Apparatus and methods for dynamic open-access networks
First Claim
1. A method of providing a dynamic open-access network to a wireless-enabled client device via an access point, the access point comprising wireless data communication capability, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the access point, from a centralized manager entity, information related to a location of the access point, the received information being selected by the centralized manager entity based at least on the location of the access point and comprising information relating to one or more predetermined areas of interest associated with the location of the access point;
packaging, at the access point, at least predefined segments of the information related to the location of the access point into successive ones of a plurality of beacons, the packaging of the plurality of beacons preserving an order associated with the predefined segments;
wirelessly broadcasting, from the access point, the plurality of beacons comprising the at least the predefined segments of the information related to the location so as to enable at least the wireless-enabled client device to detect one or more of the wirelessly broadcast plurality of beacons when the wireless-enabled client device is within wireless range of the access point; and
responsive to a determination by the access point that at least one of the plurality of beacons has been detected by the wireless-enabled client device;
establishing, via at least the access point, a wireless data connection with the wireless enabled client device; and
providing, to the wireless-enabled client device via the established wireless data connection, digitally rendered content related to the at least the predefined segments of the information related to the location of the access point.
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for providing information via an open-access network such as a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, the information provided is contextually relevant to one or locations, more users or devices receiving the information. In one implementation, the information is provisioned by a network entity (for example, from a service provider network operator) and provided to one or more access points (APs) of the service provider network. The information is bit-stuffed into Wi-Fi beacon frames or other data structures that are broadcast by the APs to nearby client devices. A receiving client device extracts the information using a protocol embodied in application software on the client, and may also initiate a dedicated wireless connection with the AP for e.g., transmission of content related to the context and/or the bit-stuffed information, access of related Internet addresses, etc.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of providing a dynamic open-access network to a wireless-enabled client device via an access point, the access point comprising wireless data communication capability, the method comprising:
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receiving, at the access point, from a centralized manager entity, information related to a location of the access point, the received information being selected by the centralized manager entity based at least on the location of the access point and comprising information relating to one or more predetermined areas of interest associated with the location of the access point; packaging, at the access point, at least predefined segments of the information related to the location of the access point into successive ones of a plurality of beacons, the packaging of the plurality of beacons preserving an order associated with the predefined segments; wirelessly broadcasting, from the access point, the plurality of beacons comprising the at least the predefined segments of the information related to the location so as to enable at least the wireless-enabled client device to detect one or more of the wirelessly broadcast plurality of beacons when the wireless-enabled client device is within wireless range of the access point; and responsive to a determination by the access point that at least one of the plurality of beacons has been detected by the wireless-enabled client device; establishing, via at least the access point, a wireless data connection with the wireless enabled client device; and providing, to the wireless-enabled client device via the established wireless data connection, digitally rendered content related to the at least the predefined segments of the information related to the location of the access point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for use within a dynamic open-access network, the apparatus comprising:
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a wireless interface; a processor apparatus in data communication with the wireless interface; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage apparatus in data communication with the processor apparatus and comprising one or more computer programs, the one or more computer programs comprising a plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on the processor apparatus, cause the apparatus to; receive, from a substantially centralized network entity, first information associated with at least a location associated with the apparatus, the first information being selected by the substantially centralized network entity based at least on the location the apparatus to include information relating to one or more predetermined areas of interest associated with the location associated with the apparatus; generate wirelessly transmissible beacons, the wirelessly transmissible beacons each comprising at least predefined segments of the received first information packaged into successive beacon frames in an order associated with the predefined segments; and wirelessly transmit the wirelessly transmissible beacons directly to a wireless recipient device via the wireless interface of the apparatus; wherein the receipt of the first information associated with the at least location associated with the apparatus relates to at least one concurrent event within a wireless range of the wireless interface of the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A non-transitory computer-readable apparatus comprising a storage medium having at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions being configured to, when executed by a processor apparatus disposed within a wireless-enabled apparatus, cause the wireless-enabled apparatus to:
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receive digital contextual data related to a location of the wireless-enabled apparatus from at least one computerized apparatus, the received digital contextual data being selected by the at least one computerized apparatus based on the location of the wireless-enabled apparatus and comprising information relating to one or more predetermined areas of interest associated with the location of the wireless-enabled apparatus; package at least predefined segments of the digital contextual data into a portion of each of successive ones of a plurality of beacons, the packaging of the plurality of beacons preserving an order associated with the predefined segments; and
wirelessly broadcast the plurality of beacons, the wireless broadcast enabling the one or more wireless-enabled client devices within a wireless range of the wireless-enabled apparatus to (i) detect the broadcasted plurality of beacons, (ii) extract the at least predefined segments of the digital contextual data from the portion of each of the plurality of beacons, and (iii) establish a direct wireless data connection with the wireless-enabled apparatus based on the extracted at least predefined segments of the digital contextual data. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification