Base station initiated proximity service discovery and connection establishment

• US 9,036,558 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Shen, Hui, Kuehnel, Thomas W., Lu, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANTON, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US14/195,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• 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 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The normal roles of wireless stations and wireless access points in initiating the establishment of wireless connections may be reversed without the need for changes in the network interfaces for either the station or access point device. This capability may be used to allow wireless devices acting as access points, but on which service clients operate, to initiate the establishment of a connection with a station, on which a wireless service provider operates. Discovery of services between wireless devices can be provided prior to establishing a connection between the devices. A service client device providing access point functionality may broadcast an invitation for service advertisements and then receive service advertisements from relevant service providers acting as wireless stations. An information element may be included as part of periodically broadcast administrative messages to wirelessly convey an invitation for service advertisements. In response to a service advertisement, the access point may send to the wireless station an invitation to connect, prompting the wireless station to begin to establish a connection according to a wireless communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method, including:

operating, by an access point device, as an access point for a wireless infrastructure network;

discovering, by the access point device, a service offered by a second device that is not connected to the wireless infrastructure network;

in response to an attempt, by the access point device, to access the service offered by the second device, sending, by the access point device, a connection invitation over the wireless infrastructure network, wherein the connection invitation requests that the second device initiate a connection to the wireless infrastructure network as a station device;

receiving, by the access point device, a request from the second device for the second device to connect to the wireless infrastructure network as a station device; and

enabling, by the access point device, the second device to connect to the wireless infrastructure network as a station device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless infrastructure network operates according to protocols that do not natively support initiation of connections by access point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless infrastructure network is an IEEE 802.11 infrastructure mode network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing, by the access point device, the service provided by the second device via the wireless infrastructure network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to sending the connection invitation, receiving, by the access point device, information regarding the service from the second device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information regarding the service is received by the access point device in an advertisement invitation broadcast packet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the service is a printing service.

8. A computing device for communicating via a wireless infrastructure mode network, comprising:

a memory and a processor that are respectively configured to store and execute instructions, including instructions for;

operating as an access point for the wireless infrastructure mode network;

in response to a request to access a previously discovered service provided by another device, transmitting a request to the other device for the other device to connect to the wireless infrastructure mode network as a station device;

receiving a request from the other device for the other device to connect to the wireless infrastructure mode network; and

communicating with the other device via the wireless infrastructure mode network.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the communicating with the other device via the wireless infrastructure mode network includes transmitting messages to the other device that are related to the service provided by the other device.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the request for the other device to connect to the wireless infrastructure mode network as a station device is embedded in an information element of an IEEE 802.11 probe response frame, and wherein the IEEE 802.11 probe response frame includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the other device and a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the wireless infrastructure mode network.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions are also for:

prior to sending the request for the other device to connect to the wireless infrastructure mode network as a station device, broadcasting an advertisement invitation, wherein the advertisement invitation requests transmission of advertisements regarding services being offered; and

receiving a response of the other device to the advertisement invitation, the response including an advertisement for the service provided by the other device.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the computing device is a mobile telephone operating as the access point.

13. An article of manufacture having instructions stored therein for causing a computing device to perform operations including:

receiving, by the computing device, an indication for the computing device to initiate a connection to an access point of an infrastructure mode wireless network from an access point that is attempting to access a service provided via the computing device following discovery of the service by the access point;

in response to the indication, transmitting, by the computing device, a request to the access point for the computing device to connect to the infrastructure mode wireless network;

receiving, by the computing device, a response from the access point, the response including an acceptance of the request to connect to the infrastructure node wireless network; and

connecting, by the computing device, to the infrastructure mode wireless network via the access point.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the operations further include:

receiving an advertisement invitation, wherein the advertisement invitation requests transmission of advertisements regarding services being offered; and

transmitting an advertisement for the service to the access point.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein:

the advertisement for the service is transmitted to the access point before the indication is received; and

the advertisement for the service is transmitted to the access point in response to the received advertisement invitation.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein advertisement invitation is received in an information element of a beacon periodically transmitted from the access point.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the operations further include:

providing the service to the access point.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the indication is embedded in an information element of a probe response frame, and wherein the probe response frame includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the computing device and a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the infrastructure mode wireless network.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the infrastructure mode wireless network is an IEEE 802.11 infrastructure mode network that does not natively support initiation of connections to the infrastructure mode network by access points.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the access point is a mobile telephone or is a computer with an integrated keyboard and/or touchscreen.