IP3 2021-Network Handoff (LOT 12071)

This lot is generally related to pairing of a portable device to share wireless connectivity and a secondary gesture input mechanism for touchscreen devices. Techniques are disclosed to connect various portable devices, such as cellular telephones, fitness tracking devices, smart watches, emergency response devices, to share a common network connectivity and provide a secondary touch-enabled gesture input located near edges of a touchscreen. Disclosed is a gesture input mechanism which is located near an edge of a touchscreen and allows a user to interact with a touchscreen device with minimal or no blocking of the display portion of the device. The input device may be useful on smaller touchscreen devices, such as wrist watches or other devices, where a user’s finger may block much of the viewable surface. Also disclosed are techniques to pair a set of portable devices to share common connectivity by evaluating connectivity strength, battery power, and other factors for routing connections between devices to external networks. Further disclosed is that an incoming phone call may be answered by any of the connected devices, even though the connection may have been originally received by a different device. The technology may be implemented in mobile phones, fitness tracking devices, smart watches, emergency response devices, etc.