Transmitting a communication from a wireless access point indicating available networks and their capabilities
First Claim
1. A communication protocol for communicating between a wireless access point of a communications network and at least one mobile user device, the method comprising an act of:
- (A) irrespective of whether a communication has been previously received from any of the at least one mobile user device, transmitting, from the wireless access point to the at least one mobile user device, a first communication specifying at least one wireless network available to the at least one mobile user device through the wireless access point and specifying whether the at least one wireless network provides wireless provisioning information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wireless access point may be configured to advertise, to mobile user devices, multiple wireless networks available through the wireless access point. For example, service set identifiers (SSIDs) may be specified within an information element (IE) of a communication such as, for example, an 802.11 beacon, broadcasted to mobile user devices. Such an IE may utilize the capability provided by IEEE 802.11 itself to use additional and flexible numbers of information elements within a beacon. Accordingly, networks that would otherwise remain hidden due to limitations of known wireless access points are made visible to mobile user devices. Configuring a wireless access point to advertise multiple available wireless networks, for example, by firmware upgrades, may serve as a viable and cost-effective interim solution and/or alternative to replacing a wireless access point with a wireless access point configured to implement virtual wireless access points.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A communication protocol for communicating between a wireless access point of a communications network and at least one mobile user device, the method comprising an act of:
(A) irrespective of whether a communication has been previously received from any of the at least one mobile user device, transmitting, from the wireless access point to the at least one mobile user device, a first communication specifying at least one wireless network available to the at least one mobile user device through the wireless access point and specifying whether the at least one wireless network provides wireless provisioning information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A communication protocol for communicating between a wireless access point of a communications network and at least one mobile user device, the method comprising an act of:
(A) prior to the at least one mobile user device attempting to establish a connection to the wireless access point, receiving, at the mobile user device, a first communication from the wireless access point specifying at least one wireless network available to the at least one mobile user device through the wireless access point and specifying whether the at least one wireless network provides wireless provisioning information. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for communicating on a communications network, the system comprising:
a wireless access point operative to transmit a first communication to at least one mobile user device, irrespective of whether a communication has been previously received from any of the at least one mobile user device, the first communication specifying at least one wireless network available to the at least one mobile user device through the wireless access point and specifying whether the at least one wireless network provides wireless provisioning information. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
Specification