Methods and apparatus for providing network broadcast information to WLAN enabled wireless communication devices

• US 10,368,337 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2018
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Buckley, Adrian, Kezys, Vytautas Robertas
• Primary Examiner(s): Murphy, Rhonda L
• Application Number:
  US15/952,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20180234946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

One illustrative method of providing network broadcast information to a wireless device from a wireless local area network (WLAN) includes the steps of receiving, from one or more available cellular networks or a network database, cellular network broadcast information associated with the one or more available cellular networks; providing the cellular network broadcast information in a generic container message which varies in content and format according to one or more cellular standards associated with the one or more available cellular networks; and causing the generic container message to be regularly broadcasted for receipt and use by a wireless device. In an alternative approach, the steps include regularly broadcasting a network interworking indicator which is indicative of whether cellular network broadcast information is available for receipt from the WLAN; receiving a probe request from a wireless device; and causing the cellular network broadcast information to be sent to the wireless device in the generic container message in response to the probe request from the wireless device. The generic container message may alternatively or additionally include wireless network broadcast information from different types of wireless networks (e.g. Wi-MAX) which are available to the WLAN.

Claims

1. A method for a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the wireless device, a network interworking indicator bit broadcasted by a wireless local area network (WLAN), the network interworking indicator bit indicating support of a capability of the WLAN to communicate network information identifying one or more networks;

in response to receiving the network interworking indicator bit, transmitting, from the wireless device to the WLAN, a request requesting the WLAN to send the network information identifying the one or more networks to the wireless device, the network information comprising at least one of a network identifier or an organizational identifier which identifies at least one of the one or more networks; and

in response to the request for the network information, receiving the network information in a response message, wherein the network information is provided in a container field of the response message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message includes a length field identifying a length of the container field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a format of the response message is configured according to an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information include at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information excludes at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

6. A wireless device, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one hardware processor communicatively coupled with the memory and configured to;

receive, at the wireless device, a network interworking indicator bit broadcasted by a wireless local area network (WLAN), the network interworking indicator bit indicating support of a capability of the WLAN to communicate network information identifying one or more networks;

in response to receiving the network interworking indicator bit, transmit, from the wireless device to the WLAN, a request requesting the WLAN to send the network information identifying the one or more networks to the wireless device, the network information comprising at least one of a network identifier or an organizational identifier which identifies at least one of the one or more networks; and

in response to the request for the network information, receive the network information in a response message, wherein the network information is provided in a container field of the response message.

7. The wireless device of claim 6, wherein the response message includes a length field identifying a length of the container field.

8. The wireless device of claim 6, wherein a format of the response message is configured according to an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

9. The wireless device of claim 6, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information include at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

10. The wireless device of claim 6, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information excludes at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

11. A method in a wireless local area network (WLAN), the method comprising:

broadcasting a network interworking indicator bit, the network interworking indicator bit indicating support of a capability of the WLAN to communicate network information identifying one or more networks;

in response to broadcasting the network interworking indicator bit, receiving, from a wireless device, a request message requesting the WLAN to send the network information which identifies the one or more networks to the wireless device, the network information comprising at least one of a network identifier or an organizational identifier which identifies at least one of the one or more networks; and

in response to the request message, providing the network information in a container field of a response message for transmission to the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the response message includes a length field identifying a length of the container field.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a format of the response message is configured according to an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information include at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information excludes at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

16. A wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising:

a memory; and

at least one hardware processor communicatively coupled with the memory and configured to;

broadcast a network interworking indicator bit, the network interworking indicator bit indicating support of a capability of the WLAN to communicate network information identifying one or more networks;

in response to broadcasting the network interworking indicator bit, receive a message from a wireless device, the message requesting the WLAN to send the network information which identifies the one or more networks to the wireless device, the network information comprising at least one of a network identifier or an organizational identifier which identifies at least one of the one or more networks; and

provide the network information in a container field of a response message for transmission to the wireless device in response to receiving the message.

17. The WLAN of claim 16, wherein the response message includes a length field identifying a length of the container field.

18. The WLAN of claim 16, wherein a format of the response message is configured according to an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

19. The WLAN of claim 16, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information include at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

20. The WLAN of claim 16, wherein the one or more networks identified by the network information excludes at least one 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.