Method and system for ascertaining whether multiple radios are associated with a single wireless device

1. A computer-based method for ascertaining whether multiple radios of multiple radio types available for connection to a mobile computing device are associated with a single wireless device, comprising the steps of:

using the mobile computing device to receive data from a radio of the single wireless device;

querying a database of radio information to ascertain whether the mobile computing device has previously identified the radio and associated it with the single wireless device;

if the mobile computing device has not previously identified the radio of the single wireless device, then sending a request to the single wireless device for identifying information, including identification of all radios associated with the single wireless device; and

upon receipt of identifying information indicating that multiple radios of multiple radio types are associated with the single wireless device,

communicating information that multiple radios of multiple radio types are associated with the single wireless device to one or more software applications running on the mobile computing device, and

storing the identifying information in the database.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , and further comprising the steps of:

if no identifying information is received in response to the request for identifying information in a predetermined time period, scanning the received data from the radio of the single wireless device to look for and capture identifying information;

processing any captured identifying information to remove extraneous data, resulting in a simplified name of the radio of the wireless device;

querying the database to ascertain whether the mobile computing device has previously identified another radio of a different radio type with a similar simplified name, which indicates that the respective radios are associated with the single wireless device;

communicating information that the respective radios are associated with the single wireless device to one or more software applications running on the mobile computing device; and

storing the simplified name in the database and associating it with the single wireless device.

3. A computer-based method for ascertaining whether multiple radios of multiple radio types available for connection to a mobile computing device are associated with a single wireless device, comprising the steps of:

using the mobile computing device to receive data from a radio of the single wireless device;

scanning the received data from the radio of the single wireless device to look for and capture identifying information;

processing any captured identifying information to remove extraneous data, resulting in a simplified name of the radio of the wireless device;

querying a database of radio information to ascertain whether the mobile computing device has previously identified another radio of a different radio type with a similar simplified name, which indicates that the respective radios are associated with the single wireless device;

communicating information that the respective radios are associated with the single wireless device to one or more software applications running on the mobile computing device; and

storing the simplified name in the database and associating it with the single wireless device.

4. A computer-based system for ascertaining whether multiple radios of multiple radio types available for connection to a mobile computing device are associated with a single wireless device, comprising:

a radio management module resident on a computer-readable medium of the mobile computing device for receiving data from radios of one or more wireless devices available for connection in a location;

an analysis module resident on the computer-readable medium of the mobile computing device for querying a database of radio information to retrieve information about each radio and then to ascertain whether the mobile computing device has previously identified each radio and associated each radio with a corresponding wireless device;

a data scanning module resident on the computer-readable medium of the mobile computing device for looking for identifying information in incoming data from each radio;

a name processing module resident on the computer-readable medium of the mobile computing device for converting the identifying information into a simplified name for each radio;

a second analysis module resident on the computer-readable medium of the mobile computing device for querying the database of radio information to ascertain for each simplified name whether the mobile computing device has previously identified another radio of a different radio type with a similar simplified name, which indicates that the respective radios are associated with a corresponding single wireless device; and

an application interface for communicating information that multiple radios of multiple radio types are associated with the corresponding single wireless device to one or more software applications running on the mobile computing device.