METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING WIRELESS ACCESS SELECTION

• US 20120294293A1
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kahn, Colin, Sathyanarayan, Sankaranarayanan
• Granted Patent: US 9,144,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

An wireless access selection capability is disclosed. In at least some embodiments, the wireless access selection capability enables a wireless user terminal to determine, via interaction with a mobility network (e.g., a 3G cellular network, a 4G cellular network, and the like), whether to remain connected via the mobility network or to connect via a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The interaction may be in the form of two queries initiated by the wireless user terminal, including a first query for determining whether the wireless user terminal should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the wireless user terminal and a second for determining whether the wireless user terminal should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to an identified WLAN identified during a scan initiated by the wireless user terminal.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor and a memory, the processor configured to;

send, from a wireless user terminal (WUT) toward a network element via a mobility network, a first query for determining whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

initiate, based at least in part on a first query response indicative that the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs, a scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

send, from the WUT toward the network element via the mobility network, a second query for determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to suppress initiation of the scan for WLANs before sending of the first query.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send the first query before the WUT becomes active on a mobility network connection or when the WUT is active on a mobility network connection.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

propagate, toward the network element as a portion of the first query, a geographic location of the WUT.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

suppress sending of the second query when a determination is made that the first query response of the first query is indicative that the WUT should remain connected to the mobility network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

propagate WLAN information toward the network element, wherein the WLAN information comprises, for each of at least one WLAN, at least one of a geographic location of the WLAN, security information associated with the WLAN, and performance information associated with the WLAN.

7. A method, comprising:

sending, by a processor of a wireless user terminal (WUT) toward a network element via a mobility network, a first query for determining whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

initiating, based at least in part on a first query response indicative that the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs, a scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

sending, from the WUT toward the network element via the mobility network, a second query for determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein initiation of the scan for WLANs is suppressed before sending of the first query.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first query is sent before the WUT becomes active on a mobility network connection or when the WUT is active on a mobility network connection.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a geographic location of the WUT is propagated toward the network element as a portion of the first query.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

suppress sending of the second query when a determination is made that the first query response of the first query is indicative that the WUT should remain connected to the mobility network.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

propagating WLAN information toward the network element, wherein the WLAN information comprises, for each of at least one WLAN, at least one of a geographic location of the WLAN, security information associated with the WLAN, and performance information associated with the WLAN.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor and a memory, the processor configured to;

in response to a first query received at a network element of a mobility network from a wireless user terminal (WUT), determine whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

in response to a second query received at the network element of the mobility network from the WUT, determine whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT by:

determining a geographic location of the WUT; and

querying a database of WLANs for determining whether any WLANs are available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT by:

receiving control information comprising at least one of;

network performance information associated with the mobility network and one or more WLANs identified as available for providing wireless access to the WUT, subscriber information associated with the subscriber of the wireless user terminal, and service provider policy information associated with selection of wireless access; and

processing at least a portion of the received control information for determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to:

send, toward the WUT in response to the first query, a first query response indicative of whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

send, toward the WUT in response to the second query, a second query response indicative of whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

17. A method, comprising:

in response to a first query received at a network element of a mobility network from a wireless user terminal (WUT), determining, by a processor of the network element, whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

in response to a second query received at the network element of the mobility network from the WUT, determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT comprises:

determining a geographic location of the WUT; and

querying a database of WLANs for determining whether any WLANs are available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT comprises:

receiving control information comprising at least one of;

network performance information associated with the mobility network and one or more WLANs identified as available for providing wireless access to the WUT, subscriber information associated with the subscriber of the wireless user terminal, and service provider policy information associated with selection of wireless access; and

processing at least a portion of the received control information for determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending, toward the WUT in response to the first query, a first query response indicative of whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

sending, toward the WUT in response to the second query, a second query response indicative of whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.