Base station initiated proximity service discovery and connection establishment

• US 20090029691A1
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kuehnel, Thomas W., Shen, Hui, Lu, Yi
• Granted Patent: US 8,681,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The normal roles of wireless stations and wireless access points in initiating the establishment of wireless connections may be reversed without the need for changes in the network interfaces for either the station or access point device. This capability may be used to allow wireless devices acting as access points, but on which service clients operate, to initiate the establishment of a connection with a station, on which a wireless service provider operates. Discovery of services between wireless devices can be provided prior to establishing a connection between the devices. A service client device providing access point functionality may broadcast an invitation for service advertisements and then receive service advertisements from relevant service providers acting as wireless stations. An information element may be included as part of periodically broadcast administrative messages to wirelessly convey an invitation for service advertisements. In response to a service advertisement, the access point may send to the wireless station an invitation to connect, prompting the wireless station to begin to establish a connection according to a wireless communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method of accessing a service over a wireless network by a wireless service client operating on a first device, the service operating on a second device, the network operating in accordance with a protocol, the first device providing wireless access point functionality in accordance with the protocol, and the second device providing station functionality in accordance with the protocol, the method comprising:

sending, from the first device to the second device, a first wireless message that includes an invitation to establish a connection and

receiving, from the second device in response to the first wireless message, a second wireless message that includes a connection request in accordance with the protocol.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, in response to the invitation to establish a connection, a connection between the first device and the second device; and

accessing the service provided by the second device over the connection.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein establishing a connection between the first device and the second device comprises establishing a layer 2 connection.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising establishing a layer 3 or higher layer connection between the wireless client and the wireless service using the layer 2 connection.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein sending the first wireless message comprises sending an administrative message.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein sending the first wireless message comprises sending an information element in a probe response message in accordance with the protocol.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein the protocol is 802.11 and sending the first wireless message comprises sending an 802.11 probe response packet comprising a MAC address of the second device.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein sending the first wireless message comprises sending a wireless message that includes at least one information element containing information regarding at least one service type desired by the wireless service client.

9. A method of providing a service over a wireless network to a wireless service client operating on a first device, the service operating on a second device, the network operating in accordance with a protocol and the first device providing wireless access point functionality in accordance with the protocol and the second device providing station functionality in accordance with the protocol, the method comprising:

receiving, from the first device, a first wireless message that includes an invitation to establish a connection; and

in response to the first wireless message, sending to the first device, a second wireless message that requests a connection between the first device and the second device over the wireless network in accordance with the protocol.

10. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

establishing a connection between the first device and the second device; and

accessing the service over the connection.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein establishing a connection between the first device and the second device comprises establishing a layer 2 connection.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising establishing a layer 3 or higher layer connection between the wireless client and the wireless service using the layer 2 connection.

13. The method as in claim 9, wherein receiving the first wireless message comprises receiving an administrative message.

14. The method as in claim 9, wherein receiving the first wireless message comprises receiving an information element in a probe response message in accordance with the protocol.

15. The method as in claim 9, wherein receiving the first wireless message comprises receiving an information element containing information regarding at least one service type desired by the wireless service client.

16. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for performing steps of a method of instructing a network device to send a wireless message to wireless devices in the proximity of the network device, the network device providing access point functionality, the method comprising:

receiving, from a service client contained within a wireless module that provides access point functionality, information regarding a desired service;

constructing at least one information element, the at least one information element corresponding to the desired service information and an invitation to establish a connection; and

providing the at least one information element to a network device in conjunction with a command to the network device to send the at least one information element within a wireless message.

17. The computer-readable medium as in claim 16, wherein the wireless message comprises a probe response.