Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Other

Microsoft Corporation

Rovi Technologies Corporation

Mohammad Shabbir Alam

Timothy Mark Moore

Anton W Krantz

Poovanpilli G Madhavan

Zhong Deng

Sharad Mittal

Ankur Agiwal

Abhishek Abhishek

Warren Vincent Barkley

Xinyan Zan

Florin Teodorescu

Frank Li

John-Paul M Stewart

Shai Guday

Jean-Pierre Duplessis

Vivek Bhanu

Ari Pekka Niikkonen

John Charles Krumm

Pradeep Bahl

Sean O Lyndersay

Taroon Mandhana

Ashwin Palekar

Vladimir Holostov

Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed

Yinghua Yao

Shirish Koti

Steven A N Shafer

Rao Salapaka

Dan Knudson

Edwin A Hernandez-Mondragon

Geoffrey Edward Pease

Madhurima Pawar

Thomas W Kuehnel

Arun Ayyagari

Hui Shen

Mukund Sankaranarayan

Mitesh K Desai

Scott Manchester

David A Roberts

Benjamin E Nick

Trevor William Freeman

Christopher R Rice

David Neil MacDonald

James Christopher Gray

David Ross Buerer

Gianluigi Nusca

Sachin C Sheth

Piyush Goyal

Triptpal Singh Lamba

Saumaya Sharma

Christopher Jon Lang

Darya Mazandarany

Dalen Matthew Abraham

Nicholas A Banks

Sidharth Nabar

Denise L Chen

Aman Arneja

Douglas Edward Stamper

Dhanya Krishnan Nair

Mazen Alkhatib

Javier Flores Assad

Bill Hanlon

Mark Huyler

Tim McGrath

Steven An Shafer

Geoffrey E Pease

Scott A Manchester

Dalen Abraham

Trevor W Freeman

Techniques are described herein that are capable of establishing multiple infrastructure connections to multiple access points via a single wireless network interface controller (WNIC). Capability information is analyzed to determine combination(s) of identified frequency bands over which the WNIC is capable of communicating simultaneously. Availability information is analyzed to determine signal qualities associated with respective available frequency bands. A primary infrastructure connection is established to a first access point via the WNIC based at least in part on a first frequency band associated with the first access point being included among the identified frequency bands and being associated with a relatively high signal quality. A secondary infrastructure connection is established to a second access point via the WNIC based at least in part on a second frequency band associated with the second access point being included among the identified frequency bands in a combination that includes the first frequency band.

Establishing multiple infrastructure connections to multiple access points via a single wireless network interface controller

The electronic devices described herein enhance a user experience associated with a network connection by transitioning between networks and/or network media. Determinations to switch from one network to another are based on connection quality factors which are collected and compared to defined connection quality thresholds. The connection quality factors are correlated to the quality of the connection, such that the quality of the connection is optimized by switching networks when the connection to one network is poor but the connection to an alternative network may be better. Further, the switching process between networks and/or network media, particularly between 802.11ad networks and other 802.11 networks, is enhanced such that it is substantially seamless, or unnoticeable to the user. The connection quality-based switching determination and the seamless switching between networks provide a consistent, high quality connection and a satisfying user experience.

Switching between network media seamlessly while maintaining a network connection

Embodiments apply a set of sequenced instructions to connect to a network through a captive portal. A computing device detects a network access point and obtains the instruction set corresponding to the network access point. The instruction set is derived by a cloud service from crowdsourced data describing interactions between mobile computing devices and the network access point. Applying the instruction set includes performing actions such as navigating web pages to accept terms and conditions, provide user or device information, and more.

Applying sequenced instructions to connect through captive portals

A software architecture providing ad hoc wireless networking capabilities. The software architecture may be compatible with wireless devices, such as Ultra wideband (UWB) devices operating according to the WiMedia Logical Link Control Protocol (WLP). The software architecture may include user mode and kernel mode modules, and may include a multiplexing driver framework to enable system connection to multiple ad hoc networks.

Ad hoc wireless networking

An extensible framework for offloading data traffic sent to a mobile computing device over a cellular network to a wireless network comprises software plugins, a plugin host that is typically part of the mobile device operating system, and plugin interfaces through which the plugin host communicates with the plugins. A plugin is associated with one or more mobile operators. The framework can comprise one or more plugins, but typically, only one plugin is active at a time. The framework can automatically detect and connect to wireless networks associated with a mobile operator associated with an active plugin. The plugin can automatically authenticate the mobile device or a mobile device user with the mobile operator over the connected wireless network. The plugins are not allowed access to operating system functions responsible for detecting and connecting and disconnecting to a wireless network, which can improve mobile operating system stability and battery life.

System and method for offloading traffic from cellular networks

A software architecture providing ad hoc wireless networking capabilities. The software architecture may be compatible with wireless devices, such as UWB devices operating according to the WLP communication protocol. The software architecture may include user mode and kernel mode modules, and may include a multiplexing driver framework to enable system connection to multiple ad hoc networks.

A process for secure, safe, and easy provisioning of a wireless device with credentials to connect to a wireless network. A connecting wireless device and an established wireless device both utilize low power transmission at close proximity to exchange wireless connection setting information and/or a password. The connecting wireless device is moved into proximity with the established wireless device and a low power setting is discovered at which the wireless devices may communicate with a sufficiently low error rate. The proximity of the connecting wireless device to the established wireless device is verified and the connecting wireless device is then passed the secret information by the established network device.

Physical location verification

System and method for offloading traffic from cellular networks using plugins

A system and method for carrying out network and interface selections across multiple media is disclosed. The disclosed system facilitates automated network interface configuration decision-making that spans a set of networks supporting communications via differing media. A set of media specific modules associated with differing communications media acquire network interface status/capabilities information. A rules engine thereafter applies a designated network selection rule(s) to the acquired network interface status/capabilities information, and any other appropriate parameters attributable to either an interface or network, to select one or more networks and interfaces with which to establish/maintain a connection.

Network and interface selection on a computing device capable of establishing connections via multiple network communications media

A system and method for facilitating automatic detection of a type of wireless network is provided. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, wireless network client(s) can automatically detect the 'type' of a network (e.g., method of authentication and encryption) without requiring input from the user. For example, unencrypted network, WEP encrypted network requiring a WEP key, WPA encrypted network requiring a pre-shared key, an IEEE 802.1x enabled network supporting WPA and/or an IEEE 802.1x enabled network not supporting WPA. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a wireless network detection system having a connection component and a detection component is provided. The connection component facilitates connection of a client system to at least one of a plurality of wireless networks. The detection component identities a type of an available wireless network. Identification can be based for example, upon information received in an information element and/or iterative probing of the wireless network beacon.

Automatic detection of wireless network type

A wireless access point may be configured to advertise, to mobile user devices, multiple wireless networks available through the wireless access point. For example, service set identifiers (SSIDs) may be specified within an information element (IE) of a communication such as, for example, an 802.11 beacon, broadcasted to mobile user devices. Such an IE may utilize the capability provided by IEEE 802.11 itself to use additional and flexible numbers of information elements within a beacon. Accordingly, networks that would otherwise remain hidden due to limitations of known wireless access points are made visible to mobile user devices. Configuring a wireless access point to advertise multiple available wireless networks, for example, by firmware upgrades, may serve as a viable and cost-effective interim solution and/or alternative to replacing a wireless access point with a wireless access point configured to implement virtual wireless access points.

Transmitting a communication from a wireless access point indicating hidden networks

A communication system is provided which offers increased transmission speed while maintaining a low bit error rate. At the transmitter, a digital input is entered and a microprocessor determines from a particular subset of pulse sequence codes a single sequence of pulse coefficients that corresponds to that particular digital input. The sequence of pulse coefficients are then multiplied by a pulse shape, modulate and transmitted. At the receiver, the modulated pulses are demodulated. The demodulated pulses are then, on a pulse by pulse basis, subtracted from each of the subset of pulse sequences with the absolute values of each pulse for each pulse sequence being summed. A comparator selects a sequence of pulse coefficients corresponding to the lowest summed value of a particular pulse sequence, which is then mapped to a digital signal which is the same digital signal as the digital input.

Method and system for increasing transmission speed of wired or wireless signals while minimizing the bit error rate

A software architecture providing ad hoc wireless networking capabilities. The software architecture may be compatible with wireless devices, such as ultra wideband (UWB) devices operating according to the WiMedia Logical Link Control Protocol (WLP) communication protocol. The software architecture may include user mode and kernel mode modules, and may include a multiplexing driver framework to enable system connection to multiple ad hoc networks.

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Mohammad Shabbir Alam