Patent ID: 8315232

Claim:
An apparatus to display availability of a wireless local area network (LAN), the apparatus comprising: an input unit to receive a command to request a search for a wireless LAN available in a designated location; a packet generating unit to generate an information request packet according to the received command, the generated information request packet including the designated location; a communicating unit to transmit the generated information request packet and to receive a result of the requested search for the available wireless LAN through a mobile communication network, in response to the transmitted information request packet; and a display unit to display the received result of the search, wherein the packet generating unit sets a user-designated location or a movement route, where included in the received command, as the designated location to generate the information request packet, and wherein the result of the requested search for the available wireless LAN includes a route to promote enabling of a smooth or seamless use of wireless LAN by a mobile terminal on the movement route.