Channel scanning

• US 8,976,735 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shmidt, Dmitry
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belur, Deepa
• Application Number:
  US14/020,211
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/310, 455/434, 455/452.1, 455/456.1, 455/457
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for channel scanning. In one aspect, a method includes, while maintaining an association with a first access point on a first channel during first, second, and third consecutive time slices: (i) monitoring, by a client device, a single second channel during the first time slice and the third time slice, and (ii) monitoring, by the client device, the first channel during the second time slice; receiving a beacon from a second access point during the first time slice or the third time slice; and determining a property of the client device or the second access point using the beacon, without using the beacon to determine whether to establish an association with the second access point.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

alternating, in a series of multiple consecutive time periods, between monitoring a first channel with a transceiver of a client device during one of the consecutive time periods and monitoring a second channel with the transceiver during another of the consecutive time periods;

while maintaining a logical association between the client device and a first access point on the first channel, receiving, by the client device, a beacon over the second channel from a second access point without establishing a logical association between the client device and the second access point; and

determining a property of the client device using the beacon received over the second channel from the second access point while maintaining the logical connection between the client device and the first access point, and without establishing a logical connection between the client device and the second access point.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the second channel with the transceiver comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration different from a duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration longer than the duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration at least twice the duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration approximately five times the duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the second channel with the transceiver comprises monitoring the second channel in time periods that each have a duration greater than a beacon transmission interval of the first access point.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein monitoring the second channel with the transceiver comprises monitoring the second channel in time periods that each have a duration less than an association timeout interval of the first access point.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting information from the received beacon;

receiving a query;

transmitting the extracted information and the query to a server system over a network; and

receiving, over the network, a web page comprising data generated using the extracted information and the query.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, while maintaining the logical association between the client device and the first access point on the first channel, receiving, by the client device, the beacon over the second channel from the second access point without establishing a logical association between the client device and the second access point comprises:

receiving, by the client device, the beacon over the second channel from the second access point while maintaining an association of the client device with the first access point that provides the client device with bi-directional communication over a network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the beacon over the second channel from the second access point comprises receiving a beacon that includes an identifier for a geographical location;

and

wherein determining the property of the client device using the beacon received over the second channel from the second access point comprises determining a geographical location of the client device based on the identifier.

10. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

alternating, in a series of multiple consecutive time periods, between monitoring a first channel with a transceiver of a client device during one of the consecutive time periods and monitoring a second channel with the transceiver during another of the consecutive time periods;

while maintaining a logical association between the client device and a first access point on the first channel, receiving, by the client device, a beacon over the second channel from a second access point without establishing a logical association between the client device and the second access point; and

determining a property of the client device using the beacon received over the second channel from the second access point while maintaining the logical connection between the client device and the first access point, and without establishing a logical connection between the client device and the second access point.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration longer than the duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration at least twice the duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods that each have a duration less than an association timeout interval of the first access point.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein receiving the beacon over the second channel from the second access point comprises receiving a beacon that includes an identifier for a geographical location;

and

wherein determining the property of the client device using the beacon received over the second channel from the second access point comprises determining a geographical location of the client device based on the identifier.

12. A computer storage device storing a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

alternating, in a series of multiple consecutive time periods, between monitoring a first channel with a transceiver of a client device during one of the consecutive time periods and monitoring a second channel with the transceiver during another of the consecutive time periods;

while maintaining a logical association between the client device and a first access point on the first channel, receiving, by the client device, a beacon over a second channel from the second access point without establishing a logical association between the client device and the second access point; and

determining a property of the client device using the beacon received over the second channel from the second access point while maintaining the logical connection between the client device and the first access point, and without establishing a logical connection between the client device and the second access point.

13. The computer storage device of claim 12, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration longer than the duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

14. The computer storage device of claim 12, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods having a duration at least twice the duration of time periods in which the first channel is monitored.

15. The computer storage device of claim 12, wherein monitoring the second channel comprises monitoring the second channel for time periods that each have a duration less than an association timeout interval of the first access point.

20. The computer storage device of claim 12, wherein receiving the beacon over the second channel from the second access point comprises receiving a beacon that includes an identifier for a geographical location;

and

wherein determining the property of the client device using the beacon received over the second channel from the second access point comprises determining a geographical location of the client device based on the identifier.