New Blackberry patent

APPARATUS, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD, OR FACILITATING WLAN SELECTION BY A MOBILE NODE

Abstract
Apparatus, and an associated method, by which to facilitate selection of a WLAN through which a mobile node communicates. Selection takes into account the geographic positioning of the mobile node. The mobile node ascertains its geographic positioning by monitoring cellular-positioning signals. And, availability of WLANs through which to communicate is ascertained by detecting signals broadcast by the WLANs.

Description

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[0001] The present invention relates generally to a manner by which to select a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) through which a mobile node, operable to communicate both by way of a WLAN and by way of a cellular communication network, shall become associated with the WLAN to communicate data pursuant to a communication session. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus, and an associated method, by which to select the WLAN based upon a preference order. The preference order is position-dependent, that is to say, dependent upon the location at which the mobile node is positioned. The position of the mobile node is determined from information, e.g., country-code information, broadcast to the mobile node by a cellular network. And, the information is used by the mobile node to select the WLAN.

[0002] Positioning information is provided to the mobile node to permit WLAN selection based upon the position-dependent preference order, even though positioning information is not provided by signals broadcast by the WLANs. Position-dependent preferences are used in the WLAN selection without need to make any changes to conventional signaling protocols used by conventional WLANs, such as those defined in an IEEE 802.11 operating protocol.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The availability of modern communication systems through which to communicate data is a practical necessity of modem society. Communication systems are available for use to effectuate many different types of communication services in which data is communicated between sets of communication stations to effectuate desired communication services.

[0004] Existing communication systems incorporate advancements in communication technologies. And, new communication systems are made available as a result of advancements in communication technologies. Generally, advancements in communication technologies improve the efficiencies of communication of data, permit the data to be communicated at higher through-put rates, or provide better for the communication of the data in non-ideal communication conditions. Digital communication techniques, and improvements associated therewith, are amongst the communication technologies that provide such communication advantages.

[0005] A radio communication system is an exemplary type of communication system. Many modern radio communication systems employ the use of digital communication techniques. A cellular communication system is a type of radio communication system. Network infrastructures of cellular communication systems have been installed over significant portions of the populated areas of the world, and usage of cellular communication systems through which to communicate telephonically, already popular, is increasing as additional communication services are increasingly able to be effectuated by way of such systems.

[0006] The network infrastructure of an exemplary cellular communication system generally includes a plurality of spaced-apart base transceiver stations that provide for communications with mobile stations. The mobile stations form portable radio transceivers, and the base transceiver stations each define coverage areas referred to as cells. When a mobile station is positioned within the coverage area of a particular base transceiver station, the mobile station is generally capable of communicating with the base transceiver station in whose coverage area that the mobile station is positioned. The mobile station is provided with mobility and the mobile station is permitted movement between cells defined by different ones of the base transceiver stations. Communication handovers permit continued communications by the mobile station with the network infrastructure as the mobile station travels between the cells.

[0007] Analogous types of radio communication systems that exhibit certain of the characteristics of cellular communication systems have been developed and deployed. So-called micro-cellular networks, private networks, and WLANs (Wireless Local Area Networks) are representative of radio communication systems that are operable, at least in various aspects, in manners that are analogous to the operation of a cellular communication system. Wireless local area networks, for instance, are technological extensions of conventional local area networks. That is to say, conventional local area networks, such as those that form computer networks and wireless local area networks, generally provide for the communication of packet-formatted data. A mobile node that is operable in, and forms a portion of, a wireless local area network system, is analogous to, and is sometimes functionally equivalent to, the fixed nodes of a local area network. And, analogous to conventional local area networks, wireless local area networks are constructed to permit effectuation of data-intensive communication services.

[0008] Wireless local area networks are generally constructed to communicate data pursuant to an operating protocol, such as any of the IEEE 802.11 (a), (b), (g), and (n) operating protocols. A commercial 2.4 GHz frequency band is allocated for WLAN communications, and an unregulated band in the 5 GHz frequency range is also usable by WLAN systems.

[0009] The mobile nodes operable in the wireless local area networks are sometimes constructed to monitor selected frequencies within the allocated frequency bands to detect for the presence of a WLAN within communication range of the mobile node. Access points, or other network elements, of the WLAN broadcast signals that are detectable by the mobile nodes, when the mobile nodes are within the coverage areas of the WLAN. The signals broadcast by the WLAN and monitored by the mobile nodes typically include an SSID (Service Set Identifier) value that identifies the WLAN that broadcasts the signal.

[0010] More than one WLAN might be installed to provide coverage over a partially, or fully, overlapping coverage area. When a mobile node is positioned at a location encompassed by more than one WLAN, the mobile node might be capable of operation to communicate with any of the more than one WLAN. A decision is made as to which of the WLANs that the mobile node shall attempt to communicate. There is generally a preference to communicate by way of a certain WLAN of the available WLANs.

[0011] The preference order of the WLANs, with respect to a particular mobile node, is location dependent. That is to say, the preference order of the WLANs, with respect to the mobile node, is dependent also upon the location at which the mobile node is positioned. The determination at the mobile node with which of the WLANs that the mobile node shall attempt to communicate is complicated as the broadcast signals broadcast by the WLANs do not identify the locations of the WLANs. Only the SSIDs are broadcast. And, the SSIDs are not necessarily unique to a particular WLAN.

[0012] For instance, a plurality of WLANs, operated by a single operator, are sometimes identified by a single SSID value. And, different ones of the WLANs operated by the operator might be located at widely disparate locations. The relative preference of a mobile node to communicate with a WLAN, identified by an SSID, might well be different, depending upon the location with which the mobile node is positioned when the communicates are to be effectuated. When the mobile node is positioned in one location, for instance, the WLAN, identified by the SSID value, might have a first level of preference. But, when the mobile node is positioned at another location, a WLAN identified by the same SSID value might well have a different level of preference associated therewith.

[0013] Therefore, a single list that identifies, in order of preference, WLANs, identified by SSID values, is an inadequate manner by which to identify through which of the WLANs that a mobile node should attempt to communicate when communications are to be effectuated.

[0014] It is in light of this background information related to communications between a mobile node and a WLAN that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention, accordingly, advantageously provides apparatus, and an associated method, by which to select a network, such as a WLAN of a multiple-network radio communication system, with which a multi-mode-capable mobile node communicates data during a communication session.

[0016] Through operation of an embodiment of the present invention, a manner is provided by which to select the network responsive both to network availability and a preference order. The preference order is dependent upon the location at which the mobile node is positioned when the WLAN is to be selected. That is to say, the preference order is position-dependent.

[0017] The position of the mobile node is determined at the mobile node responsive to information, e.g., country code and optionally network code information, that is broadcast to the mobile node by a cellular communication network. Once delivered to the mobile node, the information is used by the mobile node to select which WLAN through which to attempt to communicate. The position information is provided to the mobile node to permit the WLAN selection based upon the position-dependent preference, even though position information is not broadcast by WLANs to the mobile node.

[0018] Thereby, position-dependent preferences are used by the mobile node pursuant to WLAN selection, all without need to make any changes to the conventional signaling protocols used by conventional WLANs, such as those defined in an IEEE 802.11 operating protocol.

[0019] In one aspect of the present invention, a multi-mode mobile node is operable to communicate both by way of a cellular communication system and by way of a WLAN. The mobile node monitors cellular-system signals broadcast by the network infrastructures of cellular communication systems in whose coverage area or areas that the mobile node is located when WLAN selection is to be made. The signals broadcast by the network infrastructures of the cellular communication systems include country code and network code designations that provide geographical indications of the network infrastructures from which the signals are broadcast. And, such indications also identify the geographical area at which the mobile node, positioned to receive the broadcast signals, is positioned. Thereby, the mobile node ascertains positioning information associated with its location, and the information is used pursuant to selection of with which WLAN that the mobile node shall attempt to communicate.

[0020] If a cellular communication system is unavailable to provide the country code designation, or other geographic positioning information, GPS (Global Positioning System) information or user entry of the geographic positioning indicia e.g. zip code, post code etc is alternately utilized to provide the mobile node with the indications of the geographic positioning of the mobile node. A GPS receiver, for instance, is embodied together with the circuitry of the mobile node to provide the GPS information to be used by the mobile node pursuant to WLAN selection.

[0021] In another aspect of the present invention, one or more WLAN lists are maintained at the mobile node. A WLAN list is formed of entries that identify WLANs together with their associated country code, or other geographic positioning indicia, with which the mobile node is permitted to communicate. In one implementation, the mobile node maintains three types of lists, a home list, a preferred list, and a neutral list. The preferred list may be duplicated many times, one preferred list per country. That is to say, separate preferred, and neutral, lists are maintained in one implementation, for each country code or geographic area. And, in one implementation, there is a single home list, single preferred list and a single neutral list, with the country code following each WLAN. Here, the home list does not need the country code, since home network is home network. The home network, if desired, is further split into "home-owned" and "home-connected".

[0022] The preferred list has, for each WLAN entry, the country codes where that WLAN is in the preferred list. If the UE is in a country not listed, then that WLAN is not preferred. And, in a further implementation, for each country, the VPLMNs that that WLAN connects to in that country are further identified.

[0023] The neutral list is similar, either just having the country listed for each WLAN entry, or the country and VPLMN for each country.

[0024] WLANs are identified by their SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers). Once the geographic positioning indicia associated with the location of the mobile node, i.e., the country code designation, is ascertained, a WLAN list is accessed. The country code, or other geographic positioning indicia, ascertained by the mobile node, is compared with country codes associated with the WLANs contained in the list. And, the SSIDs of the WLANs forming the entries in the list that are indexed together with the identified country code are retrieved. A determination is made as to whether the WLANs contained in the list and associated with the designated country code are available through which to communicate. If so, a WLAN so-designated becomes the selected WLAN through which communications are attempted. If communications cannot be effectuated with the selected WLAN, another WLAN, also designated with the country code corresponding to the country code ascertained by the mobile node is selected. In an implementation in which multiple WLAN lists are maintained, the lists identify different preferences of WLANs. For instance, in one implementation, the first WLAN list forms a home list, a second list forms a preferred list, and a third list forms a neutral list. The home list is first accessed. If no WLAN can be selected from the home list, the preferred list is accessed. And, if no WLAN is available at the preferred list, the neutral list is accessed.

[0025] In a further aspect of the present invention, in the event that no WLAN is identified on the WLAN list that is associated with the ascertained country code or communications cannot be effectuated with any such identified WLAN, a preferred roaming list (PRL) used by the mobile node in operation pursuant to the cellular communication system is utilized by which to select the WLAN through which to attempt to communicate. As mentioned previously, the operator of a cellular communication system sometimes maintains associations with operators of WLANs. The preferred roaming list identifies cellular communication systems with which the mobile node is permitted to communicate. By identifying the cellular communication systems with which the mobile node is permitted to communicate, together with their preferences, a determination is further made of with which WLANs that the mobile node should communicate in the event that no available WLANs are identified on the WLAN list maintained at the mobile node.

[0026] Thereby, the mobile node selects a WLAN through which to communicate even though the WLANs do not broadcast country code information as part of their broadcast signaling.

[0027] In these and other aspects, therefore, apparatus, and an associated method, is provided for a radio communication system. The radio communication system has a mobile node that is selectably operable to communicate data with a selected network of a first group of first networks. The first networks of the first group of networks are operable pursuant to a first communication scheme. And, the radio communication system further has a second group of second networks. The second networks are operable pursuant to at least a second communication scheme. A second-network detector is embodied at the mobile node and is adapted to receive indications of second-network signals broadcast by at least selected ones of the second networks. The second network signals contain second-network indicia that identifies geographic positioning of the second networks from which the second network signals are broadcast. The second-network detector detects values of the second network indicia contained in the second-network signals. Detection of the second-network indicia is indicative also of the geographic positioning of the mobile node. A first network detector is also embodied at the mobile node. The first network detector is adapted to receive indications of first-network signals that are broadcast by at least selected ones of the first networks. The first-network signals contain first-network identifying indicia that identifies the first networks from which the first-network signals are broadcast. The first-network detector selectably detects values of the first-network identifying indicia. Detection of the first-network identifying indicia is indicative also of which of the first networks are potentially available through which to communicate. A selector is adapted to receive indications of detections made by the first network detector and indications of detections made by the second network detector. The selector selects the selected network through which to effectuate the communication of the data.

[0028] A more complete appreciation of the present invention and the scope thereof can be obtained from the accompanying drawings that are briefly summarized below, the following detailed description of the presently-preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the appended claims.