Virtual neighbor objects for managing idle mode mobility in a wireless network

• US 10,448,293 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ness, Melissa, Henderson, Thomas Wallace, Kapoulas, Spyridon
• Primary Examiner(s): Javaid, Jamal
• Application Number:
  US15/624,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20170295526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Facilitation of an idle mode reselection utilizing a virtual neighbor object is presented herein. A virtual neighbor component can create at least one virtual neighbor object and associate the at least one virtual neighbor object with wireless access points. Further, a reselection component can facilitate idle mode reselection between a base station and a wireless access point of the wireless access points based on the at least one virtual neighbor object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating, by a system comprising a processor, a virtual neighbor object referencing a communication channel corresponding to a first femtocell device within a first macro cell wireless coverage area of a first macro cell device and a second femtocell device within a second macro cell wireless coverage area of a second macro cell device, wherein the first macro cell wireless coverage area and the second macro cell wireless coverage area are larger than respective femtocell wireless coverage areas of the first femtocell device and the second femtocell device;

generating, by the system, a femtocell neighbor data structure comprising virtual neighbor objects comprising the virtual neighbor object; and

facilitating, by the system, transmitting the femtocell neighbor data structure to a user equipment to facilitate, via the user equipment using the communication channel, a first idle mode reselection between the first femtocell device and the first macro cell device, and a second idle mode reselection between the second femtocell device and the second macro cell device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the virtual neighbor object comprises:

generating the virtual neighbor object comprising a scrambling code corresponding to transmissions from the first macro cell device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the facilitating the transmitting comprises:

facilitating the transmitting of the femtocell neighbor data structure to the user equipment to facilitate the first idle mode reselection based on the scrambling code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the virtual neighbor object comprises:

generating the virtual neighbor object comprising an access restriction corresponding to the first macro cell device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the facilitating the transmitting comprises:

facilitating the transmitting of the femtocell neighbor data structure to the user equipment to facilitate the first idle mode reselection in response to a determination that the access restriction satisfies a defined condition with respect to an identification associated with the user equipment.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the facilitating the transmitting comprises:

facilitating the transmitting of the femtocell neighbor data structure to the user equipment to facilitate the first idle mode reselection in response to a determination that the access restriction satisfies a defined condition with respect to a signal quality associated with a communication between the user equipment and the first femtocell device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the facilitating the transmitting comprises:

facilitating the transmitting of the femtocell neighbor data structure to the user equipment using a system information block message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the facilitating the transmitting comprises:

facilitating the transmitting of the femtocell neighbor data structure to the user equipment using a quarter message.

9. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

creating a virtual neighbor object referencing a communication channel of femtocell devices located within wireless coverage areas of respective macro cell devices, wherein the wireless coverage areas of the respective macro cell devices are larger than femtocell wireless coverage areas of the femtocell devices;

updating a femtocell neighbor list to comprise the virtual neighbor object; and

instructing the femtocell neighbor list to be transmitted from the respective macro cell devices to a mobile wireless device to facilitate respective idle mode reselections, via the mobile wireless device using the communication channel, between the femtocell devices and the respective macro cell devices.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructing comprises:

instructing the femtocell neighbor list to be transmitted from the respective macro cell devices to the mobile wireless device via a system information block message or a quarter message.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the transmitting comprises:

instructing the femtocell neighbor list to be transmitted from the respective macro cell devices to the mobile wireless device to facilitate the respective reselections based on an access control list representing a parameter of the mobile wireless device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the parameter comprises an identification of the mobile wireless device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein parameter comprises account information associated with the mobile wireless device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the virtual neighbor object comprises a scrambling code, and wherein the instructing comprises:

instructing the femtocell neighbor list to be transmitted from a first macro cell device of the respective macro cell devices to the mobile wireless device to facilitate a reselection of the respective reselections based on the scrambling code.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the virtual neighbor object comprises an access restriction corresponding to a signal quality of a communication between the mobile wireless device and a femtocell of the femtocells.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein a macro cell device of the respective macro cell devices comprises a universal mobile telecommunication system network device or a global system for mobile communication network device.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

referencing femtocell devices associated with respective macro cell devices using a virtual neighbor object comprising a channel number, wherein respective femtocell transmission powers of the femtocell devices are lower than macro cell transmission powers of the respective macro cell devices;

generating a femtocell neighbor data structure comprising the virtual neighbor object; and

directing the femtocell neighbor data structure to be transmitted from the macro cell devices to mobile wireless devices to facilitate respective idle-mode reselections, via the mobile wireless devices using the channel number, between the femtocell devices and the respective macro cell devices.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the directing the femtocell neighbor data structure to be sent comprises:

sending the femtocell neighbor data structure to facilitate, via a mobile wireless device of the mobile wireless devices, a reselection of the respective idle-mode reselections of a femtocell device of the femtocell devices based on an access control data structure referencing a parameter of the mobile wireless device.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the parameter comprises an identification of the mobile wireless device or account information associated with the mobile wireless device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the generating the femtocell neighbor data structure comprises:

assigning, to the virtual neighbor object, an access restriction corresponding to a macro cell device of the respective macro cell devices.