Network Operator Assisted Connectivity Over a Second Network

• US 20170223616A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: HWANG, Woonhee, LASELVA, Daniela, WIGARD, Jeroen, FREDERIKSEN, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 11,399,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

There is provided a method including determining, from a plurality of groups of access points, a group of a detected access point, each group having at least one property different from another group and using threshold information associated with the determined group to determine whether to connect to a network using said detected access point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, from a plurality of groups of access points, a group of a detected access point, each group having at least one property different from another group; and

using threshold information associated with the determined group to determine whether to connect to a network using said detected access point.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one property comprises access point capability information.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein access point capability information comprises at least one of system bandwidth, number of transmitter antennas, number of receiver antennas, multiple-input multiple-output streams and a supported standard.

4. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining the group in dependence on preconfigured information.

5. A method according to claim 4, comprising receiving preconfigured information from a radio access network.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the preconfigured information comprises, for at least one group of the plurality of groups, properties associated with the group.

7. A method according to claim 2 comprising:

determining the group in dependence on capability information of the detected access point.

8. A method according to claim 2 comprising:

receiving capability information of the detected access point from one of an access point beacon and an access network query protocol.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein the preconfigured information comprises, for at least one group of the plurality of groups, identification information for access points associated with the group.

10. A method according to claim 9 comprising:

determining the group in dependence on identification information of the detected access point.

11. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving, for at least one group of the plurality of groups, threshold information associated with said group.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless local area network.

20. An apparatus comprising means for performing a method according to claim 1.

21. A computer program product for a computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of claim 1 when said product is run on the computer.

24. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program code for controlling a process to execute a process, the process comprising:

the method as claimed in claim 1.

13. A method comprising providing to a user equipment, for at least one group of a plurality of groups of access points, each group having at least one property different from another group, threshold information associated with the at least one group, said threshold information used to determine whether to connect the user equipment to a network using a detected access point.

14. A method according to claim 13 comprising:

providing preconfigured information to the user equipment, said preconfigured information used to determine the group of the detected access point.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the preconfigured information comprises, for at least one group of the plurality of groups, properties associated with the group.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein the preconfigured information comprises, for at least one group of the plurality of groups, identification information for access points associated with the group.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one property comprises access point capability information.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein access point capability information comprises at least one of system bandwidth, number of transmitter antennas, number of receiver antennas, multiple-input multiple-output streams and a supported standard.

19. A method according to claim 13 wherein the network is a wireless local area network.

25. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program code for controlling a process to execute a process, the process comprising:

the method as claimed in claim 13.

22. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

determine, from a plurality of groups of access points, a group of a detected access point, each group having at least one property different from another group; and

use threshold information associated with the determined group to determine whether to connect to a network using said detected access point.

23. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

provide to a user equipment, for at least one group of a plurality of groups of access points, each group having at least one property different from another group, threshold information associated with the at least one group, said threshold information used to determine whether to connect the user equipment to a network using a detected access point.