System and method for enabling radio operations on a wireless computing device
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the invention provide for a wireless computing device that comprises a set of one or more radio components to transmit and receive wireless communications on the device. Additionally, the wireless computing device includes processing and memory resources that individually or in combination provide multiple wireless applications, a radio object, and an arbitration component. The multiple wireless applications are each capable of generating a user-interface for enabling user-input in connection with wireless activities performed with that wireless application. The radio object interfaces the multiple applications with the set of one or more radio components. The arbitration component is configured to arbitrate at least one of (i) requests made by each of the wireless applications to the radio object for access to one or more of the radio components in the set, or (ii) responses from the radio object to requests made by each of the wireless applications.
1. A computing device comprising:
a plurality of radio modules to transmit and receive wireless communications; and
processing and memory resources that, in combination or individually, provide logic and programming, wherein the logic and programming comprises:
multiple applications that are operable by a user on the computing device;
a plurality of radio objects that interfaces the multiple applications with the plurality of radio modules, each of the plurality of radio objects corresponding to a radio module of the plurality of radio modules; and
an arbitration component that arbitrates at least one of (i) requests made by at least one of the multiple applications to at least one of the plurality of radio objects for access to a corresponding at least one of the plurality of radio modules, or (ii) responses from at least one of the plurality of radio objects to requests made by the at least one of the multiple applications.
2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the arbitration component arbitrates a request made by at least one of the multiple applications by determining which radio object from the plurality of radio objects and corresponding radio module is to receive the request.
3. The computing device of claim 2 , wherein the arbitration component determines which radio object from the plurality of radio objects and corresponding radio module is to receive the request based on at least one of: (i) network availability for a type of communication provided by a radio object and a corresponding radio module, (ii) signal strength of a network of a radio object and a corresponding radio module, (iii) preferences designated by the user, or (iv) input provided by the user at a time the request is made.
4. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the arbitration component forwards requests made by at least one of the multiple applications to at least one of the plurality of radio objects using messages.
5. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the multiple applications communicate with at least one of the plurality of radio objects using messages.
6. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the multiple applications communicate with at least one of the plurality of radio objects using function calls, and wherein the processing and memory resources, in combination or individually, further provide an interface that converts each function call to a corresponding message.
7. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of radio modules includes (i) components for coding, modulating, amplifying, and radiating outgoing wireless communications, or (ii) components for receiving, amplifying, demodulating, and decoding incoming wireless communications.
8. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of radio modules includes components for transmitting and receiving wireless communications using a particular wireless communication medium and protocol.
9. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the particular wireless communication medium and protocol corresponds to a medium and protocol selected from a group comprising: (i) wireless fidelity (WiFi), (ii) Bluetooth, (iii) code division multiplex (CDMA), (iv) global system for cellular technology (GSM), and (v) time division multiplex (TDMA).
10. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the multiple applications include applications selected from a group comprising: (i) an email application, (ii) a web browsing application, (iii) a short message service (SMS) application, (iv) a multimedia message service (MMS) application, and (v) a phone application.
11. A method for enabling radio operations on a computing device, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:
operating multiple applications on the computing device;
implementing a plurality of radio objects that interfaces the multiple applications with a plurality of radio modules of the computing device, each of the plurality of radio objects corresponding to a radio module of the plurality of radio modules; and
arbitrating at least one of (i) requests made by at least one of the multiple applications to at least one of the plurality of radio objects for access to a corresponding at least one of the plurality of radio modules, or (ii) responses from at least one of the plurality of radio objects to requests made by the at least one of the multiple applications.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the plurality of radio modules includes (i) components for coding, modulating, amplifying, and radiating outgoing wireless communications, or (ii) components for receiving, amplifying, demodulating, and decoding incoming wireless communications.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of radio modules includes components for transmitting and receiving wireless communications using a particular wireless communication medium and protocol.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the particular wireless communication medium and protocol corresponds to a medium and protocol selected from a group comprising: (i) wireless fidelity (WiFi), (ii) Bluetooth, (iii) code division multiplex (CDMA), (iv) global system for cellular technology (GSM), and (v) time division multiplex (TDMA).
15. A cellular device comprising:
a plurality of radio modules to transmit and receive wireless communications, the plurality of radio modules transmitting and receiving the wireless communications using at least a cellular communication medium and protocol; and
processing and memory resources that, in combination or individually, provide logic and programming, wherein the logic and programming comprises:
multiple applications that are operable by a user on the cellular device;
a plurality of radio objects that interfaces the multiple applications with the plurality of radio modules, each of the plurality of radio objects corresponding to a radio module of the plurality of radio modules; and
an arbitration component that arbitrates (i) requests made by each of the multiple applications to at least one of the plurality of radio objects for access to a corresponding at least one of the plurality of radio modules, and (ii) responses from at least one of the plurality of radio objects to requests made by each of the multiple applications.