SERVICE-ASSISTED NETWORK ACCESS POINT SELECTION

• US 20150189584A1
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Holostov, Vladimir, Kuehnel, Thomas W., Guday, Shai, Daoud, Naile, Lamba, Tript Singh
• Application Number:
  US14/657,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20150189584A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments enable prioritization and selection of network access points (NAP) by a computing device using NAP attribute values. The computing device obtains the attribute values based on a location of the computing device and/or proximate NAPs detected by the computing device. The obtained attribute values are compared to a state of the computing device (e.g., sensor values), user preferences, or other criteria to select at least one of the NAPs for connection with the computing device. In some embodiments, a user of the computing device is presented with a list of Wi-Fi access points ranked according to relevance to the computing device and/or user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory area associated with a mobile computing device, said memory area storing attribute values corresponding to a set of network access points (NAPs); and

a processor programmed to;

obtain attribute values corresponding to one or more of the set of NAPs;

establish connection, based on the obtained attribute values, to one of the NAPs;

generate a report including at least one of a quality of service and a connection duration with the one of NAPs; and

update, based on the generated report, the attribute values corresponding to the one of the NAPs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute values corresponding to the one or more of the set of NAPs are obtained by the mobile computing device from a NAP directory service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to submit the generated report to a NAP directory service for updating the attribute values corresponding to the one of the NAPs based on the generated report.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is outside a range of at least one of the one or more of the set of NAPs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute values corresponding to the NAPs are obtained by the mobile computing device without scanning for the NAPs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

detect the one or more of the set of NAPs as proximate to the mobile computing device; and

query a NAP directory service for obtaining the attribute values corresponding to the detected NAPs.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute values stored in the memory area represent at least one of a cached attribute values observed by the mobile computing device and cached attribute values pushed by a NAP directory service.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to obtain the attribute values corresponding to the one or more of the set of NAPs from a cloud-based NAP directory service.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to filter the obtained attribute values based on a location of the mobile computing device.

10. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a computing device, attribute values corresponding to one or more of a set of network access points (NAPs);

establishing connection, based on the obtained attribute values, to one of the NAPs;

generating a report including at least a quality of service and a connection duration with the one of the NAPs; and

submitting the generated report to a NAP directory service for updating the attribute values corresponding to the one of the NAPs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the NAPs are detected by the computing device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the attribute values corresponding to the NAPs are obtained by the computing device without scanning for the NAPs.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein obtaining the attribute values comprises pre-fetching the attribute values.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the NAP directory service determines the generated report to be reliable, for updating the attribute values, based on at least a number of reports submitted previously by the computing device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the NAP directory service further:

aggregates the attribute values from a plurality of computing devices; and

shares at least a portion of the aggregated attribute values with one or more NAP providers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least a portion of the aggregated attribute values are shared in response to one or more queries from the one or more NAP providers.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the shared attribute values are anonymized by the NAP directory service.

18. One or more computer storage media embodying computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor associated with a computing device, perform operations comprising:

obtaining, by the computing device, attribute values corresponding to one or more of a set of network access points (NAPs);

establishing a connection, based on the obtained attribute values, to one of the NAPs;

generating a report describing at least a quality of service and a connection duration with the one of the NAPs; and

submitting the generated report to a NAP directory service for updating the attribute values corresponding to the one of the NAPs.

19. The computer storage media of claim 18, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

aggregating the attribute values from a plurality of other computing devices; and

sharing at least a portion of the aggregated attribute values with one or more NAP providers.

20. The computer storage media of claim 19, wherein the at least a portion of the aggregated attribute values are shared in response to one or more queries from the NAP providers.