APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ACCESSING WiFi NETWORKS
First Claim
1. A method utilized for accessing a secure wireless network, comprising, in a wireless device:
- accessing a social network account that provides member information about each of a plurality of social network members, wherein the member information about at least one of the social network members includes a network detection portion and a security portion, and wherein the at least one of the social network members is herein denoted as a particular member;
retrieving the network detection portion for at least the particular member from the social network;
detecting that the wireless device is within range of a secure wireless network associated with the particular member, wherein the detection uses the network detection portion of the particular member as an input;
retrieving the security portion of the member information of the particular member from the social network;
deriving access information for the secure wireless network from the network detection portion and security portion of the member information;
using the access information to securely access the secure wireless network;
detecting that at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the particular member has changed and retrieving the changed at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the particular member;
using the changed at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion to derive fresh access information for the secure wireless network; and
using the fresh access information to securely access the secure wireless network.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are for automatically accessing a social network account that provides member information about each of a plurality of social network members. The member information about at least one of the social network members, denoted as a particular member, includes a network detection portion and a security portion. The network detection portion is retrieved from the social network for at least the particular member. A detection is made that the wireless device is within range of a secure wireless network associated with the particular member. The detection uses the network detection portion of the particular member as an input. The security portion of the member information of the particular member is retrieved from the social network. The security portion is used to derive access credentials for the secure wireless network. The derived access credentials are used to securely access the secure wireless network.
39 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method utilized for accessing a secure wireless network, comprising, in a wireless device:
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accessing a social network account that provides member information about each of a plurality of social network members, wherein the member information about at least one of the social network members includes a network detection portion and a security portion, and wherein the at least one of the social network members is herein denoted as a particular member; retrieving the network detection portion for at least the particular member from the social network; detecting that the wireless device is within range of a secure wireless network associated with the particular member, wherein the detection uses the network detection portion of the particular member as an input; retrieving the security portion of the member information of the particular member from the social network; deriving access information for the secure wireless network from the network detection portion and security portion of the member information; using the access information to securely access the secure wireless network; detecting that at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the particular member has changed and retrieving the changed at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the particular member; using the changed at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion to derive fresh access information for the secure wireless network; and using the fresh access information to securely access the secure wireless network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for accessing a secure wireless network, comprising, in a wireless node of the secure wireless network:
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accessing a social network account that provides member information about each of a plurality of social network members, wherein the member information about at least one of the social network members includes a network detection portion and a security portion, wherein the at least one of the social network members is herein denoted as a particular member; retrieving at least one of a network detection portion and a security portion of the member information for at least the particular member from the social network; deriving access information for the secure wireless network from the at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the member information for the particular member; using the access information to provide secure access to the secure wireless network by a first wireless device; deriving fresh access information by repeating the step of retrieving at least one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the member information of the particular member and deriving access information for the secure wireless network, wherein the repeating is in response to a determination that one of the network detection portion and the security portion of the member information of the particular member has changed; and using the fresh access information to provide secure access to the secure wireless network by a second wireless device that is not necessarily different from the first wireless device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A wireless device, comprising:
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a wireless network receiver-transmitter; a wide-area network receiver-transmitter; and a processing system coupled to the wireless network receiver-transmitter and the wide-area network receiver-transmitter, that provides functions comprising accessing a social network account that provides member information about each of a plurality of social network members, wherein the member information about at least one of the social network members includes a network detection portion and a security portion, and wherein the at least one of the social network members is herein denoted as a particular member, and wherein the social network is accessed via one of the wireless network receiver-transmitter and the wide area network receiver-transmitter, retrieving the network detection portion for at least the particular member via one of the wireless network receiver-transmitter and the wide area network receiver-transmitter from the social network, detecting that the wireless device is within range of a secure wireless network associated with the particular member, wherein the detection is based on a radio signal received by the wireless network receiver-transmitter from the wireless network, and wherein the detection uses the network detection portion of the particular member as an input, retrieving the security portion of the member information of the particular member via one of the wireless network transmitter-receiver and the wide area network connection from the social network, deriving access information for the secure wireless network from the network detection portion and security portion, and using the access information to securely access the secure wireless network. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification