Mobile Communications Terminal for Use in Several Wireless Local Networks and Method for Operating

• US 20100290440A1
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Grimminger, Jochen, Surtees, Abigail, Schielein, Michael, Gröting, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile communications terminal for use in a plurality of wireless local networks. Said terminal comprises a log on memory, in which an access address that is designed to be used for a new log on process is stored. According to the invention, information concerning the access addresses that were received by the mobile communications terminal in previous log on operations and the network among the plurality of wireless local networks that was used, is stored in an allocation memory. The terminal is configured in such a way that when a new access request is received for a sought network among the plurality of wireless local networks, it searches for a previous access address that was allocated for the sought network and is also configured in such a way that when said previous access address for the sought network has been found, it writes the address to the log on memory and permits the log on operation. The invention also relates to a method for managing log on information that is designed for the mobile communications terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile communications terminal for use in a plurality of wireless local networks, which features a log on memory in which an access address provided for a new log on process is stored, characterized in that

information is stored in an allocation memory of the mobile communications terminal about which access addresses the mobile communications terminal has received in which of the plurality of wireless local networks in previous log on processes, it is embodied such that, as a result of a new access request for a network sought from the plurality of wireless local networks, it searches for an earlier access address issued to it for the sought network, and it is embodied such that, on finding the earlier access address for the sought network, it writes this address into the log on memory and transmits it for a log on process.

2. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 1,

characterized in that,

it is embodied such that, in the event of an access address being invalid for one of the plurality of wireless local networks, it requests a new access address from the wireless local network associated with the access address.

3. The communications terminal as claimed in one of the claim 1 or 2,

characterized in that,

it is embodied to support a plurality of communication connections to different networks of the plurality of wireless local networks.

4. The communications terminal as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 3,

characterized in that,

it is embodied as a DHCP client and the log on memory contains a last access address issued by one of the plurality of wireless local networks to the mobile communications terminal and also is able to be overwritten by the earlier access address of the wireless local network sought.

5. The communications terminal as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 4,

characterized in that,

additional security information and/or network information which is linked to the access address is stored for the plurality of wireless local networks in the communications terminal.

6. The communications terminal as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 5,

characterized in that,

information representing the associated wireless local network is allocated in the allocation memory to the earlier access addresses issued.

7. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 6,

characterized in that,

the information representing the wireless local network is position information.

8. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 6,

characterized in that,

the information representing of the wireless local network is an “

SSID” and

/or a MAC address.

9. Method for administering log on information in a mobile communications terminal for setting up communications links in a plurality of wireless local networks, with an access address being read out from a log on memory for a new log on process,

characterized in that,

information is stored in an allocation memory of the mobile communications terminal about which access addresses the mobile communications terminal has received in which of the plurality of wireless local networks during previous log on processes, the mobile communications terminal, as a result of a new access request to a sought network of the plurality of wireless local networks, looks for an earlier access address issued to it for the sought network in the allocation memory, and the mobile communications terminal, on finding the earlier access address for the sought network, writes this into the log on memory and transmits it for a log on process.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9,

characterized in that,

the mobile communications terminal, in the event of an access address being invalid for one of the plurality of wireless local networks, requests a new access address from the wireless local network associated with the access address.

11. The method as claimed in one of the claim 9 or 10,

characterized in that,

the mobile communications terminal supports a plurality of communications links between one of the plurality of wireless local networks and the communications terminal under the same access address.

12. The method in accordance with one of the claims 9 to 11,

characterized in that,

the mobile communications terminal is embodied as a DHCP client, a last access address issued by one of the plurality of wireless local networks to the mobile communications device is stored in the log on memory, and this access address is overwritten when the earlier access address of the wireless local network sought is found.

13. The method in accordance with one of the claims 9 to 12,

characterized in that,

security information and/or network information which is linked with the access address is additionally stored for the plurality of wireless local networks in the communications terminal.