System and method for network access discovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9549089-B1
Application number	US-201514834919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 25, 2015
Priority date	Aug 25, 2015
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A method for establishing a network connection between a mobile electronic device and a target network device includes establishing a short-range communications link between the mobile electronic device and the target network device. The method may also include, by a processor, executing an application that causes the processor to receive network device information from the target network device, via the short-range communications link, use the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected, use a transmitter component of the mobile electronic device to establish the network connection between the mobile electronic device and the target network device, via the identified network, and cause the transmitter component to send a communication to the target network device, via the identified network. The network device information comprises an identifier associated with the target network device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for establishing a network connection between a mobile electronic device and a target network device comprising:
by a short-range communications device of the mobile electronic device, establishing a short-range communications link between the mobile electronic device to the target network device;
by a processor, executing a print application that causes the processor to:
receive network device information from the target network device, via the short-range communications link, wherein the network device information comprises an identifier associated with the target network device,
use the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected,
use a transmitter component of the mobile electronic device to establish the network connection between the mobile electronic device and the target network device, via the identified network, and
cause the transmitter component to send a communication to the target network device, via the identified network.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the network device information and a set of parameters associated with the identified network in association with the target network device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the set of parameters associated with the identified network comprises at least one of the following: a service set identifier (SSID), security credentials, authentication information, proxy information, firewall, or network protocol parameters, of the identified network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target network device is a print device, and the communication sent to the target network device, via the identified network, is a print document.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein using the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected comprises:
determining whether the mobile electronic device is connected to a mobile electronic device network;
using the received network device information to determine whether a connection can be established between the mobile electronic device and the target network device, via the mobile electronic device network, upon determining that the mobile electronic device is connected to the mobile electronic device network; and
identifying the mobile electronic device network as the network to which the target network device is connected, upon determining that a connection can be established between the mobile electronic device and the network device, via the mobile electronic device network.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein using the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected further comprises:
if it is determined that the mobile electronic device is not connected to a mobile electronic device network, using the identifier associated with the target network to determine whether a record comprising an identity of the network to which the target network device is connected exists, in a metadata server; and
using the record to identify the network to which the target network device is connected.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein using the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected further comprises prompting a user of the mobile electronic device to identify the network, if it is determined that a record comprising an identity of the network to which the target network device is connected does not exist in a metadata server.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, by the processor:
prompting a user of the mobile electronic device to identify the network, if the transmitter component of the mobile electronic device fails to establish the network connection between the mobile electronic device and the target network device, via the identified network; and
replacing the record comprising an identity of the network to which the target network device is connected, in the metadata server, with a new record comprising a new identity of the network identified by the user.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein using the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected further comprises prompting a user of the mobile electronic device to identify the network, if a connection cannot be established between the mobile electronic device and the network device, via the mobile electronic device network.

10. A system for establishing a network connection between a mobile electronic device and a network device comprising:
one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing programming instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
establish a short-range communications link between the mobile electronic device and the target network device;
execute a print software application on the mobile electronic device to:
receive network device information from the target network device, via the short-range communications link, wherein the network device information comprises an identifier associated with the target network device,
use the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected;
use a transmitter component of the mobile electronic device to establish the network connection between the mobile electronic device and the target network device, via the identified network; and
cause the transmitter component to send a communication to the target network device, via the identified network.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising programming instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors cause the system to store the network device information and a set of parameters associated with the identified network in association with the target network device.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the set of parameters associated with the identified network comprises at least one of the following: a service set identifier (SSID), security credentials, authentication information, proxy information, firewall, or network protocol parameters, of the identified network.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the target network device is a print device, and the communication sent to the target network device, via the identified network, is a print document.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the programming instructions that, when executed cause the system to execute a print software application on the mobile device to use the identifier associated with the target network device to identify a network to which the target network device is connected, further comprise programming instructions to:
determine whether the mobile electronic device is connected to a mobile electronic device network;
use the received network device information to determine whether a connection can be established between the mobile electronic device and the target network device, via the mobile electronic device network, upon determining that the mobile electronic device is connected to the mobile electronic device network; and
identify the mobile electronic device network as the network to which the target network device is connected, upon determining that a connection can be established between the mobile electronic device and the network device, via the mobile electronic device network.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the programming instructions that, when executed cau

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Tredoux Gavan Leonard
• Kramer Roger T
• Rajendran Premkumar
• Zehler Peter J

Classifications

• H04N1/4413

  involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN · CPC title

• H04N2201/006

  Using near field communication, e.g. an inductive loop · CPC title

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N1/00244

  with a server, e.g. an internet server (fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324) · CPC title

• H04N1/00307 Primary

  with a mobile telephone apparatus (constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00) · CPC title