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US 10,652,931 B2Granted
Automatic network connection data synchronization for authorized personal devices
AssigneeLenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
InventorsMichael Terrell Vanover, Howard Locker, Yaqiang Wu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment provides a method, including: identifying, using a short range wireless device of an electronic device, another user device; transferring, using the short range wireless device, connection data for a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point between the electronic device and the another user device; and connecting, using a processor of the electronic device, to the WLAN using the connection data. Other aspects are described and claimed.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- identifying, using a short-range wireless device of an electronic device and responsive to the electronic device being connected to a wireless wide area network (WWAN), another user device is within a predetermined proximity to the electronic device, wherein the another user device is registered to participate in tethering with the electronic device, wherein the connection of the electronic device to the WWAN is responsive to the electronic device determining that another wireless local area network connection is unavailable and wherein the another user device cannot connect to the WWAN;
- providing, using the short-range wireless device, an indication to the another user device that the electronic device is available as a wireless local area network (WLAN);
- responsive to establishing a pairing and connection between the another user device and the electronic device based upon the registration, transferring, based upon a policy and using the short-range wireless device, connection data for the WWAN from the electronic device to the another user device, wherein the connection data comprises network connection information needed for tethering the another user device to the WWAN, wherein the establishing a pairing and connection is automatic and responsive to the providing the indication;
- automatically facilitating connection of the another user device to the WWAN based upon the connection data, wherein the connection of the another user device to the WWAN is through the electronic device acting as the WLAN and via tethering the another user device to the electronic device;
- updating, at the another user device and upon the tethering of the another user device to the electronic device, details for WLAN networks known by the electronic device and unknown to the another user device by sending the details to the another user device;
- and
- monitoring, using the electronic device, data usage of the WWAN by the another user device.
4 more elements
An electronic device, comprising:
- a processor;
- a short-range wireless device operatively coupled to the processor;
- a wireless local area network (WLAN) device operatively coupled to the processor;
- a memory device comprising instructions executable by the processor to:
- identify, using the short-range wireless device of the electronic device and responsive to the electronic device being connected to a wireless wide area network (WWAN), another user device is within a predetermined proximity to the electronic device, wherein the another user device is registered to participate in tethering with the electronic device, wherein the connection of the electronic device to the WWAN is responsive to the electronic device determining that another wireless local area network connection is unavailable and wherein the another user device cannot connect to the WWAN;
- provide, using the short-range wireless device, an indication to the another user device that the electronic device is available as a wireless local area network (WLAN);
- responsive to establishing a pairing and connection between the another user device and the electronic device based upon the registration, transfer, based upon a policy and using the short-range wireless device, connection data for the WWAN from the electronic device to the another user device, wherein the connection data comprises network connection information needed for tethering the another user device to the WWAN, wherein the establishing a pairing and connection is automatic and responsive to the providing the indication;
- connect, using the WLAN device of the electronic device, the another user device to the WWAN based upon the connection data, wherein the connection of the another user device to the WWAN is through the electronic device acting as the WLAN and via tethering the another user device to the electronic device;
- update, at the another user device and upon the tethering of the another user device to the electronic device, details for WLAN networks known by the electronic device and unknown to the another user device by sending the details to the another user device;
- and
- monitor data usage of the WWAN by the another user device.
8 more elements
A product, comprising:
- a storage device having code stored thereon, the code being executable by a processor and comprising:
- code that identifies, using a short-range wireless device of an electronic device and responsive to the electronic device being connected to a wireless wide area network (WWAN), another user device is within a predetermined proximity to the electronic device, wherein the another user device is registered to participate in tethering with the electronic device, wherein the connection of the electronic device is to the WWAN is responsive to the electronic device determining that another wireless local area network connection is unavailable and wherein the another user device cannot connect to the WWAN;
- code that provides, using the short-range wireless device, an indication to the another user device that the electronic device is available as a wireless local area network (WLAN);
- code that, responsive to establishing a pairing and connection between the another user device and the electronic device based upon the registration, transfers, based upon a policy and using the short-range wireless device, connection data for the WWAN from the electronic device to the another user device, wherein the connection data comprises network connection information needed for tethering the another user device to the WWAN, wherein the establishing a pairing and connection is automatic and responsive to the providing the indication;
- code that connects, using a WLAN device of the electronic device, the another user device to the WWAN based upon the connection data, wherein the connection of the another user device to the WWAN is through the electronic device acting as the WLAN and via tethering the another user device to the electronic device;
- code that updates, at the another user device and upon the tethering of the another user device to the electronic device, details for WLAN networks known by the electronic device and unknown to the another user device by sending the details to the another user device;
- and
- code that monitors data usage of the WWAN by the another user device.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.