WIRELESS TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR MANAGING NETWORK CONNECTION USING THE SAME

• US 20130252587A1
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDS (China) Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDS (China) Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Ko, You Chang, Joe, Yang Hwan
• Application Number:
  US13/991,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20130252587A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Provided are a wireless terminal and a method of managing a network connection using the same. The wireless terminal includes a login processor configured to carry out a login procedure including an authentication procedure and a user account verification procedure, a received signal strength indication (RSSI) detector configured to detect an RSSI and check a receiving state, a wireless connection profile manager configured to generate, maintain, or delete a wireless connection profile, and a controller configured to monitor a login process state and a network connection state from the login processor and the RSSI detector and control the login processor or the wireless connection profile manager according to the monitoring result. The method of managing a network connection using the wireless terminal can enhance the security of personal information included in a wireless connection profile and also improve convenience of connection by generating, deleting, or maintaining the wireless connection file according to a network environment.

Claims

1. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a processor configured to carry out a login procedure including an authentication and a user account verification;

a received signal strength indication (RSSI) detector configured to detect an RSSI and check a receiving state;

a wireless connection profile manager configured to generate, maintain, or delete a wireless connection profile; and

a controller configured to monitor a login process state and a network connection state from the processor and the RSSI detector to generate a monitoring result, and control the processor or the wireless connection profile manager according to the monitoring result.

2. The wireless terminal of claim 1, wherein, upon manual login or automatic login, the controller controls the wireless connection profile manager to generate a the wireless connection profile and the processor to perform the login procedure.

3. The wireless terminal of claim 2, wherein, when no RSSI is detected or authentication fails in the authentication, or the user account verification fails, the controller controls the wireless connection profile manager to delete the wireless connection profile.

4. The wireless terminal of claim 3, wherein the failure of the user account verification includes a refusal of a user to initially register the wireless terminal or to change a password.

5. The wireless terminal of claim 1, wherein, when no RSSI is detected for a predetermined time, the controller controls the wireless connection profile manager to delete the wireless connection profile.

6. The wireless terminal of claim 1, wherein, when no RSSI is detected in an in-service state, the controller controls the wireless connection profile manager to maintain the wireless connection profile for a predetermined time.

7. The wireless terminal of claim 1, further comprising a state indicator configured to display a plurality of colors according to login process states and network connection states.

8. A method of managing a network connection using a wireless terminal, comprising:

when a user account is input by a user, generating, at the wireless terminal, a wireless connection profile corresponding to the user account, and switching to a logged-in state for user authentication and verification of the user account;

when the user authentication and the verification of the user account succeed, switching, at the wireless terminal, from the logged-in state to a logged-on state while maintaining the wireless connection profile; and

maintaining, at the wireless terminal, the wireless connection profile while a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is detected in the logged-on state, and deleting the wireless connection profile and switching to a logged-off state when no RSSI is detected for a predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the logged-in state includes:

an authenticating state of performing the user authentication; and

an account processing state of verifying the user account after the user authentication succeeds.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, when no RSSI is detected or the user authentication fails in the authenticating state, the wireless terminal deletes the wireless connection profile and switches to the logged-off state.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, when a failure of the user account verification including a refusal of the user to initially register the wireless terminal or to change a password occurs in the account processing state, the wireless terminal deletes the wireless connection profile and switches to the logged-off state.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the logged-on state includes:

an in-service state in which an RSSI is detected; and

an out-of-service state in which no RSSI is detected.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, when no RSSI is detected in the in-service state, the wireless terminal switches to the out-of-service state with the wireless connection profile being maintained.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, when no RSSI is detected for the predetermined time in the out-of-service state, the wireless terminal deletes the wireless connection profile and switches to the logged-off state, and

when the RSSI is detected again before the predetermined time elapses in the out-of-service state, the wireless terminal switches to the logged-in state with the wireless connection profile being maintained.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the logged-off state includes:

an authentication fail state to which the wireless terminal switches to when the user authentication fails, no RSSI is detected, or the user account verification fails in the logged-in state; and

a dormant state to which the wireless terminal switches to when no RSSI is detected for a predetermined time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, when login is performed in the authentication fail state, the wireless terminal generates the wireless connection profile and switches to the logged-in state, and

when no RSSI is detected for the predetermined time, the wireless terminal switches to the dormant state.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein, when no RSSI is detected for the predetermined time in the logged-on state, the wireless terminal deletes the wireless connection profile and switches to the dormant state.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein, when login is performed in the dormant state, the wireless terminal generates the wireless connection profile and switches to the logged-in state.

19. A method of managing a network connection using a wireless terminal, comprising:

displaying, at the wireless terminal, an indicator icon operable to show a first color, a second color, a third color, and a fourth color, the indicator icon showing the color during a user authentication;

displaying, at the wireless terminal, the indicator icon showing the second color during verification of a user account when the user authentication succeeds;

when the user account verification succeeds, switching, at the wireless terminal, to a logged-on state, and displaying the indicator icon having the second color while a received signal strength indication (RSSI) is detected; and

displaying, at the wireless terminal, the indicator icon showing the fourth color before a timeout when no RSSI is detected in the logged-on state, and switching to a dormant state and not displaying the indicator icon when the timeout occurs.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, when the user authentication fails or no RSSI is detected during the user authentication, or the user account verification fails, the wireless terminal switches to an authentication fail state, and displays the indicator icon showing the third color.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, when login is performed in the authentication fail state, the wireless terminal performs the user authentication, and displays the indicator icon showing the first color.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein, when no RSSI is detected and a timeout occurs in the authentication fail state, the wireless terminal switches to the dormant state, and does not display the indicator icon.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein, when no RSSI is detected and then the RSSI is detected again before the timeout in the logged-on state, the wireless terminal performs the user authentication, and displays the indicator icon showing the first color.