COMMUNICATION TERMINAL AND METHOD OF SEARCHING

• US 20080253343A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: SASAO, Nobuaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A communication terminal capable of wireless LAN communication includes: a search unit that searches for a base station that should be an access point; a database that stores an application of the wireless LAN communication and search information utilized for searching associated with the application; a set-up unit that sets up the application; and a determination unit that determines search information in accordance with the application, by retrieving search information corresponding to the application from the storage unit. The search unit searches for a search-targeted base station that should be an access point, by targeting only a base station that corresponds to a base station identifier contained in the search information, for a predetermined period.

Claims

1. A communication terminal capable of wireless LAN communication, comprising:

search module for searching for a base station that should be an access point for the wireless LAN communication;

storage module for storing an application of wireless LAN communication and search information to be utilized for searching for the base station by the search module, associated with the application of wireless LAN communication;

set-up module for setting up an application of the wireless LAN communication; and

determination module for determining search information in accordance with the application, by retrieving search information corresponding to the application set up by the set-up module, from the storage module, and

wherein the search module searches for a search-targeted base station that should be an access point, by targeting only a base station that corresponds to a base station identifier contained in the search information, for a predetermined period.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the search module performs searches a plurality of times until the search-targeted base station is found;

the search information includes search parameter information, which is set in accordance with the application, including a time interval in each search and the maximum number of searches in the searches other than the final search; and

the search module performs searches on the basis of the search parameter information that is thus set.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 2,

wherein the search information includes information relating to an increase of the time interval in accordance with the application, as the search parameter information;

and

the search module performs searches while gradually increasing the time interval in accordance with the information relating to the increase of the time interval.

4. A method of searching for a base station, in which wireless LAN communication is enabled, and which is performed by a communication terminal having storage module for storing

an application of wireless LAN communication and

search information to be utilized for searching for a base station that should be an access point, associated with the application of wireless LAN communication;

the method comprising;

a setting-up step of setting up an application of the wireless LAN communication;

a determination step of determining search information in accordance with the application, by retrieving, from the storage module, search information corresponding to the application set up in the setting-up step; and

a search step of performing searches for a base station that should be an access point on the basis of the search information determined in the determination step, and

wherein, in the searching step, the searches for the base station are performed by targeting only a base station that corresponds to a base station identifier contained in the search information, for a predetermined period.