Quality-of-service (QoS)-based association with a new network using background network scanning

• US 20060025149A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambirajan, Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/28 involving a plurality of connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A method and device support the use of background network scanning to enable association with a first and at least a second wireless network, for the exchange of exchange of multimedia information. Representative embodiments of the present invention may sniff radio frequency spectrum and determine at least one characteristic of detected wireless networks having capacity for exchange of the multimedia information. More than one wireless network may be identified for use in exchanging the multimedia information, which may be communicated concurrently over the identified wireless networks. User defined criteria may be employed in adjusting communication of the multimedia information to meet a quality of service level desired by a user. A lack of wireless network capacity may result in adjustments to, for example, protocols used to represent multimedia information, frame rate, and spatial or color resolution, in order to maintain or enable communication.

Claims

1. A method supporting quality of service based association with a new wireless communication network using background network scanning, the method comprising:

establishing communication via a first wireless network;

detecting at least a second wireless network by scanning radio frequency spectrum;

determining at least one characteristic of the at least a second wireless network;

identifying network capacity among the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network sufficient for exchange of multimedia information;

exchanging multimedia information using identified network capacity;

detecting insufficient capacity for exchange of the multimedia information; and

adjusting communication of multimedia information according to at least one user-defined quality of service parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first and the at least a second wireless network comprise one of:

a wireless wide area network, a wireless local area network, and a personal area network.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the wireless local area network comprises one of:

an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol and an IEEE 802.15.3a protocol.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one characteristic comprises one of:

a radio frequency, an air interface protocol, a bandwidth, and a parameter used for network access.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the air interface protocol comprises one of:

a time division multiple access (TDMA) protocol and a code division multiple access (CDMA) protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein multimedia information comprises one of:

streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein adjusting communication of multimedia information comprises identifying additional network capacity for communication of the multimedia information, from the at least a second wireless network.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the additional network capacity is on a wireless network different from those previously identified.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the adjusting communication of multimedia information comprises one of:

changing a protocol used to represent the multimedia information, transcoding the multimedia information, and changing a resolution of the multimedia information.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein exchanging multimedia information comprises concurrently exchanging the multimedia information using the first wireless network and the at least one second wireless network.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein exchanging multimedia information comprises individually exchanging portions of the multimedia information using each of the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network employ different air interface protocols.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein scanning comprises sniffing of radio frequency spectrum.

14. A mobile access device supporting quality of service based association with a new network using background network scanning, the device comprising:

at least one wireless interface capable of exchanging multimedia information with a first wireless network while scanning radio frequency spectrum to detect at least a second wireless network, wherein the first wireless network supports a first network capacity for exchange of multimedia information and the at least a second wireless network supports at least a second network capacity for exchange of multimedia information;

storage comprising at least one user-defined criteria employed in selecting wireless networks for exchange of multimedia information;

software resident in memory of the device, the software executable for determining at least one characteristic of the at least a second wireless network, and for identifying network capacity among the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network sufficient for exchange of multimedia information; and

the device capable of adjusting communication of multimedia information based upon the at least one user-defined criteria and the identified network capacity.

15. The device according to claim 14 wherein the first and the at least a second wireless network comprise one of:

a wireless wide area network, a wireless local area network, and a personal area network.

16. The device according to claim 15 wherein the wireless local area network comprises one of:

an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocol and an IEEE 802.15.3a protocol.

17. The device according to claim 14 wherein the at least one characteristic comprises one of:

a radio frequency, an air interface protocol, a bandwidth, and a parameter used for network access.

18. The device according to claim 17 wherein the air interface protocol comprises one of:

a time division multiple access (TDMA) protocol and a code division multiple access (CDMA) protocol.

19. The device according to claim 14 wherein multimedia information comprises one of:

streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.

20. The device according to claim 14 wherein adjusting communication of multimedia information comprises identifying additional network capacity for communication of the multimedia information, from the at least a second wireless network.

21. The device according to claim 20 wherein the additional network capacity is on a wireless network different from those previously identified.

22. The device according to claim 14 wherein the adjusting communication of multimedia information comprises one of:

changing a protocol used to represent the multimedia information, transcoding the multimedia information, and changing a resolution of the multimedia information.

23. The device according to claim 14 wherein exchanging multimedia information comprises concurrently exchanging the multimedia information using the first wireless network and the at least one second wireless network.

24. The device according to claim 14 wherein exchanging multimedia information comprises individually exchanging portions of the multimedia information using each of the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network.

25. The device according to claim 14 wherein the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network employ different air interface protocols.

26. The device according to claim 14 wherein scanning comprises sniffing of radio frequency spectrum.