TECHNIQUE FOR MANAGING WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20070091861A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Parag, Haitani, Robert, Kruglikov, Vitaly
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery

Abstract

Network connectivity may be managed on a computing device. An identifier of each wireless access point or network that is available at a given location is determined. The identifier determined without the device attempting to connect to any available wireless access point or network at the given location. Each determined identifier is compared to one or more network identifiers that are known to the device. The device connects to an available wireless access point having the identifier that is known and detected.

Claims

1. A method for managing network connectivity on a device, the method comprising:

determining an identifier of each wireless local area network that is available at a given location, wherein determining the identifier is performed without attempting to connect to any available wireless local area network at the given location;

comparing each determined identifier to one or more network identifiers that are known to the device; and

connecting to an available wireless local area network having the identifier that is one of the one or more network identifiers that are known to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an identifier of each wireless local area network that is available at a given location includes detecting the identifier that is broadcast by individual wireless local area networks.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a list of identifiers for wireless local area networks that the device has connected to on one or more previous occasions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein comparing each determined identifier to one or more network identifiers that are known to the device includes comparing each determined identifier to the list of identifiers for wireless local area networks that the device has connected to previously.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sorting the list based at least in part on either a most recently used prioritization scheme or a most commonly used prioritization scheme.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising identifying two or more identifiers of corresponding wireless local area networks that also known to the device, and wherein selecting to connect to an available wireless local area network having the identifier that is one of the one or more network identifiers includes selecting from the wireless local area networks of the two or more identifiers using a priority scheme.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the prioritization scheme is based at least in part on at least one of a most recently used determination or a most frequently used determination.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an identifier of each wireless local area network that is available at a given location includes determining a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of each wireless local area network within a range of the given network.

9. A method for managing network connectivity on a device, the method comprising:

determining an identifier of each wireless local area network that is available at a given location, wherein determining the identifier is performed without attempting to connect to any available wireless local area network at the given location;

comparing each determined identifier to one or more network identifiers that are known to the device; and

when the identifier of each available wireless local area network is not known to the device, prompting the user to perform an action without attempting to connect to any of the available wireless local area networks,

when the identifier of each available wireless local area network is known to the device, selecting to connect to an available wireless local area network having the identifier that is one of the one or more network identifiers that are known to the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein comparing each determined identifier to one or more network identifiers that are known to the device includes comparing each determined identifier to one or more network identifiers on a list of identifiers that are known to the device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, determining that at a given instant, the identifier of each available wireless local area network is not known to the device, then presenting a user with an option to connect to a new wireless local area network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, in response to the device connecting to the new wireless local area network, adding an identifier of the new wireless local area network to the list.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining an identifier of each wireless local area network that is available at a given location includes determining a Service Set Identifier (SSID) of each wireless local area network within a range of the given network.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising sorting the list based at least in part on either a most recently used prioritization scheme or a most commonly used prioritization scheme

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising maintaining the list at a designated number of entries, with each entry corresponding to the identifier of a corresponding wireless local area network that the device connected to previously, and wherein the method further comprises removing an identifier of another wireless local area network from the list in response to the identifier of the new wireless local area network being added to the list.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein removing the identifier of another wireless local area network includes removing the identifier of the wireless local area network that was either the least commonly used or least recently used.

17. A method for managing network connectivity on a device, the method comprising:

maintaining a list of identifiers for wireless local area networks, wherein at least some of the identifiers on the list identify a wireless local area network that the device connected to on one or more previous occasion;

after each connection of the device with a wireless local area network, updating the list to reflect a priority scheme for how entries corresponding to identifiers of individual wireless local area networks are ordered;

prior to performing an action to connect to an available network, determining whether an identifier of the available network is one of the entries on the list, and

if the identifier is an entry, performing the action to connect to that available network,

else if the identifier is not an entry, performing at least one of (i) identifying another available network and determining whether an identifier of the other available network is one of entries on the list, (ii) enabling a user of the device to select to connect to a new local wireless area network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein after the user of the device selects to connect to a new local wireless area network, updating the list includes adding an identifier of the new local wireless area network as one of the entries of the list.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein updating the list includes removing an identifier of another local wireless area network from the list.

20. A method for managing network connectivity on a device, the method comprising:

determining an identifier of each wireless local area network that is available at a given location, wherein determining the identifier is performed without attempting to connect to any available wireless local area network at the given location;

comparing each determined identifier to one or more network identifiers that are known to the device; and

presenting, to a user, a feature for enabling the user to trigger the device in connecting to an available wireless local area network having the identifier that is one of the one or more network identifiers that are known to the device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising connecting to the available wireless local area network in response to a user-input.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein presenting a feature includes providing a single display panel that enables the user to select to the available wireless local area network having the identifier that is one of the one or more network identifiers.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein providing a single display panel includes providing a focus on the identifier of the available wireless local area network on the display panel so that the user can enter a selection input to trigger the device in connecting to that network.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising enabling the user to enter navigation input to select away from triggering the device to connect to the available wireless local area network having the identifier that is one of the one or more network identifiers.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein enabling the user to enter navigation input to select away from triggering the device to connect to the available wireless local area network includes enabling the user to select another available wireless local area network by displaying an identifier of the other network on the display panel, and accepting a first navigation input to move a selection to the identifier of the other wireless local area network.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein enabling the user to enter navigation input to select away from triggering the device to connect to the available wireless local area network includes enabling the user to specify the device to perform an action other than connecting to the available wireless local area network by entering a second navigation input to move a selection from an action for connecting to the available wireless local area network to an action for performing the other action.

27. A method for managing network connectivity on a device, the method comprising:

performing a general scan to determine an identifier of each network that is available at a given location, wherein determining the identifier is performed without attempting to connect to any available network at the given location; and

determining one or more hidden networks that are known to the device by (i) comparing each determined identifier to one or more network identifiers that are known to the device, and (ii) performing a specific scan for available networks that were not determined from the general scan.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein determining one or more hidden networks is performed automatically in response to determining that one or more networks were not identified from the general scan.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising enabling the user to select a network from one of the available networks or one of the hidden networks.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising programmatically selecting one of the available or hidden networks, and automatically connecting to that network.