Blackberry Corporation

Research in Motion Corporation

Alexander Jordan Reif

Sherryl Lee Lorraine Scott

Denis Fedotenko

Zaheen Somani

Michael Peter Montemurro

Gerhard Dietrich Klassen

Douglas Michael Gisby

Christopher Labrador

Kevin John Oerton

Michael Gray

Colin Mark Werner

Michael Eric Gray

A mobile device performs a scanning operation for identifying a wireless network and receives from the wireless network a hotspot aggregator service identifier which identifies a hotspot aggregator service made available via the wireless network. The mobile device compares the received hotspot aggregator service identifier with one or more hotspot aggregator service identifiers stored in memory. When there is a match between the received and the stored hotspot aggregator service identifiers, the mobile device initiates a connection with the wireless network for receiving the hotspot aggregator service.

Methods and apparatus for use in facilitating access to aggregator services for mobile communication devices via wireless communication networks

Various connection parameters of a wireless local area network 'WLAN' may be saved in a WLAN client device in a connection profile, even if the WLAN client device is unable to connect to the WLAN.

Saving a connection profile when unable to connect to a wireless local area network

A wireless local area network (WLAN) client device is able to store one or more transient connection profiles. A transient connection profile of a WLAN may be overwritten by a transient connection profile of another WLAN. A transient connection profile may be automatically deleted from the client device without user action having been taken to explicitly delete the transient connection profile.

Transient WLAN connection profiles

A wireless local area network 'WLAN' client device has one or more virtual private network 'VPN' profiles defined therein. In response to the WLAN client device connecting to a WLAN, a user of the WLAN client device is able to indicate whether to attempt to establish a VPN connection over the WLAN.

Handling virtual private network connections over a wireless local area network

In one illustrative example, a wireless local area network (WLAN) regularly broadcasts or otherwise communicates one or more aggregator service identifiers which identify one or more aggregator services made available via the WLAN. In addition, a mobile communication device has a memory for storing aggregator service information. During operation, the mobile device performs a scanning operation and receives, from the scanning operation, the one or more aggregator service identifiers from the WLAN. The mobile device compares a received aggregator service identifier with one or more stored aggregator service identifiers of the aggregator service information. When there is a match between the received and the stored aggregator service identifiers, the mobile device may connect with and receive the aggregator service via the WLAN. For newly-encountered WLANs, the mobile device may also automatically create and store a wireless network profile associated with the WLAN that provides the aggregator service. For each aggregator or aggregator service, the aggregator service information may include a service name of the aggregator or aggregator service, a security type for authentication, a first URL for obtaining service information for the aggregator service, and a second URL for subscribing to the aggregator service, all of which may be displayed or otherwise utilized for obtaining service.

Mobile devices are authorized to access PBX-based voice services through presentation of audible tones on a voice channel, which are determined based on a code received over a separate data channel. The device can request a code over a data channel from a server in communication with the PBX. The server provides data representative of the code over the data channel to the device, and arranges for local storage of the code. The device makes a connection with the PBX over a separate voice channel. The mobile device presents the received code as a sequence of audio tones (e.g., DTMF tones). The audio tones are used to generate data that can be compared with stored codes by an authentication module. The authorization module can indicate to the PBX that the code is valid; services can be provided by the PBX in response. The valid codes can be maintained, such as by removing used codes from code storage.

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Bonn, Germany

Alexander Jordan Reif