AUTOMATIC CONFIGURATION OF WLAN FOR MOBILE USERS

• US 20050237967A1
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson), Toyota Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Wai, Lee, Chiao-Wei, Ling, Yibei, Altintas, Onur, Suwa, Yoshihisa
• Granted Patent: US 6,965,576 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for automatically configuring a mobile host in a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) environment. In particular, the present invention employs GPS technology and an Information Gateway to provide preconfigured information about different access points of the WLAN within the vicinity of the current location of the mobile host.

Claims

1. A system for providing automatic configuration of a mobile host in a wireless local access network (WLAN) environment including a plurality of access points, said system comprising:

a WLAN interface for connecting said mobile host to one of said access points;

a database for storing network profiles of said access points;

a configuration agent for automatically configuring said WLAN interface using said network profiles;

a GPS agent for keeping track of the current geographic location of the mobile host;

an information gateway communicating with GPS agent, said database and said configuration agent to provide said network profiles from said database of said access points close to said current geographic location of said mobile host to said configuration agent; and

a heterogeneous access agent providing communication means between said information gateway, said GPS agent and said configuration agent.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein configuration agent automatically updates configuration of the WLAN interface based on changes to the current geographic location of said mobile host.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said automatic update includes creating new network profiles, updating existing profiles, and deleting expired profiles.

4. A method for providing automatic configuration of a mobile host in a wireless local access network (WLAN) environment having a plurality of access points, said method comprising:

establishing a database;

establishing said mobile host to include a WLAN interface, a configuration agent, a GPS agent; and

a heterogeneous access agent;

establishing an information gateway communicating with said database and said heterogeneous access agent;

storing network profiles of said access points in said database;

establishing a connection between said mobile host and one of said access points through said WLAN interface;

establishing a connection between said mobile host and said information gateway through said heterogeneous access agent;

collecting information on the current geographic location of said mobile host using said GPS agent;

transmitting said current geographic location information to said information gateway through said heterogeneous access agent;

comparing said current geographic location information to said network profiles stored in said database;

gathering network profiles for access points that are close to said current geographic location on said information gateway;

sending said gathered network profiles from said information gateway to said configuration agent through said heterogeneous access agent; and

automatically configuring said WLAN interface based on said gathered network profiles.

5. The method according to claim 4, further including the step of automatically updating said configuration of said WLAN interface based on changes to the current geographic location of said mobile host.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said step of automatically updating includes creating new network profiles, updating existing profiles, and deleting expired profiles.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of transmitting said current geographic location information is performed periodically.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of transmitting said current geographic location information is performed adaptively.

9. The method of claim 4, further including the step of performing an AAA process.