Method, apparatus, and computer program product for network discovery

• US 9,380,119 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasslin, Mika, Marin, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): SINKANTARAKORN, PAWARIS
• Application Number:
  US14/107,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments enable discovery of networks in a wireless communications medium. In example embodiments, a method comprises inserting, by an apparatus, an indication associated with a neighbor awareness network to be advertised to an apparatus address field of a wireless advertisement packet; and transmitting, by the apparatus, the wireless advertisement packet including the inserted indication associated with the neighbor awareness network to be advertised. The packet may be a Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or a Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet. The apparatus'"'"'s address field may be a non-resolvable private address format in an AdvA field of either the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet. The apparatus may be operating in a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) network or intending to operate in a NAN network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

inserting, by an apparatus, an indication associated with a neighbor awareness network to be advertised to an apparatus address field of a Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet; and

transmitting, by the apparatus, the Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet including the inserted indication associated with the neighbor awareness network to be advertised.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the apparatus, one or more wireless discovery request packets in response to the transmitted Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet;

determining, by the apparatus, whether any of the received wireless discovery request packets matches with the advertised neighbor awareness network by filtering sender address field indication of each of the received one or more wireless discovery request packets with the identity corresponding with the advertised neighbor awareness network; and

transmitting, by the apparatus, a wireless discovery response packet in response to the received wireless discovery request packet, including the indication associated with the neighbor awareness network.

3. A method, comprising:

inserting, by an apparatus, an indication associated with a neighbor awareness network to be advertised to an apparatus address field of a wireless advertisement packet; and

transmitting, by the apparatus, the wireless advertisement packet including the inserted indication associated with the neighbor awareness network to be advertised;

wherein the apparatus address field is a non-resolvable private address format in an AdvA field of either the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet.

4. A method, comprising:

maintaining, by an apparatus, an indication of neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate;

receiving, by the apparatus, a Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet including an indication in a sender address field of the advertisement packet associated with a neighbor awareness network available in a source apparatus of the Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet;

determining, by the apparatus, whether the neighbor awareness network indicated available in the received Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet matches with a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate by filtering the sender address field indication of the received Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet with the maintained neighbor awareness network indication; and

transmitting, by the apparatus, a wireless discovery request packet, including an indication associated with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate when the determination resulted in a match.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

waiting, by the apparatus, for a wireless discovery response packet including the indication associated with the available neighbor awareness network on which the match occurred.

6. A method, comprising:

maintaining, by an apparatus, an indication of neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate;

receiving, by the apparatus, a wireless advertisement packet including an indication in a sender address field of the advertisement packet associated with a neighbor awareness network available in a source apparatus of the wireless advertisement packet;

determining, by the apparatus, whether the neighbor awareness network indicated available in the received wireless advertisement packet matches with a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate by filtering the sender address field indication of the received wireless advertisement packet with the maintained neighbor awareness network indication; and

transmitting, by the apparatus, a wireless discovery request packet, including an indication associated with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate when the determination resulted in a match;

wherein the wireless advertisement packet is a Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or a Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet and the sender address field of the wireless advertisement packet is a non-resolvable private address format in an AdvA field of either the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet.

7. A method, comprising:

maintaining, by an apparatus, an indication of neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate;

receiving, by the apparatus, a wireless advertisement packet including an indication in a sender address field of the advertisement packet associated with a neighbor awareness network available in a source apparatus of the wireless advertisement packet;

determining, by the apparatus, whether the neighbor awareness network indicated available in the received wireless advertisement packet matches with a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate by filtering the sender address field indication of the received wireless advertisement packet with the maintained neighbor awareness network indication; and

transmitting, by the apparatus, a wireless discovery request packet, including an indication associated with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate when the determination resulted in a match;

wherein the wireless discovery request packet is a SCAN_REQ PDU packet and the indication associated with the neighbor awareness network on which the determination resulted a match is non-resolvable private address format in a ScanA field of the SCAN_REQ PDU packet.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

insert an indication associated with a neighbor awareness network to be advertised to an apparatus address field of a Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet; and

transmit the Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet including the inserted indication associated with the neighbor awareness network to be advertised.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive one or more wireless discovery request packets in response to the transmitted Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet;

determine whether any of the received wireless discovery request packets matches with the advertised neighbor awareness network by filtering sender address field indication of each of the received one or more wireless discovery request packets with the identity corresponding with the advertised neighbor awareness network; and

transmit a wireless discovery response packet in response to the received wireless discovery request packet, including the indication associated with the neighbor awareness network.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

insert an indication associated with a neighbor awareness network to be advertised to an apparatus address field of a wireless advertisement packet; and

transmit the wireless advertisement packet including the inserted indication associated with the neighbor awareness network to be advertised;

wherein the apparatus address field is a non-resolvable private address format in an AdvA field of either the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

maintain an indication of a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate;

receive a Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet including an indication in a sender address field of the advertisement packet associated with a neighbor awareness network available in a source apparatus of the advertisement packet;

determine whether the neighbor awareness network indicated available in the received Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet matches with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate by filtering the sender address field indication of the received Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet with the maintained neighbor awareness network indication; and

transmit a wireless discovery request packet, including an indication associated with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate when the determination resulted in a match.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

wait for a wireless discovery response packet including the indication associated with the available neighbor awareness network on which the match occurred.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

maintain an indication of a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate;

receive a wireless advertisement packet including an indication in a sender address field of the advertisement packet associated with a neighbor awareness network available in a source apparatus of the advertisement packet;

determine whether the neighbor awareness network indicated available in the received wireless advertisement packet matches with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate by filtering the sender address field indication of the received wireless advertisement packet with the maintained neighbor awareness network indication; and

transmit a wireless discovery request packet, including an indication associated with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate when the determination resulted in a match;

wherein the wireless advertisement packet is a Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or a Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet and the sender address field of the wireless advertisement packet is a non-resolvable private address format in an AdvA field of either the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_IND PDU packet or the Bluetooth Low Energy ADV_SCAN_IND PDU packet.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

maintain an indication of a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate;

receive a wireless advertisement packet including an indication in a sender address field of the advertisement packet associated with a neighbor awareness network available in a source apparatus of the advertisement packet;

determine whether the neighbor awareness network indicated available in the received wireless advertisement packet matches with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate by filtering the sender address field indication of the received wireless advertisement packet with the maintained neighbor awareness network indication; and

transmit a wireless discovery request packet, including an indication associated with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate when the determination resulted in a match;

wherein the wireless discovery request packet is a SCAN₁₃ REQ PDU packet and the indication associated with the neighbor awareness network on which the determination resulted a match is a non-resolvable private address format in in a ScanA field of the SCAN₁₃ REQ PDU packet.

15. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for inserting, by an apparatus, an indication associated with a neighbor awareness network to be advertised to an apparatus address field of a Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet; and

code for transmitting, by the apparatus, the Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet including the inserted indication associated with the neighbor awareness network to be advertised.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

code for receiving, by the apparatus, one or more wireless discovery request packets in response to the transmitted Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet;

code for determining, by the apparatus, whether any of the received wireless discovery request packets matches with the advertised neighbor awareness network by filtering sender address field indication of each of the received one or more wireless discovery request packets with the identity corresponding with the advertised neighbor awareness network; and

code for transmitting, by the apparatus, a wireless discovery response packet in response to the received wireless discovery request packet, including the indication associated with the neighbor awareness network.

17. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for maintaining, by an apparatus, an indication of a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate;

code for receiving, by the apparatus, a Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet including an indication in a sender address field of the advertisement packet associated with a neighbor awareness network available in a source apparatus of the Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet;

code for determining, by the apparatus, whether the neighbor awareness network indicated available in the received Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet matches with a neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate by filtering the sender address field indication of the received Bluetooth Low Energy advertisement packet with the maintained neighbor awareness network indication; and

code for transmitting, by the apparatus, a wireless discovery request packet, including an indication associated with the neighbor awareness network in which the apparatus wishes to operate when the determination resulted in a match.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

code for waiting, by the apparatus, for a wireless discovery response packet including the indication associated with the available neighbor awareness network on which the match occurred.