Mobile wireless communication unit and method for content transfer

1. A mobile wireless communication unit comprising:

at least one short-range wireless circuit configured to receive bundle messages from any of a plurality of wireless nodes over a delay tolerant network; using a short range wireless communication technology, wherein each received bundle message comprises bundle formatted content and has a corresponding quality of service priority level;

a processor operably coupled to the at least one short-range wireless circuit and configured to determine the quality of service priority level of each received bundle message as being one of at least: a first quality of service priority level or a second quality of service priority level, where the first quality of service priority level is a more important quality of service priority level than the second quality of service priority level;

a memory coupled to the processor:

wherein the processor is configured to:

create a first group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level, and transmit the first group of received bundle messages to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control connection;

create a second group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of at least one of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level and wherein the determined quality of service priority level of at least another one of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level and transmit the second group of the plurality of the received bundle messages with any stored received bundle messages of the second quality of service priority level to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control connection; and

create a third group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level, store the third group of the plurality of the received bundle messages in the memory as individual bundles of received bundle messages from respective wireless nodes, and subsequently transmit the third group of stored individual bundles of the plurality of the received bundle messages from multiple wireless nodes as an aggregated group in a single radio resource control connection to at least one of: another mobile wireless communication unit or a wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node, that uses the short range wireless communication technology.

2. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine a known geographic location of at least one wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node, and implement a routing protocol based on the geographic location.

3. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 2 wherein the processor is configured to implement the routing protocol based on a geographic location of the mobile wireless communication unit and the geographic location of the at least one wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node.

4. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 2 wherein the processor is configured to implement the routing protocol based on a geographic location and direction of travel of the mobile wireless communication unit and the geographic location of the at least one wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node.

5. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 2 wherein the processor is configured to implement the routing protocol based on a geographic location and direction of travel of the mobile wireless communication unit, the geographic location of the at least one wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node, and a direction of travel of at least one discovered other mobile wireless communication unit.

6. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 2 wherein the processor is configured, to implement the routing protocol to transfer to the at least one another mobile wireless communication unit at least one of: direction coefficient information, a number of times over a period of time that the mobile wireless communication unit has directly encountered at least one wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node and transmit the third group of the stored individual bundles of the plurality of the received bundle messages to the at least one another mobile wireless communication unit in response thereto.

7. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit each of the third group of the stored individual bundles of the plurality of the received bundle messages in response to a determination of a number of received message bundles that are to be transferred to the at least one another mobile wireless communication unit, and a number of times that the at least one another mobile wireless communication unit has directly encountered at least one wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node.

8. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the third group of stored individual bundles of the plurality of the received bundle messages is stored such that the stored received bundle messages are transmitted to the cellular network node in the single radio resource control connection when the amount of received bundle messages exceeds a threshold.

9. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the memory is accessed by the processor to identify how many and what specific received bundle messages are stored therein by the use of WiFi™ discovery prior to WiFi™ association.

10. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the memory is accessed by the processor to identify how many and what specific received bundle messages are stored therein by the use of Bluetooth low energy advertising packets.

11. The mobile wireless communication unit of claim 1 wherein the transmitted group of the plurality of the received bundle messages is delay tolerant.

12. An integrated circuit for a mobile wireless communication unit, the integrated circuit comprising:

at least one short-range wireless circuit and configured to receive bundle messages that each comprise bundle formatted content from any of a plurality of wireless nodes over a delay tolerant network, using a short range wireless communication technology, wherein each received bundle message has a corresponding quality of service priority level;

a processor operably coupled to the at least one short-range wireless circuit and configured to determine the quality of service priority level of each received bundle message as being one of at least: a first quality of service priority level or a second quality of service priority level, where the first quality of service priority level is a more important quality of service priority level than the second quality of service priority level;

wherein in response to the determined quality of service priority level, the processor is configured to:

create a first group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level, and transmit the first group of received bundle messages to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control connection;

create a second group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of at least one of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level and wherein the determined quality of service priority level of at least another one of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level and transmit the second group of the plurality of the received bundle messages with any stored received bundle messages of the second quality of service priority level to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control connection; and

create a third group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level, store each of the third group of the plurality of the received bundle messages in the memory as individual bundles of received bundle messages from respective wireless nodes, and subsequently transmit the third group of stored individual bundles of the plurality of the received bundle messages from multiple wireless nodes as an aggregated group in a single radio resource control connection to at least one of: another mobile wireless communication unit or a wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node that uses the short range wireless communication technology.

13. A method for routing received message bundles content, the method comprising, at a mobile wireless communication unit:

receiving bundle messages that each comprise bundle formatted content from any of a plurality of wireless nodes over a delay tolerant network, using a short range wireless communication technology, wherein each received bundle message has a corresponding quality of service priority level;

determining a quality of service priority level of each received bundle message as being one of at least: a first quality of service priority level or a second quality of service priority level, where the first quality of service priority level is a more important quality of service priority level than the second quality of service priority level;

creating a first group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level, and transmitting the first group of received bundle messages to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control connection; and

creating a second group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of at least one of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level and wherein the determined quality of service priority level of at least another one of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level and transmit the second group of the plurality of the received bundle messages with any stored received bundle messages of the second quality of service priority level to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control connection; and

creating a third group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level, storing each the third group of the plurality of the received bundle messages in memory as individual bundles of received bundle messages from respective wireless nodes, and subsequently transmitting the third group of stored individual bundles of the plurality of the received bundle messages from multiple wireless nodes as an aggregated group in a single radio resource control connection to at least one of: another mobile wireless communication unit or a wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node that uses the short range wireless communication technology.

14. A wireless communication system that comprises a cellular network and at least one mobile wireless communication unit arranged to communicate with one or more wireless nodes, one or more other mobile wireless communication units, or a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node, the mobile wireless communication unit comprising:

at least one short-range wireless circuit configured to receive bundle messages that each comprise bundle formatted content from any of a plurality of wireless nodes over a delay tolerant network, using a short range wireless communication technology, wherein each received bundle message has a corresponding quality of service priority level;

a processor operably coupled to the at least one short-range wireless circuit and configured to determine a quality of service priority level of each received bundle message as being one of at least: a first quality of service priority level or a second quality of service priority level, where the first quality of service priority level is a more important quality of service priority level than the second quality of service priority level;

a memory coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to:

create a first group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level, and transmit the first group of received bundle messages to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control, RRC, connection;

create a second group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of at least one of the received bundle messages is the first quality of service priority level and wherein the determined quality of service priority level of at least another one of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level and transmit the second group of the plurality of the received bundle messages with any stored received bundle messages of the second quality of service priority level to a network server over a cellular network in a single radio resource control connection; and

create a third group of a plurality of the received bundle messages when the determined quality of service priority level of each of the received bundle messages is the second quality of service priority level, store the third group of the plurality of the received bundle messages in the memory as individual bundles of received bundle messages from respective wireless nodes, and subsequently transmit the third group of stored individual bundles of the plurality of the received bundle messages from multiple wireless nodes as an aggregated group in a single radio resource control connection to at least one of: another mobile wireless communication unit or a wireless communication unit acting as a dedicated delay tolerant network gateway node that uses the short range wireless communication technology.