Wireless information transmitting system, radio communication method, radio station, and radio terminal device

• US 7,362,736 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2003
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mondesir; Abdias
• Application Number:
  US10/489,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20040240411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/338, 455/410, 455/411, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/438
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0038 of security context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Movable wireless terminals are connected to wireless stations. The wireless stations periodically transmit beacons that contain domain information of access networks that the wireless stations provide. Before the wireless terminals move, they receive beacons from the wireless stations to which they will be probably connected to next based on their position and obtain the domain information from the beacons. As a result, the wireless terminals are capable of detecting their own moving granularities. In accordance with the moving granularities, the wireless terminals determine whether authentication information should be transferred to wireless stations to which the wireless terminals will be probably connected next or that an authenticating server should newly perform an authenticating process for the wireless terminals after they are connected to the next wireless stations.

Claims

1. A wireless information transferring system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless stations;

a wireless terminal configured to be wirelessly connectable to the plurality of wireless stations;

a router configured to connect the plurality of wireless stations and a network; and

an authenticating server configured to authenticate the wireless terminal,

wherein the wireless stations are configured to periodically transmit beacons that contain domain information identifying access networks that the wireless stations provide,

wherein when a particular wireless terminal is in a handover condition requiring a handover from a present wireless station currently connected to the particular wireless terminal to a handover wireless station, the particular wireless terminal is configured to receive a beacon from the handover wireless station before the handover to obtain domain information of the handover wireless station from the beacon, to determine that authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station when the domain information of the handover wireless station is identical to the domain information of the present wireless station, or to determine that the authenticating server should newly perform an authenticating process relative to the particular wireless terminal after it is connected to the handover wireless station when the domain information of the handover wireless station is not identical to the domain information of the present wireless station,

wherein when the determined result represents that the authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station, the authentication information is transferred to the handover wireless station, and

wherein when the determined result represents that the authenticating server should newly perform the authenticating process for the particular wireless terminal after the particular wireless terminal is connected to the handover wireless station, the authenticating server newly performs the authenticating process for the particular wireless terminal after it is connected to the handover wireless station.

2. The wireless information transferring system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein when the authentication information has been transferred to the handover wireless station, the handover wireless station is configured to wirelessly communicate with the particular wireless terminal after the handover using the transferred authentication information.

3. The wireless information transferring system as set forth in claim 1,

wherein when the authentication information transferred to the handover wireless station contains encryption information for a wireless region after the authentication information has been transferred to the handover wireless station, the handover wireless station is configured to wirelessly communicate with the particular wireless terminal after the handover using the transmitted encryption information.

4. A wireless communicating method for a wireless information transferring system having a plurality of wireless stations;

a wireless terminal being wirelessly connectable to the plurality of wireless stations;

a router for connecting the plurality of wireless stations with a network; and

an authenticating server for authenticating the wireless terminal, the wireless communicating method comprising;

causing the wireless stations to periodically transmit beacons that contain domain information of access networks that the wireless stations provide;

determining that a particular wireless network connected to a present wireless station is in a handover condition requiring the particular wireless network connection to be changed to a connection with a handover wireless station;

causing the particular wireless terminal to receive a beacon from the handover wireless station to obtain domain information of the handover wireless station from the beacon;

determining that authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station when the domain information obtained from the beacon of the handover wireless station is identical to the domain information of the present wireless station or that the authenticating server should newly perform an authenticating process for the particular wireless terminal after handover when the particular wireless terminal is connected to the handover wireless station based on the domain information obtained from the beacon of the handover wireless station not being identical to the domain information of the present wireless station;

transferring the authentication information to the handover wireless station when the determined result represents that the authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station; and

causing the authenticating server to newly perform an authenticating process relative to the particular wireless terminal, when the determined result represents that the authenticating server should newly perform the authenticating process for the particular wireless terminal after handover when the particular wireless terminal is connected to the handover wireless station.

5. The wireless communicating method as set forth in claim 4,

wherein the authentication information transferred to the handover wireless station contains encryption information for a wireless region.

6. The wireless communicating method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

causing the handover wireless station to wirelessly communicate with the particular wireless terminal using the transferred authentication information when the authentication information has been transferred to the handover wireless station.

7. The wireless communicating method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

causing the handover wireless station to wirelessly communicate with the particular wireless terminal using encryption information when the authentication information transferred to the wireless station contains encryption information relative to a wireless region after the authentication information has been transferred to the handover wireless station.

8. A wireless terminal apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a beacon from a handover wireless station when the wireless terminal apparatus is in a communication condition indicating that a handover from the present wireless station that the wireless terminal apparatus is currently connected to is needed to prevent a loss of communication;

means for obtaining domain information of the handover wireless station from the beacon and determining that authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station when the domain information obtained from the beacon of the handover wireless station is identical to the domain information of the present wireless station or determining that an authenticating server should newly perform an authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus after it is connected to the handover wireless station based on the domain information obtained from the beacon of the handover wireless station being different from the domain information of the present wireless station;

means for transmitting the authentication information to the handover wireless station when the determined result represents that the authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station; and

means for causing the authenticating server to newly perform the authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus after it is connected to the handover wireless station when the determined result represents that the authenticating server should newly perform the authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus.

9. A wireless terminal apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a beacon from a handover wireless station when the wireless terminal apparatus is in a communication condition indicating that a handover from the present wireless station that the wireless terminal apparatus is currently connected to is needed to prevent a loss of communication;

means for obtaining domain information of the handover wireless station from the beacon and determining whether authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station or that an authenticating server should newly perform an authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus after it is connected to the handover wireless station;

means for transmitting the authentication information to the handover wireless station when the determined result represents that the authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station; and

means for causing the authenticating server to newly perform the authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus after it is connected to the handover wireless station when the determined result represents that the authenticating server should newly perform the authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus,

wherein when the authentication information has been transferred to the handover wireless station, the authenticating process for the handover wireless station is omitted.

10. A wireless terminal apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a beacon from a handover wireless station when the wireless terminal apparatus is in a communication condition indicating that a handover from the present wireless station that the wireless terminal apparatus is currently connected to is needed to prevent a loss of communication;

means for obtaining domain information of the handover wireless station from the beacon and determining whether authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station or that an authenticating server should newly perform an authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus after it is connected to the handover wireless station;

means for transmitting the authentication information to the handover wireless station when the determined result represents that the authentication information should be transferred to the handover wireless station; and

means for causing the authenticating server to newly perform the authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus after it is connected to the handover wireless station when the determined result represents that the authenticating server should newly perform the authenticating process for the wireless terminal apparatus,

wherein when the authentication information transferred to the handover wireless station contains encryption information for a wireless region, the wireless terminal apparatus is configured to wirelessly communicate with the handover wireless station with the same encryption information as the present wireless station.