connection measure.

11. A wireless telephone having a voice over IP controller for voice communication over a packet network and a cellular network controller for voice communication over a cellular telephone network, the wireless telephone configured to function as a cellular wireless network interface to said packet network, wherein said wireless telephone is configured to implement a wireless access point function so as to interface a computer equipped with a wireless network interface to said packet network via the cellular telephone network;

wherein said voice over IP controller is configured to turn on and off said wireless access point function, coupling the computer to said packet network responsive to a presence status of a user.

12. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 11 , wherein said IP controller is configured to turn on and off the wireless network access point function responsive to said presence status of a user, overriding a signal strength connection measure.

13. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 11 , wherein said packet network is an 802.11 wireless network.

14. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 11 , wherein said packet network is a wireless Internet.

15. A wireless telephone in accordance with claim 11 , wherein said cellular telephone network includes a GPRS cellular network.

16. A telecommunications method, comprising:

using an 802.11 interface in a cellular telephone to provide a wireless network access point for a computer;

connecting said cellular telephone to a packet network through a cellular telephone network using a cellular telephone network protocol; and

using said 802.11 interface to search said packet network for available 802.11 network access points and turn on and off said wireless network access point function on said cellular telephone responsive to a user presence indication.

17. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 16 , further comprising using said 802.11 interface to turn off said network access point function even if a signal strength priority indicates the wireless network access point function on said cellular telephone is the currently optimal network access point.

18. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 17 , wherein said using said 802.11 interface to provide said wireless network access point for said computer comprises interfacing to the computer using an 802.11 protocol and interfacing to a packet network using said cellular network protocol.

19. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein said cellular network protocol comprises a GPRS protocol.

Assignments (14)