Wireless local area network hotspot registration using near field communications

• US 10,034,260 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: McCann, Stephen, Montemurro, Michael Peter, Nathwani, Sanjay, Durand, Roger Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Kibrom T
• Application Number:
  US14/992,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20160128015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A first device that includes a processor configured to transmit/receive a trigger message to/from a second device based on wireless short-range communication. The trigger message initiates a registration process within a wireless local area network (WLAN).

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

a first processor configured to;

transmit a first message to a second wireless device with a second processor using wireless short-range communication when the first device is within communication range of the second wireless device, wherein the first message automatically initiates a registration process with an access point (AP) of a wireless local area network (WLAN) associated with the second wireless device; and

receive a response message from the second wireless device in response to transmitting the first message, wherein the response message comprises a first identifier (ID) that identifies the second wireless device and registration information that identifies the WLAN.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the wireless short-range communication includes one of near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zig bee, wireless universal serial bus, or an ultra-wideband technology.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first processor is further configured to determine whether the second wireless device is within communication range of the first device.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein the wireless short-range communication comprises near field communication.

5. The first device of claim 4, wherein the first processor is further configured to include a mobile ID within the first message, the mobile ID identifying the non-AP STA.

6. The first device of claim 3, wherein the first processor is further configured to automatically transmit the first message to the second wireless device in response to determining that the second wireless device is within communication range of the first device, wherein the first message automatically initiates the registration process to register the first device with the AP without requiring a user of the first device to manually input registration information during the registration process.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first processor is further configured to transmit a WLAN registration request to the AP in response to receiving the response message from the second wireless device, wherein the first device is configured to receive a registration status message in response to transmitting the WLAN registration request to the AP, the registration status message indicating whether the registration process succeeded or failed, and wherein the AP is configured to provide the first device with access to an external network if the registration process succeeded.

8. The first device of claim 1, wherein the second wireless device comprises an NFC-enabled device.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second wireless device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

10. The first device of claim 9, wherein the first processor is further configured to include at least one of a second device ID or a service set ID (SSID) within the first message, the second device ID identifying the NFC-enabled device and the SSID identifying the WLAN.

11. The first device of claim 9, wherein the non-AP STA automatically initiates the registration process by transmitting a WLAN registration request message to the AP in response to receiving the first message from the first device, and wherein the non-AP STA transmits the WLAN registration request message to the AP using a transport protocol instead of a WLAN hotspot air interface.

12. A first wireless device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a first message transmitted from a second device using wireless short-range communication when the first wireless device is within communication range of the second device, wherein the first message automatically initiates a registration process with an access point (AP) of a wireless local area network (WLAN) associated with the first wireless device, further wherein the wireless short-range communication provides for communications to and from the second device, and wherein the first message is transmitted by the second device;

transmit a response message to the second device, the response message comprising a first identifier (ID) that identifies at least one of the first or second wireless device and registration information that identifies the WLAN.

13. The first wireless device of claim 12, wherein the wireless short-range communication includes one of near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zig bee, wireless universal serial bus, or an ultra-wideband technology.

14. The first wireless device of claim 12, wherein the processor receives the first message from the second device when the first wireless device is within communication range of the second device, the first message being automatically transmitted by the second device.

15. The first wireless device of claim 12, wherein the first wireless device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein the wireless short-range communication comprises near field communication (NFC).

16. The first wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the device ID within the first message, the device ID identifying a NFC-enabled device.

17. The first wireless device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically initiate the registration process by transmitting a WLAN registration request message to the AP in response to receiving the first message from the second device, and wherein the first wireless device transmits the WLAN registration request message to the AP using a transport protocol instead of a WLAN hotspot air interface.

18. The first wireless device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to include at least one of the device ID, an ID associated with the non-AP STA, or an authentication credential associated with the non-AP STA within the WLAN registration request message.

19. The first wireless device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit an information message in response to receiving the first message.

20. The first wireless device of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to include at least one of device information that identifies the non-AP STA or user information that identifies a user of the non-AP STA within the information message.

21. The first wireless device of claim 12, wherein the first wireless device comprises a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

22. The first wireless device of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a mobile ID within the first message, the mobile ID identifying the non-AP STA.

23. The first wireless device of claim 21, wherein the first message further comprises the device ID.

24. The first wireless device of claim 12, wherein the response message further comprises at least one of a mobile ID, or a network identifier that identifies a network to which the WLAN is connected to or to which the WLAN is associated with within the response message.

25. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first device, a first message to a second wireless device using wireless short-range near field communication (NFC), wherein the first device comprises a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second wireless device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA), wherein the first message automatically initiates a registration process with an access point (AP) of a wireless local area network (WLAN) associated with the second wireless device, wherein the first message is transmitted to the second wireless device when the first device is within communication range of the second wireless device; and

receiving, in response to the first message, a response message that includes a first identifier (ID) which is a device ID that identifies the second wireless device, and registration information that identifies the WLAN.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising transmitting a WLAN registration request from the first device to the AP in response to receiving the response message from the second wireless device.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the response message includes a mobile identifier (ID), a second device ID that identifies the NFC-enabled device, and a service set ID (SSID) that identifies the WLAN.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the first message includes at least one of the device ID or a service set ID (SSID), the device ID identifying the NFC-enabled device and the SSID identifying the WLAN.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising the non-AP STA automatically initiating the registration process by transmitting a WLAN registration request message to the AP in response to receiving the first message from the first device, the registration process being configured to register the first device with the AP without requiring a user to manually input registration information during the registration process.

30. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first wireless device, a first message transmitted from a second device using short-range near field communication (NFC), wherein one of the first wireless device or the second device is a NFC-enabled device and one is a non-access point station (non-AP STA), such that the first message includes a first identifier (ID) identifying the NFC-enabled device, wherein the first message automatically initiates a registration process with an access point (AP) of a wireless local area network (WLAN) associated with the first wireless device, wherein the first message is received from the second device when the first wireless device is within communication range of the second device, the first message being transmitted by the second device; and

transmitting, by the first wireless device, a response message to the second device, wherein the response message comprises the first ID and registration information that identifies the WLAN.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first wireless device comprises the non-access point station (non-AP STA) and the second device comprises the NFC-enabled device.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein automatically initiating the registration process comprises the first wireless device transmitting a WLAN registration request message to the AP in response to receiving the first message from the second device, wherein the registration process is configured to register the second device with the AP without requiring a user of the second device to manually input registration information, and wherein the first wireless device transmits the WLAN registration request message to the AP using a transport protocol instead of a WLAN hotspot air interface.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising including at least one of the device ID, an identifier associated with the non-AP STA, or an authentication credential associated with the non-AP STA within the WLAN registration request message.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising transmitting an information message in response to receiving the first message.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the information message includes at least one of device information that identifies the non-AP STA or user information that identifies a user of the non-AP STA.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the first wireless device comprises the near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second device comprises the non-access point station (non-AP STA).

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the first message includes a mobile ID identifying the non-AP STA.

38. The method of claim 30, wherein the response message is transmitted in response to the first message.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the response message further includes at least one of a mobile ID, or a network identifier that identifies a network to which the WLAN is connected to or to which the WLAN is associated with.