Method and apparatus for controlling wireless access selection

• US 9,144,009 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kahn, Colin, Sathyanarayan, Sankaranarayanan
• Primary Examiner(s): Beyen, Zewdu A
• Application Number:
  US13/110,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20120294293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/331, 370/353, 370/354, 455/436, 455/439, 455/442, 455/33.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

An wireless access selection capability is disclosed. In at least some embodiments, the wireless access selection capability enables a wireless user terminal to determine, via interaction with a mobility network (e.g., a 3G cellular network, a 4G cellular network, and the like), whether to remain connected via the mobility network or to connect via a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The interaction may be in the form of two queries initiated by the wireless user terminal, including a first query for determining whether the wireless user terminal should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the wireless user terminal and a second for determining whether the wireless user terminal should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to an identified WLAN identified during a scan initiated by the wireless user terminal.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor, the processor configured to;

send, from a wireless user terminal (WUT) toward a network element via a mobility network, a first query for determining whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

initiate, based at least in part on a first query response indicative that the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs, a scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

send, from the WUT toward the network element via the mobility network, a second query for determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs;

receive, at the WUT, a second query response indicative of a determination by the network element that the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs;

determine, at the WUT responsive to the second query response and based on information available to the WUT, whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs; and

initiate, based on a determination by the WUT that the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified, switching of the WUT from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

prior to initiation of the scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

determine, at the WUT responsive to the first query response and based on the information available to the WUT, whether the WUT should initiate the scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, from the network element, an indication of a selection by the network element of one of a plurality of identified WLANs identified by the WUT during the scan.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, to initiate switching of the WUT from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs, the processor is configured to:

select one of a plurality of identified WLANs identified by the WUT during the scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

initiate switching of the WUT from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to the selected one of the identified WLANs.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information available to the WUT comprises at least one of subscriber preference information or WLAN information associated with at least one of the identified WLANs.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

propagate WLAN information toward the network element, wherein the WLAN information comprises, for each of at least one WLAN, at least one of a geographic location of the WLAN, security information associated with the WLAN, and performance information associated with the WLAN.

7. A method, comprising:

sending, by a processor of a wireless user terminal (WUT) toward a network element via a mobility network, a first query for determining whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

initiating, based at least in part on a first query response indicative that the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs, a scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

sending, from the WUT toward the network element via the mobility network, a second query for determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs;

receiving, at the WUT, a second query response indicative of a determination by the network element that the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs;

determining, at the WUT responsive to the second query response and based on information available to the WUT, whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs; and

initiating, based on a determination by the WUT that the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified, switching of the WUT from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

prior to initiation of the scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

determining, at the WUT responsive to the first query response and based on the information available to the WUT, whether the WUT should initiate the scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the network element, an indication of a selection by the network element of one of a plurality of identified WLANs identified by the WUT during the scan.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein initiating switching of the WUT from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to one of the identified WLANs comprises:

selecting one of a plurality of identified WLANs identified by the WUT during the scan for identifying one or more WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT; and

initiating switching of the WUT from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to the selected one of the identified WLANs.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the information available to the WUT comprises at least one of subscriber preference information or WLAN information associated with at least one of the identified WLANs.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

propagating WLAN information toward the network element, wherein the WLAN information comprises, for each of at least one WLAN, at least one of a geographic location of the WLAN, security information associated with the WLAN, and performance information associated with the WLAN.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor, the processor configured to;

determine, at a network element of a mobility network in response to a first query received at the network element from a wireless user terminal (WUT), whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

send, toward the WUT in response to the first query, a first query response indicative of whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

determine, at the network element of the mobility network in response to a second query received at the network element from the WUT and based at least in part on subscriber information associated with a subscriber of the WUT, whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT based on at least one of network performance information associated with the mobility network and one or more WLANs identified as available for providing wireless access to the WUT or service provider policy information associated with a service provider of the mobility network; and

send, toward the WUT in response to the second query, a second query response indicative of whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, to determine whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT, the processor is configured to:

determine a geographic location of the WUT; and

query a database of WLANs for determining whether any WLANs are available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

15. A method, comprising:

determining, via a processor at a network element of a mobility network in response to a first query received at the network element from a wireless user terminal (WUT), whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

sending, toward the WUT in response to the first query, a first query response indicative of whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT;

determining, at the network element of the mobility network in response to a second query received at the network element from the WUT and based at least in part on subscriber information associated with a subscriber of the WUT, whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT, wherein determining whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT is based on at least one of network performance information associated with the mobility network and one or more WLANs identified as available for providing wireless access to the WUT or service provider policy information associated with a service provider of the mobility network; and

sending, toward the WUT in response to the second query, a second query response indicative of whether the WUT should switch from being connected to the mobility network to being connected to a WLAN available for providing wireless access to the WUT.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether the WUT should perform a scan for identifying WLANs available for providing wireless access to the WUT comprises:

determining a geographic location of the WUT; and

querying a database of WLANs for determining whether any WLANs are available for providing wireless access to the WUT.