Methods and nodes for information transfer in WLAN

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9585066-B2
Application number	US-201414405333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	Jan 16, 2014
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A method and a wireless access node for enabling management of cellular connectivity of a wireless device as well as a method and a wireless device for providing information about availability of cellular connectivity towards a radio network node are disclosed. The wireless device has Wi-Fi radio for access to the wireless access node and cellular radio for access to the radio network node. The wireless device sends, to the wireless access node, a second message, which indicates to the wireless access node availability of the cellular connectivity. The wireless access node manages the cellular connectivity based on the second message.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, performed by a wireless access node, for enabling management of cellular connectivity of a wireless device, wherein the cellular connectivity relates to connectivity towards a radio network node, wherein the wireless device has Wi-Fi radio for access to the wireless access node and cellular radio for access to the radio network node, the method comprising:
receiving, from the wireless device, a second message that is responsive to a first message that is sent to the wireless device, that indicates to the wireless access node availability of the cellular connectivity;
managing the cellular connectivity based on the second message by determining whether the wireless device is to access either the wireless access node or the radio network node,
wherein the second message is a WNM-Notification-response, a GAS initial response/comeback request including an ANQP query with a special query element, a Probe request message and/or an Association Request that comprises an indication of whether the wireless device can establish a cellular connection to the radio network node; and
sending, to the wireless device, a third message that indicates to the wireless device that access to a wireless local area network (WLAN) is unavailable responsive to the indication of the second message whether the wireless device can establish the cellular connection to the radio network node.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
sending, to the wireless device, the first message for querying information about the availability of the cellular connectivity, whereby the first message causes the wireless device to send the second message indicating the availability of the cellular connectivity.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first message is a WNM-Notification-request.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second message includes a vendor specific information element during at-association.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the managing of the cellular connectivity comprises instructing the wireless device to use the cellular connectivity for transmissions to/from the wireless device.

6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable code which when executed on a wireless access node causes the wireless access node to perform the method according to claim 1 .

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein managing the cellular connectivity based on the second message comprises instructing the wireless device to establish a cellular connection to the radio network node.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second message is the WNM-Notification-response or the GAS initial response/comeback request including the ANQP query with the special query element.

9. A method, performed by a wireless device, for providing information about availability of cellular connectivity towards a radio network node, wherein the wireless device has Wi-Fi radio for access to a wireless access node and cellular radio for access to the radio network node, wherein the method comprises:
sending, to the wireless access node, a second message that is responsive to a first message that is received from the wireless access node, that indicates to the wireless access node availability of the cellular connectivity; and
receiving a third message from the wireless access node that indicates to the wireless device that access to a wireless local area network (WLAN) is unavailable, wherein the third message is responsive to the second message indicating the availability of the cellular connectivity,
wherein the second message is a WNM-Notification-response, a GAS initial response/comeback request including an ANQP query with a special query element, a Probe Request message and/or an Association Request that comprises an indication of whether the wireless device can establish a cellular connection to the radio network node.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method comprises:
receiving, from the wireless access node, the first message for querying information about the availability of the cellular connectivity, whereby the first message causes the wireless device to send the second message indicating the availability of the cellular connectivity.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the first message is a WNM-Notification-request.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the second message includes a vendor specific information element during at-association.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method comprises:
evaluating the cellular connectivity towards the radio network node, and wherein the second message is based on an outcome of the evaluation.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable code which when executed on a wireless device causes the wireless device to perform the method according to claim 9 .

15. A wireless access node configured to enable management of cellular connectivity of a wireless device, wherein the cellular connectivity relates to connectivity towards a radio network node, wherein the wireless device has Wi-Fi radio for access to the wireless access node and cellular radio for access to the radio network node, wherein the wireless access node is configured to:
receive, from the wireless device, a second message that is responsive to a first message that is sent to the wireless device, that indicates to the wireless access node availability of the cellular connectivity;
manage the cellular connectivity based on the second message by determining whether the wireless device is to access either the wireless access node or the radio network node,
wherein the second message is a WNM-Notification-response, a GAS initial response/comeback request including an ANQP query with a special query element, a Probe request message and/or an Association Request that comprises an indication of whether the wireless device can establish a cellular connection to the radio network node; and
send, to the wireless device, a third message that indicates to the wireless device that access to a wireless local area network (WLAN) is unavailable responsive to the indication of the second message whether the wireless device can establish the cellular connection to the radio network node.

16. The wireless access node according to claim 15 , wherein the wireless access node is configured to send, to the wireless device, the first message for querying information about the availability of the cellular connectivity.

17. The wireless access node according to claim 16 , wherein the first message is a WNM-Notification-request.

18. The wireless access node according to claim 15 , wherein the second message includes a vendor specific information element during at-association.

19. The wireless access node according to claim 15 , wherein the wireless access node is configured to manage the cellular connectivity by instructing the wireless device to use the cellular connectivity for transmissions to/from the wireless device.

20. A wireless device configured to provide information about availability of cellular connectivity towards a radio network node, wherein the wireless device has Wi-Fi radio for access to a wireless access node and cellular radio for access to the radio network node, wherein the wireless device is configured to:
send, to the wireless access node, a second message that is responsive to a first mes

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Mestanov Filip
• Rayment Stephen
• Lindheimer Christofer
• Hiertz Guido
• Nordström Eric

Classifications

• H04W28/08

  Load balancing or load distribution (transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W36/14

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W48/14

  using user query {or user detection} · CPC title

• H04W88/10

  adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points · CPC title

• H04W36/0022 Primary

  for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies · CPC title