System and method for provisioning a wireless networking connection

• US 8,086,267 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Joh, Brian Woogeun, Ross, Joseph N., Santori, Nello Joseph Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US12/388,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20100210302A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/466, 455/410, 455/406, 455/557, 455/414.1, 455/560, 370/311, 370/401, 370/338, 709/206, 709/226, 348/207.1, 348/E5.042
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

A vehicle communication system includes a processor that may query a wireless device to determine, among other things, a carrier identity. The carrier identity is the identity of the service provider for the wireless device. If the carrier identity is known, the processor may use a lookup table to determine an access phone number (APN) and a user name and password for provisioning a wireless internet connection through the wireless device. If the carrier identity is unknown, or if more than one APN and/or user name/password combination are associated with a given carrier, the processor is operable to perform a guess and check process to determine the appropriate provisioning information.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system, including:

a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory;

a transceiver capable of communicating with one or more wireless devices and in communication with the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to query a wireless device in communication with the processor through the transceiver to obtain wireless device information;

wherein the processor is configured to determine a carrier identity for a service provider for the wireless device based at least in part on the wireless device information;

wherein the processor is further configured to determine information for provisioning a connection to a remote network through the wireless device, based at least in part on the carrier identity;

wherein the processor is configured to connect to the remote network over the connection through the wireless device after provisioning the connection to the wireless device using the provisioning information;

wherein the processor is configured to determine the provisioning information by testing a plurality of provisioning information sets, associated with the carrier identity, against the wireless device;

wherein the processor is further configured to determine a carrier identity based on a hands free profile (HFP) received as at least a portion of the wireless device information in response to the query;

wherein the processor is further configured to receive a carrier string as part of the HFP, which may identify a service provider for the wireless device;

wherein, if the carrier string does not identify the service provider for the wireless device, the processor is configured to query a user for the carrier identity;

wherein the processor is configured to retrieve an APN from a profile, residing in at least one of persistent or non-persistent memory, and associated with the wireless device; and

wherein the processor is configured to retrieve a user name and/or password from a profile, residing in at least one of persistent or non-persistent memory, and associated with the wireless device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, if the query does not provide sufficient information for the processor to determine the carrier identity, the processor is configured to query a user for the carrier identity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine an access phone number (APN) as part of the provisioning information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to automatically determine a user name and password as part of the provisioning information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to access a lookup table, residing in at least one of the persistent and non-persistent memory, to determine the provisioning information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the lookup table contains a plurality of APN and user name/password pairings.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to store, in persistent and/or non-persistent memory, an APN, the APN being stored in a profile associated with the wireless device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to store, in persistent and/or non-persistent memory, a user name and password, the user name and password being stored in a profile associated with the wireless device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection to the remote network through the wireless device is a wide-band connection.

10. A vehicle communication system, including:

a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory;

a transceiver capable of communicating with one or more wireless devices and in communication with the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to query a wireless device in communication with the processor through the transceiver to obtain wireless device information;

wherein the processor is configured to test a plurality of provisioning information sets stored in persistent and/or non-persistent memory to determine provisioning information for provisioning a connection to a remote network through the wireless device; and

wherein the processor is configured to connect to the remote network over the connection through the wireless device after provisioning the connection to the wireless device using the provisioning information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a carrier identity, and wherein the plurality of provisioning information sets are provisioning information sets associated with a carrier identity.

12. A vehicle system, including:

a processor in communication with memory;

a transceiver for wireless device communication in communication with the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to query a wireless device through a connection established over the transceiver to determine a carrier identity and to determine connection provisioning information by testing a plurality of carrier identity associated provisioning information sets against the wireless device, the processor being further configured to connect to a remote network over a connection provisioned using the provisioning information;

wherein the processor is further configured to determine a carrier identity based on a hands free profile (HFP) received as at least a portion of the wireless device information in response to the query;

wherein the processor is further configured to receive a carrier string as part of the HFP, which may identify a service provider for the wireless device;

wherein, if the carrier string does not identify the service provider for the wireless device, the processor is configured to query a user for the carrier identity;

wherein the processor is configured to retrieve an APN from a profile, residing in at least one of persistent or non-persistent memory, and associated with the wireless device; and

wherein the processor is configured to retrieve a user name and/or password from a profile, residing in at least one of persistent or non-persistent memory, and associated with the wireless device.