Service discovery in a wireless communication system

• US 8,787,965 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sinivaara, Hasse
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Ankur
• Application Number:
  US10/575,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,896 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/552.1, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/412.2, 455/557, 455/574
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• 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 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for discovering services for a wireless multimode terminal with a plurality of radio interfaces. In order to improve the efficiency of a wireless multimode terminal in terms of power consumption and user-friendliness, an indication is sent to a multimode terminal in the mobile network, the indication indicating that services may be locally available for the multimode terminal via at least one short-range wireless network. The indication is received in the multimode terminal, and information is collected, based on the indication, about services available via at least one short-range wireless network. Based on the information collected, a service list is then compiled, the list describing at least one service available locally in one or more short-range wireless networks.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile network, an indication at a multimode terminal operably connected to the mobile network, the indication indicating that services may be locally available via at least one short-range wireless network, wherein the indication comprises multiple bits, which in combination of the multiple bits indicate one or more of the following;

type of the at least short-range wireless network, transmit power allowed in the multimode terminal, a channel to be selected by multimode terminal, an IP address from which the multimode terminal may obtain further information about the locally available services, and a network address pointing to a source of service information;

based on the indication, collecting service information about services for the multimode terminal available through at least one short-range radio interface of the multimode terminal, wherein said collecting service information comprises;

the multimode terminal activating the at least one short-range radio interface, searching for one or more compliant networks, and receiving and storing network-specific information if a compliant network is found, and inactivating the at least one short-range radio interface if no compliant network is found; and

based on the service information collected, compiling a service list describing at least one service available through the at least one short-range radio interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the collecting comprises:

attempting to detect at least one of the at least one short-range wireless network through at least one short-range radio interface of the multimode terminal; and

gathering the service information through the at least one short-range radio interface.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the attempting and gathering are performed for one short-range radio interface at a time.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising controlling the multimode terminal to a power save state with respect to a short-range radio interface after service information is collected through that short-range radio interface, or when no network is detected through that short-range radio interface.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the attempting includes attempting to detect short-range wireless networks corresponding to all short-range radio interfaces of the multimode terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing user preference data in the multimode terminal;

based on the preference data and the service information collected, selecting one short-range wireless network; and

establishing communications with the short-range wireless network selected.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication received from the mobile network includes instructive information for the collecting of said service information.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the instructive information comprises at least one network address.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the service information is collected through a radio interface by which the multimode terminal is operably connected to the mobile network.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the collecting comprises:

extracting the at least one network address from the indication; and

gathering the service information based on the at least one network address.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network address is an internet protocol address.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the instructive information indicates at least one short-range radio interface for each service available locally.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the collecting comprises:

attempting to detect at least one of the at least one short-range wireless network through at least one of the at least one short-range radio interface indicated by the instructive information; and

gathering the service information through the at least one of the at least one short-range radio interface.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting the service list to a user of the multimode terminal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the compiling comprises compiling the service list according to user preference data.

16. The method of according to claim 14, wherein the presenting comprises presenting a required connectivity standard for each of the at least one service.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising querying the user of the multimode terminal when any of the at least one service is to be accessed.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the service list comprises service providers corresponding to the at least one service.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the indication as part of system information sent from the mobile network.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising maintaining a service database in the mobile network, the service database comprising service-related data for the indication.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising inactivating the at least one short-range radio interface if the searching is complete.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a first radio interface operably connectable to a mobile network;

at least one short-range radio interface,

a receiver configured to receive an indication, from the mobile network, through the first radio interface, the indication indicating that services may be locally available for the apparatus via at least one short-range wireless network, wherein the indication comprises multiple bits, which in combination of the multiple bits indicate one or more of the following;

type of the at least short-range wireless network, transmit power allowed in the apparatus, a channel to be selected by the apparatus, an IP address from which the apparatus may obtain further information about the locally available services, and a network address pointing to a source of service information; and

a controller configured to collect service information about services available via at least one of the at least one short-range wireless network, wherein said collecting service information comprises;

activating the at least one short-range radio interface, searching for one or more compliant networks, and receiving and storing network-specific information if a compliant network is found, and inactivating the at least one short-range radio interface if no compliant network is found; and

compile a service list based on the service information collected, the service list describing at least one service available via the at least one of the at least one short-range wireless network.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the indication as part of system information sent to terminals in the mobile network.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the indication comprises instructive information for the collecting of said service information.

25. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the service list comprises information about a connectivity standard for the at least one service.

26. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the apparatus is configured to attempt to detect the at least one of the at least one short-range wireless network in response to the indication.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the apparatus is configured to activate one short-range radio interface at a time.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the apparatus is further configured to control an activated short-range radio interface to a power save state after service information is collected through the activated short-range radio interface or when no network is detected through the activated short-range radio interface.

29. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the apparatus is configured to retrieve the service information from a network address included in the indication.