Advertisement and distribution of notifications in a wireless local area network (WLAN)

• US 8,442,024 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Montemurro, Michael Peter, McCann, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Brenda H
• Application Number:
  US12/780,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20110280231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/349, 370/310.2, 370/328, 370/338, 370/346
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• 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 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

An Access Point (AP) advertises the availability of notifications, and this advertisement may be received and interpreted by stations (STAs), both by associated STAs and by non-associated STAs. Upon being informed of the availability of the notification message, a STA may take action in order to receive the notification message from the AP. Alternatively, the STA may be able to identify the notification message by analyzing the advertisement. If the contents of the notification message comprise a control message, the STA may act on the control message in a way that influences the STA'"'"'s behavior. If the contents of the notification message indicate restrictions imposed by the AP, the STA may determine, in view of the restrictions, not to attempt association with the AP.

Claims

1. A method for handling a received advertisement of a notification, the method to be performed in a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA), the method comprising:

receiving a downlink frame including a notification information element that includes a notification identifier; and

checking whether the notification identifier was previously received by the WLAN STA and attempting to retrieve a notification message corresponding to the notification identifier when the notification identifier was not previously received.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a list of active notifications is stored and the active notifications include a notification having the notification identifier and the notification message, further wherein the checking whether the notification identifier was previously received comprises checking whether the notification identifier is on the list of active notifications.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the WLAN STA is not associated with a WLAN access point (AP) that sent the downlink frame, and wherein attempting to retrieve the notification message comprises:

transmitting in a manner receivable by the WLAN AP an Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) query.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the WLAN STA is associated with a WLAN access point (AP) that sent the downlink frame, and wherein attempting to retrieve the notification message comprises:

invoking a notification application installed in the WLAN STA to retrieve the notification message.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the notification identifier was not previously received by the WLAN STA, the method further comprising:

analyzing the notification identifier to derive the notification message from the notification identifier.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the notification identifier was not previously received by the WLAN STA, the method further comprising:

storing a set of notification messages; and

analyzing the notification identifier to determine which, if any, of the notification messages in the set corresponds to the notification identifier.

7. A wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) comprising:

an antenna;

a WLAN interface coupled to the antenna;

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a control application, which, when executed by the processor, acts on a notification message for which an advertisement was received by the WLAN interface, wherein the advertisement comprised a notification information element that included a notification identifier corresponding to the notification message; and

an audio output element coupled to the processor that receives an alert from the control application upon receipt of the notification message.

8. The WLAN STA as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control application mutes audio from the audio output element based on the alert.

9. The WLAN STA as claimed in claim 7, wherein the audio output element further comprises:

a vibrating component coupled to the processor, wherein the control application causes the vibrating component to vibrate based on the alert.

10. A method for handling a received advertisement of a notification, the method to be performed in a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA), the method comprising:

receiving a downlink frame including a notification information element that includes a notification identifier; and

checking whether the notification identifier was previously received by the WLAN STA and attempting to retrieve a notification message corresponding to the notification identifier when the notification identifier was not previously received; and

transmitting, when the WLAN STA is not associated with a WLAN access point (AP), an advertisement that includes the notification identifier.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a list of active notifications is stored and the active notifications include a notification having the notification identifier and the notification message, further wherein the checking whether the notification identifier was previously received comprises checking whether the notification identifier is on the list of active notifications.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitting is in a manner receivable by the WLAN AP and wherein the advertisement comprises an Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) query.