HK1252790B - Method, device and access point for discovering network information - Google Patents

Description

Method, device, and access point for discovering network information

This application is a divisional application of Chinese patent application No. 201280044612.X (“Discovering Network Information Available via a Wireless Network”).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 13/234,799, filed September 16, 2011.

The content of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the detailed description thereof.

Background Art

Wireless network deployments, such as wireless local area networks ("WLANs"), allow wireless terminals to access network and internet services when they are in the vicinity of the wireless communication signals of these wireless networks. Different networks provide different network information to wireless clients. This network information may include access to a particular subscription service provider ("SSP") network ("SSPN"), roaming agreements that allow connections from wireless clients associated with different SSPs, authentication capabilities to enable secure communications, support for emergency services, support for specific types of multimedia access (e.g., audio and/or video streaming, downloading, etc.), or support for other types of network services. However, the network information may only be provided when connected or associated with the network. Based on the network information received, the device may need to disconnect or disassociate from the network and pursue a different network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a communication network;

Figure 2 shows the communication layer architecture;

Figure 3 shows an alternative communication network;

Figure 4 shows network information;

FIG5 shows a wireless terminal;

Figure 6 shows an access point;

FIG7 shows a table of IEEE 802.11 ANQP information identifiers;

FIG8 shows a table of hotspot ANQP element subtype definitions; and

Figure 9 shows network communications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed systems and methods retrieve discovery information about a network before associating with the network. The pre-association communication can be retrieved through a wireless protocol, such as the Access Network Query Protocol ("ANQP"), which allows a wireless device to retrieve information about the network before associating with the network. Communications before network association can be referred to as discovery communications or communications in a pre-association state. ANQP can allow a device to retrieve additional network information before establishing network capabilities (i.e., before any authentication parameters are exchanged between the device and the network and before an identified session is established between the device and the network). Additional network information that can be discovered before network association includes, for example, network latency, cellular capabilities, hotspot capabilities, mobility capabilities, neighbor reports, station identification and multiple hotspot session identifications, and other similar parameters that provide network information. Network information that can be discovered before network association is further described with respect to FIG.

Wireless devices that communicate before network association may include mobile communication devices, mobile computing devices, or any other device capable of wireless communication with a wireless network. These devices may be referred to as terminals, wireless terminals, stations ("STAs"), or user devices, and may also include mobile smartphones (e.g., smartphones or tablets), wireless personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), machine-to-machine devices, devices in a smart grid ("SmartGrid"), devices in a mesh network (ad hoc or peer-to-peer), laptops/notebooks/netbooks with wireless adapters, and the like.

Some devices can discover information about external networks, such as subscription service provider networks ("SSPNs"), which can include wireless local area networks ("WLANs"). Network discovery and connection in a WLAN can occur through standards that define access, control, and communication in networks, such as the communications standard known as (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11, which specifies, among other things, an amendment entitled "Interaction with External Networks." Alternatively, network discovery and connection can comply with other portions of the IEEE 802.11 standard and other wireless communication standards, including WLAN standards (which include any 802.xx standards (e.g., IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.19, IEEE 802.20, and IEEE 802.22)), personal area network standards, wide area network standards, or cellular communication standards.

One network shown below is a WLAN. Alternatively, a device may discover information about other networks through other protocols and architectures, including cellular telephone networks or WiMax networks. The network may include a publicly accessible network (e.g., the Internet), a private network (e.g., an intranet), or a combination thereof, and may use a variety of networking protocols currently available or developed in the future, including but not limited to TCP/IP-based networking protocols. The network may include any communication method or use any form of machine-readable media for transmitting information from one device to another.

Discovery of network information can be performed in many environments that provide WLAN access for network connectivity, or in WLAN access locations or environments where one or more users carrying corresponding wireless terminals may be expected to associate (i.e., join or connect to) and disassociate with a wireless network, access point, or WLAN as they enter or leave the WLAN access location or environment. Some WLAN locations or environments may be referred to as "hotspots," referring to locations or environments within the communication range of a WLAN signal. WLAN locations or environments may include cafes, retail stores, residential locations (e.g., homes and apartments), educational facilities, office environments, airports, public transportation stations and vehicles, hotels, and the like. These WLANs are typically implemented as access networks that provide access to publicly accessible networks and may be associated with or support access to external networks (or WLAN-supported networks) owned and/or operated by subscription-based service providers. For example, an Internet access service provider or telecommunications operator/service provider that provides subscription-based Internet access for a fee (e.g., a monthly fee) may own and/or operate the external network. In some systems, when a subscriber/user subscribing to the service is in communication proximity of a WLAN with a suitable wireless terminal, the subscriber can use wireless network access and/or Internet access services based on the subscription. In some instances, different WLANs may provide access to different types of network information. For example, some WLANs may provide access to the network of a specific subscription service provider, and some WLANs may support roaming agreements for allowing connections from wireless terminals associated with different SSPs.

During some network discovery procedures, a wireless terminal may send a query for specific network information from a wireless local area network ("WLAN"). The terminal may obtain network information made available by the WLAN to determine whether to proceed with a connection procedure for associating with the network based on the network information. According to embodiments described herein, a wireless terminal may request network information from the WLAN using the Access Network Query Protocol ("ANQP"). ANQP supports information retrieval from an advertisement server that supports the Generic Advertisement Service ("GAS"). ANQP and GAS are defined in 802.11u ^™ , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

For the advertising protocol, the Generic Advertisement Service ("GAS") can be used as the transport medium at Layer 2 (see Figure 2). The advertisement protocol can connect the wireless terminal to one of a plurality of interactive servers. The advertisement protocol allows frames to be transmitted between the wireless terminal device and servers in the network before the network connection. For example, GAS provides support for network selection by the wireless terminal and support for communication between the wireless terminal and other information resources in the network before the wireless terminal associates with the WLAN. The wireless terminal can connect to the Layer 2 radio service without exchanging any authentication parameters or without having an identified session (because no session key is established and no Internet Protocol address is assigned). When in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, data traffic is not allowed in this state.

Other Layer 2 transport mechanisms or even authentication mechanisms may be used. For example, the Extensible Authentication Protocol ("EAP") may be used to carry the Announcement Protocol. Announcement Protocol information would be encapsulated in an appropriate EAP-TLV (Type-Length-Value) Method frame (or alternative EAP Method frame) and transported via EAP. The use of security credentials exchanged during the EAP transaction would also provide a level of security for any information carried in the Announcement Protocol. For example, if EAP-SIM (or EAP-AKA) were the authentication protocol, any Announcement Protocol information encapsulated (i.e., securely carried) in an appropriate EAP-TLV frame during the same EAP transaction would also be protected by the SIM credentials.

The Access Network Query Protocol ("ANQP") is an advertisement protocol and is a query and response protocol used by wireless terminals to discover a range of information from a server, including the availability of accessible roaming partner Internet Protocol address types and other metadata useful in the wireless terminal's network selection process. ANQP is capable of discovering information about a hotspot or wireless network before the wireless terminal establishes a network connection and associates with the network. Alternatively or in addition, in addition to being defined in 802.11u, additional ANQP messages may be defined in the Wi-Fi Alliance ("WFA") Hotspot 2.0 specification. These ANQP extensions in the WFA Hotspot 2.0 specification may be referred to as Hotspot ("HS") 2.0 ANQP elements. Alternatively, other advertisement protocols may be used (e.g., the Registered Location Query Protocol "RLQP" defined in 802.11af). ANQP provides an embodiment for communicating with a WLAN during the discovery phase without the need to associate with the network. The network information transmitted before network association (or during the discovery phase) is discussed below. In alternative embodiments, other layer 2 transport mechanisms or even authentication mechanisms such as Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) can be used to carry ANQP messages. ANQP messages will be encapsulated in a suitable EAP-TLV method frame (or alternative EAP method frame) and transported via EAP.

A network discovery exchange may involve a requesting wireless terminal querying another wireless terminal (e.g., a WLAN access point ("AP")) for network information. A WLAN AP (also simply referred to as an AP) is an entity that contains a station and provides associated stations with access to distribution services via a wireless medium. The queried terminal or receiving terminal (e.g., an AP) may respond to the received query using the requested information in a response. The queried terminal or receiving terminal may provide response information without proxying the query to a server in an external network (e.g., a subscription service provider ("SSP") network) or without proxying the query to a server in the external network (e.g., a subscription service provider ("SSP") network). For example, an external network connected to the queried WLAN may have specific network information accessible via the WLAN and that may be made known to the querying wireless terminal. The network discovery exchange or communication prior to network association may use ANQP or may also use other query protocols, as information exchange services may be used alternatively.

FIG1 illustrates a communication network 100. ANQP can be used to communicate network information on the communication network 100 during network discovery. The communication network 100 includes multiple WLAN access locations 102a-c, each having a corresponding access point ("AP") 104a-c that provides access to a corresponding access network 106a-c. The APs 104a-c are further described with respect to FIG6 . Access network A 106a provides access to an external network A 108a, and access network B 106b provides access to an external network B 108b. Unlike access networks A 106a and B 106b, which are not directly connected to the Internet 112, access network C 106c can be directly connected to a publicly accessible network, such as the Internet. Thus, access network C 106c can be a public network, while access networks A 106a and B 106b can be private networks.

In one embodiment, each of external networks A 108a and B 108b may be a subscription service provider network ("SSPN") owned or operated by a data subscription service provider, an internet subscription service provider, a media (e.g., audio/video) subscription service provider, a wireless communication subscription service provider, or any combination thereof. External networks A 108a and B 108b may be connected to the internet 112 and may, for example, provide subscription-based internet access to wireless terminal devices. In some implementations, roaming agreements between different subscription service providers may enable external networks A 108a and B 108b to support roaming connections for wireless terminals associated with other subscription service providers.

WLAN access location 102a shows a wireless terminal 114 within wireless range of access point ("AP") 104a. Wireless terminal 114 is further described with respect to FIG. AP 104a is connected to access network A 106a, which may provide direct or indirect connectivity to other networks, including publicly accessible networks such as the Internet 112. Before wireless terminal 114 associates with access network A 106a, wireless terminal 114 sends a discovery request 116 to AP 104a. AP 104a may respond with a discovery response 118. In alternative embodiments, such as over a mesh network, a peer-to-peer network, an ad hoc network, or a Wi-Fi Direct network, discovery request 116 may originate from AP 104a and discovery response 118 may come from wireless terminal 114. Discovery request 116 or discovery response 118 may include network information 120. Network information 120 (also referred to as discovery information, network discovery information, or discovery communication) may include information about a network and/or a device that is transmitted between a device and a network before the device associates with the network. In one embodiment, the network information 120 may be transmitted using the ANQP protocol. The discoverable network information 120 is further described with respect to FIG.

Discovery communications (requests 116 and responses 118) may be exchanged at the media access control ("MAC") sublayer of the data link layer of the open systems interconnection ("OSI") reference model while discovering network information 120, without utilizing operations at or above the Internet Protocol ("IP") layer (i.e., the network layer) or otherwise providing access to the IP layer. Discovery communications using information exchanged at or above the network layer may require more processing power from the wireless terminal than performing processing at the MAC sublayer. The layers in which discovery communications operate are further illustrated in FIG.

Each of the APs 104a-c and the wireless terminal 114 may include a network adapter or network interface card that facilitates connection to the wireless medium. The network interface component may be referred to as a station ("STA"). Each of the access networks 106a-c and the external networks 108a-b may be associated with and/or provide access to different network information. The network information may include discovery information provided by the network before associating with the network. The network information may be set by the respective owners or operators of the networks 106a-c, 108a, and 108b based on different factors (e.g., subscription usage plans, desired security levels, business purposes, roaming agreements, supported emergency services, supported multimedia access, available Internet access, etc.).

The wireless terminal 114 may associate with different APs (e.g., APs 104a-c) based at least in part on the received network information 120 regarding available external networks. The wireless terminal 114 may receive information from the APs as it moves within range of each of the WLAN access locations 102a-c. The wireless terminal 114 may dynamically discover network information available at any of the WLAN access locations 102a-c and process the information when selecting whether to associate with one of the APs 104a-c.

FIG2 illustrates a communication layer architecture 200. The communication layer architecture 200 includes seven layers that can be implemented according to the Open Systems Interconnection ("OSI") reference model. The communication layer architecture 200 includes a data link layer 202, which includes a media access control ("MAC") sublayer 204. A wireless terminal device (e.g., the wireless terminal 114 of FIG1 ) can provide network information or discovery communications 120 (e.g., discovery requests 116 and discovery responses 118) with a wireless access point (e.g., the wireless access points 102a-c of FIG1 ) at the MAC sublayer 204. The wireless terminal device can access information from the wireless terminal's memory or other hardware at the MAC sublayer 204 without performing operations at or above the Internet protocol layer (e.g., the network layer 208) and without providing access to the Internet protocol layer. Compared to fixed-location computing devices powered by wired (e.g., AC) power, mobile wireless terminal devices (e.g., wireless terminal 114 of FIG. 1 ) including mobile smartphones, PDAs, processor-based devices, etc., may have relatively limited processor cycles and less available power. Compared to user interface-intensive and operating system-intensive operations (e.g., web browser operations) at the application layer, low-level resource operations at the MAC sublayer require relatively fewer system resources.

Using the MAC sublayer to discover network information available via an access point can be used to identify a suitable connection between the wireless terminal and the access point. This connection can occur without user involvement or with minimal user involvement. Network information 120 can indicate whether it is suitable to associate with a particular network (e.g., an SSPN). For example, network information 120 can include WLAN latency information. The wireless terminal 114 may require a minimum latency before associating with a particular network. Making this determination before associating with a network can significantly reduce or eliminate user frustration because when an access point or network does not meet the specific network capability requirements of the wireless terminal 114, the user will not need to participate in any attempts to associate with or connect to a particular access point, thereby significantly enhancing the user experience. Communicating such attributes or characteristics before a persistent or discontinuous network connection can reduce user frustration while increasing network bandwidth. With fewer users attempting to connect (e.g., session access), network throughput can increase for those users served by the network. Furthermore, users who are unable to maintain or sustain a connection can avoid the challenges of initiating or establishing such a connection.

Some communication or authentication techniques using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP") or other Internet protocol procedures may require establishing a connection between the wireless terminal and the wireless access point at one or more of the layers between and including the network layer 208 and the application layer 210 of the communication layer architecture 200. In these applications, discovery communications 120 may not require a connection to or access to the network layer 208 or any layer in the protocol stack. Including discovery communications 120 at the MAC sublayer 204 may allow the wireless terminal to communicate with the network without having to associate with the network.

FIG3 illustrates a communication network 300. AP 104a provides WLAN access network 1 102a, which overlaps with WLAN access network 2 102b, which includes AP 104b. In this figure, wireless terminal 114 is physically located within range of both WLAN access networks 102a and 102b. Wireless terminal 114 can communicate with both WLAN access networks 102a and 102b and receive network discovery information 120 from both networks without associating with either network. In other words, wireless terminal 114 can receive network discovery information 120 while in a pre-association state. As described below with respect to element 404 of FIG4 , network discovery information 120 may include neighbor reports containing information about multiple networks. Therefore, wireless terminal 114 in FIG3 may receive information about both access networks 102a and 102b from only one of the access networks 102a and 102b.

Figure 4 shows network information 120. The network information 120 may include or be referred to as discovery communication 120 because the network information 120 transmitted may be before association with a network is made (i.e., while discovering the network). The Access Network Query Protocol ("ANQP") allows a wireless device or WLAN terminal (e.g., a station ("STA")) to request additional network information before establishing a network connection. ANQP may use the General Advertisement Service Protocol as a transport mechanism for these queries. The network information 120 obtained through ANQP may include: roaming relationships, network services, supported security methods (e.g., IEEE 802.1X and web-based authentication), emergency service capabilities, available subscription service providers, etc. Figure 4 shows additional or optional network information 120 that supplements existing 802.11 or WFA Hotspot 2.0 wireless communication standards.

WAN latency

Wide area network ("WAN") latency 402 is an example of network information 120 provided in network communications prior to associating with a network. A wireless terminal (e.g., wireless terminal 114) may not be able to determine latency in a network (e.g., a WAN) without associating with the network. WAN latency 402 provides a mechanism for a wireless terminal to identify the static or dynamic current and/or average latency period for a particular network before selecting whether to associate with the network. For mobile device wireless terminals, a client may expect a high level of service on a particular network (e.g., a cellular network) and may not wish to associate with a WAN having high latency. A WLAN access location (or WLAN hotspot) operating under the 802.11 standard or the WFA Hotspot 2.0 wireless communication standard may not be able to receive WAN latency details related to a WLAN-supported network (e.g., an external network) prior to network association.

WAN latency 402 or access latency may include the round-trip delay time of the current network. The access point may measure the round-trip time to obtain a measure of access latency, which may be independent of device-specific connection conditions (e.g., radio connection). WAN latency 402 may be a recent measurement that provides information about the current loading of the hotspot from the access point and the network conditions behind the hotspot, for example, from the perspective of a WLAN terminal. WAN latency 402 may be communicated in the IEEE 802.11 and/or WFA Hotspot 2.0 standards. In one embodiment, WAN latency 402 may be implemented in at least three ways: 1) WAN latency 402 may be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; 2) WAN latency may be a new WFA Hotspot 2.0 element; or 3) WAN latency 402 may be included by modifying an existing WFA Hotspot 2.0 WAN Metrics element. These three implementations are described below.

In a first example, WAN Delay 402 can be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. WAN Delay 402 can include a round-trip timing value from the access point to the network, which, in one embodiment, corresponds to the current and average values of the access delay. Table 1 shows how WAN Delay 402 can be organized and transmitted. Alternative data, lengths, or fields can be used.

Table 1: IEEE 802.11ANQP WAN delay information format.

The message identification ("Message ID") field may be an identifier used in the IEEE 802.11 ANQP message identifier definition. A table showing network messages 120 and corresponding message IDs is shown in FIG7 . The length field may be a 2-octet field that is equal to 2 or 4 depending on whether the WAN Average Delay field is present. The WAN Current Delay field may be a 2-octet field that has a current round-trip time value, which in one example indicates the network access delay measured in milliseconds. The round-trip time may be measured using a suitable protocol such as a ping message, or using an acknowledgement flag ("ACK") in a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) message, or using a Hypertext Protocol ("HTTP") send/get message. The WAN Average Delay field may be a 2-octet field that has an average round-trip time value averaged over a recent time period (e.g., the last minute), which in one example indicates the network access delay measured in milliseconds.

In a second example, WAN Delay 402 may be a new WFA Hotspot 2.0 element. As described herein, WFA Hotspot, WFA Hotspot 2.0, or Hotspot may refer to a Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot or the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. The new element for WAN Delay 402 in WFA Hotspot may include a round-trip timing value from the access point to the network, corresponding to the current and average values of the access delay. In one embodiment, the format of the WAN Delay element is shown in Table 2:

Table 2: WFA Hotspot WAN Latency Element Format.

The WAN Current Delay field may be a 2-octet field having a current round-trip time value, which in one example indicates the network access delay measured in milliseconds. The round-trip time may be measured using a suitable protocol such as a ping message, or using an acknowledgement flag ("ACK") in a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) message, or using a Hypertext Protocol ("HTTP") send/get message. The WAN Average Delay field may be a 2-octet field having an average round-trip time value averaged over a recent time period (e.g., the last minute), which in one example indicates the network access delay measured in milliseconds.

In a third example, the WAN delay 402 can be included by modifying the existing WFA Hotspot WAN Metrics element. The WFA Hotspot specification defines a WAN Metrics element that can be modified to include the WAN delay 402 information discussed above. The existing Hotspot ("HS") WAN Metrics element can be modified to include the WAN Current Delay element and the WAN Metrics element, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Modified WFA hotspot WAN metric elements.

The ANQP protocol can also operate in reverse communication, such that an access point can receive network information 120 (e.g., WAN latency 402) from a wireless terminal. For example, when a wireless terminal is already connected to an external network (e.g., connected to a wireless service provider's network via a cellular data link, connected to a personal area network via a link, etc.), the access point can be configured to discover network information 120 (e.g., WAN latency 402) associated with the external network by querying the wireless terminal. An example will use the described techniques. The described communications can also be used in conjunction with a mesh networking environment, a peer-to-peer network, or a Wi-Fi Direct network to enable a first wireless terminal to discover network information 120 (e.g., WAN latency 402) by querying a second wireless terminal. Thus, if the associated network information 120 is deemed acceptable, the first wireless terminal can connect to the external network associated with the second wireless terminal.

Neighboring AP Report

A neighboring access point ("AP") report 404 is another example of network information 120 provided in network discovery communications. The neighboring AP report 404 can inform a wireless terminal of neighboring access points. Specifically, the neighboring AP report 404 can be used to inform the wireless terminal of neighboring access points that are members of a basic service set ("BSS") or extended service set ("ESS") requested in a neighbor report request, wherein the existing IEEE 802.11 standard establishes the neighbor report element. Specifically, IEEE 802.11 §8.4.2.39 (Draft P802.11-REVmb/D9.2, July 2011) defines the neighbor report element and is incorporated herein by reference. Details or information from the neighbor report element can be transmitted as a neighbor AP report 404 during network discovery prior to associating with a network. The neighbor AP report 404 can be sent by an access point to provide the wireless terminal with information not only about the access point but also about neighboring access points without requiring the wireless terminal to associate with the access point. The neighbor AP report 404 may also be used for stations ("STAs") that are not access points, such as mesh devices, peer-to-peer devices, ad hoc devices, or Wi-Fi Direct devices, etc. The neighbor AP report 404 may be used by wireless terminals to identify which access point or network to associate with.

A neighbor report request/response is sent to the access point, which returns a neighbor report containing information about known neighboring access points available to the wireless terminal. The access point may receive information about neighboring access points from measurements received from a basic service set ("BSS") or an extended service set ("ESS"). Specifically, the neighbor report may include information about access points that may be candidates for BSS transitions. The neighbor AP report 404 may be provided prior to associating with a particular access point. During network discovery, a device may receive neighbor reports about neighboring access points without associating with a particular access point.

The neighbor AP report 404 may include a timestamp field to provide an indication of when the neighbor report was compiled. Some information about the area in which the neighbor is located may be included in the neighbor AP report 404. Geographic information may indicate whether the neighbor is a local hotspot, a local area network (e.g., a 100-meter radius), or wider. This value may be included in the neighbor AP report 404 as a radius or coverage field.

In one embodiment, neighbor AP report 404 can be implemented in at least three ways: 1) neighbor AP report 404 can be the first new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; 2) neighbor AP report 404 can be the second new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; or 3) neighbor AP report 404 can be the new WFA hotspot element. These three exemplary implementations are described below. Additional embodiments may include different implementations.

In a first example, Neighbor AP Report 404 may be the first new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. In one embodiment, Neighbor AP Report 404 may be embodied as a Neighbor Report element as defined in IEEE 802.11 8.4.2.39, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, Neighbor AP Report 404 is provided during network discovery prior to network association or in a pre-association state. The format of Neighbor AP Report 404 may include an Information Identification ("Information ID") field that may correspond to the Neighbor AP Report 404 element. The Information ID field may identify a specific element in the IEEE 802.11 specification. In one embodiment, FIG. 7 illustrates the values of the Information ID, including the Information ID of Neighbor AP Report 404. Alternatively, the length of the Neighbor Report element may be variable. The length of the Neighbor Report element may also be set as its own element or variable. The length may vary depending on the number of neighboring access points included in the report. The Neighbor Report element may include "Element ID" and "Length" fields. In the case of the extended format, "Information ID", "Length", "Element ID" and "Length" may result in two octets of redundant data. Therefore, in this example, the format may be simplified for efficiency, such that the exemplary format of the neighbor AP report 404 is:

Table 4: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Neighbor AP Report Format 1

In a second example, the Neighbor AP Report 404 can be the first new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. In this example, subfields from the Neighbor Report element as shown and described in §8.4.2.39 of the IEEE 802.11 specification (Draft P802.11-REVmb/D9.2, July 2011) can be used to avoid duplication of header fields. As defined in the IEEE 802.11 specification, the Neighbor Report element includes an information identifier, a length, a basic service set identifier ("BSSID"), BSSID information, an operating class, a channel number, a physical layer, and optional subelements.

Table 5: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Neighbor AP Report Format 2

The BSSID is an identifier of the specific Basic Service Set ("BSS") being reported. The other elements of Table 5 are related to that specific BSS. The BSSID Information field may be used to determine neighbor service set transition candidates.

In one embodiment, the BSSID Information field includes access point reachability, security, key range, capabilities, mobility domain, and high throughput as subfields defined in the IEEE 802.11 specification. The reachability field indicates whether the access point identified by the BSSID is reachable by the wireless device or terminal requesting the neighbor report. Security may indicate whether the access point identified by the BSSID supports the same security provisioning used by the wireless device in its current association. In an alternative embodiment, because the neighbor AP report 404 is sent before connecting to the network, security may be a more detailed identification of the type of security used by the access point identified by the BSSID. Key range may indicate authentication, and capabilities may refer to selected capabilities that can be used with the access point.

Referring to Table 5, the operating class may indicate the set of channels for the access point indicated by the BSSID. The operating class, in combination with the channel number, specifies the channel frequency and spacing for the access point indicated by the BSSID. The physical layer ("PHY") type field indicates the physical layer type of the access point indicated by the BSSID. Optional sub-elements are described and shown in Table 8-114 of §8.4.2.39 of the IEEE 802.11 specification (Draft P802.11-REVmb/D9.2, July 2011).

In a third example, the neighbor AP report 404 may be a new WFA Hotspot element. The new element may be included in the WFA Hotspot wireless communication standard. WFA Hotspot or Hotspot may refer to the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot or Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. The new element in the WFA Hotspot of the neighbor AP report 404 may include the neighbor report element discussed above in the other two examples. The format of the neighbor AP report 404 may be as shown in Table 6:

Table 6: WFA Hotspot Neighboring AP Report Format

Hotspot Capabilities

Hotspot capabilities 406 is another example of network information 120 provided during network discovery communications. Hotspot capabilities 406 information can be used to inform wireless devices of specific aspects of the WFA Hotspot 2.0 capabilities supported by a particular access point or hotspot. WFA Hotspot or Hotspot can refer to the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot or the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. The Hotspot 2.0 specification includes a set of features that may or may not be available for a particular hotspot. Features from the Hotspot 2.0 specification that are available in a particular hotspot are included in the Hotspot capabilities 406 information, which is returned by the hotspot during discovery and before a device associates with the hotspot. Compliance with the Hotspot 2.0 specification and the inclusion of specific features can be used to determine whether a wireless device should associate with a particular network. Therefore, Hotspot capabilities 406 can be communicated during network discovery (e.g., using ANQP) before associating with a network. Hotspot capabilities 406 can be considered an advertisement for a particular hotspot to advertise which features it supports, potentially making it a more desirable network to associate with than other networks that do not support the same features.

Specifically, the included elements with hotspot capability 406 are listed in Table 9 below and may include:

Security Initial Authentication (also known as Online Sign-Up ("OSU")) capability can include a system in which mobile devices that do not have a previous relationship with a service provider can securely establish one. Users can select a service provider to register with by selecting a friendly name or icon. It is part of the WFA Hotspot 2.0 specification.

Subscription provisioning can include the credential mechanisms required to associate with the network and related metadata. It can include user-entered information or the presence of a SIM card. Provisioning can include configuration of the device and include enabling and disabling features.

Policy provisioning can refer to the policies used by a device or network.

• Open Mobile Alliance ("OMA")/Simple Object Access Protocol ("SOAP") - Extensible Markup Language ("XML") is a protocol for exchanging information in a network.

Managed objects can refer to network resources that are managed. For example, operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning application protocols can be used to manage resources in a telecommunications environment.

• Open Mobile Alliance ("OMA") Device Management is a protocol for managing mobile devices, including support for provisioning, configuration, upgrades, and default management.

In one embodiment, hotspot capability 406 can be implemented in at least two ways: 1) hotspot capability 406 can be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; and 2) hotspot capability 406 can be a new WFA hotspot element. These two exemplary implementations are described below. Additional embodiments may include different implementations.

In a first example, hotspot capabilities 406 can be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. The new element can include capabilities that are part of the WFA Hotspot 2.0 specification. Hotspot capabilities 406 can include a list of potential capabilities (e.g., online registration, subscription pre-configuration, policy pre-configuration, or XML protocol as discussed above). The information identification ("Information ID") field can be an identifier used in the IEEE 802.11 ANQP specification. A table showing exemplary network information 120 (including hotspot capabilities 406 and corresponding Information IDs) is shown in Figure 7. The length can correspond to the length of the optional hotspot capabilities subfield. In one embodiment, the length can reflect the number of hotspot capabilities subfields that exist.

Table 7 shows one embodiment of the hotspot capability 406 element:

Table 7: IEEE 802.11ANQP Hotspot Capability Format

In one implementation, the format of each of the hotspot capability subfields includes a capability identifier and a capability version. In other words, each of the hotspot capability fields of Table 7 includes an identifier (ID) and a capability version. In one example, the format of the hotspot capability subfield is as shown in Table 8.

Table 8: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Hotspot Capability Subfield Format

The hotspot capability ID may include the following exemplary identifiers as shown in Table 9:

Table 9: Hotspot Capability Identifier (ID)

In alternative embodiments, there may be additional, fewer, or different hotspot capabilities included as part of hotspot capabilities 406 .

Hotspot Capability Version may be a 16-octet field containing the value of the version number of the hotspot capability, for example, "1.0.5". This provides an indication of which version is supported in the network. In an alternative embodiment, the hotspot capability version field may not be present.

In a second example, hotspot capabilities 406 may be a new WFA hotspot element. New elements may be included in the WFA hotspot wireless communication standard. As described herein, WFA hotspot may refer to the Wi-Fi Alliance hotspot or the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. The new element for hotspot capabilities 406 in WFA hotspot may include the hotspot capabilities discussed above. In one embodiment, the format of hotspot capabilities 406 is as shown in Table 10-a:

Form 10-a: WFA Hotspot Capability Format

The hotspot capability subfield may be similar to the hotspot capability subfield shown in Table 8.

3GPP capabilities

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP") capabilities 408 are another example of network information 120 provided in network discovery communications. 3GPP is a group of telecommunications companies that creates and maintains standards, such as the third generation mobile phone system specifications. 3GPP may include additional standards and specifications maintained, such as the Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM") and the IP Multimedia Subsystem ("IMS").

Before a wireless device associates with a particular network, certain elements related to 3GPP may be beneficial to the wireless device. Specifically, the 3GPP capabilities 408 transmitted prior to network connection may include information regarding which 3GPP capabilities the network has. The 3GPP capabilities 408 may be used by the wireless device to determine which capabilities a particular network supports, which may be useful in selecting which network to associate with. The 3GPP capabilities 408 are included as part of the network information 120 that the wireless device can obtain from the access point without the need to associate with a network. Some networks may not be able to connect to a 3GPP network, in which case the access point may respond to a request for 3GPP capabilities with an error value or a null value.

Exemplary 3GPP capabilities include: 1) Access Network Discovery and Selection Function ("ANDSF") support; 2) IP Multimedia Subsystem ("IMS") support; and/or 3) Generic Access Network ("GAN") support. In other words, in one embodiment, 3GPP capabilities 408 may include an indication of whether the network supports ANDSF, IMS, or GAN. ANDSF support may generally relate to whether a device can discover non-3GPP access networks that can be used for data communications. In one example, ANDSF support may allow a wireless device or terminal to discover the cost of connecting to a WLAN network or cellular network supported by a mobile provider (e.g., T-Mobile or AT&T Hotspot). ANDSF support may provide information about cellular networks over WLAN networks. Some IMS support may generally relate to whether IMS can be used to deliver multimedia. In one example, IMS allows multimedia to be streamed over a mobile station or cellular network. IMS support may allow a user to switch between a cellular/mobile network and a WLAN and maintain streaming multimedia. GAN support may generally relate to whether mobile voice, data, and IMS applications can be extended between networks.

In one embodiment, 3GPP capability 408 can be implemented in at least two ways: 1) 3GPP capability 408 can be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; or 2) 3GPP capability 408 can be a new WFA hotspot element. These two exemplary implementations are described below. Additional embodiments may include different implementations.

In a first example, 3GPP Capabilities 408 may be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. 3GPP Capabilities 408 may include an information ID (e.g., FIG. 7 ) and a length field. The length field may correspond to the length of the included 3GPP entity. The 3GPP entity field may correspond to each capability included (e.g., support for ANDSF, IMS, and/or GAN). 3GPP Capabilities 408 may also include a version, which relates to the specific 3GPP release to which the capability complies. In one embodiment, 3GPP Capabilities 408 may be formatted as shown in Table 10-b.

Table 10-b: IEEE 802.11ANQP 3GPP Capability Format

Each of the 3GPP entity fields may include an entity identifier subfield and a 3GPP entity version field, as shown in Table 11:

Table 11: IEEE 802.11 ANQP 3GPP Entity Subfield Format The 3GPP Entity ID may include a value for each 3GPP entity present in the 3GPP network. In one embodiment, the 3GPP Entity ID may be assigned as shown in Table 12:

Entity Name value Reserved 0 Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) 1 IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 2 Generic Access Network (GAN) 3

Table 12: IEEE 802.11ANQP 3GPP Entity ID

3GPP Entity Version is a 16-octet field containing the value of the version number of the 3GPP entity (e.g., "Release 5.6.9"). This provides an indication of which version is supported in the network. In alternative embodiments, the 3GPP Entity Version field may not be present.

In a second example, 3GPP Capabilities 408 may be a new WFA Hotspot element. The new element may be included in the WFA Hotspot wireless communication standard. As described herein, WFA Hotspot may refer to the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot or the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. The new element for 3GPP Capabilities 408 in WFA Hotspot may include the 3GPP capabilities discussed above. In one embodiment, the format of 3GPP Capabilities 408 is shown in Table 13:

Table 13: WFA hotspot 3GPP capability format

The 3GPP entity subfield may be similar to the 3GPP entity subfield shown in Table 11.

Mobility capabilities

Mobility capabilities 410 are another example of network information 120 provided during network discovery communications. Mobility capabilities 410 may include mobility protocols or entities that may be communicated regarding a network prior to associating with the network. Mobility capabilities 410 information may be used to inform a wireless device of specific mobility protocols that a network may or may not use. Whether a network communicates using a specific mobility protocol may be used during discovery when a wireless device is selecting a network to associate with. Thus, mobility capabilities 410 may be communicated during network discovery (e.g., using ANQP) prior to associating with the network.

Examples of mobility capabilities 410 include Columbia, Mobile Internet Protocol ("IP"), Cellular IP, Hierarchical Mobile IP ("HMIP"), Fast Mobile IP ("FMIP"), General Packet Radio Service ("GPRS") Tunneling Protocol ("GTP"), and Proxy Mobile IP version 6 ("PMIPv6"). Columbia may refer to the micro-mobility stack and whether communications occur with this software. Mobile IP may be a protocol for transporting connections between networks using anchored/tethered Internet Protocol ("IP") addresses. For example, a voice call may be delivered between networks using the Mobile IP protocol. Cellular IP may be used to allow seamless IP mobility between different packet data service node domains. Hierarchical Mobile IP ("HMIP") is an enhancement to Mobile Internet Protocol ("Mobile IP") that may reduce the amount of signaling required and improve the handover speed of mobile connections. Fast Mobile IP ("FMIP") is a mobility protocol designed to improve handovers between nodes. GTP is a suite of IP-based communication protocols used to carry General Packet Radio Service ("GPRS") in mobile or cellular networks. Proxy Mobile IPv6 ("PMIPv6") is a network-based mobility management protocol that is standardized and designed to be independent of the mobile network while accommodating multiple access technologies. The above are only examples of mobility capabilities 410 that can be sent using ANQP during network discovery. Additional mobility capabilities and protocols can be included with mobility capabilities 410.

In one embodiment, mobility capability 410 can be implemented in at least two ways: 1) mobility capability 410 can be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; or 2) mobility capability 410 can be a new WFA hotspot element. These two exemplary implementations are described below. Additional embodiments may include different implementations.

In a first example, the mobility capability 410 may be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. The mobility capability 410 may include an information ID (e.g., FIG. 7 ) and a length field. The length field may correspond to the length or number of included mobility protocols. A mobility protocol may correspond to each included capability. In one embodiment, the mobility capability 410 may be formatted as shown in Table 14:

Table 14: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Mobility Capability Format

Each of the 3GPP protocol fields may include a protocol identifier subfield and a mobility protocol version field, as shown in Table 15:

Table 15: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Mobility Subfield Format The Mobility Protocol ID may include a value for each mobility protocol supported by the network. In one embodiment, the Mobility Protocol ID may be assigned as shown in Table 16:

Table 16: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Mobility Protocol IDs

The Mobility Protocol Version is a 16-octet field that may include the value of the version number of the Mobility Protocol (e.g., "v1.2"). This may provide an indication of which version is supported in the network. In alternative embodiments, the Mobility Protocol Version field may not be present.

In a second example, mobility capabilities 410 may be a new WFA Hotspot element. The new element may be included in the WFA Hotspot wireless communication standard. As described herein, WFA Hotspot may refer to the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot or the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. The new element for mobility capabilities 410 in the WFA Hotspot may include mobility protocols as discussed above. In one embodiment, the format of mobility capabilities 410 is shown in Table 17:

Table 17: WFA Hotspot Mobility Protocol Format The Mobility Protocol subfield may be similar to the Mobility Protocol subfield shown in Table 15.

Device identification

The device identification 412 is another example of the network information 120 provided in the network discovery communication. The device identification 412 can be used to identify the type of station ("STA"). STA can refer to any side of the network, including: wireless devices, terminals, and access points. Specifically, the WLAN terminal can be informed of the type of STA or wireless device from which it received an ANQP response. The WLAN terminal can take advantage of the different capability differences between the STAs it is attempting to communicate with. The device identification 412 can include the type of device, and the transmission of the device type can determine whether to communicate with the device. The device identification 412 can include identification information related to the network provider (e.g., access point 104a) and the end user device (e.g., wireless device 114). In other words, the device identification 412 can identify the type of device at both ends of the network communication.

In one embodiment, the device identifier 412 can be implemented in at least two ways: 1) the device identifier 412 can be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; or 2) the device identifier 412 can be a new WFA hotspot element. These two exemplary implementations are described below. Additional embodiments may include different implementations.

In a first example, the device identification 412 may be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. The device identification 412 may include an information ID (e.g., FIG. 7 ) and a length field. The length field may correspond to the length or number of STA identifications included. The STA identification may correspond to each type of device identified. In one embodiment, the device identification 412 may be formatted as shown in Table 18:

Table 18: IEEE 802.11ANQP Device Identification Format

The STA Identification subfield may be formatted as shown in Table 19:

Table 19: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Device Identification Subfield Format

The STA Identification subfield may include a set of bits corresponding to the available types of STAs (e.g., b0 to b15 of a 16-bit field). Each of the bits of the STA Identification subfield may correspond to a specific device or STA, as shown in Table 20:

Table 20: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Device Identification Subfield Bits

The non-AP STA bit and the AP STA bit indicate whether the STA is an access point. Because a STA can be a wireless device/terminal or an access point, the non-AP STA bit and the AP bit identify whether the STA is an access point. The Quality of Service ("QoS") bit identifies a QoS station or an access point. High Throughput ("HT") and Very High Throughput ("VHT") identify stations based on operating speed. 60 Gigahertz ("GHz") STA identifies a station operating at a 60 GHz frequency. Mesh STA identifies a station that can operate in a mesh network environment. A mesh environment may not have specific access points and terminals because all STAs in the mesh are connected autonomously through the network. A dependent STA identifies a station that is subordinate to an enabling STA for channel and band information that may be found in "blank" operation. An enabling STA identifies a station that is capable of receiving channel and band information out-of-band (for example, it can be connected to a channel database via another medium).

In a second example, device identification 412 may be a new WFA hotspot element. New elements may be included in the WFA hotspot wireless communication standard. As described herein, a WFA hotspot may refer to a Wi-Fi Alliance hotspot or the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. New elements for device identification 412 in the WFA hotspot may include a station identification type as discussed above. In one embodiment, the format of device identification 412 is shown in Table 21.

Table 21: WFA hotspot device identification format

The STA identification subfield may be similar to the STA identification subfield shown in Table 20.

Multi-BSSID information

Multi-BSSID information 414 is another example of network information 120 provided in network discovery communications. A basic service set ("BSS") is a collection of all stations that can communicate with each other. Each BSS has an identifier ("ID") called a BSSID, which is the MAC address of an access point that serves the BSS. Multi-BSSID allows information to be transmitted from multiple access points or hotspots in an area that have some form of communication with each other. Specifically, multi-BSSID information 414 can be transmitted using a single ANQP message (defined in IEEE 802.11, WFA Hotspot 2.0, or this document) before association with a network, and provides details about multiple access points or hotspots.

Multi-BSSID information 416 can be used to identify multiple information about many access networks associated with a particular WLAN (not just the one it is connected to). A typical WLAN access point can be physically implemented as multiple logical access points. The Multi-BSSID Information Request allows another single ANQP request (defined in IEEE 802.11, WFA Hotspot 2.0, or this document) to be sent to an access point. If the access point is one of multiple access points in an area that have some form of intercommunication between them, then this message can allow all information from these multiple access points to be returned in a Multi-BSSID Response. In other words, a single Multi-BSSID message can be used to receive information about multiple logical access points.

Multi-BSSID Information 416 can be used by a single access point to relay a specific ANQP request from a wireless terminal (or station ("STA")) to determine information from neighboring STAs or terminals. For example, a list of location names of neighboring STAs can be returned. The Multi-BSSID request can include an information ID for "Multi-BSSID" (e.g., 278) followed by an information ID for "Location Name" (e.g., 258). The Location Name ANQP message can be as defined in IEEE 802.11. This ANQP request can be sent to a single access point, and instead of responding directly with its own location name, the access point forwards the request to all of its connected neighboring STAs. For each response from its neighbors, the access point can provide a "Multi-BSSID Information Subfield" in the final response (as described in Table 23). This mechanism can also be applied to virtual logical access points housed within a physical access point unit. Security considerations may limit the transfer of certain information from one logical STA domain to another. If the information cannot be determined, an appropriate error code can be passed back to the initiating STA.

In one embodiment, multi-BSSID information 416 can be implemented in at least two ways: 1) multi-BSSID information 416 can be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element; or 2) multi-BSSID information 416 can be a new WFA hotspot element. These two exemplary implementations are described below. Additional embodiments may include different implementations.

In a first example, the multi-BSSID information 416 may be a new IEEE 802.11 ANQP element. The ANQP multi-BSSID information 416 may include information about neighboring STAs based on a specific ANQP element ("AE"). In one embodiment, the format of the multi-BSSID information 416 is as shown in Table 22:

Table 22:22:IEEE 802.11ANQP Multi-BSSID Message Format

The Message Identification ("Message ID") field may be an identifier used in the IEEE 802.11 ANQP Message Identifier definition. A table showing exemplary network information 120 and corresponding Message IDs is shown in FIG7 . The Length field may be a 2-octet field equal to the length of the optional ANQP BSSID Information subfield. One embodiment of the ANQP BSSID Information subfield is shown in Table 23.

Table 23: IEEE 802.11 ANQP Multi-BSSID Information Subfield Format

The Service Set Identifier ("SSID") element is an identifier for a specific WLAN. The SSID element may include a field length indication that establishes the length of the SSID. In one example, the SSID may be up to 32 characters. The Basic Service Set Identifier ("BSSID") element may identify a Basic Service Set ("BSS"). In one example, an SSID may be used in multiple or even overlapping BSSs. The BSSID may be a Media Access Control ("MAC") address of an access point. The ANQP Element ("AE") field may be a variable length field that may contain any additional AEs. In alternative embodiments, elements from other advertisement protocols may be used.

In a second example, multi-BSSID information 416 may be a new WFA hotspot element. New elements may be included in the WFA hotspot wireless communication standard. As described herein, a WFA hotspot may refer to a Wi-Fi Alliance hotspot or a Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 specification. The new elements for multi-BSSID information 416 in a WFA hotspot may include SSID, BSSID, and ANQP elements as discussed above. In one embodiment, the format of multi-BSSID information 416 is shown in Table 24:

Table 24: WFA Hotspot Multi-BSSID Information Format

In one embodiment, the format of the Hotspot BSSID Information subfield is shown in Table 25:

Table 25: WFA Hotspot Multi-BSSID Information Subfield Format

The Hotspot 2.0 Element ("HE") field is a variable length field that may contain any other Hotspot 2.0 elements as defined in WFA Hotspot 2.0 or other Hotspot specifications. Elements from other announcement protocols may also be used.

FIG5 illustrates a wireless terminal 114, such as that shown in FIG1 and FIG3 . The wireless terminal 114 includes a processor 502, which can be used to control the overall operation of the wireless terminal 114. The processor 502 can be implemented using a controller, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, dedicated hardware, or any combination thereof. The processor 502 can include a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor, or other type of processing device. The processor 502 can be a component in any of a variety of systems. For example, the processor 502 can be part of a standard personal computer or workstation. The processor 502 can be one or more general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof, or other currently known or later developed devices for analyzing and processing data. The processor 502 can operate in conjunction with a software program (e.g., manually generated (i.e., programmed) code).

The wireless terminal 114 also includes a terminal message generator 504 and a terminal data parser 506. The terminal message generator 504 can generate network information discovery messages, such as the discovery request 116 and the discovery response 118, for transmitting the network information 120 of FIG. 1 . The terminal data parser 506 can be used to retrieve network information from a memory (e.g., a random access memory 510, etc.). For example, the terminal data parser 506 can retrieve the network information 120 cached in the wireless terminal 114 after receiving the network information 120 from a WLAN (e.g., the access networks 106a-c of FIG. 1 ).

In the illustrated embodiment, the terminal message generator 504 and the terminal data parser 506 are shown as being separate from and connected to the processor 502. In alternative embodiments, the terminal message generator 504 and the terminal data parser 506 may be implemented in the processor 502 and/or in a wireless communication subsystem (e.g., the wireless communication subsystem 518). The terminal message generator 504 and the terminal data parser 506 may be implemented using any combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software. For example, one or more integrated circuits, discrete semiconductor components, and/or passive electronic components may be used. For example, the terminal message generator 504 and the terminal data parser 506, or portions thereof, may be implemented using one or more circuits, programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic devices, field programmable logic devices, and the like.

The terminal message generator 504 and the terminal data parser 506, or portions thereof, can be implemented using instructions, code, and/or other software and/or firmware stored on a machine-accessible medium and executable by, for example, a processor (e.g., processor 502). The terminal message generator 503 or the terminal data parser 506 can be stored on or include a tangible storage medium or memory. For example, the terminal message generator 504 or the terminal data parser 506 can be implemented using software stored on a memory and executable by the processor 502. Alternatively, the terminal message generator 504 and/or the terminal data parser 506 can be implemented using hardware with software functionality. The memory used to store software associated with the terminal message generator 504 and/or the terminal data parser 506 can include, but is not limited to, computer-readable storage media, such as various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, including random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media, and the like. In one embodiment, the memory may include random access memory 510 for the processor 502, or may be an external storage device or database for storing recorded announcements or user data. Examples include a hard drive, a compact disc ("CD"), a digital video disc ("DVD"), a memory card, a memory stick, a floppy disk, a universal serial bus ("USB") memory device, or any other device operable to store announcements or user data. The memory is operable to store instructions that can be executed by the processor 502.

The wireless terminal 114 may include flash memory 508, random access memory 510, and/or an expandable memory interface 512 coupled to the processor 502. The flash memory 508 may store computer-readable instructions and/or data. In some embodiments, the flash memory 508 and/or the RAM 510 may store the network information 120 of FIG. 1 and instructions for transmitting the network information 120. The processor 502 may be coupled to a memory (e.g., flash memory 508 or RAM 510) for storing software instructions executable by the processor 502. The memory may include, but is not limited to, computer-readable storage media, such as various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, including random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media, and the like. The functions, actions, or tasks illustrated in the figures or described herein may be performed by the programmed processor 502 executing the instructions stored in the memory. The functions, acts, or tasks may be independent of a particular type of instruction set, storage medium, processor, or processing strategy, and may be performed by software, hardware, integrated circuits, firmware, microcode, etc., operating alone or in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may include multiprocessing, multitasking, parallel processing, etc.

The wireless terminal 114 may include a secure hardware interface 514 for receiving a SIM card from a wireless service provider. The SIM card may be used for network discovery communications, including authenticating the wireless terminal 114 to establish a connection to a WLAN-supported network. The wireless terminal 114 may have an external data I/O interface 516. The external data I/O interface 516 may be used by a user to transmit information to the wireless terminal 114 via a wired medium.

The wireless terminal 114 may include a wireless communication subsystem 518 for implementing wireless communications with an access point (e.g., access points 104a-c of FIG. 1 ). Although not shown, the wireless terminal 114 may also have a long-range communication subsystem for receiving messages from and sending messages to a cellular wireless network. In the illustrated example described herein, the wireless communication subsystem 518 may be configured according to the 802.11 standard. In other exemplary embodiments, the wireless communication subsystem 518 may be implemented using a radio, a device, a wireless USB device, an ultra-wideband radio, a near field communication (“NFC”) device, or a radio frequency identifier (“RFID”) device.

Wireless terminal 114 may include a user interface for communicating with the wireless terminal. The user interface may be a separate component, or it may include a speaker 520, a microphone 522, a display 524, and a user input interface 526. Display 524 may be a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, a flat panel display, a solid-state display, a cathode ray tube, a projector, a printer, or other display device currently known or later developed for outputting specific information. User input interface 526 may include an alphanumeric keyboard and/or a telephone-type keypad, a multi-directional actuator or scroll wheel with dynamic button pressing capability, a touchpad, and the like. Network discovery information communicated with the network prior to connection may be transmitted with or without each of the user interfaces described herein. In alternative embodiments, speaker 520, microphone 522, display 524, user input interface 526, and/or any combination thereof may be omitted. In one embodiment, wireless terminal 114 is a battery-powered device and includes a battery 528 and a battery interface 530.

FIG6 illustrates an access point (“AP”) 104a. The access point shown in FIG6 is AP 104a, but other access points (e.g., access points 104b, 104c) may also be illustrated. AP 104a includes a processor 602 for performing operations of AP 104a. Processor 602 may be similar to processor 502 described above.

AP 104a includes an access point message generator 604 for generating network information communications and an access point data parser 606 for retrieving network information communications from wireless terminals 114 and/or external network A 108a, as shown in FIG1 . Access point message generator 604 can be similar to terminal message generator 504 of FIG5 , and access point data parser 606 can be similar to terminal data parser 506 of FIG5 . Like terminal message generator 504 and terminal data parser 506 of FIG5 , access point message generator 604 and access point data parser 606 can be implemented using software stored in a memory that can be executed by processor 602 or can be implemented using hardware having software functionality executed by processor 602. Alternatively, access point message generator 604 and access point data parser 606 can be implemented in a wireless communication subsystem (e.g., wireless communication subsystem 612) using any combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software (including instructions stored on tangible computer-readable media and/or non-transitory computer-readable media).

The AP 104a may also include flash memory 608 and RAM 610, both coupled to the processor 602. The flash memory 608 and/or random access memory ("RAM") 610 may be configured to store network information (e.g., the network information 120 of FIG. 1 including discovery communications). The RAM 610 may also be used to generate messages for communication with the wireless terminal 114 and/or for transmission to the external network A 108a. The RAM 610 may also store received messages transmitted by the wireless terminal 114 and/or the external network A 108a.

To communicate with wireless terminals, such as wireless terminal 114, AP 104a may include a wireless communication subsystem 612, which may be similar to wireless communication subsystem 518 of wireless terminal 114 shown in FIG5. To communicate with a WLAN-enabled network or an external network (e.g., networks 106a-c, 108a, and 108b of FIG1), AP 104a may include a network uplink communication interface 614.

FIG7 is a table of 802.11 ANQP information identifiers. The aforementioned network information 120 may be assigned an identifier ("ID") from the existing 802.11 ANQP information ID definition. FIG7 illustrates one embodiment of information IDs that may be used for the network information 120. Specifically, information IDs are assigned to WAN latency, 3GPP capabilities, mobility capabilities, hotspot capabilities, neighbor reports, device (STA) identification, and multi-BSSID information, examples of which are illustrated in FIG7 .

FIG8 is a table of subtype definitions for the Hotspot ANQP element. The aforementioned network information 120 may be a subtype value within the existing Hotspot 2.0 ANQP element. FIG8 illustrates one embodiment of subtype values that may be assigned to network information 120. Specifically, subtype IDs are assigned to WAN latency, 3GPP capabilities, mobility capabilities, hotspot capabilities, neighbor reports, device (STA) identification, and multi-BSSID information, examples of which are shown in FIG8 .

FIG9 illustrates network communications. A wireless terminal 114 requests 902 network information 120 from an access point 104. As discussed above, the network information 120 may include any of the elements or features discussed with respect to FIG4 . The access point 104 responds 904 to the request with the requested network information 120. Communications during network discovery (the request 902 and the response 904) are above the discovery line 906, while communications after network discovery are shown below the discovery line 906. In other words, the request and response for network information 120 occur during network discovery. Below the discovery line 906, the wireless terminal analyzes the network and selects 908 a network or access point 910 to associate with. Communications below the discovery line 906 are post-discovery communications when connecting or associating with a network. Network discovery may refer to communications or messages that occur before connecting or associating with a network. In one embodiment, discovery communications may be in accordance with the Access Network Query Protocol ("ANQP"), which establishes discovery communications in a WLAN. 4 may be transmitted during network discovery. In an alternative embodiment, the request may originate from the access point 104 and the response may originate from the wireless terminal 114. For example, for the device identification 412, the access point 104 may request the identification from the wireless terminal 114.

The described systems and processes can be encoded in a signal-bearing medium, a computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory), programmed into a device such as one or more integrated circuits and one or more processors, or processed by a controller or computer. If the method is performed by software, the software can reside in a memory that resides in or interfaces with a storage device, synchronizer, communication interface, or non-volatile or volatile memory that communicates with a transmitter. The circuit or electronic device is designed to send data to another location. The memory can include a sequential list of executable instructions for performing the logic function. The described logic functions or system elements can be implemented by optical circuits, digital circuits, source code, analog circuits, analog sources such as analog electronic signals, audio signals, or video signals, or a combination thereof. The software can be embodied in a computer-readable or signal-bearing medium for use by or in conjunction with an instruction-executable system, device, or apparatus. The system can include a computer-based system, a system containing a processor, or another system that can selectively obtain instructions from an instruction-executable system, device, or apparatus that can also execute instructions.

"Computer-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," "propagation signal" medium, and/or "signal-bearing medium" may include any device that contains, stores, conveys, propagates, or transmits software for use by or in conjunction with an instruction-executable system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium may optionally be, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. A non-exhaustive list of examples of machine-readable media would include: "electronically" an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable magnetic or optical disk, a volatile memory (e.g., random access memory "RAM," read-only memory "ROM," erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory)), or optical fiber. A machine-readable medium may also include a tangible medium having software printed thereon, as the software may be stored electronically as an image or in another format (e.g., by optical scanning), then compiled, and/or interpreted, or otherwise processed. The processed medium may then be stored in a computer and/or machine memory.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations (e.g., application specific integrated circuits), programmable logic arrays, and other hardware devices may be configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of various embodiments may broadly include a variety of electronic systems and computer systems. One or more embodiments described herein may use two or more dedicated interconnected hardware modules or devices to perform functions using relevant control signals and data signals that may be transmitted between modules and through modules, or one or more embodiments described herein may use two or more dedicated interconnected hardware modules or devices as part of an application specific integrated circuit to perform functions. Therefore, the present system encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

The description of the embodiments described herein is intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of each embodiment. The description is not intended to be used as a complete description of all elements and features of the apparatus and system using the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments will become clear to those skilled in the art after reading this disclosure. Other embodiments may be used or derived from this disclosure so that structural and logical replacements and changes can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In addition, the description is representative only and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions in the description may be amplified, while other proportions may be minimized. Therefore, this disclosure and the accompanying drawings should be considered illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims (21)

1. A method for communicating in a wireless network, comprising: Before a wireless device associates with an access point (AP), sending an Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) request for a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) capability element from the wireless device to the AP; and Before the wireless device associates with the AP, an ANQP response is received at the wireless device from the AP, wherein the ANQP response includes the 3GPP capability element, wherein the 3GPP capability element includes information about whether a wireless local area network (WLAN) connected to the AP supports handover between the WLAN and a cellular network. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3GPP capability element further comprises an indication of network support. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 3GPP capability element is sent using a General Advertisement Service (GAS). The method of claim 3 , wherein the GAS provides support for network selection operations of the wireless device. 5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information related to the handover between the WLAN and the cellular network comprises one or more of the following: ColumbiaIP Micromobility Suite CIMS; Mobile Internet Protocol "IP"; Cellular IP; Hierarchical Mobile IP (HMIP); Fast Mobile IP (FMIP); General grouping; General Public Radio Service ("GPRS") Tunneling Protocol (GTP); or Proxy Mobile IP version 6 (PMIPv6). The method of claim 1 , wherein the 3GPP capability element is defined as a Wi-Fi Alliance element. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the 3GPP capability element further includes information related to at least one of the following: Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) support; Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support; or Generic Access Network (GAN) support. 8. A wireless device for communicating in a wireless network, comprising: A processor is interconnected with the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: Before the wireless device associates with an access point (AP), sending an Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) request for a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) capability element from the wireless device to the AP; and Before the wireless device associates with the AP, an ANQP response is received at the wireless device from the AP, wherein the ANQP response includes the 3GPP capability element, wherein the 3GPP capability element includes information about whether a wireless local area network (WLAN) connected to the AP supports handover between the WLAN and a cellular network. 9. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the 3GPP capability element further includes an indication of network support. 10. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the 3GPP capability element is sent using a General Advertisement Service (GAS). 11. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the GAS provides support for network selection operations of the wireless device. 12. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the information related to the handover between the WLAN and the cellular network comprises one or more of the following: ColumbiaIP Micromobility Suite CIMS; Mobile Internet Protocol "IP"; Cellular IP; Hierarchical Mobile IP (HMIP); Fast Mobile IP (FMIP); General grouping; General Public Radio Service ("GPRS") Tunneling Protocol (GTP); or Proxy Mobile IP version 6 (PMIPv6). 13. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the 3GPP capability element is defined as a Wi-Fi Alliance element. 14. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein the 3GPP capability element further comprises information related to at least one of: Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) support; Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) support; or Generic Access Network (GAN) support. 15. An access point (AP) associated with a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising: A processor is interconnected with the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving an Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) request for a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) capability element from the wireless device before the wireless device associates with the AP; and Before the wireless device associates with the AP, an ANQP response is sent to the wireless device, wherein the ANQP response includes the 3GPP capability element, wherein the 3GPP capability element includes information about whether a wireless local area network (WLAN) connected to the AP supports handover between the WLAN and a cellular network. 16. The AP of claim 15, wherein the 3GPP capability element further includes an indication of network support. 17. The AP of claim 15, wherein the 3GPP capability element is sent using a General Advertisement Service (GAS). 18. The AP of claim 17, wherein the GAS provides support for network selection operations of the wireless device. 19. The AP according to claim 15, wherein the information related to the handover between the WLAN and the cellular network comprises one or more of the following: ColumbiaIP Micromobility Suite CIMS; Mobile Internet Protocol "IP"; Cellular IP; Hierarchical Mobile IP (HMIP); Fast Mobile IP (FMIP); General grouping; General Public Radio Service ("GPRS") Tunneling Protocol (GTP); or Proxy Mobile IP version 6 (PMIPv6). 20. The AP of claim 15, wherein the 3GPP capability element is defined as a Wi-Fi Alliance element. 21. A method for communicating in a wireless network, comprising: receiving an Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) request for a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) capability element from the wireless device before the wireless device associates with an access point (AP); and Before the wireless device associates with the AP, an ANQP response is sent to the wireless device, wherein the ANQP response includes the 3GPP capability element, wherein the 3GPP capability element includes information about whether a wireless local area network (WLAN) connected to the AP supports handover between the WLAN and a cellular network.