Scanning groups of profiles of wireless local area networks

• US 20060280128A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Abdel-Kader, Sherif
• Granted Patent: US 7,561,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/08 using a common indicating element for two or more variables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Two or more connection profiles stored in a wireless device are partitioned into two or more groups, each group having a scanning policy associated therewith. A scanning policy of a group determines how often scanning for wireless local area networks matching any profile in that group is conducted. One or more factors may be taken into consideration when determining how to partition the profiles into groups, including, for example, a connectivity history of the wireless device.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless device, the method comprising:

partitioning two or more profiles stored in the wireless device into two or more groups, each of the groups having associated therewith a scanning policy that determines how often scanning for wireless local area networks matching any profile in that group is conducted; and

scanning for wireless local area networks matching any profile in a particular group according to the scanning policy of the particular group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning the profiles into the groups comprises:

partitioning the profiles into the groups based on priorities of the profiles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning the profiles into the groups comprises:

partitioning the profiles into the groups based on a history of connectivity of the wireless device to wireless local area networks matching the profiles.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

monitoring on a profile-by-profile basis how many times the wireless device was connected to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

monitoring on a profile-by-profile basis how recently the wireless device was connected to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

monitoring on a profile-by-profile basis a total duration of connections of the wireless device to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning the profiles into the groups comprises:

partitioning the profiles into the groups based on a history of connectivity of the wireless device to wireless local area networks matching the profiles, wherein the history includes a combination of two or more of how often, how many times and for how long the wireless device was connected to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning the profiles into the groups comprises:

partitioning the profiles into the groups based on a history of connectivity of the wireless device to wireless local area networks matching the profiles, wherein the history includes a weighted combination of two or more of how often, how many times and for how long the wireless device was connected to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein partitioning the profiles into the groups comprises:

grouping profiles to which the most connections have been made by the wireless device in a first group having associated therewith a scanning policy for being scanned once per each sleep interval;

grouping profiles to which neither the most nor the least connections have been made by the wireless device in a second group having associated therewith a scanning policy for being scanned once per each second sleep interval; and

grouping profiles to which the least or no connections have been made by the wireless device into a third group having associated therewith a scanning policy for being scanned once per each third sleep interval.

10. A wireless device comprising:

an antenna;

a radio coupled to the antenna;

a wireless local area network controller coupled to the radio;

a processor coupled to the wireless local area network controller; and

memory to store two or more profiles and to store code which, when executed by the processor, partitions the two or more profiles into two or more groups, each of the groups having associated therewith a scanning policy that determines how often scanning for wireless local area networks matching any profile in that group is conducted, and scans for wireless local area networks matching any profile in a particular group according to the scanning policy of the particular group.

11. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, partitions the two or more profiles into the two or more groups based on priorities of the profiles.

12. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, partitions the two or more profiles into the two or more groups based on a connectivity history of the wireless device.

13. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the connectivity history of the wireless device includes how many times the wireless device was connected to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

14. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the connectivity history of the wireless device includes how recently the wireless device was connected to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

15. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the connectivity history of the wireless device includes a total duration of connections of the wireless device to wireless local area networks matching a particular profile.

16. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the wireless local area controller is compatible with 802.11.

17. A wireless device comprising:

an antenna;

a radio coupled to the antenna;

a wireless local area network controller coupled to the radio;

a processor coupled to the wireless local area network controller; and

memory to store two or more profiles and to store code which, when executed by the processor, partitions the profiles into two or more groups and scans for wireless local area networks matching any of the profiles according to scanning policies of the groups,

wherein the code, when executed by the processor, groups profiles to which the most connections have been made by the wireless device in a first group having associated therewith a scanning policy for being scanned once per each sleep interval, groups profiles to which the least or no connections have been made by the wireless device in a second group having associated therewith a scanning policy for being scanned once per each third sleep interval, and groups any remaining profiles in a third group having associated therewith a scanning policy for being scanned once per each second sleep interval.

18. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the wireless local area controller is compatible with 802.11.