Method and apparatus for wi-fi connection using wi-fi protected setup in portable terminal

• US 10,034,315 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Bu-Seop, Lee, Jung-Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUNDRY, STEPHEN T
• Application Number:
  US14/837,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20150365988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for Wi-Fi connection based on Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) in a portable terminal are provided. The method includes entering a group owner mode of Wi-Fi Direct when enabling of WPS is requested, after entering the group owner mode, entering a WPS session mode where the portable terminal is operable in a WPS registrar mode, determining whether an Access Point (AP) whose WPS session of the WPS registrar mode is enabled or a device whose group owner mode is enabled, exists nearby, and when an AP whose WPS registrar mode is enabled is discovered, disabling the WPS registrar mode and the group owner mode, enabling a WPS session where the portable terminal is to operate in a WPS enrollee mode, and accessing the discovered AP.

Claims

1. A method for connecting to a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) network in an electronic device, the method comprising:

entering a group owner mode of a Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) group without connecting with another device, if a Wi-Fi connection is requested;

discovering, in the group owner mode, an external device whose group owner mode is enabled;

determining a group owner of the Wi-Fi P2P group from among the electronic device and the discovered external device; and

connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group based on a result of the determining of the Wi-Fi P2P group owner,

wherein the Wi-Fi connection is requested by an enabling of a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group comprises:

comparing, if the external device whose group owner mode is enabled is discovered, a prefix of a Service Set Identifier (SSID) name of the electronic device, which is generated in a group owner mode entry process, with a prefix of an SSID name of the discovered external device; and

connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group based on a result of the comparing of the prefix of the SSID.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group comprises acquiring group owner rights by the device corresponding to a prefix having a greater value among the prefix of the SSID name of the electronic device and the prefix of the SSID name of the discovered external device, and connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group comprises acquiring group owner rights by the device corresponding to a prefix having a lesser value among the prefix of the SSID name of the electronic device and the prefix of the SSID name of the discovered external device, and connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group.

5. The method of claim 2,

wherein the connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group comprises exchanging Probe Request and Probe Response messages of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol, and

wherein the Probe Request comprises at least one of a P2P Information Element (IE), a Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) IE, and a Supplemental Registration (Supp Reg) IE, and wherein the Probe Response comprises at least one of a P2P IE, a WSC IE, a Robust Security Network (RSN) IE, and a Supp Reg IE.

6. An apparatus for connecting to a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) network in an electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a communication device; and

a processor operatively coupled with the communication device, the processor configured to;

enter a group owner mode of a Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) group without connecting with another device, if a Wi-Fi connection is requested,

discover, in the group owner mode, an external device whose group owner mode is enabled,

determine a group owner of the Wi-Fi P2P group from among the electronic device and the discovered external device, and

connect to the Wi-Fi P2P group based on a result of the determining of the Wi-Fi P2P group owner,

wherein the Wi-Fi connection is requested by an enabling of a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS).

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, if the external device whose group owner mode is enabled is discovered, the processor is further configured to:

compare a prefix of a Service Set Identifier (SSID) name of the electronic device, which is generated in a group owner mode entry process, with a prefix of an SSID name of the discovered external device, and

connect to the Wi-Fi P2P group based on a result of the comparing of the prefix of the SSID.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a device, corresponding to a prefix having a greater value among the prefix of the SSID name of the electronic device and the prefix of the SSID name of the discovered external device, acquires group owner rights and connects to the Wi-Fi P2P group.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a device, corresponding to a prefix having a lesser value among the prefix of the SSID name of the electronic device and the prefix of the SSID name of the discovered external device, acquires group owner rights and connects to the Wi-Fi P2P group.

10. The apparatus of claim 7,

wherein, if the external device whose group owner mode is enabled is discovered, the processor is further configured to connect to the Wi-Fi P2P group by exchanging Probe Request and Probe Response messages of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol, and

wherein the Probe Request comprises at least one of a P2P Information Element (IE), a Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) IE, and a Supplemental Registration (Supp Reg) IE, and wherein the Probe Response comprises at least one of a P2P IE, a WSC IE, a Robust Security Network (RSN) IE, and a Supp Reg IE.

11. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program of instructions configured to be readable by at least one processor for instructing the at least one processor to execute a computer process for performing a method for connecting to a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) network in an electronic device, the method comprising:

entering a group owner mode of a Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) group without connecting with another device, if a Wi-Fi connection is requested;

discovering, in the group owner mode, an external device whose group owner mode is enabled;

determining a group owner of the Wi-Fi P2P group from among the electronic device and the discovered external device; and

connecting to the Wi-Fi P2P group based on a result of the determining of the Wi-Fi P2P group owner,

wherein the Wi-Fi connection is requested by an enabling of a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS).

12. A method for connecting to a wireless communication network in an electronic device, the method comprising:

in response to a user input related to a Wi-Fi connection request associated with enabling of a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), entering, by the electronic device, a group owner mode of a Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) group without connecting with another device;

discovering, in the group owner mode, an external device;

determining whether the external device to be added for a Wi-Fi P2P communication is in the group owner mode;

according to the determining of the external device is in the group owner mode, disabling the group owner mode of the electronic device;

activating a WPS enrollee mode; and

connecting, via the Wi-Fi P2P communication, to the discovered external device.

13. An electronic device for connecting to a wireless communication network, the electronic device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing one or more computer programs, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to;

in response to a user input related to a Wi-Fi connection request associated with enabling of a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), entering, by the electronic device, a group owner mode of a Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) group without connecting with another device;

discovering, in the group owner mode, an external device;

determining whether the external device to be added for a Wi-Fi P2P communication is in the group owner mode;

according to the determining of the external device is in the group owner mode, disabling the group owner mode of the electronic device;

activating a WPS enrollee mode; and

connecting, via the Wi-Fi P2P communication, to the discovered external device.