Mobile Device Aggregator Service Auto-Connection via WLAN Identifier Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile communication devices face difficulties in easily and efficiently accessing various aggregator services in wireless local area networks (WLANs) due to the lack of flexibility in identifying available services and the need for manual login processes, which are cumbersome for devices primarily used for voice telephony and push-type data communications.
Innovation Solution
A method where a WLAN broadcasts aggregator service identifiers, and a mobile device stores this information to automatically connect and create profiles for newly encountered networks, allowing for seamless access to aggregator services by comparing received identifiers with stored data, including service names, security types, and URLs for authentication and subscription.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a WLAN hotspot provides a captive portal requiring user login, then service authentication is achieved, but manual login becomes cumbersome for mobile devices used for voice telephony and push-type data communications
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device automatically performs service authentication by comparing received aggregator service identifiers with stored identifiers and autonomously connecting to matching services without requiring manual user intervention or login actions
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-stores aggregator service identifiers and associated service information in the mobile device's memory before the device encounters WLAN hotspots, enabling automatic recognition and connection when the device enters a hotspot coverage area
2Adaptability or versatility
If a hotspot aggregator rents WLAN connections from multiple hotspot owners, then service availability increases, but difficulty in identifying available aggregator services increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses distinct aggregator service identifiers (analogous to color codes) that the mobile device can detect and compare against stored identifiers, making it easy to identify which aggregator services are available in the current WLAN without manual inspection or complex interfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device continuously scans for WLANs, receives aggregator service identifiers from hotspots, compares them with stored identifiers, and automatically connects to matching services, creating a closed-loop system that provides real-time feedback about available services and automatically acts on the results
3Reliability
If each hotspot requires a different login method, then service-specific authentication is achieved, but flexibility for mobile devices to access multiple aggregator services decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device maintains a database of multiple aggregator service identifiers and can automatically recognize and connect to any aggregator service in the database by comparing received identifiers with stored ones, providing a universal access mechanism that works across different hotspots and aggregator services without requiring device-specific configurations or manual login procedures for each service
Data Source
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AI summary
In one illustrative example, a wireless local area network (WLAN) regularly broadcasts or otherwise communicates one or more aggregator service identifiers which identify one or more aggregator services made available via the WLAN. In addition, a mobile communication device has a memory for storing aggregator service information. During operation, the mobile device performs a scanning operation and receives, from the scanning operation, the one or more aggregator service identifiers from the WLAN. The mobile device compares a received aggregator service identifier with one or more stored aggregator service identifiers of the aggregator service information. When there is a match between the received and the stored aggregator service identifiers, the mobile device may connect with and receive the aggregator service via the WLAN. For newly-encountered WLANs, the mobile device may also automatically create and store a wireless network profile associated with the WLAN that provides the aggregator service. For each aggregator or aggregator service, the aggregator service information may include a service name of the aggregator or aggregator service, a security type for authentication, a first URL for obtaining service information for the aggregator service, and a second URL for subscribing to the aggregator service, all of which may be displayed or otherwise utilized for obtaining service.