Geographic information for wireless networks

• US 10,009,715 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sponza, Mateja, Mahassel, Shadi, Kirby, Imelda J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRASWELL, DONALD H.B.
• Application Number:
  US14/590,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques for geographic information for wireless networks are described. According to various embodiments, a connectivity module on a mobile device receives geographic position information for a mobile device from another functionality of the mobile device and independent of a query by the connectivity module for the information. The connectivity module retrieves the geographic position information locally on the device, and utilizes the geographic position information to cause various actions to be performed. For instance, the connectivity module utilizes the geographic position information to identify a wireless network at a particular geographic region, and to cause a wireless scan to be initiated to detect the wireless network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations including;

maintaining a connectivity module in an inactive state;

receiving an indication at the connectivity module that geographic position information is available at a local location within the system and independent of querying for the geographic position information by the connectivity module, the indication being different than the geographic position information; and

based on receiving the indication, activating the connectivity module and initiating operations by the connectivity module including;

retrieving the geographic position information from the local location within the system and independent of querying for the geographic position information by the connectivity module; and

performing one or more actions in response to retrieving the geographic position information including;

selecting a wireless network corresponding to a location identified by the geographic position information, said selecting being independent of detecting a wireless transmission from the wireless network; and

scheduling a network scan to detect the wireless network based on the retrieved geographic position information.

2. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the geographic position information is retrieved by a first functionality different than the connectivity module.

3. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a mobile device, and wherein the indication that geographic position information is available is received from an operating system of the mobile device.

4. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said selecting comprises using the geographic position information to query a remote service, and receiving identification information for the wireless network from the remote service.

5. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said selecting comprises using the geographic position information to locate the wireless network in a database that correlates wireless networks to respective geographic locations, and wherein the operations further include deleting from the database information for one or more wireless networks that are not identified as being available at the location identified by the geographic position information.

6. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said selecting comprises identifying multiple wireless networks that are available at the location, and wherein the wireless network is selected based on the wireless network being a preferred network.

7. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said scheduling the network scan comprises scheduling the network scan to occur at a future time.

8. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said scheduling the network scan comprises causing a wireless radio of the device to transition from an inactive state to an active state, and to scan for the wireless network.

9. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said scheduling the network scan occurs while the wireless network is not currently detected by the device.

10. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include retrieving authentication information the wireless network to be used to connect to the wireless network.

11. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include causing connectivity information for the wireless network to be loaded prior to the wireless network being detected.

12. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include, prior to said receiving an indication that geographic position information is available on a device, registering to receive the geographical position information from a functionality of the device.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

maintaining a connectivity module of a computing device in an inactive state;

receiving an indication at the connectivity module that geographic position information is available at a local location within the computing device and independent of querying for the geographic position information by the connectivity module, the indication being different than the geographic position information;

based on receiving the indication, activating the connectivity module and performing one or more actions by the connectivity module including;

retrieving the geographic position information from the local location within the computing device and independent of querying for the geographic position information by the connectivity module; and

performing one or more actions in response to retrieving the geographic position information, including;

selecting a wireless network corresponding to a location identified by the geographic position information, said selecting being independent of detecting a wireless transmission from the wireless network; and

causing a wireless radio of the computing device to transition from an inactive state to an active state to scan for the wireless network based on the retrieved geographic position information.

14. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises, prior to receiving the indication, registering the connectivity module to receive the indication.

15. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, wherein said causing comprises scheduling a network scan to be performed to scan for the wireless network via the wireless radio.

16. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, further comprising:

receiving further geographic position information;

ascertaining that a suitable wireless network is not available at a location identified by the further geographic position information; and

causing the wireless radio to transition from the active state to the inactive state based on said ascertaining.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

registering a connectivity module of a computing device to receive an indication that geographic position information is available at a local location within the computing device, the indication being different than the geographic position information;

maintaining the connectivity module in an inactive state;

receiving, independent of querying for the geographic position information, an indication at the connectivity module that the geographic position information is available at the local location;

based on receiving the indication, activating the connectivity module and performing one or more actions by the connectivity module including;

retrieving the geographic position information from the local location; and

performing an action in response to retrieving the geographic position information, including at least one of;

selecting a wireless network that is available at a location identified by the geographic position information, said selecting being independent of detecting a wireless transmission from the wireless network;

scheduling a network scan to detect the wireless network independent of detecting the wireless transmission from the wireless network;

or

causing a wireless radio to transition from an inactive state to an active state to scan for the wireless network independent of detecting the wireless transmission from the wireless network.

18. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise causing the wireless radio to remain in the inactive state until the computing device is determined to be at the location identified by the geographic position information.

19. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 17, wherein the geographic position information is retrieved by a location module different than the connectivity module.

20. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 19, wherein the location module retrieves the geographic position information based on a request from an additional functionality different than the connectivity module and the location module.