Transient WLAN Connection Profiles

• US 20080147882A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Klassen, Gerhard Dietrich, Fedotenko, Denis, Montemurro, Michael, Reif, Alexander Jordan, Oerton, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless local area network (WLAN) client device is able to store one or more transient connection profiles. A transient connection profile of a WLAN may be overwritten by a transient connection profile of another WLAN. A transient connection profile may be automatically deleted from the client device without user action having been taken to explicitly delete the transient connection profile.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless local area network client device, the method comprising:

storing in the client device a transient connection profile of a first wireless local area network; and

automatically deleting the transient connection profile from the client device without explicit user action to delete the transient connection profile having been taken.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically deleting the transient connection profile comprises:

automatically deleting the transient connection profile from the client device in response to a period of time having elapsed since a most recent disconnection of the client device from a wireless local area network described in the transient connection profile.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically deleting the transient connection profile comprises:

overwriting the transient connection profile with a transient connection profile of a second wireless local area network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an indication from a user of the client device not to store a persistent connection profile of the second wireless local area network,

wherein overwriting the transient connection profile of the first wireless local area network with the transient connection profile of the second wireless local area network occurs automatically in response to receiving the indication.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving an indication from a user of the client device to store a transient connection profile of the second wireless local area network,

wherein overwriting the transient connection profile of the first wireless local area network with the transient connection profile of the second wireless local area network occurs in response to receiving the indication.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first wireless local area network and the second wireless local area network are classified with the same classification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is able to have more than one transient connection profile stored concurrently in the client device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically assigning a lower priority to the transient connection profile of the first wireless local area network than that assigned to any persistent connection profiles stored in the client device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing scan results to the transient connection profile of the first wireless local area network.

10. A client device comprising:

a processor;

a wireless local area network interface coupled to the processor, the wireless local area network interface comprising a wireless local area network controller and a radio;

an antenna coupled to the radio; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory arranged to store one or more persistent connection profiles of wireless local area networks and arranged to store a transient connection profile of a first wireless local area network and arranged to store executable code means that, when executed by the processor, automatically deletes the transient connection profile from the client device without explicit user action to delete the transient connection profile having been taken.

11. The client device of claim 10, wherein the transient connection profile includes a timestamp of a most recent disconnection of the client device from a wireless local area network described in the transient connection profile, and the executable code means, when executed by the processor, automatically deletes the transient connection profile from the client device in response to a period of time having elapsed since the most recent disconnection.

12. The client device of claim 10, further comprising:

means for receiving an indication from a user of the client device not to store a persistent connection profile of a second wireless local area network,

wherein the executable code means, when executed by the processor, automatically deletes the transient connection profile, in response to receiving the indication, by overwriting the transient connection profile with a transient connection profile of the second wireless local area network.

13. The client device of claim 10, further comprising:

means for receiving an indication from a user of the client device to store a transient connection profile of a second wireless local area network,

wherein the executable code means, when executed by the processor, automatically deletes the transient connection profile, in response to receiving the indication, by overwriting the transient connection profile with the transient connection profile of the second wireless local area network.

14. The client device of claim 10, wherein the executable code means, when executed by the processor, automatically assigns a lower priority to the transient connection profile of the first wireless local area network than that assigned to any persistent connection profiles stored in the client device.

15. The client device of claim 10, wherein the executable code means, when executed by the processor, compares scan results generated by the wireless local area network controller to the transient connection profile of the first wireless local area network.