Broker service apparatus for controlling a mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10652704-B2
Application number	US-201816176021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2018
Priority date	Nov 21, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling a second mobile device in response to a first mobile device having no connection to a telephony service. In response to receiving a first control signal including the first unique identifier and from the telephony service, the first unique identifier is used to identify the first group. The data is targeted to the first mobile device. In response to the first mobile device not being connected to the broker service apparatus and the second mobile device being connected to the broker service apparatus, a second control signal, which includes the identifier of the first mobile device, is issued to the second mobile device in order to forward the data to the second mobile device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a second mobile device in response to a first mobile device having no connection to a telephony service, wherein the first mobile device is operable to transmit an identifier to the second mobile device using a network connection that is operable to connect mobile devices and wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are operable to join a first group, said method comprising:
using, by e or more processors of a broker service apparatus, in response to receiving a first control signal comprising a first unique identifier and data from the telephony service, the first unique identifier to identify the first group, wherein the data is targeted to the first mobile device;
determining, by the one or more processors in response to the first mobile device not being connected to the broker service apparatus that previously assigned the first unique identifier to the first group, whether the second mobile device is connected to the broker service apparatus; and
issuing, by the one or more processors in response to the second mobile device being connected to the broker service apparatus, a second control signal to the second mobile device in order to forward the data to the second mobile device, said second control signal comprising an identifier of the first mobile device,
wherein the second control signal causes the second mobile device to use the identifier of the first mobile device and the network connection in order to forward the data to the first mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are trusted.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are configured to use the first unique identifier as a call forwarding number.

4. The method of claim 1 , said method further comprising:
determining, by the one or more processors, that the data is targeted to the first mobile device by at least one of: inspecting a store detailing one or more mobile devices which are disconnected from the broker service; and inspecting a communication header.

5. The method of claim 1 , said method further comprising:
responsive to a plurality of mobile devices being connected to the broker service apparatus, selecting, by the one or more processors, an optimal path between the first and second mobile devices.

6. The method of claim 1 , said method further comprising:
responsive to the second mobile device being connected to the broker service apparatus, forwarding, by the one or more processors, a call placement request to the second mobile device using the network connection, wherein the second mobile device is responsively configured to forward the call placement request to the broker service apparatus.

7. A computer program product, comprising one or more computer readable hardware storage devices having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code containing instructions executable by one or more processors of a broker service apparatus to implement a method for controlling a second mobile device in response to a first mobile device having no connection to a telephony service, wherein the first mobile device is operable to transmit an identifier to the second mobile device using a network connection that is operable to connect mobile devices and wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are operable to join a first group, said broker service apparatus being a computer apparatus, said method comprising:
using, by the one or more processors, in response to receiving a first control signal comprising a first unique identifier and data from the telephony service, the first unique identifier to identify the first group, wherein the data is targeted to the first mobile device;
determining, by the one or more processors in response to the first mobile device not being connected to the broker service apparatus that previously assigned the first unique identifier to the first group, whether the second mobile device is connected to the broker service apparatus; and
issuing, by the one or more processors in response to the second mobile device being connected to the broker service apparatus, a second control signal to the second mobile device in order to forward the data to the second mobile device, said second control signal comprising an identifier of the first mobile device,
wherein the second control signal causes the second mobile device to use the identifier of the first mobile device and the network connection in order to forward the data to the first mobile device.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are trusted.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are configured to use the first unique identifier as a call forwarding number.

10. The computer program product of claim 7 , said method further comprising:
determining, by the one or more processors, that the data is targeted to the first mobile device by at least one of: inspecting a store detailing one or more mobile devices which are disconnected from the broker service; and inspecting a communication header.

11. The computer program product of claim 7 , said method further comprising:
responsive to a plurality of mobile devices being connected to the broker service apparatus, selecting, by the one or more processors, an optimal path between the first and second mobile devices.

12. The computer program product of claim 7 , said method further comprising:
responsive to the second mobile device being connected to the broker service apparatus, forwarding, by the one or more processors, a call placement request to the second mobile device using the network connection, wherein the second mobile device is responsively configured to forward the call placement request to the broker service apparatus.

13. A broker service apparatus, comprising one or more processors, one or more memories, and one or more computer readable hardware storage devices, said one or more hardware storage device containing program code executable by the one or more processors via the one or more memories to implement a method for controlling a second mobile device in response to a first mobile device having no connection to a telephony service, wherein the first mobile device is operable to transmit an identifier to the second mobile device using a network connection that is operable to connect mobile devices and wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are operable to join a first group, said broker service apparatus being a computer apparatus, said method comprising:
using, by the one or more processors, in response to receiving a first control signal comprising a first unique identifier and data from the telephony service, the first unique identifier to identify the first group, wherein the data is targeted to the first mobile device;
determining, by the one or more processors in response to the first mobile device not being connected to the broker service apparatus that previously assigned the first unique identifier to the first group, whether the second mobile device is connected to the broker service apparatus; and
issuing, by the one or more processors in response to the second mobile device being connected to the broker service apparatus, a second control signal to the second mobile device in order to forward the data to the second mobile device, said second control signal comprising an identifier of the first mobile device,
wherein the second control signal causes the second mobile dev

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hunt Hamish C
• Lincoln Nicholas K
• Poole Christopher J
• Woolley Mark A

Classifications

• H04W4/08

  User group management · CPC title

• H04W4/16 Primary

  Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold · CPC title

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04W88/04

  adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user · CPC title

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title