Patent Description:
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the technical field of wireless local area network (WLAN) selection.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in the present disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

A WLAN may be able to attach to a third generation partnership project (3GPP) evolved packet core (EPC), which may be a core network of a long term evolution (LTE) network or system. Depending on how the WLAN attaches to the 3GPP EPC, the WLAN may obtain different kinds or types of connectivity such as over a trusted interface, an untrusted interface, non-seamless offload or local breakout, etc..

If the WLAN network is in a visited domain of the LTE network, then the WLAN network may be able to provide several value added services such as Internet connectivity, Voice over Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (VoIMS), or other services, as for example disclosed in the 3GPP contribution QUALCOMM INCORPORATED: "<NPL>.

In some cases, a network operator or user of a user equipment (UE) may want to ensure that the UE may be able to select a WLAN that can also provide home routed services such as a corporate virtual private network (VPN), secure banking transactions, or other home routed services such as parental control.

The aforementioned problem is solved by the features of the independent claims.

In embodiments, apparatuses, methods, and storage media may be described for identifying a WLAN AP with which a 3GPP UE should connect. Specifically, the UE may receive an indication of one or more supported connectivity options of the WLAN AP. The connectivity options may include, for example, a trusted S2a interface, an untrusted S2b interface, a non-seamless WLAN offload (NSWO) interface or local breakout, or some other interface. The UE may also receive an indication of one or more PLMNs that the WLAN AP is able to communicate with over the connectivity options. Specifically, the indication may include information regarding whether the PLMN is a home PLMN (HPLMN) or a visited PLMN (VPLMN), and whether the PLMN is able to provide home routed services or visited services as described in further detail below. The UE may then select whether the UE should connect to the WLAN AP based on the received indication(s) and a selection preference rule. The selection preference rule may be a rule provisioned by an ANDSF of an HPLMN or VPLMN. Other embodiments may be claimed.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation. Operations described may be performed in a different order than the described embodiment. Various additional operations may be performed and/or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases "A and/or B" and "A or B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B).

As discussed herein, the term "module" may be used to refer to one or more physical or logical components or elements of a system. In some embodiments a module may be a distinct circuit, while in other embodiments a module may include a plurality of circuits.

Figure <NUM> schematically illustrates a wireless communication network <NUM> (hereinafter "network <NUM>") in accordance with various embodiments. The network <NUM> may include a UE <NUM> that is communicatively coupled with a WLAN AP <NUM>. In embodiments, the network <NUM> may be a WLAN such as a WiFi network described by one or more of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> standards and the WLAN AP <NUM> may be considered a WiFi Access Point (AP). In some embodiments, the network <NUM> may be some other type of WLAN.

As shown in <FIG>, the UE <NUM> may include a transceiver module <NUM>, which may also be referred to as a multi-mode transceiver chip. The transceiver module <NUM> may be configured to transmit and receive signals using one or more protocols such as long term evolution (LTE) and/or WiFi. Specifically, the transceiver module <NUM> may be coupled with one or more of a plurality of antennas <NUM> of the UE <NUM> for communicating wirelessly with other components of the network <NUM>, e.g., WLAN AP <NUM> or another UE. The antennas <NUM> may be powered by a power amplifier <NUM> which may be a component of the transceiver module <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, or coupled with the transceiver module <NUM>. In one embodiment, the power amplifier <NUM> may provide the power for all transmissions on the antennas <NUM>. In other embodiments, there may be multiple power amplifiers on the UE <NUM>. The use of multiple antennas <NUM> may allow for the UE <NUM> to use transmit diversity techniques such as spatial orthogonal resource transmit diversity (SORTD), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or full-dimension MIMO (FD- MIMO).

In certain embodiments the transceiver module <NUM> may include a communication module <NUM>, which may be referred to as a broadband module, which may contain both transmit circuitry <NUM> configured to cause the antennas <NUM> to transmit one or more signals from the UE <NUM>, and receive circuitry <NUM> configured to process signals received by the antennas <NUM>. In other embodiments, the communication module <NUM> may be implemented in separate chips or modules, for example, one chip including the receive circuitry <NUM> and another chip including the transmit circuitry <NUM>. In some embodiments, the transmitted or received signals may be WLAN signals transmitted to or received from a WLAN AP. In other embodiments the signals may be cellular signals transmitted to or received from a 3GPP evolved NodeB (eNB). In some embodiments, the transceiver module <NUM> may include or be coupled with a WLAN circuitry <NUM> to identify one or more WLANs or WLAN APs with which the UE <NUM> should connect, as described in further detail below. The WLAN circuitry <NUM> may also be configured to process or generate signals to be transmitted over antennas <NUM>, for example, by transceiver module <NUM>, communication module <NUM>, and/or transmit circuitry <NUM>.

Similar to the UE <NUM>, the WLAN AP <NUM> may include a transceiver module <NUM>. The transceiver module <NUM> may be further coupled with one or more of a plurality of antennas <NUM> of the WLAN AP <NUM> for communicating wirelessly with other components of the network <NUM>, e.g., UE <NUM>. The antennas <NUM> may be powered by a power amplifier <NUM> which may be a component of the transceiver module <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, or may be a separate component of the WLAN AP <NUM>. In one embodiment, the power amplifier <NUM> may provide the power for all transmissions on the antennas <NUM>. In other embodiments, there may be multiple power amplifiers on the WLAN AP <NUM>. The use of multiple antennas <NUM> may allow for the WLAN AP <NUM> to use transmit diversity techniques such as SORTD, MIMO, or FD-MIMO. In certain embodiments the transceiver module <NUM> may contain both transmit circuitry <NUM> configured to cause the antennas <NUM> to transmit one or more signals from the WLAN AP <NUM>, and receive circuitry <NUM> to process signals received by the antennas <NUM>. In other embodiments, the transceiver module <NUM> may be replaced by transmit circuitry <NUM> and receive circuitry <NUM> which are separate from one another (not shown). In some embodiments, though not shown, the transceiver module <NUM> may include a communication module such as communication module <NUM> that includes the receive circuitry <NUM> and the transmit circuitry <NUM>.

As described above, a WLAN and particularly a WLAN AP that serves as an AP for a WLAN network may be able to attach to the EPC of a 3GPP network such as an LTE network in a variety of ways. For example, the WLAN AP may attach to the 3GPP EPC via a variety of interfaces such as an S2a interface, an S2b interface, a local break out (LBO) interface, an NSWO interface, or some other interface. Generally, an S2a interface may be an interface for connecting trusted WLANs that may use relatively robust security measures or protocols to the EPC. An S2b interface may be an interface for connecting untrusted WLANs that may use less robust security measures or authentication protocols, or no security measures or protocols to the EPC.

In some embodiments, to ensure seamless continuity in different scenarios for services that may require Internet Protocol (IP) address preservation such as VoIMS or other services, the UE <NUM> may be provisioned with an active inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule that may include a direction or indication to the UE <NUM> to select a WLAN AP such as WLAN AP <NUM> with which the UE <NUM> should couple. Specifically, the ISRP rule may be provisioned by either a home ANDSF (H-ANDSF) or a visited ANDSF (V-ANDSE). However, in some cases, if the ISRP is provisioned by a V-ANDSF, the V-ANDSE may not ensure that the selected WLAN has connectivity with a packet data network gateway (PDN-GW) of the HPLMN of the UE <NUM>. Generally, a PDN-GW may act as a mobility point between 3GPP and non-3GPP technologies such as a WLAN. In some cases if the network operator or user of the UE <NUM> wants to access services provided by the UE's HPLMN such as banking or some other services, the ISRP provisioned by the V-ANDSF may not ensure that the WLAN has connectivity with the HPLMN and the UE <NUM> may not be able to access the home service.

In embodiments described herein, it may be desirable for a UE such as UE <NUM> to be able to identify connectivity options supported by a given WLAN AP such as WLAN AP <NUM>. It may also be desirable for information to be provided to the UE <NUM> or the user of UE <NUM> regarding what home routed services, if any, are available through a given WLAN AP. If home routed services are available, it may be desirable to be able to identify which services are available, and which connectivity options a given service is available through. It may also be desirable for a network operator of either the HPLMN or VPLMN to be able to specify policies for the UE <NUM> to use in selecting which WLAN AP to couple with to use a given home routed service. It may be useful for the above information to be provided in either a roaming or non-roaming scenario.

<FIG> depicts an example network <NUM> that may include a UE <NUM> with a WLAN module <NUM>, which may be similar to UE <NUM> and WLAN circuitry <NUM>, respectively. The UE <NUM> may be within range of, and able to connect with, WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, which may be similar to WLAN AP <NUM>. Each of WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include or be communicatively coupled with an evolved packet data gateway (ePDG) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> through which the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> can access a variety of S2b interfaces, as shown. Additionally, each of WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include or be communicatively coupled with a trusted wireless access gateway (TWAG) such as TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Generally, the TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be able to communicate with one or more PDN-GWs of an HPLMN or one or more VPLMNs via an S2a interface. As noted above, the S2a interface may be considered an interface for connecting trusted WLANs that may use relatively robust security measures or protocols to the EPC. In some embodiments, the TWAGs such as TWAGs <NUM> or <NUM> may be able to communicate with an NSWO gateway (NSWO-GW) <NUM> via an NSWO interface. ePDGs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> may be able to communicate with one or more PDN-GWs of an HPLMN or one or more VPLMNs via an S2b interface. As noted above, the S2b interface may be considered an interface for connecting untrusted WLANs that may use less robust security measures or authentication protocols, or no security measures or protocols, to the EPC.

Specifically, WLAN AP <NUM> may be configured to communicate with PDN-GW <NUM> of HPLMN <NUM> by using an S2b interface through the ePDG <NUM>. PDN-GW <NUM> may be configured to provide a service <NUM> that may be, for example, a voice over LTE (VoLTE) service or a VoLTE access point name (APN). As used herein, an APN may be considered a gateway or pointer to access a specific functionality or service. Therefore, as described above, the PDN-GW <NUM> may itself provide a VoLTE service, or the PDN-GW <NUM> may include a pointer to one or more separate processor(s), server(s), or devices that provide or facilitate a VoLTE service.

WLAN AP <NUM> may be further configured to communicate with PDN-GW <NUM> of VPLMN <NUM> by using an S2a interface through the TWAG <NUM>. PDN-GW <NUM> may be configured to provide another service <NUM> such as a video on demand (VoD) service or a VoD APN.

Similarly, WLAN AP <NUM> may be configured to communicate with PDN-GW <NUM> of HPLMN <NUM> by using an S2b interface through the ePDG <NUM> or an S2a interface through the TWAG <NUM>. The PDN-GW <NUM> may be configured to provide a service <NUM> that may be, for example, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) service or an IMS APN. WLAN AP <NUM> may be further configured to communicate with PDN-GW <NUM> of VPLMN <NUM> by using an S2b interface through ePDG <NUM> or an S2a interface through TWAG <NUM>. As noted above, PDN-GW <NUM> may be configured to provide another service <NUM> such as a VoD service or a VoD APN. WLAN AP <NUM> may be further configured to communicate with PDN-GW <NUM> of VPLMN <NUM> through an S2a interface of TWAG <NUM>. PDN-GW <NUM> may be configured to provide another service <NUM> such as an Internet APN. Specifically, PDN-GW <NUM> may be communicatively coupled with one or more servers, devices, or elements of the Internet <NUM>. Finally, WLAN AP <NUM> may be configured to communicate with NSWO-GW <NUM> via an NSWO interface through TWAG <NUM>. In embodiments, the NSWO-GW <NUM> may also be communicatively coupled with one or more servers, devices, or elements of the Internet <NUM>.

Similarly, WLAN AP <NUM> may be configured to communicate with PDN-GW <NUM> of VPLMN <NUM> through an S2b interface of ePDG <NUM> or an S2a interface of TWAG <NUM>. As noted above, PDN-GW <NUM> may be configured to provide a service <NUM> that may be, for example, a VoD service or a VoD APN. WLAN AP <NUM> may be further configured to communicate with PDN-GW <NUM> of VPLMN <NUM> through an S2a interface of TWAG <NUM>. PDN-GW <NUM> may be configured to provide a service <NUM> such as the Internet APN described above. WLAN AP <NUM> may also be configured to communicate with NSWO-GW <NUM> through an NSWO interface of TWAG <NUM>, as described above. As noted above, the NSWO-GW <NUM> may also be communicatively coupled with one or more servers, devices, or elements of the Internet <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the HPLMN <NUM> may further include or be coupled with an H-ANDSF <NUM>. As describe above, the H-ANDSF <NUM> may be configured to provide one or more selection preference rules such as an ISRP rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, or some other type of selection preference rule to the UE <NUM> that the UE <NUM> may use to select a WLAN AP with which the UE <NUM> should couple. In embodiments, the H-ANDSF <NUM> may store or provision the selection preference rule(s) in a policy store <NUM>. In some embodiments, the policy store <NUM> may be part of the H-ANDSF <NUM> or HPLMN <NUM>. In other embodiments, the policy store <NUM> may be part of the UE <NUM>. In other embodiments, the policy store <NUM> may be separate from, but communicatively coupled with, the UE <NUM> and the H-ANDSF as shown in <FIG>. In some embodiments, one or more of the selection preference rule(s) may be provisioned from a visited ANDSF (V-ANDSF) of a VPLMN such as VPLMNs <NUM> or <NUM> (not shown). In those embodiments, the selection preference rule(s) received from the H-ANDSF <NUM> may take precedence over a selection preference rule received from a V-ANDSF.

The different services, the number of PLMNs, the number of WLAN APs, the connectivity options of the WLAN APs, and other aspects of <FIG> are intended as being an example of one embodiment of the present disclosure. In other embodiments, one or more other elements such as WLAN APs, PLMNs, etc. may be present in network <NUM>, and the WLAN APs may be able to access the different PDN-GWs via different connectivity options than those shown in <FIG>.

In some cases, services that are provided through PDN-GWs of the HPLMN <NUM> such as PDN-GWs <NUM> and <NUM> may be referred to as "home routed" services. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, services <NUM> and <NUM> may be considered to be home routed services. Services <NUM> and <NUM>, which are not accessed through PDN-GWs <NUM> and <NUM> of HPLMN <NUM> may not be considered to be home routed services, and instead may be considered "visited" services. As shown in <FIG>, WLAN APs <NUM> and <NUM> may have access to home routed services <NUM> and <NUM>, while WLAN AP <NUM> may not have access to home routed services.

As an example use case, the services usage over different WLAN networks, or over WLAN networks and LTE networks, may be charged differently by a network operator of the WLAN network, the LTE network, or some other network operator. For example, an operator may operate such that a VoD service over WLAN is a subscribed service where the user of the UE <NUM> may pay a flat fee (e.g., $<NUM> a month) to have unlimited access to VoD over WLAN for free, or to have access to VoD over WLAN with a much lower price per minute than over a 3GPP network such as an LTE network. The operator may extend this difference in charging or access structure to other services and/or service APNs.

In embodiments, a network operator of the HPLMN <NUM>, and particularly the H-ANDSF <NUM>, may provide a selection preference rule such as an ISRP rule that indicates that the UE <NUM> should preferentially connect to a WLAN AP such as WLAN AP <NUM> that is able to provide services such as services <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> via an S2b interface. Specifically, the indication may include an indication that the UE <NUM> should prefer home routed services <NUM> and <NUM>. These indications may be made with a flag such as "PreferHomeRoutedWLANs_S2b," though other flags or flag names may be used in other embodiments. This indication may depend, for example, on whether the user of UE <NUM> has subscribed to operator services such as VoLTE or some other service that may not require a highly secure trusted connection via a WLAN.

In other embodiments, the network operator of the HPLMN <NUM>, and particularly the H-ANDSF <NUM>, may provide a selection preference rule such as an ISRP rule that indicates that the UE <NUM> should preferentially connect to a WLAN AP such as WLAN AP <NUM> that is able to access one or more services such as services <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> via an S2a interface. Specifically, the indication may include an indication that the UE <NUM> should prefer WLAN APs such as WLAN APs <NUM> and <NUM> that are able to provide home routed services <NUM> and <NUM>. These indications may be made with a flag such as "PreferHomeRoutedWLANs_S2a," though other flags or flag names may be used in other embodiments. This indication may depend on whether the user of the UE <NUM> is authorized, or UE <NUM> is configured, to use IMS services such as VoIMS or some other service that may benefit from a trusted, relatively secure S2a connection via WLAN. In other cases, the network operator of the HPLMN <NUM>, and particularly the H-ANDSF <NUM>, may provide a selection preference rule that the UE <NUM> should connect to the NSWO-GW <NUM>.

In order to implement the selection preference rule, it may be desirable for the UE <NUM>, or the user of UE <NUM>, to identify what sort of connectivity options (e.g. S2a, S2b, NSWO, etc.) are supported by a given WLAN or WLAN AP. Further, it may be desirable for the UE <NUM>, or the user of UE <NUM>, to identify what services are provided or accessible via the different WLAN APs, and whether those services are home routed services or visited services. Finally, it may be desirable for the UE <NUM>, or the user of UE <NUM>, to identify which connectivity option is available for a given home routed or visited service (e.g., if the service is accessible via an S2a interface, an S2b interface, an NSWO interface, etc.).

In some embodiments, the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may advertise through one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> beacons the connectivity options supported (e.g. S2a, S2b, NSWO) by each WLAN AP. The UE <NUM> may receive the one or more <NUM> beacons and identify which one(s) of the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> satisfy the connectivity option parameter(s) of the selection preference rule(s).

In response to identifying the different connectivity options of each of the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may then attempt to identify which PLMN is supported through one or more of the connectivity options of the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, and whether that PLMN has access to home routed services or visited services. For example, in some embodiments the <NUM> beacons may include one or more indications about which PLMNs are supported through an S2a interface of the WLAN AP, an S2b interface of the WLAN AP, a NSWO interface of the WLAN AP, etc. In embodiments, these indications may take the form of one or more information elements (IBs) as described in further detail below.

In other embodiments, the UE <NUM> may transmit a query such as an access network query protocol (ANQP) query to one or more of the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> regarding which PLMNs the various WLAN APs can connect to, and whether those PLMNs offer home routed services or visited services. The ANQP query may include a generic WLAN container through which the UE <NUM> may request one or more parameters or information about which PLMNs are supported through an interface such as an S2a interface, S2b interface, NSWO interface, etc. The WLAN AP that receives the ANQP query may respond with an ANQP response that may include the requested information or parameters. The generic WLAN container is discussed in greater detail below.

In other embodiments, the UE <NUM> may use a protocol such as a WLAN Control Protocol (WLCP) to query the TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> of WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> about PLMNs that are reachable through the TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, and whether the services those PLMNs provide are home routed or visited. The TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> may in turn query WLANs, WLAN APs, or WLAN operators to obtain this information related to the PLMNs, or the information may be pre-provisioned in the TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>. In some cases, the WLCP may be expanded to include additional messages that could be used to carry this query. In some embodiments, the TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> may be co-located with a WLAN access network, and so could easily obtain the information related to the PLMNs.

As noted above, in some embodiments the H-ANDSF <NUM> and/or a V-ANDSF (not shown) may provide one or more selection preference rules such as an ISMP rule, an ISRP rule, a WLANSP rule, or some other type of rule. In embodiments, additional nodes may be added to a rule to indicate operator preferences regarding WLAN selection preference. <FIG> depicts one example of rule(s) that may be generated by an ANDSF such as H-ANDSF <NUM> and/or a V-ANDSF (not shown). As shown, an ANDSF may provide a selection preference rule with a variety of nodes or parameters such as:.

The WLANSP selection preference rule may have additional nodes as indicated by the node <X>. Specifically, the WLANSP selection preference rule may include nodes such as:.

In some embodiments, the "PreferHomeRoutedWLANs_S2a," "PreferHomeRoutedWLANs_S2b," and "Prefer NSWO" nodes may additionally or alternatively be elements of the WLANConnectivity node, as shown in <FIG>.

As discussed above, in some embodiments UE <NUM> may transmit a query such as an access network query protocol (ANQP) query to one or more of the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> regarding which PLMNs the various WLAN APs can connect to, and whether those PLMNs offer home routed services or visited services. The ANQP query may include a generic WLAN container through which the UE <NUM> may request one or more parameters or information about which PLMNs are supported through an interface such as an S2a interface, S2b interface, NSWO interface, etc..

In embodiments, ANQP queries or responses may include extensions that include elements that may support Hotspot <NUM> features. These elements may be defined for use in infrastructure basic service sets (BSSs), which may be considered to be the set of WLAN APs that may communicate with one another. For elements defined as part of ANQP extensions, a requesting device such as UE <NUM> may be considered a non-access point (non-AP) station (STA) or UE. The responding element that generates and transmits an ANQP response may be the WLAN AP such as WLAN AP <NUM>.

Generally, ANQP elements may be defined to have a common format consisting of a <NUM>-octet information identification (Info ID) field that may include <NUM> bits of information, a <NUM>-octet length field that may include another <NUM> bits of information, and a variable-length element-specific information field. Each element may be assigned a unique Info ID. In general, the IEEE <NUM> assigned numbers authority (ANA) may have provided <NUM> ANQP Info IDs possible that may be used for new ANQP elements in ANQP queries according to Hotspot <NUM> protocols as shown in following Table <NUM>:.

<FIG> depicts an example of a generic WLAN container <NUM>. Specifically, the generic WLAN container <NUM> may include information that may allow a WLAN access network or WLAN AP such as WLAN AP <NUM> to connect to or communicate with the 3GPP EPC. In embodiments, the generic WLAN container <NUM> may be used in an ANQP query as described above to obtain information related to connectivity options or PLMN support of various WLAN APs. In some embodiments, the generic WLAN container <NUM> may be used to indicate one or more user preferences to a WLAN AP. In some embodiments, the generic WLAN container <NUM> may be used as part of an ANQP response by a WLAN AP to educate a UE <NUM> as to the connectivity options, PLMN support, or other parameters of a WLAN AP. In embodiments, the generic WLAN container <NUM> may include information such as APN the user of a UE such as UE <NUM> or <NUM> wishes to connect to, access to the Internet, access to the EPC, PDN-GW type, a user identifier such as an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) or a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI), the type of connectivity options of the WLAN AP such as whether the WLAN AP supports an S2a interface, an S2b interface, etc..

The generic WLAN container <NUM> may include an Info ID field (not shown) that may be equivalent to IEEE <NUM> ANA+<NUM> as shown in Table <NUM>, above. Specifically, ANQP elements may be defined to have a common format consisting of a <NUM>-octet Info ID field, a <NUM>-octet length field, and a variable-length element-specific information field. Each element may be assigned a unique Info ID. A UE may send an ANQP query with Info ID set to <IEEE <NUM> ANA+<NUM>> to retrieve Generic WLAN container information from one or more PLMNs.

As shown in <FIG>, the generic WLAN container <NUM> may include a version element <NUM>. The version element may be one octet in length (e.g. including <NUM> bits of data). In embodiments, a data string of "<NUM>" may indicate version <NUM>, and one or more of data strings of "<NUM>" to "<NUM>" may be reserved for future use.

The generic WLAN container <NUM> may further include a header length element <NUM>, which may be two octets long (e.g. including <NUM> bits of data). The header length element <NUM> may define the number of octets that follow the header length element <NUM> in the generic WLAN container <NUM>.

The generic WLAN container <NUM> may then include a number of information elements (IBs) such as IE1 <NUM> to IEn <NUM>. Generally, a first octet of an IE may be an IE identifier (IEI) that indicates what type of IE is provided, and then additional bits that indicate the length of the IE and then any other fields that are specific to that IE. The IEIs of some of the types of IBs, and the associated IBs, that may be used in generic WLAN container <NUM> are described in Table <NUM> as follows:.

It will be noted that the specific octet values or names of one or more of the IEs described above are intended as examples of one embodiment. In different embodiments certain octet values may be different for a given IE, or the names or characteristics of one or more of the IEs may be different from those depicted above in Table <NUM>.

As described in Table <NUM>, the generic WLAN container <NUM> may further include a PLMN List IE <NUM>, as depicted in <FIG>. Specifically, the PLMN List IE <NUM> may provide information to the UE <NUM> regarding PLMNs such as HPLMN <NUM>, VPLMN <NUM>, or VPLMN <NUM> that are accessible or supported by a given WLAN AP such as WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for different connectivity options. Specifically, the first octet of PLMN List IE <NUM> may include the PLMN List IEI <NUM> that may signal that the IE is a PLMN List IE <NUM>, as described above with respect to the IEIs of generic WLAN container <NUM>. The second octet may include a <NUM>-bit extension <NUM> that may be used if the length of this IE exceeds beyond one octet. Specifically, if the <NUM>-bit extension <NUM> it is set, then the length field may extend beyond the first octet to the next octet as well and the total length may be the sum of the length in first octet and the second octet and so on until the octet in which the <NUM>-bit extension field is not set, which may imply that the length octet is the last length octet for the present IE. The remaining seven bits of the second octet may indicate a length of PLMN List value contents <NUM>. That is, the length indication <NUM> may indicate the overall length of the PLMN List IE <NUM> in bits, octets, or some other length metric. The third octet may indicate the connectivity options (S2a, S2b, etc.) <NUM> through which the WLAN AP can connect to one or more PLMNs. In some embodiments, the second and third octets may be combined such that the extension <NUM>, the length indication <NUM>, and the connectivity options <NUM> may be combined into a single octet.

The next octet may indicate the number of PLMNs <NUM> which the WLAN AP can connect to or associate with. Further information may be provided in additional octets that indicate information related to one or more of the PLMNs that the WLAN AP can connect with. For example, the PLMN List IE <NUM> may include information related to a first PLMN <NUM> through an nth PLMN <NUM>. The information may include a PLMN identifier, the type of services provided by the PLMN, whether the services are home routed or visited services, etc..

The PLMN List IE <NUM> depicted in <FIG> is one example embodiment, and in other embodiments the different elements or information may be arranged in a different order, may be a different length, etc. For example, even though the information related to the first PLMN <NUM> through an nth PLMN <NUM> are shown as offset and beginning at bit <NUM> of the octet, in other embodiments the information may be aligned with the other elements of the PLMN List IE <NUM> (e.g., beginning at bit <NUM>), or some other bit. In embodiments, the PLMN List IE <NUM> may be included in an IEEE <NUM> beacon broadcast by one or more of the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, an ANQP response, or some other message or signal received by the UE <NUM>.

<FIG> depicts an example process by which a UE may identify the connectivity options and PLMN associations of one or more WLAN APs, and connect to a given WLAN AP based on the connectivity options, PLMN associations, and a selection preference rule. The network <NUM> in which the process is implemented may be, for example, a 3GPP network such as an LTE network. The network <NUM> may include a UE <NUM> that may be similar to UE <NUM> or <NUM>. The network may further include a WLAN AP <NUM> that may be similar to one or more of WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The network may further include a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) <NUM>. The network <NUM> may further include a PDN-GW <NUM> that may be similar to one or more of PDN-GWs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The network <NUM> may further include an authentication/authorization/accounting (AAA) server <NUM>.

Initially, the UE <NUM> and WLAN AP <NUM> may exchange information at <NUM> that the UE <NUM> may use to identify the PLMNs that the WLAN AP <NUM> can connect to, and the different connectivity options (S2a, S2b, etc.) that the WLAN AP <NUM> may use to connect to the PLMNs. As described above, the information may include one or more of an <NUM> beacon, an ANQP query, or an ANQP response. The exchanged information may further include a generic WLAN container <NUM> and/or a PLMN List IE <NUM>, as described above. In some embodiments, if the UE <NUM> desires further information regarding the connectivity options and/or PLMN List of the WLAN AP <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may send a query such as an ANQP query to the WLAN AP <NUM> at <NUM>, which the WLAN AP <NUM> may answer with an ANQP response at <NUM>. Based on the PLMN List, the connectivity options, and one or more selection preference rules, the UE <NUM> may associate with the WLAN AP <NUM> at <NUM>.

Based on the association, the UE <NUM>, WLAN AP <NUM>, PCRF <NUM>, PDN-GW <NUM>, and AAA server <NUM> may perform a storage/authorization/authentication procedure at <NUM> that may include generation and storage of one or more keys or identification elements such as an IMSI, Multimedia Broadcast/Multimedia Service (MBMS) Service Key (MSK). The storage/authorization/authentication procedure at <NUM> may further include an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) authentication and key agreement (EAP-AKA) or AKA exchange. If the procedure at <NUM> is successful, the WLAN AP <NUM> may notify the UE <NUM> that the UE <NUM> is authenticated and authorized at <NUM>. Based on this authentication, a handshake may be performed between the UE <NUM> and WLAN AP <NUM> at <NUM>, and a connection between the UE <NUM> and WLAN AP <NUM> may be established.

In embodiments, the UE <NUM> may then desire more information related to the network <NUM> and/or the WLAN AP <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may therefore transmit an additional query in a generic WLAN container <NUM> at <NUM>. Additionally/alternatively, the WLAN AP <NUM> may transmit additional information to the UE <NUM> in a generic WLAN container <NUM> at <NUM>. As part of, or in response to, this additional information at <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may transmit an ANQP query to the WLAN AP <NUM> at <NUM> and also transmit a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) request to the WLAN AP <NUM> at <NUM>. In some embodiments, the ANQP query and DHCP request may be in the same message, while in other embodiments the ANQP query and DHCP request may be in different messages.

Based on the ANQP query at <NUM> and/or DHCP request at <NUM>, the WLAN AP <NUM> may transmit a proxy mobile IP (PMIP) or general packet radio service (GRPS) tunneling protocol (GTP) message to PDN-GW <NUM> at <NUM>. Specifically, the PMIP or GTP message may include an indication or request to create a communication session between the UE <NUM> and the PDN-GW <NUM> via WLAN AP <NUM>. In embodiments, the message may be transmitted over the S2a interface, as indicated in <FIG>, though in other embodiments the message may be transmitted over the S2b interface. Based on the message at <NUM>, the PDN-GW <NUM> may allocate an IP address to the UE <NUM> at <NUM>, and transmit a PMIP or GTP response message to the WLAN AP <NUM> at <NUM>. In embodiments, the message at <NUM> may be transmitted over the S2a interface, though in other embodiments the message may be transmitted over an S2b interface. In embodiments, the PDN-GW <NUM> may further perform one or more interactions with the PCRE <NUM> at <NUM> over the Gy or Gx interfaces related to OCS services.

Upon receiving the PMIP or GTP response at <NUM>, the WLAN AP <NUM> may transmit a DHCP response at <NUM> and/or an ANQP response at <NUM> to the UE <NUM>. As described above, in embodiments the DHCP response and ANQP response may be in the same or different messages. The DHCP response at <NUM> may include one or more indications or information regarding the IP address that was allocated to the UE <NUM> by the PDN-GW <NUM> at <NUM>. Based on the IP address, the UE <NUM> may commence transmission and/or reception of IP traffic to or from the PDN-GW <NUM> at <NUM>. In embodiments, the IP traffic may be routed through or conveyed by the WLAN AP <NUM>. Specifically, the traffic may be routed between the UE <NUM> and the WLAN AP <NUM> via a secure WiFi connection <NUM>, and then the traffic may be routed between the WLAN AP <NUM> and the PDN-GW <NUM> via a GTP or PMIP tunnel <NUM>.

The exact process and elements described above are examples of one embodiment, and other embodiments may use different protocols, or include one or more additional or alternative messages or communications between the various entities of the network <NUM>. In some embodiments, fewer messages or communications may be used than are shown in <FIG>. In some embodiments, certain messages may be combined with one another or otherwise occur concurrently with one another.

<FIG> depicts a high-level example of a process flow for a discovery and connection process, in accordance with various embodiments. Specifically, <FIG> depicts a process that may be performed by a UE such as UE <NUM> or <NUM>. Initially, the UE <NUM> may receive an indication of connectivity options of one or more WLAN AP(s) such as WLAN AP <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> at <NUM>. The indication may be, for example, whether the WLAN AP(s) support an S2a interface, an S2b interface, an NSWO interface, etc. The indication may be, for example, received in an IEEE <NUM> beacon from the one or more WLAN APs, while in other embodiments the indication of connectivity options may be received in another signal.

The UE may then receive an indication of PLMN(s) that are coupled with one or more of the WLAN APs at <NUM>. For example, the UE may receive an indication of whether the WLAN APs are able to couple with an HPLMN such as HPLMN <NUM> and/or a VPLMN such as VPLMN <NUM>. In embodiments, the UE may also receive an indication of what services are options through each of the PLMNs, for example, whether each WLAN AP provides home routed services or visited services. The indication of PLMN(s) may be received in an IEEE <NUM> beacon, an ANQP response, or received from a TWAG of the one or more WLAN APs such as TWAGs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>.

The UE may then identify one or more selection preference rules at <NUM>. As described above, the selection preference rules may be provisioned from the H-ANDSF <NUM> and/or a V-ANDSF. In some embodiments, the selection preference rule(s) may be pre-provisioned in the UE, or the UE may request the selection preference rule(s). The selection preference rule(s) may be, for example, a WLANSP rule, an ISMP rule, an ISRP rule, or some other rule.

The UE may then identify a WLAN AP with which the UE should couple based on the indications received at <NUM> and <NUM> and the selection preference rule(s) identified at <NUM>. In some embodiments, certain elements of the process may be performed in an order that is different than that listed in <FIG>. For example, in some embodiments the indication of PLMN(s) may be received at <NUM> prior to receiving the indication of connectivity options at <NUM>. Similarly, the identification of the selection preference rule(s) at <NUM> may be received prior to receiving one or both of the indications at <NUM> and/or <NUM>. Additionally, in some embodiments one or more additional and/or alternative elements may be performed in conjunction with or instead of elements <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented into a system using any suitable hardware and/or software to configure as desired. <FIG> schematically illustrates an example system <NUM> that may be used to practice various embodiments described herein. <FIG> illustrates, for one embodiment, an example system <NUM> having one or more processor(s) <NUM>, system control module <NUM> coupled to at least one of the processor(s) <NUM>, system memory <NUM> coupled to system control module <NUM>, non-volatile memory (NVM)/storage <NUM> coupled to system control module <NUM>, and one or more communications interface(s) <NUM> coupled to system control module <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the system <NUM> may be capable of functioning as the UE <NUM> or <NUM> as described herein. In other embodiments, the system <NUM> may be capable of functioning as the WLAN APs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, PDN-GWs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or NSWO-GW <NUM> as described herein. In some embodiments, the system <NUM> may include one or more computer-readable media (e.g., system memory or NVM/storage <NUM>) having instructions and one or more processors (e.g., processor(s) <NUM>) coupled with the one or more computer-readable media and configured to execute the instructions to implement a module to perform actions described herein.

System control module <NUM> for one embodiment may include any suitable interface controllers to provide for any suitable interface to at least one of the processor(s) <NUM> and/or to any suitable device or component in communication with system control module <NUM>.

System control module <NUM> may include memory controller module <NUM> to provide an interface to system memory <NUM>. The memory controller module <NUM> may be a hardware module, a software module, and/or a firmware module.

System memory <NUM> may be used to load and store data and/or instructions, for example, for system <NUM>. System memory <NUM> for one embodiment may include any suitable volatile memory, such as suitable DRAM, for example. In some embodiments, the system memory <NUM> may include double data rate type four synchronous dynamic random-access memory (DDR4 SDRAM).

System control module <NUM> for one embodiment may include one or more input/output (I/O) controller(s) to provide an interface to NVM/storage <NUM> and communications interface(s) <NUM>.

The NVM/storage <NUM> may be used to store data and/or instructions, for example. NVM/storage <NUM> may include any suitable non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, for example, and/or may include any suitable non-volatile storage device(s), such as one or more hard disk drive(s) (HDD(s)), one or more compact disc (CD) drive(s), and/or one or more digital versatile disc (DVD) drive(s), for example. In some embodiments, NVM/storage <NUM> may be coupled with the communication module <NUM>, and the communication module <NUM> may be configured to store data such as a received selection preference rule or indications of PLMN connectivity or connectivity options in the NVM/storage <NUM>.

The NVM/storage <NUM> may include a storage resource physically part of a device on which the system <NUM> may be installed or it may be accessible by, but not necessarily a part of, the device. For example, the NVM/storage <NUM> may be accessed over a network via the communications interface(s) <NUM>.

Communications interface(s) <NUM> may provide an interface for system <NUM> to communicate over one or more network(s) and/or with any other suitable device. The system <NUM> may wirelessly communicate with the one or more components of the wireless network in accordance with any of one or more wireless network standards and/or protocols. In some embodiments the communications interface(s) <NUM> may include the transceiver modules <NUM> or <NUM>.

For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) <NUM> may be packaged together with logic for one or more controller(s) of system control module <NUM>, e.g., memory controller module <NUM>. For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) <NUM> may be packaged together with logic for one or more controllers of system control module <NUM> to form a System in Package (SiP). For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) <NUM> may be integrated on the same die with logic for one or more controller/s) of system control module <NUM>. For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) <NUM> may be integrated on the same die with logic for one or more controller(s) of system control module <NUM> to form a System on Chip (SoC).

In some embodiments the processor(s) <NUM> may include or otherwise be coupled with one or more of a graphics processor (GPU) (not shown), a digital signal processor (DSP) (not shown), wireless modem (not shown), digital camera or multimedia circuitry (not shown), sensor circuitry (not shown), display circuitry (not shown), and/or global positioning satellite (GPS) circuitry (not shown).

In various embodiments, the system <NUM> may be, but is not limited to, a server, a workstation, a desktop computing device, or a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computing device, a handheld computing device, a tablet, a netbook, a smartphone, a gaming console, etc.). In various embodiments, the system <NUM> may have more or fewer components, and/or different architectures. For example, in some embodiments, the system <NUM> includes one or more of a camera, a keyboard, liquid crystal display (LCD) screen (including touch screen displays), non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, graphics chip, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and speakers.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments described herein be limited only by the claims.

Claim 1:
A method, comprising:
processing, by a user equipment, UE, (<NUM>) an information element, IE, received from a wireless local area network, WLAN, access point, AP, (<NUM>) in a plurality of WLAN APs (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the IE includes an indication related to a public land mobile network, PLMN, (<NUM>) with which the WLAN AP (<NUM>) is communicatively coupled via S2a connectivity of over an S2a interface;
identifying, by the UE (<NUM>), access network discovery and selection function, ANDSF, rules, including a node for home routed connectivity, wherein the node includes a preference indication, wherein the node including the preference indication is separate from a WLAN selection policy, SP, node of the ANDSF rules, and wherein the preference indication is to indicate an S2a connectivity preference; and
selecting, by the UE (<NUM>), based on the preference indication and the indication related to the PLMN (<NUM>), the WLAN AP (<NUM>) as a WLAN AP to which the UE (<NUM>) should communicatively couple.