Shared resource capacity among devices
AssigneeGreatCall, Inc.
InventorsJohn Arrizza, Joel Stair, Gavin Sermona
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Communications devices such as cellular telephones share resources, for example to conserve battery capacity or to enable a device to perform a function not available to another one of the devices. Such devices may find particular utility in a mobile personal emergency response (MPERS) environment, and may enable clients of an MPERS service to take better advantage of the service. The devices communicate over a local wireless communications system to determine which device may perform a particular function. Other resources that may be shared include cellular connectivity and global positioning capability.
Claims19
A communications device, comprising:
- a wide area communications interface;
- a local wireless communications interface;
- processor;
- memory;
- and
- a battery configured to power the wide area communications interface, the local wireless communications interface, the processor, and the memory, wherein the memory holds instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communications device to:
- establish a connection with a second device via the local wireless communications interface;
- send, via the local wireless communication interface to the second device, a request for the second device to perform the particular function on behalf of the communications device;
- and
- receive, via the local wireless communication interface from the second device, an indication that the second device will perform the particular function on behalf of the communications device.
A plurality of communications devices, each of the plurality of communications devices comprising a respective wide area communications interface, local wireless communications interface, processor, memory, and battery configured to power the communications device, wherein the memories of the communications devices hold instructions that, when executed by the respective processors, cause the plurality of communications devices to:
- establish peer-to-peer communications among the communications devices via the local wireless communications interfaces;
- and
- negotiate between first and second communications devices for the second communications device to perform the particular function on behalf of the first communications device, wherein performance of the particular function requires a particular resource more available to a second communications device than to the first communications device.
A communications device, comprising:
- a wide area communications interface;
- a local wireless communications interface;
- processor;
- memory;
- and
- a battery configured to power the wide area communications interface, the local wireless communications interface, the processor, and the memory, wherein the memory holds instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communications device to:
- establish a connection with a second device via the local wireless communications interface;
- receive, via the local wireless communication interface from the second device, a request for the communications device to perform the particular function on behalf of the second device;
- compare the availability of a resource needed to perform the particular function with a threshold level of availability;
- and
- send an acknowledgment to the second device indicating that the communications device will perform the function on behalf of the second device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.