System and method for transitioning to a vehicle network resource

• US 10,051,522 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bradley, Bob, Rosario, Daniel De Rocha
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US15/671,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20170339601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for transitioning between networks are disclosed. A multifunction device detects a vehicle network advertisement beacon over a first communication channel. The vehicle network advertisement beacon indicates wireless network capabilities of a wireless networking device hosting a wireless network in a vehicle. Responsive to detecting the vehicle network beacon over the first communication channel, a handoff process for migrating the multifunction device from a first wireless network to the wireless network in the vehicle is performed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, via a wireless network hosted by a wireless networking device of a vehicle, a vehicle network advertisement beacon over a first communication channel to a multifunction device, wherein

the multifunction device is in communication with a wireless network provided by a fixed location base station using a first communication protocol, and

the vehicle network advertisement beacon is transmitted using a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol; and

establishing communication, via the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle, with the multifunction device using the second communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the vehicle network advertisement beacon over the first communication channel comprises transmitting the vehicle network advertisement beacon over a USB connection to the multifunction device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting transmitting the vehicle network advertisement beacon over the first communication channel comprises transmitting the vehicle network advertisement beacon using Bluetooth device recognition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the second communication protocol is an 802.11 protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing communication with the multifunction device comprises:

receiving a query for one or more capabilities of the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle; and

allocating one or more resources of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing communication with the multifunction device comprises:

receiving a query for one or more capabilities of the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle; and

responsive to an occurrence of at least one condition of a set of one or more conditions for allocating one or more resources of the vehicle, allocating the one or more resources of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing communication with the multifunction device comprises:

receiving, from the multifunction device, authentication information for verifying the multifunction device as an authorized user of the wireless networking device hosting the wireless network in the vehicle; and

automatically establishing communication between the multifunction device and resources of the vehicle over the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle without user intervention.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing instructions executable on the one or more processors to;

cause a wireless networking device of a vehicle to transmit, via a wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle, a vehicle network advertisement beacon over a first communication channel to a multifunction device, wherein

the multifunction device is in communication with a wireless network provided by a fixed location base station using a first communication protocol, and

the vehicle network advertisement beacon is transmitted using a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol; and

cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein to cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon over the first communication channel to the multifunction device, the instructions executable on the one or more processors cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon over a near-field communication connection to the multifunction device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein to cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon over the first communication channel to the multifunction device, the instructions executable on the one or more processors cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon using Bluetooth device recognition.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein to cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol, the instructions executable on the one or more processors:

receive authentication information for verifying the multifunction device as an authorized user of the wireless networking device hosting the vehicle; and

cause to establish communication between resources of the vehicle and the multifunction device over the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions executable on the one or more processors to perform the handoff process for migrating the multifunction device from a first wireless network to the wireless network in the vehicle further comprise to cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol, the instructions executable on the one or more processors:

receive a query for one or more capabilities of the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle; and

allocate one or more resources of the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein to cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol, the instructions executable on the one or more processors:

receive a query for one or more capabilities of the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle; and

responsive to an occurrence of at least one condition of a set of conditions for allocating one or more resources of the vehicle, allocate the one or more resources of the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein to cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol, the instructions executable on the one or more processors:

receive, from the multifunction device, authentication information for verifying the multifunction device as an authorized user of the wireless networking device hosting the wireless network in the vehicle; and

cause to automatically establish communication between the multifunction device and resources of the vehicle over the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle without user intervention.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions executable on a computer to:

cause a wireless networking device of a vehicle to transmit, via a wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle, a vehicle network advertisement beacon over a first communication channel to a multifunction device, wherein

the multifunction device is in communication with a wireless network provided by a fixed location base station using a first communication protocol, and

the vehicle network advertisement beacon is transmitted using a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol; and

cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon over the first communication channel to the multifunction device, the program instructions executable on the computer to implement detecting in the multifunction device cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon over a USB connection to the multifunction device.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the program instructions executable on the computer to implement detecting in the multifunction device to cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon over the first communication channel to the multifunction device, the program instructions executable on the computer cause the wireless networking device of the vehicle to transmit the vehicle network advertisement beacon using Bluetooth device recognition.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol, the program instructions executable on the computer:

receive authentication information for verifying the multifunction device as an authorized user of the wireless networking device hosting the wireless network in the vehicle; and

cause to establish communication between the multifunction device and resources of the vehicle over the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol, the program instructions executable on the computer:

receive a query for one or more capabilities of the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle; and

allocate one or more resources of the vehicle.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to cause to establish communication between the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle and the multifunction device using the second communication protocol, the program instructions executable on the computer:

receive a query for one or more capabilities of the wireless network hosted by the wireless networking device of the vehicle; and

responsive to an occurrence of one or more of the at least one condition of a set of one or more conditions for allocating one or more resources of the vehicle, allocate the one or more resources of the vehicle.