WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK HOTSPOT REGISTRATION USING NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20130237148A1
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: McCann, Stephen, Montemurro, Michael Peter, Nathwani, Sanjay, Durand, Roger Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,253,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• 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 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A first device that includes a processor configured to transmit/receive a trigger message to/from a second device based on wireless short-range communication. The trigger message initiates a registration process within a wireless local area network (WLAN).

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

transmit a trigger message to a second device using wireless short-range communication,

wherein the trigger message initiates a registration process with a wireless local area network (WLAN).

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the wireless short-range communication includes one of near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zigbee, wireless universal serial bus, or an ultra-wideband technology.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to automatically transmit the trigger message to the second device when the first device is within communication range of the second device.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein the wireless short-range communication comprises near field communication.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the processor is further configured to include a mobile identifier (ID) within the trigger message, the mobile ID identifying the non-AP STA.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to receive a trigger response message in response to the trigger message.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a WLAN registration request in response to receiving the trigger response message.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein the trigger response message includes a mobile identifier (ID), a device ID that identifies a NFC-enabled device, and a service set ID (SSID) that identifies the WLAN.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to include at least one of a device identifier (ID) or a service set ID (SSID) within the trigger message, the device ID identifying the NFC-enabled device and the SSID identifying the WLAN.

11. The device of claim 9 wherein the non-AP STA transmits a WLAN registration request message in response to the trigger message.

12. A first device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a trigger message transmitted from a second device using wireless short-range communication,

wherein the trigger message initiates a registration process with a wireless local area network (WLAN).

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the wireless short-range communication includes one of near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zigbee, wireless universal serial bus, or an ultra-wideband technology.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the processor receives the trigger message from the second device when the first device is within communication range of the second device, the trigger message being automatically transmitted by the second device.

15. The device of claim 12 wherein the first device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein the wireless short-range communication comprises near field communication (NFC).

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to receive a device identifier (ID) within the trigger message, the device ID identifying a NFC-enabled device.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a WLAN registration request message in response to the trigger message.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to include at least one of the device ID, an ID associated with the non-AP STA, or an authentication credential associated with the non-AP STA within the WLAN registration request message.

19. The device of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit an information message in response to receiving the trigger message.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the processor is further configured to include at least one of device information that identifies the non-AP STA or user information that identifies a user of the non-AP STA within the information message.

21. The device of claim 12 wherein the first device comprises a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the processor is further configured to receive a mobile identifier (ID) within the trigger message, the mobile ID identifying the non-AP STA.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a trigger response message in response to the trigger message.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the processor is further configured to include at least one of a device identifier (ID) that identifies the NFC-enabled device, a mobile ID, a service set ID (SSID) that identifies the WLAN, or a network identifier that identifies a network to which the WLAN is connected to or to which the WLAN is associated with within the trigger response message.

25. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first device, a trigger message to a second device using wireless short-range communication,

wherein the trigger message initiates a registration process with a wireless local area network (WLAN).

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the wireless short-range communication used by the first device includes one of near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zigbee, wireless universal serial bus, or an ultra-wideband technology.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the trigger message is automatically transmitted to the second device when the first device is within communication range of the second device.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the first device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein the wireless short-range communication comprises near field communication (NFC).

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the trigger message includes a mobile identifier (ID), the mobile ID identifying the non-AP STA.

30. The method of claim 25 further comprising receiving a trigger response message in response to the trigger message.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising transmitting a WLAN registration request in response to receiving the trigger response message.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the trigger response message includes a mobile identifier (ID), a device ID that identifies a NFC-enabled device, and a service set ID (SSID) that identifies the WLAN.

33. The method of claim 25 wherein the first device comprises a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the trigger message includes at least one of a device identifier (ID) or a service set ID (SSID), the device ID identifying the NFC-enabled device and the SSID identifying the WLAN.

35. The method of claim 33 further comprising transmitting, by the non-AP STA, a WLAN registration request message in response to the trigger message.

36. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first device, a trigger message transmitted from a second device using short-range communication,

wherein the trigger message initiates a registration process with a wireless local area network (WLAN).

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the wireless short-range communication used by the second device includes one of near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zigbee, wireless universal serial bus, or an ultra-wideband technology.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the trigger message is received from the second device when the first device is within communication range of the second device, the trigger message being automatically transmitted by the second device.

39. The method of claim 36 wherein the first device comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein the wireless short-range communication comprises near field communication (NFC).

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the trigger message includes a device identifier (ID), the device ID identifying a NFC-enabled device.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising transmitting a WLAN registration request message in response to receiving the trigger message.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising including at least one of the device ID, an identifier associated with the non-AP STA, or an authentication credential associated with the non-AP STA within the WLAN registration request message.

43. The method of claim 40 further comprising transmitting an information message in response to receiving the trigger message.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the information message includes at least one of device information that identifies the non-AP STA or user information that identifies a user of the non-AP STA.

45. The method of claim 36 wherein the first device includes a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second device includes a non-access point station (non-AP STA).

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the trigger message includes a mobile identifier (ID), the mobile ID identifying the non-AP STA.

47. The method of claim 45 further comprising transmitting a trigger response message in response to the trigger message.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein the trigger response message includes at least one of a device identifier (ID) that identifies the NFC-enabled device, a mobile ID, a service set ID (SSID) that identifies the WLAN, or a network identifier that identifies a network to which the WLAN is connected to or to which the WLAN is associated with.