EXTENSIBLE FRAMEWORK FOR WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

• US 20130183935A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Holostov, Vladimir, Alam, Mohammad Shabbir, Guday, Shai, Salapaka, Rao
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An extensible framework for offloading data traffic sent to a mobile computing device over a cellular network to a wireless network comprises software plugins, a plugin host that is typically part of the mobile device operating system, and plugin interfaces through which the plugin host communicates with the plugins. A plugin is associated with one or more mobile operators. The framework can comprise one or more plugins, but typically, only one plugin is active at a time. The framework can automatically detect and connect to wireless networks associated with a mobile operator associated with an active plugin. The plugin can automatically authenticate the mobile device or a mobile device user with the mobile operator over the connected wireless network. The plugins are not allowed access to operating system functions responsible for detecting and connecting and disconnecting to a wireless network, which can improve mobile operating system stability and battery life.

Claims

1. A method of offloading data traffic sent over a cellular network to a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

sending information corresponding to one or more detected wireless networks from an authentication plugin host to an active authentication plugin, the one or more detected wireless networks and the active authentication plugin being associated with a mobile operator;

receiving information corresponding to one or more preferred wireless networks selected from the one or more detected wireless networks from the active authentication plugin at the authentication plugin host;

connecting the mobile computing device to one of the one or more preferred wireless networks, the preferred wireless network to which the mobile computing device is connected being a connected wireless network;

sending a request to the active authentication plugin to authenticate the mobile computing device or a user of the mobile computing device on the connected wireless network;

receiving information from the active authentication plugin indicating that authentication was successful; and

offloading at least a portion of the data traffic to the connected wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information corresponding to the one or more preferred wireless networks comprises a connection order.

3. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising selecting the connected wireless network from the one or more preferred wireless networks based at least in part on the connection order.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the active authentication plugin from a plurality of authentication plugins associated with a plurality of mobile operators.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting comprises:

querying the plurality of authentication plugins; and

selecting a first authentication plugin to respond positively as the active authentication plugin.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting a different authentication plugin from the plurality of authentication plugins as the active authentication plugin.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a plugin update frequency from the active authentication plugin to the authentication plugin host; and

sending plugin update commands to the active authentication plugin from the authentication plugin host at substantially at least the plugin update frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information for one or more hidden networks from the active authentication plugin at the authentication plugin host; and

scanning for at least one of the one or more hidden networks.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more detected wireless networks comprises the at least one hidden wireless network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a keep alive message frequency from the active authentication plugin to the authentication plugin host; and

sending keep alive message commands to the active authentication plugin from the authentication plugin host at substantially at least the send keep alive message frequency.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading one or more additional authentication plugins; and

installing the one or more additional authentication plugins at the mobile computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the offloading:

receiving a user query request from the active authentication plugin comprising query information or a reference thereto that the user is to be queried whether the user approves of or agrees to; and

sending information to the active authentication plugin indicating that the user has approved of or agreed to the query information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the query information comprises terms of use for the connected wireless network.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein only one of the plurality of authentication plugins is active at a time.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the plurality of authentication plugins are associated with a plurality of mobile operators.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the extensible framework further comprises a periodic update interface, the method further comprising in response to a call to the periodic update interface from the authentication plugin host, the active authentication plugin updating itself.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, the method further comprising determining the active authentication plugin from among the plurality of authentication plugins.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the plurality of authentication plugins are not capable of causing the mobile computing device to scan for wireless networks, of causing the mobile computing device to connect to or disconnect from a wireless network and cannot directly cause a notification to be presented to a display of the mobile computing device.

14. A mobile computing device comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions executable by the mobile computing device, the instructions comprising;

an authentication plugin host capable of sending information corresponding to one or more detected networks to an active authentication plugin and requesting authentication of the mobile computing device or a user of the mobile computing device on a connected network; and

at least one authentication plugin, each authentication plugin capable of;

providing information corresponding to one or more preferred wireless networks and a connection order for the one or more preferred wireless networks to the authentication plugin host in response to receiving information corresponding to one or more detected networks from the authentication plugin host; and

authenticating the mobile computing device or a user of the mobile computing device on a connected wireless network and sending information indicating whether the authentication is successful to the authentication plugin host.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for causing a mobile computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

providing an extensible framework comprising an authentication plugin host, a plurality of authentication plugins comprising an active authentication plugin, an authentication interface and a check network interface;

in response to receiving at least one call to the authentication interface from the authentication plugin host, the active authentication plugin attempting authentication of the mobile computing device or a user of the mobile computing device on a network to which the mobile computing device is connected and returning an indication of whether the attempted authentication was successful; and

in response to receiving at least one call to the check network interface comprising information corresponding to one or more detected wireless networks, the active authentication plugin, returning information corresponding to one or more preferred wireless networks and a connection order for the one or more preferred wireless networks.