Back to results
US 10,856,189 B2Granted
Sending an identifier of a wireless local area network to enable handoff of a mobile station to the wireless local area network
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsAnit Lohtia, Yuqiang Tang, Miroslav Budic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a wireless communications network, the presence of a wireless local area network in a cell segment is determined. An identifier of the wireless local area network in the cell segment is sent to at least one mobile station in the cell segment to enable the at least one mobile station to hand off to the wireless local area network. Optionally, information identifying geographic boundaries of cell segments and the wireless local area network can be sent to the at least one mobile station.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- one or more processing elements, configured to:
- establish a session with a node of a cellular wireless network for communication of data;
- receive, from the node of the cellular wireless network, a message identifying, by explicit identifiers, at least one WLAN of a plurality of WLANs in cell, wherein the message identifies only WLANs the apparatus is authorized to use, and wherein the message communicated specifically to the apparatus from node of the cellular wireless network;
- scan for only the at least one WLAN identified in the message;
- and
- determine that a first WLAN of the at least one WLAN is in range, and in response, establish a session with the first WLAN to continue the communication of data.
3 more elements
A mobile station, comprising:
- a memory that stores processor executable program instructions;
- and
- a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- establish a session with a node of a cellular wireless network for communication of data;
- receive, from the node of the cellular wireless network, a message identifying, by explicit identifiers, at least one WLAN of a plurality of WLANs in cell, wherein the message identifies only WLANs the mobile station is authorized to use, and wherein the message communicated specifically to the mobile station from node of the cellular wireless network;
- scan for only the at least one WLAN identified in the message;
- and
- determine that a first WLAN of the at least one WLAN is in range, and in response, establish a session with the first WLAN to continue the communication of data.
5 more elements
A method of operating a mobile station, comprising:
- establishing, by the mobile station, a session with a node of a cellular wireless network for communication of data;
- receiving, by the mobile station from the node of the cellular wireless network, a message identifying, by explicit identifiers, at least one WLAN of a plurality of WLANs in cell, wherein the message identifies only WLANs the mobile station is authorized to use, and wherein the message communicated specifically to the mobile station from node of the cellular wireless network;
- scanning, by the mobile station, for only the at least one WLAN identified in the message;
- and
- determining, by the mobile station, that a first WLAN of the at least one WLAN is in range, and in response, establishing a session with the first WLAN to continue the communication of data.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.