Method and device for managing simultaneous connections of a mobile telecommunications device to different networks

• US 20060013176A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Option Incorporated (Crescent NV)
• Original Assignee: Option Incorporated (Crescent NV)
• Inventors: Vercruysse, Jan, De Vos, Chris, Achien, Lambert, Schollaert, Axel
• Granted Patent: US 8,098,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Method for managing simultaneous connections of a mobile telecommunications device to at least a wireless local area network and a mobile telephone network via a single terminal of the mobile telecommunications device, the method comprising the steps of: (a) establishing a first wireless connection of the terminal with the wireless local area network, (b) establishing a second wireless connection of the terminal with the mobile telephone network, (c) responding to each network at predetermined times, such that the first and second wireless connections are maintained, and (d) preventing simultaneous transmittals of data from the terminal to both networks over the first and second wireless connections. Mobile telecommunications device comprising a single terminal equipped for supporting a first connection to a mobile telephone network and a second connection to a wireless local area network, the terminal comprising a processing means for simultaneously managing the first and second connections, said processing means being adapted for responding to each network at predetermined times, such that the first and second wireless connections are maintained, and for preventing simultaneous transmittals of data from the terminal to both networks over the first and second wireless connections.

Claims

1. Method for managing simultaneous connections of a mobile telecommunications device to at least a wireless local area network and a mobile telephone network via a single terminal of the mobile telecommunications device, the method comprising the steps of:

a) establishing a first wireless connection of the terminal with the wireless local area network,

b) establishing a second wireless connection of the terminal with the mobile telephone network,

c) responding to each network at predetermined times, such that the first and second wireless connections are maintained,

d) preventing simultaneous transmittals of data from the terminal to both networks over the first and second wireless connections.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the method further comprises the steps of defining a hierarchy between different types of data to be transmitted over the first and second wireless connections and that step d) comprises the delaying of the transmittal of one type of data in favour of the transmittal of another type of data, based on the hierarchy.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that voice data is placed higher and that text data is placed lower in said hierarchy.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the first and second connections are placed in a switchable master-slave configuration.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that the first connection has a selectable protocol data frame length and a selectable communication rate and that when the second connection is master said protocol data frame length and communication rate are selected such that data throughput via the first connection is maximised.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the method is implemented in the physical and data link layer of the terminal.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the method further comprises the step of handing over a data communication from the first connection to the second connection or vice versa.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterised in that connection parameters of the first and second connections are monitored on the terminal and that the data communication is handed over when the connection parameters no longer meet predetermined values.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that upon receipt of data from the mobile phone network via the second connection, a buffer request is transmitted to an access point of the wireless local area network via the first connection, the buffer request being a request to buffer data to be transmitted to the terminal on the access point.

10. Mobile telecommunications device comprising a single terminal equipped for supporting a first connection to a mobile telephone network and a second connection to a wireless local area network, the terminal comprising a processing means for simultaneously managing the first and second connections, said processing means being adapted for responding to each network at predetermined times, such that the first and second wireless connections are maintained, and for preventing simultaneous transmittals of data from the terminal to both networks over the first and second wireless connections.

11. Mobile telecommunications device according to claim 10, characterised in that the processing means is a physical and data link layer device.

12. Mobile telecommunications device according to claim 10, characterised in that the terminal comprises separate receivers for each of the first and second connections.

13. Mobile telecommunications device according to claim 10, characterised in that the terminal comprises a single receiver for both the first and second connections.

14. Mobile telecommunications device according to claim 10, characterised in that the device comprises a single transmitter for both the first and second connections.

15. Mobile telecommunications device according to claim 10, characterised in that the device is a PCMCIA card.

16. Mobile telecommunications device according to claim 10, characterised in that the terminal is provided with a front-end filter for attenuating frequencies in the frequency band of the mobile telephone network during transmission towards the wireless local area network.