Method, apparatus, and computer program product for sharing wireless network configurations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9258712-B2
Application number	US-201213602492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2012
Priority date	Sep 4, 2012
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

Example method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed to improve user experience and security in sharing wireless network configurations. An embodiment comprises reading, by a guest wireless device, data from a machine readable medium, including accessing information, to enable the guest device to obtain credentials from an access rights server, to access an access point or network, based on the accessing information; transmitting by the guest device, a wireless message to the access rights server, requesting credentials to enable accessing the access point or network, the request including the accessing information addressing a storage partition in a database associated with the access rights server, the storage partition being accessible with the accessing information; and receiving by the guest device from the access rights server, the credentials to enable the guest device to gain access to the access point or network by using the credentials.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
transmitting, by a first device, to an access rights server a message including a request for access information to address a storage partition in a database associated with the access rights server, which stores credentials to access a wireless access point or network identified in the request, wherein the request is for access information to enable a guest device to access the identified wireless network;
receiving, by the first device, a responsive message from the access rights server, including access information enabling guest devices to obtain access rights for the wireless access point or network from the storage partition in the database associated with the access rights server, if a user of the first device is authorized to share access information for the wireless access point or network; and
providing, by the first device, the access information to a guest device, the access information causing the guest device to contact the access rights server, to enable the guest device to address the storage partition in the database associated with the access rights server, to obtain the credentials stored in the database associated with the access rights server as access rights to access the wireless access point or network identified in the request, based on the access information.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
writing by the first wireless device, data into a machine-readable medium, including the access information, to enable a guest device to obtain from the access rights server, access rights to access the wireless access point or network, based on the access information in response to reading the access information from the machine-readable medium.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the message transmitted by the first device to the access rights server, includes condition information specified by the first device to be stored in the storage partition in the database, which is at least one of a specification of an interval within which the guest device may access the wireless access point or network and a specification of a location of installation of the machine readable medium.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user of the first device is an owner or manager of the wireless access point or network identified in the request.

5. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one memory including computer program code;
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
transmit to an access rights server a message including a request for access information to address a storage partition in a database associated with the access rights server, which stores credentials to access a wireless access point or network identified in the request, wherein the request is for access information to enable a guest device to access the identified wireless network;
receive a responsive message from the access rights server, including access information enabling guest devices to obtain access rights for the wireless access point or network from the storage partition in the database associated with the access rights server, if a user of the apparatus is authorized to share access information for the wireless access point or network; and
provide the access information to a guest device, the access information causing the guest device to contact the access rights server, to enable the guest device to address the storage partition in the database associated with the access rights server, to obtain the credentials stored in the database associated with the access rights server as access rights to access the wireless access point or network identified in the request, based on the access information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
write data into a machine-readable medium, including the access information, to enable a guest device to obtain from the access rights server, access rights to access the wireless access point or network, based on the access information in response to reading the access information from the machine-readable medium.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the machine-readable medium is at least one of a near field communication tag and a two-dimensional barcoded surface.

8. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer executable program code comprising:
code for transmitting, by a first device, to an access rights server a message including a request for access information to address a storage partition in a database associated with the access rights server, which stores credentials to access a wireless access point or network identified in the request, wherein the request is for access information to enable a guest device to access the identified wireless network;
code for receiving, by the first device, a responsive message from the access rights server, including access information enabling guest devices to obtain access rights for the wireless access point or network from the storage partition in the database associated with the access rights server, if a user of the first device is authorized to share access information for the wireless access point or network; and
code for providing, by the first device, the access information to a guest device, the access information causing the guest device to contact the access rights server, to enable the guest device to address the storage partition in the database associated with the access rights server, to obtain the credentials stored in the database associated with the access rights server as access rights to access the wireless access point or network identified in the request, based on the access information.

9. A method comprising:
reading, by a guest wireless device, data from a machine readable medium, including accessing information, the accessing information causing the guest wireless device to contact an access rights server, to enable the guest wireless device to address a storage partition in a database associated with the access rights server, to obtain credentials stored in the database associated with the access rights server, to access a wireless access point or network identified in a request by the guest wireless device, based on the accessing information;
transmitting by the guest wireless device, a wireless message to the access rights server, requesting credentials to enable accessing the wireless access point or network, the request including the accessing information, the accessing information addressing the storage partition in the database associated with the access rights server, the storage partition being accessible with the accessing information; and
receiving by the guest wireless device from the access rights server, the credentials to enable the guest wireless device to gain access to the wireless access point or network by using the credentials.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
storing, by the guest device, a location indication representing a location where the guest wireless device read the data from the machine readable medium; and
transmitting, by the guest wireless device to the access rights server, the location information to confirm that the machine-readable medium was not moved from a location where it was installed.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the credentials received by the guest device, include a specification of an interval within which the guest devic

Assignees

• Kiukkonen Niko
• Marin Janne
• Reunamäki Jukka
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Kiukkonen Niko
• Marin Janne
• Reunamäki Jukka

Classifications

• H04W12/08 Primary

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W12/50

  Secure pairing of devices · CPC title

• H04W12/77

  Graphical identity · CPC title