Mobile connectivity solution

• US 7,620,065 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Marketing Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trellia Networks, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Falardeau, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boakye; Alexander
• Application Number:
  US11/188,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20070019670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/338, 370/392, 370/401, 370/230, 370/400, 370/389, 370/339, 370/341, 370/349, 370/471, 370/356, 370/902, 370/395.52, 455/41.2, 455/557, 709/219, 709/227
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A method and application for selecting a network from one or more candidate networks is disclosed. Information is gathered from one or more database relating to each of the one or more candidate networks and is harmonized in relation to an associated network type. The harmonized information is evaluated to allocate a weight to each of the candidate networks. The weight represents the desirability of each of the candidate networks. The required resources to connect to each of the candidate networks are determined from information contained within the service-provider database, from information obtained by the end-user, and by self-adaptive learning algorithms. At least one of the candidate networks is selected based on the allocated weight of the candidate network and the application attempts to connect to the candidate network. The method and application incorporates the ability to control and integrate a plurality of services on a user device via the candidate network.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a network from one or more candidate networks accessible to a mobile device, the method comprising:

gathering, via a location inference engine of the mobile device, information relating to each of the one or more candidate networks accessible to the mobile device, the information being gathered from a service-provider database, a user-preferences database, an accumulated-experience database, or any combination thereof;

harmonizing the gathered information in relation to an associated network type;

evaluating, via a rule-based candidate selector of the mobile device, the harmonized information to allocate a weight to each of the candidate networks, the weight representing the desirability of each of the candidate networks;

determining, via an interface provider, the required resources to connect the mobile device to each of the candidate networks from information contained within the service-provider database, from information obtained by the end-user, and by self adaptive learning algorithms; and

selecting at least one of the candidate networks to attempt to connect the mobile device based on the allocated weight of the candidate network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising reevaluating the one or more candidate networks as the information relating to the one or more candidate networks changes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information gathered includes a media type, a network speed, and a signal threshold for the one or more candidate networks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information gathered includes a level of security and an availability of credentials for the one or more candidate networks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information gathered includes a rate of success, a level of user intervention, and a current connection state for the one or more candidate networks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognizable network types include at least a local area network, a wireless local area network, third-generation wireless, wireless fidelity, and dial-up.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the numerical weight allocated to each of the one or more candidate networks is determined by summing individual pieces of normalized information.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising connecting to a preferred network selected from the one or more candidate networks.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more candidate network allocated the highest numerical weight is the preferred network.

10. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a processor to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A method to control and integrate a plurality of services on a user device, the method comprising:

determining a mobile-device connectivity context, the plurality of services to integrate being dependent on the connectivity context;

defining each of the plurality of services by a set of preconditions to be satisfied and by a set of resources to be launched;

transforming each of the set of preconditions into a set of goals to be monitored;

monitoring the goals utilizing specialized monitoring components; and

launching the appropriate resources once the goals have been satisfied;

wherein each of the plurality of service definitions is contained within an updatable service database, the updatable service database including the set of preconditions and the set of resources for each of the plurality of services.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of service definitions are provided by one or more of a service provider, an administrator of the user device, or an end-user.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the launching of the appropriate resources includes stopping conflicting services.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the launching of the appropriate resources includes switching to alternative resources.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a system-specific application program interface for launching the appropriate resources.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising suspending and resuming the appropriate resources enabling network flow-control and smoother recovery after a loss of communication with a network.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of resources to be launched include executables, dynamic libraries, active components, virtual private network clients, and special routing entries to be maintained.

18. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer executable instructions for directing a processor to perform the method of claim 11.

19. A method for connecting to a network on a plurality of mobile devices, the method comprising:

accumulating statistics and location information on a first mobile device, the statistics and location information relating to a plurality of networks accessible to the mobile device;

communicating the accumulated information to a logically centralized database;

distributing the accumulated information stored in the central database to the plurality of mobile devices to provide the plurality of mobile devices with up-to-date connection rules for connecting to the previously located plurality of networks; and

connecting one or more of the plurality of mobile devices to one of the plurality of networks utilizing the connection rules distributed from the central database.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the accumulated information includes information relating to one or more of a group that includes actual network speed, difficulty of connection by the first mobile device, stability of connection, local network congestion, media-access-control address for the first mobile device when the first mobile device attempts to spoof, method of authentication, and fees incurred.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the central database is located on the first mobile device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of mobile devices is one or more mobile device operated by a same end-user as the first mobile device.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the accumulated information is provided to a service provider to measure the level of quality offered by a partner network.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the accumulated information includes subjective information and free-form information input by an end-user.

25. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a processor to perform the method of claim 19.