Patent ID: 7768982
Filing Date: 2010-08-03
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for mobiles discovery of network information related to networks to be visited, comprising: collecting information using mobiles in or related to the networks that said mobiles acting as scouts visit as part of their use of the networks, sharing the collected information from the mobiles with other mobiles by reporting the collected information to a knowledge server, wherein the knowledge server maintains accumulated collected information reported by mobiles and makes the accumulated collected information available to subscriber mobiles, further including having a mobile send a query to the knowledge server when it needs to discover information, further including making information discovery independent of specific networking technologies and network providers using an application-layer standard protocol for communications between the mobiles and the knowledge server for information reporting and retrieval, further including having a mobile use the knowledge server information to allow the mobile to authenticate with a target network before it moves into a coverage area of the target network.