Wireless information processing terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 6,233,452 B1
• Filed: 07/02/1998
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nishino, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Application Number:
  US09/109,568
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/246, 370/352, 370/393, 370/913, 455/432, 455/434, 455/439, 455/62, 455/465, 455/422, 455/428, 455/456, 455/433, 455/435, 455/440, 341/22
• US Class Current: 455/435.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

An improved wireless information processing apparatus that is connectable to an appropriate one of the access points prepared by an internet provider even under a mobile environment. A terminal and method of operation whereby a user of the terminal requests connection to the Internet, the terminal extracts a CS-ID from notification information transmitted from a wireless base station and, then, retrieves its own association table to acquire a telephone number of an access point nearest to the current location. Then, the terminal dials-up to the acquired access point to establish an internet connection. As a result, the terminal is allowed to download an electronic mail destined therefor, a Web page (HTML file or the like) stored in a disk of a given Web server and the like. Alternatively, the terminal is allowed to transmit data contained therein (or a file and/or an electronic mail edited on this terminal) to another computer system connected to the Internet, or to upload such data to a disk of a given Web server.

Claims

1. A wireless information processing terminal which is movable across a plurality of wireless cells, and executes a wireless data exchange operation with a wireless base station serving one of said wireless cells where said terminal currently resides, comprising:

communication means for executing a communication with a wireless base station;

means for extracting a base station-ID from data received from a wireless base station;

memory means for storing records representing associations between the base station-IDs and the nearest access points of a provider;

access point retrieving means for accessing said memory means and attempting to retrieve the record of one of the access points associated with a current wireless base station;

means, responsive to successful finding of said record for attempting to establish a connection to the retrieved access point;

user input means for receiving user input;

prompt means, responsive to unsuccessful finding of said record in said table, for prompting a user to enter information about an access point; and

registration means for registering a record for associating the entered access point with its base station-ID into said memory means.

2. A wireless information processing terminal which is movable across a plurality of wireless cells, and executes a wireless data exchange operation with a wireless base station serving one of said wireless cells where said terminal currently resides, comprising:

communication means for executing a communication with a wireless base station;

display means for displaying processed data;

means for extracting a base station-ID from data received from a wireless base station;

memory means for storing records comprising associations between the base station-IDs and the nearest access points of a provider;

access point retrieving means for accessing said memory means and for attempting to retrieve the record of one of the access points associated with a current wireless base station;

means, responsive to successful finding of said record for attempting to establish a connection to the retrieved access point;

means, responsive to successful finding of said record for attempting to establish a connection to the retrieved access point;

user input means for receiving user input;

prompt means, responsive to unsuccessful finding of said record in said table, for prompting a user to enter information about an access point;

registration means for registering a record for associating the entered access point with its base station-ID into said memory means;

data download means for downloading data through the connected access point; and

display control means for causing said display means to display the downloaded data.

3. A wireless information processing terminal which is movable across a plurality of wireless cells, and executes a wireless data exchange operation with a wireless base station serving one of said wireless cells where said terminal currently resides, comprising:

communication means for executing a communication with a wireless base station;

display means for displaying processed data;

means for extracting a base station-ID from data received from a wireless base station;

memory means for storing associations between the base station-IDs and telephone numbers of the nearest access points of an internet provider;

access point retrieving means for accessing said memory means and for attempting to retrieve the telephone number of an access point associated with the current wireless base station;

means, responsive to successful finding of said telephone number for attempting to establish a connection to the retrieved access point;

user input means for receiving user input;

prompt means, responsive to unsuccessful finding of said telephone number in said table, for prompting a user to enter information about an access point;

registration means for registering a record for associating the entered access point with its base station-ID into said memory means;

data download means for downloading Web data through the dialed access point; and

display control means for causing said display means to display the downloaded Web data.

4. A method of controlling a wireless information processing terminal which is movable across a plurality of wireless cells, said terminal having a table for describing associations between base station-IDs and the nearest access points of a provider, and input means for entering data and of executing a wireless data exchange operation with a wireless base station serving one of said wireless cells where said terminal currently resides, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving notification information from a wireless base station serving one of said wireless cells where said terminal currently resides;

extracting a base station-ID from said received notification information;

retrieving said table to acquire one of the access points associated with the base station-ID;

responding to successful finding of said record relating to the base station-ID in said table for attempting to establish a connection to the access point described in said record;

responding to unsuccessful finding of said record relating to the base station-ID in said table for prompting a user to enter information about an access point;

registering a record for associating the entered access point with the base station-I-D into said table; and

attempting to establish a connection to the acquired access point.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said terminal further comprises display means for displaying data and wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

subsequent to establishment of the connection, downloading data through the connected access point; and

causing said display means to display the downloaded data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said retrieving comprises retrieving said table to acquire a telephone number of an access point associated with the base station-ID;

and further comprising the steps of;

dialing to the acquired telephone number of said access point;

subsequent to establishment of a connection, downloading Web data through the connected access point; and

causing said display means to display the downloaded Web data.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said terminal further comprises display means for displaying data, further comprising the steps of:

subsequent to establishment of the connection, downloading data through the connected access point; and

causing said display means to display the downloaded data.

8. A computer readable storage medium for storing in a tangible form a computer program executable on a wireless information processing terminal which is movable across a plurality of wireless cells, said terminal having a table for describing associations between base station-IDs and the nearest access points of a provider and input means for entering data, and for executing a wireless data exchange operation with a wireless base station serving one of said wireless cells where said terminal currently resides, said computer program comprising:

a routine for receiving notification information from a wireless base station serving one of said wireless cells where said terminal currently resides;

a routine for extracting a base station-ID from said received notification information;

a routine for retrieving said table to acquire one of the access points associated with the base station-ID;

a routine, being responsive to successful finding of said record relating to the base station-ID in said table, for attempting to establish a connection to the access point described in said record;

a routine, being responsive to unsuccessful finding of said record relating to the base station-ID in said table, for prompting a user to enter information about an access point; and

a routine for registering a record for associating the entered access point with the base station-ID into said table.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein said terminal additionally comprises at least one display means, said method further comprising:

a routine, being operative subsequent to establishment of the connection, for downloading data through the connected access point; and

a routine for causing said display means to display the downloaded data.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein said terminal further comprises display means for displaying data wherein said routine for retrieving comprises a routine for retrieving said table to acquire a telephone number of an access point associated with the base station-ID;

and wherein said routine for attempting comprises a routine for dialing to the acquired telephone number of said access point;

further comprising;

a routine, being operative subsequent to establishment of a connection, for downloading Web data through the connected access point; and

a routine for causing said display means to display the downloaded Web data.