Methods and apparatus for the communication of cellular network information between a wireless local area network and a mobile station

• US 9,615,311 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Buckley, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): CASCA, FRED A
• Application Number:
  US11/959,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,395 Days
• Field of Search: 455422, 4554221, 4554321, 4554352, 455466, 4554561, 455 78, 4554562, 4555521, 4554141, 4554261, 455433, 370335, 370342, 370441, 370347, 370331, 370338, 370329, 370328, 370537
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for the communication of cellular network information between a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a mobile station are disclosed. In one illustrative example, the mobile station receives a generic container message from the WLAN. The generic container message includes cellular network information associated with one or more available cellular networks previously received by the WLAN. The generic container message is not technology or standard-specific, as it may contain cellular network information from a variety of different cellular networks (e.g. 3GPP, 3GPP2, IETF, etc.). The mobile station decodes the generic container message to identify and store the cellular network information in its memory. Preferably, the cellular network information includes information for identifying the cellular networks so that the mobile station may appropriately select one of the cellular networks for communication.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless local area network (WLAN) for use in communicating 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network information, the method comprising:

obtaining by the WLAN, cellular network information associated with and identifying at least one cellular network available for communication with a mobile communication device, the cellular network information indicating 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network information, the cellular network information including first network information which identifies a first cellular network, and the first network information including a Mobile Network Code (MNC) and a Mobile Country Code (MCC) which identifies the at least one cellular network;

transmitting, from the WLAN to a mobile station, a generic container, wherein the generic container is defined by an IEEE 802.11 standard, content in the generic container is configured according to a 3GPP cellular standard, and the generic container comprises a container field and a version field adjacent to a length field,

the container field including at least one of;

neighboring cellular channels or at least one MNC and MCC pair that indicates at least one 3GPP network, the at least one MNC/MCC pair for use by the mobile station to select a 3GPP network to access,

the length field identifying a data length of the container field, the version field identifying a version of the generic container, and

wherein the content in the generic container is received from a network, and transmitting the generic container comprises transmitting the generic container in at least one of an extensible authentication protocol (EAP), an advertisement protocol, and a wireless application protocol (WAP).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the WLAN is operative in accordance with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11.

3. A wireless local area network (WLAN) processor of a WLAN, the WLAN processor being configured to:

obtain by the WLAN, cellular network information associated with and identifying at least one cellular network available for communication with a mobile communication device, the cellular network information indicating 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network information, the cellular network information including first network information which identifies a first cellular network, and the first network information including a Mobile Network Code (MNC) and a Mobile Country Code (MCC) which identifies the at least one cellular network;

transmit, from the WLAN to a mobile station, a generic container, wherein the generic container is defined by an IEEE 802.11 standard, content in the generic container is configured according to a 3GPP cellular standard, and the generic container comprises a container field and a version field adjacent to a length field,

the container field including at least one of;

neighboring cellular channels or at least one MNC and MCC pair that indicates at least one 3GPP network, the at least one MNC/MCC pair for use by the mobile station to select a 3GPP network to access,

the length field identifying a data length of the container field, the version field identifying a version of the generic container, and

wherein content in the generic container is received from a network, and transmitting the generic container comprises transmitting the generic container in at least one of an extensible authentication protocol (EAP), an advertisement protocol, and a wireless application protocol (WAP).

4. The WLAN processor of claim 3, which is operative in accordance with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11.

5. A method in a mobile station for processing network information from a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

receiving, from the WLAN, a generic container, wherein the generic container is defined by an IEEE 802.11 standard, content in the generic container is configured according to a 3GPP cellular standard, and the generic container comprises a container field and a version field adjacent to a length field,

the container field including at least one of;

neighboring cellular channels or at least one Mobile Network Code (MNC) and Mobile Country Code (MCC) pair that indicates at least one 3GPP network, the at least one MNC/MCC pair for use by the mobile station to select a 3GPP network to access,

the length field identifying a data length of the container field, the version field identifying a version of the generic container, and

wherein the WLAN receives content in the generic container from a network, and receiving the generic container comprises receiving the generic container in at least one of an extensible authentication protocol (EAP), an advertisement protocol, and a wireless application protocol (WAP).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mobile station is operative in accordance with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11.

7. A mobile station, comprising:

a controller;

memory coupled to the controller;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to the controller;

the RF transceiver being operative to receive, from the WLAN, a generic container, wherein the generic container is defined by an IEEE 802.11 standard, content in the generic container is configured according to a 3GPP cellular standard, and the generic container comprises a container field and a version field adjacent to a length field,

the container field including at least one of;

neighboring cellular channels or at least one Mobile Network Code (MNC) and Mobile Country Code (MCC) pair that indicates at least one 3GPP network, the at least one MNC/MCC pair for use by the mobile station to select a 3GPP network to access,

the length field identifying a data length of the container field, the version field identifying a version of the generic container, and

wherein the WLAN receives content in the generic container from a network, and receiving the generic container comprises receiving the generic container in at least one of an extensible authentication protocol (EAP), an advertisement protocol, and a wireless application protocol (WAP).

8. The mobile station of claim 7, which is operative in accordance with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11.