Mobile device and method for automatic connectivity, data offloading and roaming between networks
First Claim
1. An apparatus for a wireless communication device, the apparatus comprising:
- processing circuitry and memory;
wherein the memory is to store;
subscription data that includes access credential information corresponding to a third generation partnership project (3GPP) cellular home service provider network in accordance with an extensible authentication protocol (EAP); and
a wireless local area network (WLAN) selection policy comprising rules including a WLAN list identifying a plurality of WLANs, a rule validity condition for each rule that indicates applicability of the rule under one or more conditions, and selection criteria for selection of a WLAN from the WLAN list, the rule validity condition comprising one or more of a time of day, a geolocation, or a network location;
wherein the processing circuitry is to cause the wireless communication device to;
select a first WLAN from the WLAN list based on;
the selection criteria;
the rule validity condition as applied to current conditions associated with the wireless communication device; and
connection information including received signal strength indication (RSSI), and data rate information corresponding to the first WLAN;
attach to the first WLAN using the access credential information for authentication;
offload traffic from the 3GPP cellular home service provider network to the first WLAN, andautomatically perform, without user interaction, the authentication,wherein the subscription data and the access credential information are obtained from a Hotspot 2.0 management object (MO),wherein the MO further comprises the selection policy, andwherein the access credential information is stored in a separate portion of a hierarchical structure of the MO from the WLAN list.
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Abstract
Embodiments of a mobile device and methods automatically connecting to a Wi-Fi Hotspot 2.0 are generally described herein. In some embodiments, subscription information for one or more service providers (SP) that operate Wi-Fi networks is stored in a subscription data object of the mobile device. The subscription information includes home service provider information, policy information and pre-provisioned credentials. The mobile device may be configured to determine, without user interaction, if the subscription information is applicable to an available Wi-Fi network and perform without user interaction, an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) based authentication using the pre-provisioned credentials with the available Wi-Fi network to establish a Wi-Fi connection with the available Wi-Fi network. This automatic connectivity may allow a mobile device to roam across Wi-Fi hotspots of Wi-Fi networks and offload traffic to Wi-Fi networks.
69 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus for a wireless communication device, the apparatus comprising:
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processing circuitry and memory; wherein the memory is to store; subscription data that includes access credential information corresponding to a third generation partnership project (3GPP) cellular home service provider network in accordance with an extensible authentication protocol (EAP); and a wireless local area network (WLAN) selection policy comprising rules including a WLAN list identifying a plurality of WLANs, a rule validity condition for each rule that indicates applicability of the rule under one or more conditions, and selection criteria for selection of a WLAN from the WLAN list, the rule validity condition comprising one or more of a time of day, a geolocation, or a network location; wherein the processing circuitry is to cause the wireless communication device to; select a first WLAN from the WLAN list based on; the selection criteria; the rule validity condition as applied to current conditions associated with the wireless communication device; and connection information including received signal strength indication (RSSI), and data rate information corresponding to the first WLAN; attach to the first WLAN using the access credential information for authentication; offload traffic from the 3GPP cellular home service provider network to the first WLAN, and automatically perform, without user interaction, the authentication, wherein the subscription data and the access credential information are obtained from a Hotspot 2.0 management object (MO), wherein the MO further comprises the selection policy, and wherein the access credential information is stored in a separate portion of a hierarchical structure of the MO from the WLAN list. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. At least one non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a wireless communication device, cause the wireless communication device to:
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store subscription data that includes access credential information corresponding to a third generation partnership project (3GPP) cellular home service provider network in accordance with an extensible authentication protocol (EAP); and store wireless local area network (WLAN) selection policy comprising rules including a WLAN list identifying a plurality of WLANs, a rule validity condition for each rule that indicates applicability of the rule under one or more conditions, and selection criteria for selection of a WLAN from the WLAN list, the rule validity condition comprising one or more of a time of day, a geolocation, or a network location; select a first WLAN from the WLAN list based on; the selection criteria; the rule validity condition as applied to current conditions associated with the wireless communication device; and connection information including received signal strength indication (RSSI), and data rate information corresponding to the first WLAN; attach to the first WLAN using the access credential information for authentication; offload traffic from the 3GPP cellular home service provider network to the first WLAN; and automatically perform, without user interaction, the authentication, wherein the subscription data and the access credential information are obtained from a Hotspot 2.0 management object (MO), wherein the MO further comprises the selection policy, and wherein the access credential information is stored in a separate portion of a hierarchical structure of the MO from the WLAN list. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for wireless communications, the system comprising:
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means for storing; subscription data that includes access credential information corresponding to a third generation partnership project (3GPP) cellular home service provider network in accordance with an extensible authentication protocol (EAP); and a wireless local area network (WLAN) selection policy comprising rules including a WLAN list identifying a plurality of WLANs, a rule validity condition, and selection criteria for selection of a WLAN from the WLAN list; means for selecting a first WLAN from the WLAN list based on; the selection criteria; the rule validity condition as applied to current conditions associated with the wireless communication device; and connection information including received signal strength indication (RSSI), and data rate information corresponding to the first WLAN; means for attaching to the first WLAN using the access credential information for authentication; means for offloading traffic from the 3GPP cellular home service provider network to the first WLAN; and means for automatically performing, without user interaction, the authentication, wherein the rule validity condition includes, for each rule, at least one time and at least one location at which the rule is applicable, wherein the subscription data and the access credential information are obtained from a Hotspot 2.0 management object (MO), wherein the MO further comprises the selection policy, and wherein the access credential information is stored in a separate portion of a hierarchical structure of the MO from the WLAN list. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification