Transmitting a communication from a wireless access point indicating available networks and their capabilities

• US 7,876,735 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Timothy M., Alam, Mohammad Shabbir, Krantz, Anton W., Niikkonen, Ari Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US11/193,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20070025371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• 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 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless access point may be configured to advertise, to mobile user devices, multiple wireless networks available through the wireless access point. For example, service set identifiers (SSIDs) may be specified within an information element (IE) of a communication such as, for example, an 802.11 beacon, broadcasted to mobile user devices. Such an IE may utilize the capability provided by IEEE 802.11 itself to use additional and flexible numbers of information elements within a beacon. Accordingly, networks that would otherwise remain hidden due to limitations of known wireless access points are made visible to mobile user devices. Configuring a wireless access point to advertise multiple available wireless networks, for example, by firmware upgrades, may serve as a viable and cost-effective interim solution and/or alternative to replacing a wireless access point with a wireless access point configured to implement virtual wireless access points.

Claims

1. A communication protocol for communicating between a wireless access point of a communications network and a mobile user device, the protocol comprising acts, performed by the mobile user device, of:

(A) prior to the mobile user device attempting to establish a connection to the wireless access point, receiving a single beacon communication from the wireless access point communicating the availability of multiple wireless networks through the wireless access point, the single beacon communication comprising;

a first information element specifying a service set identifier for a first wireless network of the multiple wireless networks, whether the first wireless network provides wireless provisioning information, and whether the first wireless network provides security in accordance with a particular wireless security technology; and

a second information element specifying a service set identifier for each of one or more other wireless networks of the multiple wireless networks, whether each of the one or more other wireless networks provides wireless provisioning information, and whether each of the one or more other wireless networks provides security in accordance with a particular wireless security technology; and

(B) using at least the information in the single beacon communication specifying whether the first wireless network and the one or more other wireless networks provides wireless provisioning information and whether the first wireless network and the one or more other wireless networks provides security in accordance with a particular wireless security technology to automatically, without user intervention, select one of the multiple wireless networks with which to connect.

2. The communication protocol of claim 1, wherein the act (A) comprises specifying, within the single beacon communication, whether the first wireless network and the one or more other wireless networks provides wireless provisioning information in accordance with Wireless Provisioning Services.

3. The communication protocol of claim 1, wherein the single beacon communication complies with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

4. The communication protocol of claim 1, further comprising an act, performed subsequent to the act (B), of establishing a network connection to the one wireless network selected in (B).

5. A system for communicating on a communications network, the system comprising:

a wireless access point operative to transmit a single beacon communication, to at least one mobile user device, communicating the availability of multiple wireless networks through the wireless access point, the single beacon communication comprising;

a first information element specifying a service set identifier for a first wireless network of the multiple wireless networks, whether the first wireless network provides wireless provisioning information, and whether the first wireless network provides security in accordance with a particular wireless security technology; and

a second information element specifying a service set identifier for each of one or more other wireless networks of the multiple wireless networks, whether each of the one or more other wireless networks provides wireless provisioning information, and whether each of the one or more other wireless networks provides security in accordance with a particular wireless security technology;

wherein the wireless access point is further operative to connect a mobile user device that receives the single beacon communication to a selected one of the multiple wireless networks, the one wireless network being selected automatically, without user intervention, on a basis of at least the information in the single beacon communication specifying whether the first wireless network and the one or more other wireless networks provides wireless provisioning information and whether the first wireless network and the one or more other wireless networks provides security in accordance with a particular wireless security technology.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless access point is operative to specify, within the single beacon communication, whether the first wireless network and the one or more other wireless networks provides wireless provisioning information in accordance with Wireless Provisioning Services.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the single beacon communication complies with an IEEE 802.11 standard.