Quality-Of-Service (QoS)-Based Association With A New Network Using Background Network Scanning

Abstract

A method and device support the use of background network scanning to enable association with a first and at least a second wireless network, for the exchange of exchange of multimedia information. Representative embodiments of the present invention may sniff radio frequency spectrum and determine at least one characteristic of detected wireless networks having capacity for exchange of the multimedia information. More than one wireless network may be identified for use in exchanging the multimedia information, which may be communicated concurrently over the identified wireless networks. User defined criteria may be employed in adjusting communication of the multimedia information to meet a quality of service level desired by a user. A lack of wireless network capacity may result in adjustments to, for example, protocols used to represent multimedia information, frame rate, and spatial or color resolution, in order to maintain or enable communication.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method supporting quality of service based association with a new wireless communication network using background network scanning, the method comprising:
 establishing communication via a first wireless network;   detecting at least a second wireless network by scanning radio frequency spectrum;   determining at least one characteristic of the at least a second wireless network;   identifying network capacity among the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network sufficient for exchange of multimedia information;   exchanging multimedia information using identified network capacity;   detecting insufficient capacity for exchange of the multimedia information;   requesting input through a user interface related to the at least one characteristic in response to the detecting insufficient capacity; and   adjusting communication of multimedia information according to the input.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the requesting input comprises providing an option to purchase additional bandwidth. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the requesting input comprises providing an option to reduce a quality level of the multimedia information. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the requesting input comprises providing an option to identify additional communication paths for exchange of the multimedia information. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the first and the at least a second wireless network comprise one of: a wireless wide area network, a wireless local area network, and a personal area network. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one characteristic comprises one of: a radio frequency, an air interface protocol, a bandwidth, and a parameter used for network access. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein multimedia information comprises one of: streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein adjusting communication of multimedia information comprises identifying additional network capacity for communication of the multimedia information, from the at least a second wireless network. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8  wherein the additional network capacity is on a wireless network different from those previously identified. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the adjusting communication of multimedia information comprises one of: changing a protocol used to represent the multimedia information, transcoding the multimedia information, and changing a resolution of the multimedia information. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein exchanging multimedia information comprises concurrently exchanging the multimedia information using the first wireless network and the at least one second wireless network. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein exchanging multimedia information comprises individually exchanging portions of the multimedia information using each of the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network employ different air interface protocols. 
     
     
         14 . A mobile access device supporting quality of service based association with a new network using background network scanning, the device comprising:
 at least one wireless interface capable of exchanging multimedia information with a first wireless network while scanning radio frequency spectrum to detect at least a second wireless network, wherein the first wireless network supports a first network capacity for exchange of multimedia information and the at least a second wireless network supports at least a second network capacity for exchange of multimedia information;   storage comprising at least one user-defined criteria employed in selecting wireless networks for exchange of multimedia information;   software resident in memory of the device, the software executable for determining at least one characteristic of the at least a second wireless network, for identifying network capacity among the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network sufficient for exchange of multimedia information, for requesting input through a user interface in response to the identified network capacity; and   the device capable of adjusting communication of multimedia information based upon the input and the identified network capacity.   
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the requesting input comprises providing an option to purchase additional bandwidth. 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the requesting input comprises providing an option to reduce a quality level of the multimedia information. 
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 14 , wherein the requesting input comprises providing an option to identify additional communication paths for exchange of the multimedia information. 
     
     
         18 . The device according to  claim 14  wherein the first and the at least a second wireless network comprise one of: a wireless wide area network, a wireless local area network, and a personal area network. 
     
     
         19 . The device according to  claim 14  wherein the adjusting communication of multimedia information comprises one of: changing a protocol used to represent the multimedia information, transcoding the multimedia information, and changing a resolution of the multimedia information. 
     
     
         20 . A method supporting quality of service based association with a new wireless communication network using background network scanning, the method comprising:
 establishing communication via a first wireless network;   detecting at least a second wireless network by sniffing radio frequency spectrum, wherein the first and the at least a second wireless network comprise one of: a wireless wide area network, a wireless local area network, and a personal area network;   determining at least one characteristic of the at least a second wireless network;   identifying network capacity among the first wireless network and the at least a second wireless network sufficient for exchange of multimedia information;   exchanging multimedia information using identified network capacity;   detecting insufficient capacity for exchange of the multimedia information;   requesting input through a user interface in response to the detecting insufficient capacity; and   adjusting communication of multimedia information according to the input and the identified network capacity.