U.S. patent application number 14/082990 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-22 for method and apparatus for connecting to access point in portable terminal.
This patent application is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Edwin Joseph Vimal BASTIN, Jong-Mu CHOI, Bu-Seop JUNG, Ji-Hyun JUNG.
Application Number | 20140140288 14/082990 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49596122 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140140288 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
JUNG; Ji-Hyun ; et
al. |
May 22, 2014 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING TO ACCESS POINT IN PORTABLE
TERMINAL
Abstract
A method of connecting to an Access Point (AP) in a portable
terminal is provided. The method includes scanning at least one
first AP and at least one second AP that has a different connection
scheme from a connection scheme of the first AP; and checking a
connection setting and connecting to any of the first and second
APs based on the connection setting.
Inventors: |
JUNG; Ji-Hyun; (Seoul,
KR) ; BASTIN; Edwin Joseph Vimal; (Suwon- si, KR)
; JUNG; Bu-Seop; (Suwon-si, KR) ; CHOI;
Jong-Mu; (Gunpo-si, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. |
Suwon-si |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
49596122 |
Appl. No.: |
14/082990 |
Filed: |
November 18, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
370/329 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 48/20 20130101;
H04W 76/10 20180201; H04W 84/12 20130101; H04W 76/14 20180201; H04W
48/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
370/329 |
International
Class: |
H04W 76/02 20060101
H04W076/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 16, 2012 |
KR |
10-2012-0130547 |
Claims
1. A method of connecting to an Access Point (AP) in a portable
terminal, the method comprising: scanning at least one first AP and
at least one second AP that has a different connection scheme from
a connection scheme of the first AP; and checking a connection
setting and connecting to any of the first and second APs based on
the connection setting.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first AP is an AP that does
not support Hotspot 2.0 nor is connected to an information server
while the second AP is an AP that supports Hotspot 2.0 and is
connected to the information server.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting to any of the
first and second APs based on the connection setting comprises:
determining that the connection setting gives priority to
connecting to the first AP; and connecting to an AP that has ever
been previously connected among the scanned first APs no matter
whether there is any connectable AP among the scanned second
APs.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting to any of the
first and second APs based on the connection setting comprises:
determining that the connection setting gives priority to
connecting to the second AP; and connecting to a connectable AP
among the scanned second APs no matter whether there is any AP that
has ever been previously connected among the scanned first APs.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting to any of the
first and second APs based on the connection setting comprises:
determining that there are APs that have ever been previously
connected among the first APs; determining that there are
connectable APs among the second APs; and connecting to an AP that
has the largest Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value
among the APs that have ever been previously connected and the
connectable APs.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting to any of the
first and second APs based on the connection setting comprises:
determining that there are APs that have ever been previously
connected among the first APs; determining that there are
connectable APs among the second APs ; and connecting to an AP that
has a predetermined Service Set IDentification (SSID) among the APs
that have ever been previously connected and the connectable
APs.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting to any of the
first and second APs based on the connection setting comprises:
determining that there are APs that have ever been previously
connected among the first APs; determining that there are
connectable APs among the second APs; and connecting to an AP that
has most recently been connected among the APs that have ever been
previously connected and the connectable APs.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein if there is not an AP that has
ever been previously connected among the scanned first APs and
there is no connectable AP among the scanned second APs, displaying
a list of the first and second APs.
9. An apparatus for connecting to an Access Point (AP) in a
portable terminal, the apparatus comprising: a short-range
communication module configured to provide a short-range
communication function; and a controller configured to scan at
least one first AP and at least one second AP that has a different
connection scheme from a connection scheme of the first AP; and
check a connection setting and selectively connect to any of the
first and second APs based on the connection setting.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first AP is an AP that
does not support Hotspot 2.0 nor is connected to an information
server while the second AP is an AP that support Hotspot 2.0 and is
connected to the information server.
11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller selectively
connects to any of the first and second APs based on the connection
setting by: determining that the connection setting gives priority
to connecting to the first AP; and connecting to an AP that has
ever been previously connected among the scanned first APs no
matter whether there is any connectable AP among the scanned second
APs, wherein the AP that has ever been previously connected is
checked from AP profile information.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller selectively
connects to any of the first and second APs based on the connection
setting by: determining that the connection setting gives priority
to connecting to the second AP; and controlling a connectable AP
among the scanned second APs to be connected, no matter whether
there is any AP that has ever been previously connected among the
scanned first APs.
13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller selectively
connects to any of the first and second APs based on the connection
setting by: determining that there are APs that have ever been
previously connected among the first APs; determining that there
are connectable APs among the second APs; and connecting to an AP
that has the largest Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI)
value among the APs that have ever been previously connected and
the connectable APs.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller selectively
connects to any of the first and second APs based on the connection
setting by: determining that there are APs that have ever been
previously connected among the first APs; determining that there
are connectable APs among the second APs; and connecting to an AP
that has a predetermined Service Set IDentification (SSID) among
the APs that have ever been previously connected and the
connectable APs.
15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller selectively
connects to any of the first APs that do not support Hotspot 2.0
and the second APs that do support Hotspot 2.0 based on the
connection setting by: determining that there are APs that have
ever been previously connected among the first APs; determining
that there are connectable APs among the second APs; and connecting
to an AP that has most recently been connected among the APs that
have ever been previously connected and the connectable APs.
16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller, if there is
not an AP that has ever been previously connected among the scanned
first APs and there is no connectable AP among the scanned second
APs, displays a list of the first and second Aps in a display
unit.
17. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a memory, wherein
the connection setting is stored in the memory.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(a) of a Korean patent application filed on Nov. 16, 2012
in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Serial No.
10-2012-0130547, the entire disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to establishing a connection
to an Access Point (AP). More particularly, the present invention
relates to a method and apparatus for connecting to an AP among
first and second APs that have different connection schemes.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] With advancements in communication technologies, recent
portable terminals (e.g., smartphones) are now provided with
Bada.RTM., Tizen.RTM., iOS.RTM., Android, and other advanced
operating systems. With the advanced features and conveniences
provided by these operating systems, portable terminals are
increasingly popular.
[0006] An important aspect of such operating systems is the
provision of advanced functions and utilities. To ensure adequate
use of the advanced functions and utilities, it is important to
provide sufficient data communication.
[0007] For example, to efficiently use functions of email, Internet
browsing, Kakao Talk.RTM., Facebook.RTM., Twitter.RTM., and the
like, data communication must be enabled. In other words, data
communication is essential for the portable terminals, such as
smartphones, to be conveniently used.
[0008] Data communication of the portable terminal is performed
through a wireless transceiver by communicating with a base station
or through a short-range communication module, e.g., a Wi-Fi module
by connecting to an Access Point (AP).
[0009] Data communication using a wireless transceiver has some
disadvantages, such as cost burden of the data communication, quick
exhaustion of a battery of the portable terminal, etc.
[0010] On the contrary, data communication via an AP connection has
many advantages in that there are a growing number of public APs
available for free, that installation of private APs (e.g., at home
or in offices) is easy, and that such data communication via the AP
connection consumes less battery power. Thus, a user of a portable
terminal tends to prefer data communication via an AP connection as
opposed to data communication using the wireless transceiver.
[0011] In the method of connecting to an AP of the related art,
once a particular AP, such as a hotspot (e.g., a public AP) or a
private AP (e.g., an AP at the user's home) is completed,
information that is required to connect to the AP, e.g.,
authentication information, is stored in the portable terminal,
which is later used for an automatic connection to the AP. Hence,
the user is not inconvenienced by needing to input the information
each time an AP connection is desired.
[0012] On the other hand, the method of the related art requires a
complicated procedure to connect to a new AP to which the user has
never been connected by e.g., selecting the AP and inputting
authentication information for the AP. Furthermore, the method of
the related art is relatively vulnerable to security and has little
coverage.
[0013] Hotspot 2.0, a scheme of connecting to an AP, has been
proposed to supplement the foregoing AP connecting method of the
related art. Since Hotspot 2.0 supports Wi-Fi roaming (e.g.,
roaming between APs and roaming between an AP and a base station),
even if the portable terminal roams, the portable terminal is still
able to perform data communication without AP disconnection.
[0014] For example, in case Korea's telecommunication company, KT
Corp. and America's telecommunication company, AT&T agreed on
the Wi-Fi roaming, it is possible for a user to conveniently use
APs provided by KT Corp. in Korea and APs provided by AT&T in
the USA without the need for separate authentication.
[0015] On the other hand, although Hotspot 2.0 has been proposed,
the number of APs that support Hotspot 2.0 still remains low. Also,
even if the number of APs that support Hotspot 2.0 increases, there
are still many legacy APs that do not support Hotspot 2.0.
[0016] Thus, because there is a mix of APs that do and do not
support Hotspot 2.0, a technique of more conveniently connecting to
an AP that is more favorable to the user is desirable.
[0017] The above information is presented as background information
only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No
determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to
whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with
regard to the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Aspects of the present invention are to address at least the
above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at
least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the
present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for quickly
and conveniently connecting to an Access Point (AP) when first and
second APs that have different connection schemes are scanned at
the same time. It is an aim of certain embodiments of the invention
to solve, mitigate or obviate, at least partly, at least one of the
problems and/or disadvantages associated with the prior art.
Certain embodiments aim to provide at least one of the advantages
described below.
[0019] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a
method of connecting to an AP in a portable terminal is provided.
The method can also be described as a method of connecting a
portable terminal to an AP, and may be a method implemented by a
portable terminal The method includes scanning at least one first
AP and at least one second AP that has a different connection
scheme from a connection scheme of the first AP, and checking a
connection setting and connecting to any (e.g., to a selected one)
of the first and second APs based on the connection setting.
[0020] In certain embodiments the connecting to any of the first
and second APs based on the connection setting comprises
determining that there is at least one AP that has previously been
connected to the portable terminal among the first APs, determining
that there is at least one AP connectable to the portable terminal
among the second APs, and connecting the portable terminal to an AP
selected from the previously connected AP or APs from the first APs
and the connectable AP or APs from the second APs according to at
least one selection criterion.
[0021] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
an apparatus for connecting to an AP in a portable terminal is
provided. The apparatus includes a communication module (e.g., a
short-range communication module) configured to provide
communication module (e.g., a short-range communication function),
and a controller configured to scan at least one first AP and at
least one second AP that has a different connection scheme from a
connection scheme of the first AP, and check a connection setting
and selectively connect to any (e.g., to one) of the first and
second APs based on the connection setting.
[0022] Another aspect of the invention provides a portable terminal
adapted to implement a method in accordance with one of the
above-described aspects.
[0023] Another aspect of the invention provides a portable terminal
comprising apparatus in accordance with one of the above-described
aspects.
[0024] Another aspect of the invention provides a portable terminal
comprising a communication module (e.g., a short-range
communication module) configured to provide a communication
function (e.g., a short-range communication function), and a
controller configured to scan at least one first AP and at least
one second AP that has a different connection scheme from a
connection scheme of the first AP, and check a connection setting
and selectively connect to any (e.g., to one) of the first and
second APs based on the connection setting.
[0025] Another aspect of the invention provides a computer program
comprising instructions arranged, when executed, to implement a
method and/or apparatus in accordance with any one of the
above-described aspects. A further aspect provides machine-readable
storage storing such a program.
[0026] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with
the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of
certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more
apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0028] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a process of connecting to an Access
Point (AP) in a portable terminal according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process to connect to an AP in a
portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a format of identification information to
be exchanged to use Hotspot 2.0 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like
reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements,
features, and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0033] The following description with reference to the accompanying
drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of
exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and
their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist
in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely
exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will
recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments
described herein can be made without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known
functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and
conciseness.
[0034] The terms and words used in the following description and
claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are
merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent
understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent
to those skilled in the art that the following description of
exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided for
illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the
invention as defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
[0035] It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an,"
and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly
dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component
surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.
[0036] In an embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed
that a first Access Point (AP) supports Hotspot 2.0 and a second AP
does not support Hotspot 2.0.
[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0038] In the following description, it is assumed that the
portable terminal is an easy-to-carry mobile electronic device. In
an exemplary implementation, the portable terminal may include any
of various feature phones and devices, such as those driven by
Bada.RTM., Tizen.RTM., Windows.RTM. series (e.g., Windows 8),
iOS.RTM., Android, and the like, such as smartphones and tablets.
Of course, this list is merely exemplary and not to be considered
limiting. That is, the portable terminal may also be an e-book
reader, a portable computer (e.g., notebook), a portable game
console (e.g., PSP), a digital camera, or the like. Again, it will
be appreciated that the portable terminal is not limited to the
foregoing examples.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, the portable terminal includes a
controller 10, a wireless transceiver 23, an audio processor 25, a
key input unit 27, a memory 30, a short-range communication module
40, and a display unit 50. Of course, it is to be understood that
the portable terminal may include additional components that are
not described herein for convenience.
[0040] In an exemplary implementation, the wireless transceiver 23
includes a Radio Frequency (RF) unit and a modem (not shown). The
RF unit includes an RF transmitter for up converting the frequency
of a signal for transmission and amplifying the signal, and an RF
receiver for low-noise amplifying a received signal and down
converting the frequency of the received signal. The modem includes
a transmitter for encoding and modulating the signal for
transmission and a receiver for demodulating and decoding the
signal received from the RF unit.
[0041] The audio processor 25 may constitute a codec that includes
a data codec and an audio codec. The data codec processes e.g.,
packet data, and the audio codec processes e.g., sound and
multimedia files.
[0042] The audio processor 25 also converts digital audio signals
received from the modem into analog signals and plays the analog
signals, or converts analog audio signals generated by a microphone
into digital audio signals through the audio codec and transmits
the digital audio signals to the modem. The audio codec may be
separately included in the portable terminal, or may be
incorporated into the controller 10 of the portable terminal
[0043] The key input unit 27 may include keys required to input
number and character information, function keys required to set
different functions, a touch pad, etc. If the display unit 50 is
implemented with a capacitive sensing or pressure sensing touch
display screen, the key input unit 27 may include only a
predetermined minimum number of keys and the display unit 50 may
replace some key functions.
[0044] The memory 30 may include a program memory and a data
memory. In an exemplary implementation, the program memory stores a
program to control general operations of the portable terminal The
memory 30 may further include an external memory, such as Compact
Flash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), Micro Secure Digital (Micro-SD),
Mini Secure Digital (Mini-SD), extreme Digital (xD), a memory
stick, and the like. The memory 30 may also include a disc, such as
a Hard Disc Drive (HDD), a Solid State Disc (SSD), and the
like.
[0045] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
memory 30 stores Access Point (AP) profile information including
information (e.g., a credential) required for an automatic
connection to an AP to which a connection was ever completed or
successful. The controller 10 uses the AP profile information
stored in the memory 30 to perform a series of operations to enable
automatic connection to an AP that has ever been connected
(connection completed) without user involvement.
[0046] The profile information further includes selection
information about favored APs or other information, such as access
history to APs. The controller 10 uses the AP profile information
to perform a series of operations to preferentially connect to an
AP favored by the user among a number of scanned APs or a series of
operations to preferentially connect to an AP that has most
recently been connected or an AP that has most frequently been used
among a number of scanned APs.
[0047] The short-range communication module 40 provides a
short-range communication function, such as Wireless Fidelity
(Wi-Fi), Wibro, mobile Wimax, and the like. For example, the
short-range communication module 40 may provide the user with the
short-range communication function via AP connection based on the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11
standard. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
short-range communication module 40 is assumed to support Hotspot
2.0 based on the IEEE 802.11u specification. It will be appreciated
that, in this specification, "short range" means relatively short
range in the telecommunications context, i.e., a range typical in
the above-mentioned short-range communication schemes and
standards, such as a range up to 1 m, 10 m, 100 m, or 1000 m.
[0048] The controller 10 may scan APs around the portable terminal
by repeatedly performing channel scanning, listening, and searching
on a predetermined cycle basis in conjunction with the short-range
communication module 40.
[0049] For example, the short-range communication module 40 may
perform scanning at an interval determined in advance under control
of the controller 10 (i.e., active scanning). The short-range
communication module 40 may transmit a probe request signal during
scanning and receive different information required for access,
e.g., credentials, with which the controller 10 may scan APs around
the portable terminal. The credentials may include cryptographic
aggregate information, including information, such as
authentication type, encryption type, network key, Service Set
IDentification (SSID), etc.
[0050] The display unit 50 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or
be formed of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), such as Passive
Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diodes (PMOLEDs) or Active Matrix
Organic Light Emitting Diodes (AMOLEDs), and output different
display information generated by the portable terminal. The display
unit 50 may operate as an input unit together with the key input
unit 27 to control the portable terminal by including e.g., a
capacitive or pressure sensitive touch screen.
[0051] In an exemplary implementation, the display unit 50 may
display a list of scanned APs at the user's request or based on
whether a specific condition is satisfied. For example, if there is
no connectable AP among the scanned first and second APs, the
controller 10 may display the list of scanned APs in the display
unit 50.
[0052] The controller 10 controls general operations of the
portable terminal. The controller 10 controls a series of
operations in relation to implementing the exemplary method of
connecting to an AP in the portable terminal, the method including
scanning at least one first AP, scanning at least one second AP
that has a different connection scheme than that of the first AP,
and connecting to any of the first and second APs based on
connection settings. More detailed operations of the controller 10
will be described below.
[0053] FIG. 2 illustrates a process of connecting to an Access
Point (AP) in a portable terminal according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a format of
identification information to be exchanged to use Hotspot 2.0
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0054] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention in which APs are scanned by a portable terminal
will be described in detail below.
[0055] Referring to FIGS. 2, AP1 220 and AP2 230 are first APs
while AP3 240 and AP4 250 are second APs.
[0056] The portable terminal 210 may scan AP1 to AP4 220 to 250
through active scanning or passive scanning. For example, the
portable terminal 210 may obtain a probe response signal that
includes a MAC address and other various parameters required for AP
connection from AP1 220 and AP2 230 through servers 221 and 231 and
a gateway (not shown).
[0057] Servers 221, 231, 241, and 251 generally manage Internet
services through APs, an example of which is an Authentication
Authorization Accounting (AAA) server that controls login,
authentication, logoff, accounting, and the like related to AP
usage of the portable terminal 210.
[0058] Servers 221 and 231 transmit and receive information
necessary for AP connection (or AP usage) of the portable terminal
210 through APs 220 and 230 and a gateway (not shown), and servers
241 and 251 transmit and receive information necessary for AP
connection (or AP usage) of the portable terminal 210 through APs
240 and 250 and a gateway (not shown). On the other hand, in
preparation for the first APs, APs 240 and 250 may further be
connected to information server 242 or 252.
[0059] The information server 242 or 252 may be e.g., an Access
Network Query Protocol (ANQP) server and transmits identification
information (e.g., ANQP information) in a format 410 of FIG. 4
based on the portable terminal's query. After that, the portable
terminal 210 determines whether it is possible to connect to any of
the APs connected to the information server by comparing the
received identification information with a credential (the
credential for connection to the second AP) stored in the portable
terminal 210.
[0060] In an exemplary implementation, the portable terminal 210
stores the credential information for connection to the second AP
in the memory 30 beforehand. Examples of the credential information
for connection to the second AP may include information of Domain,
Organizational Identifier (OI), IMSI value, realm, ca_cert,
private_key, client_cert, identity, password, and the like.
[0061] Some of the credential information will be briefly described
below.
[0062] Domain is a domain name of a telecom service provider (e.g.,
www.skt.com) to which the portable terminal subscribes, and if the
domain information contained in the credential stored in the memory
30 matches a value of a domain name list contained in the ANQP
information received from an AP, the portable terminal may attempt
to connect to the AP. Similarly, OI is a value of an OI of the
telecom service provider to which the portable terminal 210
subscribes, and if the same OI is included in the value of a
Roaming Consortium list in the ANQP information received from an
AP, the controller 10 may attempt to connect to the AP.
[0063] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process to connect to an AP in
the portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
[0064] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, an exemplary embodiment will be
described in detail below.
[0065] At step S301, the controller 10 controls first APs to be
scanned.
[0066] As shown in FIG. 2, assuming that there are APs 220 to 250
in the scanning range of the portable terminal 210, among which APs
220 and 230 are first APs, the controller 10 scans the first APs
220 and 230.
[0067] The controller 10 scans the APs 220 and 230 through either
active scanning or passive scanning.
[0068] For example, the controller 10 may scan the APs by
transmitting the probe request signal through the short-range
communication module 40 and receiving the probe response signal
containing the MAC addresses and other various parameters required
for AP connection from the APs 220 and 230 to which the probe
request signal is sent.
[0069] Alternatively, the controller 10 may scan APs 220 and 230 by
receiving beacon signals from the APs 220 and 230 in a standby
mode, the beacon signal having a MAC address and other various
parameters required for AP connection.
[0070] At step S302, the controller 10 controls second APs to be
scanned.
[0071] Referring to FIG. 2, among APs 220 to 250, APs 240 and 250
of FIG. 2 are second APs. The controller 10 may determine whether
the APs 240 and 250 are second APs by receiving from the APs 240
and 250 information distinguishable from that of the first APs.
[0072] In other words, the controller 10 may determine whether an
AP supports Hotspot 2.0 from the probe response signal or the
beacon signal that includes information (e.g., a Hotspot 2.0
Indication element) about whether the AP is the second AP received
through AP scanning using the short-range communication module
40.
[0073] For example, the controller 10 may determine that scanned
APs 240 and 250 support Hotspot 2.0 by receiving, from the APs 240
and 250, the information in a format as in Table 1 to identify
whether the APs 240 and 250 support Hotspot 2.0 (e.g., a Hotspot
2.0 Indication element).
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Element ID Length OI Type Hotspot
Configuration
[0074] The controller 10 checks AP connection settings at steps 303
and controls selective connection to any of the first and second
APs based on the AP connection settings at step 304.
[0075] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
automatic selective connection to any of the first and second APs
is made based on the AP connection settings in case the first and
second APs are scanned at the same time.
[0076] Such automatic selective connection to an AP will now be
described.
[0077] First, if the first and second APs are scanned at the same
time, the priority may lie in connection to the first AP. In this
case, the controller 10 controls a connectable AP among the first
APs to be connected.
[0078] For example, the controller 10 may check AP profile
information stored in the memory 30 and connect to an AP found to
have ever been previously connected (i.e., connectable), no matter
whether there is any connectable AP among the scanned second APs.
In other words, the controller 10 may check stored information and
connect to an AP that the information indicates had previously
(i.e., at at least one previous time) been connected to the
portable terminal, irrespective (i.e., regardless) of whether there
is any connectable AP among the scanned second APs. As described
above in connection with FIG. 2, whether there is a connectable AP
among the scanned second APs is determined by the controller 10
determining if the credential information stored in the memory 30
matches the identification information or ANQP information shown in
FIG. 4.
[0079] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is
assumed that the first APs are free APs while the second APs are
paid-for APs, and thus the exemplary embodiment of the automatic
selective AP connection giving priority to connecting to the free
AP that does not support Hotspot 2.0 may save the communication
expenses as much as possible.
[0080] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if
the first and second APs are scanned at the same time, the priority
may lie in connection to a second AP. In this case, the controller
10 controls a connectable AP among the scanned second APs to be
connected, no matter whether there is an AP found to have ever been
previously connected among (i.e., to the portable terminal) the
first APs.
[0081] That is, the controller 10 controls a connectable AP among
the scanned second APs to be connected, even if an AP that has ever
been previously connected is found among the first APs.
[0082] This exemplary embodiment may be favorably implemented in
roaming between APs to provide seamless communication using second
APs by taking into consideration that first APs do not support a
good roaming service even though they are free and connectable.
[0083] In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the automatic selective AP connection may be made such
that an optimal AP (for example an AP that is optimal according to
at least one criterion) is connected among APs that have ever been
previously connected (i.e., connectable APs, being APs that have,
at some time in the past, been connected to the portable terminal)
among the first APs and connectable APs among the second APs. In
this case, the controller 10 may control the most optimal one
(e.g., according to at least one criterion) of all the scanned APs
to be connected by determining an AP having the largest Received
Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value, an AP having a
user-defined SSID name, or an AP that has most recently been
connected. Thus, in certain embodiments, RSSI value, SSID name,
time of last connection to the portable terminal, and frequency or
number of times of previous connection are examples of selection
criteria. Other embodiments may use alternative selection criteria.
In certain embodiments, the determination of which AP is optimal
(i.e., preferred, and to be selected for connection) is made
according to a single selection criterion, but in alternative
embodiments the determination is made according to two or more
selection criteria.
[0084] Referring to FIG. 2, assuming that AP 230 is the connectable
AP among the first APs and AP 250 is the connectable AP among the
second APs, if the AP 250 has the largest RSSI value, has a
user-defined SSID name (e.g., a network name, such as SKT), or has
most recently been connected, the controller 10 controls the AP 250
to be connected.
[0085] The above described exemplary embodiments of the present
invention may provide an advantage of automatically connecting the
user's portable terminal to an AP most favorable to the user (e.g.,
most favorable according to at least one criterion).
[0086] The controller 10 may control a list of all of the scanned
APs to be displayed to the user if there is no AP that has ever
been connected (i.e., ever been connected previously to the
portable terminal) among the scanned first APs and there is no
connectable AP among the scanned second APs. With the list, the
user may start a manual procedure of connecting to an AP by
selecting the AP from among the APs in the list.
[0087] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention,
if first and second APs that have different connection schemes are
scanned at the same time, any of the APs may be connected
conveniently and quickly.
[0088] It will be appreciated that embodiments of the present
invention can be realized in the form of hardware, software or a
combination of hardware and software. Any such software may be
stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage such as, for
example, a storage device like a ROM, whether erasable or
rewritable or not, or in the form of memory such as, for example,
RAM, memory chips, device or integrated circuits or on an optically
or magnetically readable medium such as, for example, a CD, DVD,
magnetic disk or magnetic tape or the like. It will be appreciated
that the storage devices and storage media are embodiments of
machine-readable storage that are suitable for storing a program or
programs comprising instructions that, when executed, implement
embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, embodiments
provide a program comprising code for implementing apparatus or a
method as claimed in any one of the claims of this specification
and a machine-readable storage storing such a program. Still
further, such programs may be conveyed electronically via any
medium such as a communication signal carried over a wired or
wireless connection and embodiments suitably encompass the
same.
[0089] Throughout the description and claims of this specification,
the words "comprise" and "contain" and variations of the words, for
example "comprising" and "comprises", means "including but not
limited to", and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other
moieties, additives, components, integers or steps.
[0090] Throughout the description and claims of this specification,
the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise
requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the
specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as
well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.
[0091] Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical
moieties or groups described in conjunction with a particular
aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood
to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example
described herein unless incompatible therewith.
[0092] It will be also be appreciated that, throughout the
description and claims of this specification, language in the
general form of "X for Y" (where Y is some action, activity or step
and X is some means for carrying out that action, activity or step)
encompasses means X adapted or arranged specifically, but not
exclusively, to do Y.
[0093] While the invention has been shown and described with
reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *
References