Concurrent uses of non-cellular interfaces for participating in hybrid cellular and non-cellular networks

A sink wireless device comprising:

• (a) a cellular interface;
• (b) a non-cellular interface;
• (c) a beacon interface;
• (d) a processor configured to provide an application comprising:
• (1) a first software module configuring the cellular interface to establish and maintain a cellular link between the cellular interface and a cellular base station using a cellular protocol;
• and
• (2) a second software module configuring the non-cellular interface to simultaneously create a first non-cellular virtual interface and a second non-cellular virtual interface, wherein the both virtual interfaces concurrently perform the following tasks:
• (i) establishing and maintaining, by the first non-cellular virtual interface, a first wireless link between the first non-cellular virtual interface and a wireless access point using a first wireless protocol;
• (ii) establishing and maintaining, by the second non-cellular virtual interface, a second wireless link between the second non-cellular virtual interface and a downstream wireless device using a second wireless protocol;
• (iii) establishing and maintaining, by the cellular interface and the second non-cellular virtual interface, an internal transfer between the cellular interface and the second non-cellular interface, the internal transfer comprising:
• generating one or more reassembled cellular data frames by reassembling one or more non-cellular data frames received from the downstream wireless device into a format defined by the cellular protocol, and forwarding the reassembled cellular data frames to the cellular base station;
• generating one or more reassembled non-cellular data frames by reassembling one or more cellular data frames received from the cellular base station into a format defined by the second wireless protocol, and forwarding the reassembled non-cellular data frames to the downstream wireless device;
• (3) a third software module configuring the beacon interface to transmit one or more beacon signals, or receiving the one or more beacon signals, or transmitting and receiving the one or more beacon signals.

Non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with a computer program including instructions executable by a mobile processor of a sink wireless device to create an application comprising:

• (a) a first software module configuring a cellular interface to establish and maintain a cellular link between the cellular interface and a cellular base station using a cellular protocol;
• and
• (b) a second software module configuring a non-cellular interface to simultaneously create a first non-cellular virtual interface and a second non-cellular virtual interface, wherein the both virtual interfaces concurrently perform the following tasks:
• (1) establishing and maintaining, by the first non-cellular virtual interface, a first wireless link between the first non-cellular virtual interface and a wireless access point using a first wireless protocol;
• (2) establishing and maintaining, by the second non-cellular virtual interface, a second wireless link between the second non-cellular virtual interface and a downstream wireless device using a second wireless protocol;
• (3) establishing and maintaining, by the cellular interface and the second non-cellular virtual interface, an internal transfer between the cellular interface and the second non-cellular interface, the internal transfer comprising:
• generating one or more reassembled cellular data frames by reassembling one or more non-cellular data frames received from the downstream wireless device into a format defined by the cellular protocol, and forwarding the reassembled cellular data frames to the cellular base station;
• generating one or more reassembled non-cellular data frames by reassembling one or more cellular data frames received from the cellular base station into a format defined by the second wireless protocol, and forwarding the reassembled non-cellular data frames to the downstream wireless device;