Intelligent roaming system with over the air programming

• US 20030186695A1
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coursey, Cameron Kelly, Wuthnow, Mark Steven, Bridges, Jesse Bradley
• Granted Patent: US 7,096,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A mobile station is used by one of a plurality of subscribers of a home area wireless service provider. The mobile station includes a memory for storing a home area wireless network identity and a plurality of preferred wireless network identities. The mobile station further including a controller controlling said mobile station to connect to the home area wireless network when in a home area and controlling said mobile station to connect to one of the preferred wireless networks when outside the home area.

Claims

1. A mobile station for use in wireless communication comprising:

a memory for storing a home area wireless network identity and a list of a plurality of preferred wireless network identities; and

a controller controlling said mobile station to connect to the home area wireless network when in a home area and controlling said mobile station to connect to one of the preferred wireless networks when outside the home area.

2. The mobile station for use in wireless communication of claim 1, in which the memory further comprises the list of preferred wireless network identities that substantially optimizes use of a class of service.

3. The mobile station for use in wireless communication of claim 1, in which the memory further comprises the list of preferred wireless network identities that substantially minimizes air-time roaming rates.

4. The mobile station for use in wireless communication of claim 1, in which the memory further comprises the list of preferred wireless network identities that substantially optimizes use for specific market areas.

5. The mobile station for use in wireless communication of claim 1, in which the memory further comprises the list of preferred wireless network identities that substantially optimizes use for a predetermined national account.

6. The mobile station for use in wireless communication of claim 1, in which the memory further comprises the list of preferred wireless network identities that substantially optimizes use for an air-interface technology.

7. The mobile station for use in wireless communication of claim 1, wherein the controller connects to the preferred wireless network identities in an order of preference of the preferred wireless networks.

8. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication comprising:

storing a home area wireless network identification and a list of preferred wireless network identifications; and

connecting a mobile station to the home area network when in a home area and connecting to one of the preferred wireless networks when outside the home area.

9. The method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 8 in which the list of preferred wireless networks comprises a list of preferred wireless networks that substantially optimizes use of a predetermined class of service.

10. The method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 8 in which the list of preferred wireless networks comprises a list of preferred wireless networks that substantially minimizes air-time roaming rates.

11. The method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 8 in which the list of preferred wireless networks comprises a list of preferred wireless networks that substantially optimizes use of a predetermined national account.

12. The method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 8 in which the list of preferred wireless networks comprises a list of preferred wireless networks that substantially optimizes use of specific market areas.

13. The method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 8 in which the list of preferred wireless networks comprises a list of preferred wireless networks that substantially optimizes use of an air-interface technology.

14. The method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 8 in which the list of preferred wireless network identifications is in an order of preference of the preferred wireless networks.

15. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication comprising:

storing a home area network identification and a list of preferred network identifications;

connecting a mobile station to the home area network when in a home area and connecting to one of the preferred networks when outside the home area; and

updating the home market network and the list of the preferred networks identifications.

16. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 15 wherein updating the list is initiated by a customer service center.

17. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 15 wherein updating the list is initiated by a customer service center through at least one of over the air programing and over the air activation.

18. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 15 wherein updating the list is initiated by a customer service center, delivered by a short messaging system (SMS), and completed through at least one of over the air activation and over the air programing.

19. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 15 wherein the list further comprises information on system identification of the preferred networks.

20. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 19 wherein the system identification comprises at least one of a scan method of the networks, scan time of the networks, number of targets of the networks, and target information of the networks.

21. A method of using a mobile station for wireless communication of claim 20 wherein the target information comprises at least one of a target band, technology map, roam indicator, and probability map.

22. A method of providing wireless customer service comprising:

generating a home area network and a list of preferred wireless network identities;

downloading said list of preferred wireless network identities to at least one mobile station; and

updating the list of preferred wireless network identities of at least one mobile station as needed.

23. The method of claim 22 in which the generating identities further comprises generating the list of preferred wireless networks to substantially minimize air-time roaming rates.

24. The method of claim 22 in which the generating identities further comprises generating the list of preferred wireless networks to substantially optimize predetermined use of a national account.

25. The method of claim 22 in which the generating identities further comprises generating the list of preferred wireless networks to substantially optimize use of specific market areas.

26. The method of claim 22 in which the generating identities further comprises generating the list of preferred wireless networks to substantially optimize use of an air-interface technology.

27. The method of claim 22 in which the generating identities further comprises generating the list of preferred wireless networks to substantially optimize a predetermined use of a class of service.

28. The method claim 22 in which the generating identities further comprises generating the list of preferred wireless networks to include an order of preference of the preferred wireless networks.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein the downloading of the list is initiated by a customer service center, delivered by a short messaging system (SMS), and completed through at least one of over the air activation and over the air programing.