Method of managing at least one wireless communications interface of a terminal, and a terminal

• US 9,344,879 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Bournelle, Julien, Morand, Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/558,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20150087286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A method of managing at least one wireless communications interface of a terminal by performing an obtaining step (E10) to obtaining information (CId) representative of the geographical location of the terminal; a searching step (E20) for searching in a database of the terminal at least one identifier of a wireless communications interface of the terminal that is associated with said information. If such an associated identifier is found, an automatic activation step (E50) is performed for activating the wireless communications interface corresponding to the at least one identifier.

Claims

1. A management method for managing at least one wireless communication interface of a terminal, the terminal being in an geographical location wherein said at least one wireless communication interface is activated, the method being implemented by the terminal and comprising:

obtaining information representative of the geographical location of the terminal;

when detecting a change of geographical location of the terminal on the basis of said information, automatically deactivating said at least one wireless communication interface, and

storing beforehand at least one information representative of a geographical location wherein the at least one wireless communication interface is activated, the change of geographical location of the terminal being detected when said obtained information representative of the geographical location of the terminal is different from said at least one stored information representative of the geographical location wherein the at least one wireless communication interface is activated.

2. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the deactivation of the at least one wireless communication interface is performed only if no information representative of a geographical location wherein the at least one wireless communication interface is activated is obtained during a predetermined time-out duration.

3. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the deactivation of the wireless communication interface is performed only if there is no active connection between the terminal and a network using said at least one wireless communication interface during a predetermined time-out duration.

4. The management method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining said information comprises receiving a message transmitted by a GPS system, said message containing said information representative of said geographical location of the terminal.

5. The management method according to claim 4, wherein said information representative of said geographical location of the terminal is constituted by the geographical coordinates of the terminal.

6. The management method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining said information comprises receiving a signaling message transmitted by a cellular telecommunications network to which the terminal is connected, said signaling message containing said information representative of said geographical location of the terminal.

7. The management method according to claim 6, wherein said information representative of said geographical location of the terminal includes an identifier of a cell in the cellular telecommunications network.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program including instructions for executing steps of the management method according to claim 1.

9. A terminal fitted with at least one wireless communications interface implemented by the terminal, the terminal comprising:

means for obtaining information representative of a geographical location of the terminal;

means for automatically deactivating said at least one wireless communication interface, when detecting a change of geographical location of the terminal on the basis of said information; and

means for storing beforehand at least one information representative of a geographical location wherein the at least one wireless communication interface is activated, the change of geographical location of the terminal being detected when said obtained information representative of the geographical location of the terminal is different from said at least one stored information representative of the geographical location wherein the at least one wireless communication interface is activated.