METHODS AND APPARATUS TO REGISTER WITH EXTERNAL NETWORKS IN WIRELESS NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20140192794A1
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Montemurro, Michael, McCann, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 9,113,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to register a device at a wireless local area network are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves receiving a registration request from the device, and sending a response to the device in response to the registration request, the response including one or more registration plans associated with registering the device for network access via the wireless local area network. The example method also involves receiving registration information from the device, the registration information associated with one of the one or more registration plans selected by the device.

Claims

1. A method to register a device with a service provider, the method comprising:

receiving a registration request from the device;

sending a response to the device in response to the registration request, the response including one or more registration plans associated with registering the device with the service provider to obtain network access; and

receiving registration information from the device, the registration information associated with one of the one or more registration plans selected by the device.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the registration information from the device is responsive to the response sent to the device.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising receiving an identifier of a registration plan selected from the one or more registration plans.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 further comprising sending a message to the service provider via the wireless local area network, the message comprising at least the identifier of the selected registration plan and the registration information.

5. A method as defined in claim 4 further comprising receiving, from an external network, a registration status associated with the selected registration plan and the registration information, the registration status being indicative of whether the device is successfully registered with the external network.

6. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the service provider is in an external network that operates based on subscription-based services available to the device based on the one or more registration plans.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a provisioning request from the device; and

sending, in response to the provisioning request, a provisioning status indicative of whether the device is successfully provisioned with the service provider via the wireless local area network.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more registration plans are associated with registering the device with the service provider via the wireless local area network.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more registration plans are in an extensible markup language (XML) format.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the registration information from the device comprises receiving the registration information using an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) method.

11. An apparatus to register a device with a service provider, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a registration request from the device;

send a response to the device in response to the registration request, the response including one or more registration plans associated with registering the device with the service provider to obtain network access; and

receive registration information from the device, the registration information associated with one of the one or more registration plans selected by the device.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the registration information from the device is responsive to the response sent to the device.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to receive an identifier of a registration plan selected from the one or more registration plans.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to send a message to the service provider via the wireless local area network, the message comprising at least the identifier of the selected registration plan and the registration information.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to receive, from an external network, a registration status associated with the selected registration plan and the registration information, the registration status being indicative of whether the device is successfully registered with the external network.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the service provider is in an external network that operates based on subscription-based services available to the device based on the one or more registration plans.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a provisioning request from the device; and

send, in response to the provisioning request, a provisioning status indicative of whether the device is successfully provisioned with the service provider via the wireless local area network.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the one or more registration plans are associated with registering the device with the service provider via the wireless local area network.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the one or more registration plans are in an extensible markup language (XML) format.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to receive the registration information from the device by receiving the registration information using an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) method.