Systems, methods and articles for providing communications and services via a peer-to-peer network over a data transport link

A method of providing communications between a head unit of an automobile and a communications device having a handheld form factor, the method comprising:

• receiving, by the communications device, information regarding a user of the communications device;
• facilitating, by the communications device, establishment of a peer-to-peer connection between the communications device and the head unit over a wireless data transport link between the head unit and the communications device;
• and
• causing, by the communications device, the head unit to provide a service to the user at the head unit based on the information regarding the user by communicating the received information regarding the user to the head unit via the peer-to-peer connection over the wireless data transport link between the head unit and the communications device.

A method of providing communications between a head unit of an automobile, a communications device having a handheld form factor, and a server-based network through which Internet access is provided, the method comprising:

• receiving one or more requests via a peer-to-peer network stack by the communications device from the head unit over a serial data transport link between the head unit and the communications device;
• and
• performing a service specified in the one or more requests in response to the one or more requests, the service comprising:
• forwarding a request to the server-based network from the communications device via a general network stack separate from the peer-to-peer network stack;
• receiving a response from the server-based network via the general network stack;
• and
• forwarding at least a portion of the response to the head unit over the serial data transport link.

A method for communicating in a communication network environment between a first and a second network peer over a direct serial data transport link between the first network peer and the second network peer, wherein there is an established data transport connection between the first network peer and the second network peer over the direct serial data transport link and wherein the first network peer has a separate connection over a separate network interface to a network external to the link, the method comprising:

• receiving communications from the second network peer by the first network peer over the direct serial data transport link, the direct serial data transport link supporting at least one network in which only two network addresses are used at a given time on the network, the two network addresses consisting of a first network address for the first network peer and a second network address for the second network peer;
• extracting payloads by the first network peer from the communications irrespective of whether network packets containing the payloads include the first network address as a destination network address;
• and
• responding by the first network peer to a service request included in one or more of the communications received from the second network peer by:
• providing data to the second network peer that as originally obtained by the first network peer through the separate connection to the network external to the direct serial data transport link, and
• wherein the established data transport connection between the first network peer and the second network peer on the direct serial data transport link is one in which resolution of network addresses of the first network peer and the second network peer to hardware addresses of the first network peer and the second network peer is not necessary for the responding by the first network peer to the service request.

A system, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• at least one processor-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor;
• a peer communications control component under control of the at least one processor;
• a first communications component that is in operable communication with the peer communications control component and has a peer-to-peer network stack to receive requests through a data transport connection over a serial data transport link to a head unit of an automobile and forward requests to the peer communications control component;
• and
• a second communications component that is in operable communication with the peer communications control component and has a general network stack to send and receive communications from a server-based network that is external to the data transport connection and that is operable to provide Internet access, and wherein the second communications component:
• forwards a request received from the first communications component via the peer communications control component to the server-based network via the general network stack;
• receives a response from the server-based network via the general network stack;
• and
• forwards at least a portion of the response to the head unit over the serial data transport link.

An article of manufacture comprises a processor-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon to provide communications between a head unit of an automobile, a communications device having a handheld form factor, and a server-based network through which Internet access may be provided, wherein the instructions cause the communications to be provided by:

• receiving one or more requests via a peer-to-peer network stack by the communications device from the head unit over a serial data transport link between the head unit and the communications device;
• and
• performing a service specified in the one or more requests in response to the one or more requests, by:
• forwarding a request to a server-based network from the communications device via a general network stack separate from the peer-to-peer network stack;
• receiving a response from the server-based network via the general network stack;
• and
• forwarding at least a portion of the response to the head unit over the serial data transport link.