US 9,326,301 B2Granted

Group provisioning of wireless stations of a wireless local area network (WLAN)

AssigneeGainSpan Corporation

InventorsPankaj Vyas, Prashant Viswanathan, Gregory Alan Winner

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Abstract

An aspect of the present disclosure enables convenient provisioning of multiple wireless devices. In an embodiment, a provisioning agent (e.g., a smart phone) identifies wireless devices requiring provisioning to operate as wireless stations and communicates with each wireless device to provide provisioning parameters for joining a first basic service set (BSS). However, during such communication, the provisioning agent operates as a wireless station and each wireless device operates as an access point (AP) outside of the first BSS. Each wireless device is enabled to be configured according to the received provisioning parameters to thereafter operate as a corresponding wireless station of the first BSS.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of provisioning multiple wireless devices, said method being performed in a provisioning agent, said method comprising:

identifying a plurality of wireless devices requiring provisioning to operate as wireless stations;
communicating with each of said plurality of wireless devices to provide provisioning parameters for joining a first basic service set (BSS), wherein said first BSS is characterized by a first service set identifier (SSID) identifying said first BSS, wherein said provisioning parameters contain said first SSID,
wherein said provisioning agent operates as a wireless station and each of said plurality of wireless devices operates as an access point (AP) outside of said first BSS during said identifying and said communicating,
wherein each of said plurality of wireless devices is enabled to be configured according to the received provisioning parameters including said first SSID such that each of said plurality of wireless devices thereafter joins said first BSS based on said first SSID and operates as a corresponding wireless station of said first BSS.

1 more element

A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for provisioning a wireless device, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said wireless device enables said wireless device to perform the actions of:

powering-up as an access point in accordance with 802.11 standards;
sending by said wireless device to a provisioning agent, a packet indicating that said wireless device requires provisioning for joining a first basic service set (BSS), wherein said first BSS is characterized by a first service set identifier (SSID) identifying said first BSS;
associating with said provisioning agent;
receiving provisioning parameters from said provisioning agent, wherein said provisioning parameters contain said first SSID, wherein said provisioning agent operates as a wireless station in accordance with 802.11 standards upon said associating and during said receiving, said wireless device operating as said access point during said associating and said receiving;
storing said provisioning parameters in pre-specified memory locations in said wireless device;
joining said first BSS based on said first SSID;
and
operating as a wireless station of said first basic service set (BSS) specified by said provisioning parameters after said storing.

5 more elements

A wireless device comprising:

a memory to store instructions;
a processing unit to retrieve and execute said instructions to cause said wireless device perform the actions of:
powering-up as an access point in accordance with 802.11 standards;
sending to a provisioning agent, a packet indicating that said wireless device requires provisioning for joining a first basic service set (BSS), wherein said first BSS is characterized by a first service set identifier (SSID) identifying said first BSS;
associating with said provisioning agent;
receiving provisioning parameters from said provisioning agent, wherein said provisioning parameters contain said first SSID, wherein said provisioning agent operates as a wireless station in accordance with 802.11 standards upon said associating and during said receiving, said wireless device operating as said access point during said associating and said receiving;
storing said provisioning parameters in pre-specified memory locations in said wireless device;
joining said first BSS based on said first SSID;
and
operating as a wireless station of said first basic service set (BSS) specified by said provisioning parameters after said storing.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/198,595Filed 6 Mar 2014
Published: US 2015/0257176 A110 Sep 2015
Granted: 26 Apr 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04W 76/40
Connection management: for selective distribution or broadcast
H04W 8/20
Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data: transfer…
H04L 12/189
For broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast: in combination with wireless systems
H04W 8/186
Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data:…