System and method for selecting communications coverage network information in a wireless communications device

• US 20040192328A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Kirbas, Bilhan, Giacalone, Joe
• Granted Patent: US 7,164,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/455
• 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 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A system and method are presented for expediting acquisition of an operating channel in a wireless communications telephone device. The method activates a wireless communications telephone device and identifies the wireless device geographical location. The method correlates a Number Assignment Module (NAM) with geographical location information and selects the NAM. The method also correlates a predetermined group of channels in a Priority Roaming List (PRL) in the selected NAM with geographical location information and selects the channel group. The method scans channels in the PRL beginning with channels in the selected channel group.

Claims

1. A method for expediting acquisition of an operating channel in a wireless communications telephone device, the method comprising:

activating a wireless communications telephone device;

identifying the current wireless device geographical location;

using the geographical location information to select Number Assignment Module (NAM) information; and

,

using the selected NAM information to expedite acquisition of an operating channel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein using the selected NAM information to expedite acquisition of an operating channel includes:

correlating the geographical location information with a predetermined group of channels in a Priority Roaming List (PRL) in selected NAM information;

selecting the PRL channel group; and

,

scanning channels in the PRL beginning with channels in the PRL channel group.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein activating a wireless communications device includes activating the device to make an emergency 911 call;

and,

wherein scanning channels in the PRL beginning with channels in the PRL channel group includes;

scanning only Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) channels for a predetermined period of time; and

,

scanning any channel in the PRL channel group after the wireless device fails to acquire a CDMA channel within the predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein using the geographical location information to select NAM information includes:

correlating the geographical location information with a NAM; and

selecting the NAM.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein selecting the NAM includes selecting the NAM from wireless device memory.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein using geographical location information to select NAM information in the wireless device includes selecting information from a pre-selected NAM.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting information from a pre-selected NAM includes pre-selecting the NAM using a wireless device user interface.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the current wireless device geographical location includes:

receiving Global Positioning System (GPS) position information; and

,

using the GPS position information to identify the wireless device geographical location.

9. A method for expediting acquisition of an operating channel in a wireless communications telephone device, the method comprising:

activating a wireless communications device;

identifying the current wireless device geographical location using Global Positioning System (GPS) position information;

correlating a Number Assignment Module (NAM) in wireless device memory with the geographical location information;

selecting the NAM;

correlating a predetermined group of channels in a Priority Roaming List (PRL) in the selected NAM with the geographical location information;

selecting the PRL channel group; and

,

scanning channels in the PRL beginning with channels in the PRL channel group.

10. A system for expediting acquisition of an operating channel in a wireless communications telephone device, the system comprising:

a locator sub-system with an output to supply a location signal with the wireless device geographical location; and

,

a Number Assignment Module (NAM) sub-system including at least one NAM correlated with geographical location information and having a first input connected to the locator sub-system output for selecting a NAM in response to accepting the locator signal and a first output to supply an initialization signal including initialization information from the selected NAM.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each NAM includes a Priority Roaming List (PRL) with predetermined groups of channels correlated with geographical location information and selected in response to accepting the locator signal;

and,

wherein the NAM sub-system has a second output to supply a channel signal in response to selecting the PRL channel group, the channel signal listing the channels in the selected PRL channel group.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the NAM sub-system has a second input to accept an emergency signal indicating that an emergency call has been placed from the wireless device;

and,

wherein in response to accepting the emergency signal, the NAM sub-system second output supplies in the channel signal;

for a predetermined period of time, only Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) channels from the selected PRL channel group; and

,

all channels from the selected PRL channel group, after the wireless device fails to acquire a CDMA channel within the predetermined period of time.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the locator sub-system includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) sub-system with an output connected to the locator sub-system output, the GPS sub-system output supplying wireless device GPS position information.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a user interface with an output to supply a user select signal identifying a NAM in the NAM sub-system; and

,

wherein the NAM sub-system includes a third input to accept the user select signal and selects the NAM identified in the user select signal in response to accepting the user select signal.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the locator sub-system is configured to periodically supply the location signal.

16. A system for expediting acquisition of an operating channel in a wireless communications telephone device, the system comprising:

a locator sub-system with an output to periodically supply a location signal with Global Positioning System (GPS) information identifying the geographical location for the wireless device; and

,

a NAM sub-system including at least one Number Assignment Module (NAM) correlated with geographical location information and having a first input connected to the locator sub-system output for selecting a NAM in response to accepting the locator signal, a first output to supply an initialization signal including initialization information from the selected NAM, and a second output to supply a channel signal listing channels in a PRL channel group selected from a Priority Roaming List (PRL) in the selected NAM in response to accepting the locator signal.