Access Network, Selection and Connection Methods, Devices, and Computer Programs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016183180-A1
Application number	US-201314907476-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 29, 2013
Priority date	Jul 29, 2013
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a telecommunication network, a method is carried out for assisting a user terminal ( 100 ) in connecting to an access network. The user terminal ( 100 ) obtains (s 20 ) information ( 50 ), i.e. “tag information”, from an electronic tag or a visual tag. The user terminal ( 100 ) transmits (s 40 ), to a network node hosting an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF), i.e. to an “ANDSF node” ( 200 ), the tag information ( 50 ). The ANDSF node ( 200 ) then transmits (s 60 ), to the user terminal ( 100 ), credentials ( 70 ) for allowing the user terminal ( 100 ) to connect to said access network. The invention also relates to methods carried out by a user terminal ( 100 ), to methods carried out by an ANDSF node ( 200 ), to user terminals ( 100 ), to ANDSF nodes ( 200 ), to computer programs, and to computer program products for assisting user terminals ( 100 ) in connecting to an access network.

First claim

1 . Method carried out in a telecommunication network for assisting a user terminal in connecting to an access network, the method comprising
obtaining, by the user terminal, information, hereinafter referred to as “tag information”, from at least one of an electronic tag and a visual tag; transmitting, from the user terminal to a network node hosting an access network discovery and selection function, said network node being hereinafter referred to as “ANDSF node”, the tag information; and transmitting, from the ANDSF node to the user terminal, credentials for allowing the user terminal to connect to said access network.

2 . Method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic tag comprises at least one of a near field communication tag and a radio-frequency identification tag.

3 . Method of claim 1 , wherein the visual tag comprises a barcode.

4 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein the tag information comprises an application Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions type.

5 . Method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, from the ANDSF node to the user terminal, information indicating a period of validity of the credentials.

6 . Method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, by the ANDSF node to the user terminal, policy information indicating that connecting to the access network for which the credentials are transmitted is preferred over other access networks.

7 . Method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
connecting, by the user terminal, to the access network using the transmitted credentials.

8 . Method carried out by a user terminal for connecting to an access network, the method comprising
obtaining information, hereinafter referred to as “tag information”, from at least one of an electronic tag and a visual tag; sending, to a network node hosting an access network discovery and selection function, said network node being hereinafter referred to as “ANDSF node”, the tag information; and receiving, from the ANDSF node, credentials for allowing the user terminal to connect to said access network.

9 . Method of claim 8 , wherein the electronic tag comprises at least one of a near field communication tag and a radio-frequency identification tag.

10 . Method of claim 8 , wherein the visual tag comprises a barcode.

11 . Method according to claim 8 , wherein the tag information comprises an application Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions type.

12 . Method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, from the ANDSF node, information indicating a period of validity of the credentials.

13 . Method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, from the ANDSF node, policy information indicating that connecting to the access network for which the credentials are received is preferred over other access networks.

14 . Method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
connecting to the access network using the transmitted credentials.

15 . Method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one of an electronic tag and a visual tag is located within, or in the vicinity of the area covered by the access network for which the credentials are received.

16 . Method according to claim 8 , wherein the access network is any one of
a wireless local area network interoperable with IEEE 802.11 standards; a wireless metropolitan area network interoperable with IEEE 802.16 standards; a personal area network interoperable with Bluetooth standards; a personal area network interoperable with ZigBee standards; and a local area network interoperable with IEEE 802.3 standards.

17 . Method carried out by a network node hosting an access network discovery and selection function, said network node being hereinafter referred to as “ANDSF node”, for assisting a user terminal in connecting to an access network, the method comprising
receiving, from the user terminal, information, hereinafter referred to as “tag information”, obtained by the user terminal from at least one of an electronic tag and a visual tag;
sending, to the user terminal, credentials for allowing the user terminal to connect to said access network.

18 . Method of claim 17 , wherein the electronic tag comprises at least one of a near field communication tag and a radio-frequency identification tag.

19 . Method of claim 17 , wherein the visual tag comprises a barcode.

20 . Method according to claim 17 , wherein the tag information comprises an application Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions type.

21 . Method according to claim 17 , further comprising:
sending, to the user terminal, information indicating a period of validity of the credentials.

22 . Method according to claim 17 , further comprising:
sending, to the user terminal, policy information indicating that connecting to the access network for which the credentials are transmitted is preferred over other access networks.

23 . Method according to claim 17 wherein the access network is any one of
a wireless local area network interoperable with IEEE 802.11 standards;
a wireless metropolitan area network interoperable with IEEE 802.16 standards;
a personal area network interoperable with Bluetooth standards;
a personal area network interoperable with ZigBee standards; and
a local area network interoperable with IEEE 802.3 standards.

24 . User terminal comprising
a first unit, hereinafter referred to as “obtaining unit”, configured to obtain information, hereinafter referred to as “tag information”, from at least one of an electronic tag and a visual tag; a second unit, hereinafter referred to as “sending unit”, configured to send, to a network node hosting an access network discovery and selection function, said network node being hereinafter referred to as “ANDSF node”, the tag information; and a third unit, hereinafter referred to as “receiving unit”, configured to receive, from the ANDSF node, credentials for allowing the user terminal to connect to said access network.

25 . User terminal of claim 24 , wherein the electronic tag comprises at least one of a near field communication tag and a radio-frequency identification tag.

26 . User terminal of claim 24 , wherein the visual tag comprises a barcode.

27 . User terminal according to claim 24 , wherein the sending unit is configured to send the tag information to the ANDSF node with an application Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions type.

28 . User terminal according to claim 24 , wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive, from the ANDSF node, information indicating a period of validity of the credentials.

29 . User terminal according to claim 24 , wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive, from the ANDSF node, policy information indicating that connecting to the access network for which the credentials are received is preferred over other access networks.

30 . User terminal according to claim 24 , further comprising:
a fourth unit, hereinafter referred to as “connecting unit”, configured to connect to the access network using the transmitted credentials.

31 . User terminal according to claim 24 , wherein the access network is any one of
a wireless local area network interoperable with IEEE 802.11 standards; a wireless metropolitan area network interoperable with IEE

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Garcia Martin Miguel Angel
• Martinez De La Cruz Pablo

Classifications

• H04W48/18 Primary

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• G06K7/1413

  1D bar codes · CPC title

• H04B5/20

  characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium · CPC title