Detecting a wireless network air interface

• US 20060039329A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Battaglia, Frederic, Samuel, Louis G., Sizer, Theodore, Mullany, Francis J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,733,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for detecting a wireless air interface. The method includes receiving information indicative of at least one wireless access type, determining whether the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within an expected range, performing at least one first measurement associated with a first air interface in response to determining that the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within the expected range, and performing at least one second measurement associated with a second air interface in response to determining that the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is not within the expected range.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving information indicative of at least one wireless access type;

determining whether the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within an expected range;

performing at least one first measurement associated with a first air interface in response to determining that the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within the expected range; and

performing at least one second measurement associated with a second air interface in response to determining that the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is not within the expected range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the information indicative of the wireless access type comprises receiving at least one message including at least one information element indicative of the wireless access type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the at least one message comprises receiving at least one Radio Resource Control MEASUREMENT CONTROL message including at least one information element that conforms to an extensible ASIN.1 encoding standard, and wherein the information element includes information indicative of at least one of a Universal Mobile Telephony System (UMTS) access type, a Global System for Mobile Telephony (GSM) access type, a Bluetooth access type, and an 802.11 access type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein that at least one wireless access type comprises first and second wireless access types, the first air interface being associated with the first wireless access type and the second air interface being associated with the second wireless access type, and wherein determining whether the information indicative of the wireless access type is within the expected range comprises determining whether the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within a range expected for the first access type.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the information indicative of the wireless access type is within the range expected for the first access type comprises determining whether the information indicative of the wireless access type is within the range expected for a Common Pilot Channel.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the information indicative of the wireless access type is not within the expected range comprises determining whether the information indicative of the wireless access type is within a range associated with the second access type.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the information indicative of the wireless access type is within a range expected for the second wireless access type comprises determining whether the information indicative of the wireless access type is within a range expected for at least one of a Bluetooth access type and an 802.11 access type.

8. The method of claim 1, and wherein performing the at least one second measurement comprises detecting the at least one second air interface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the at least one second measurement comprises determining at least one quality of service associated with the at least one second air interface.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving information indicative of at least one trigger event.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising providing at least one measurement report based upon at least one of the first and second measurements in response to the at least one trigger event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the measurement report comprises providing at least one Radio Resource Control MEASUREMENT REPORT message including at least one information element indicative of at least one of the first and second measurements.

13. A method, comprising:

providing information indicative of at least one wireless access type;

receiving information indicative of at least one first measurement associated with a first air interface when the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within an expected range; and

receiving information indicative of at least one second measurement associated with a second air interface when the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is not within the expected range.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the information indicative of the wireless access type comprises providing at least one message including at least one information element indicative of the wireless access type.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the at least one message comprises providing at least one Radio Resource Control MEASUREMENT CONTROL message including at least one information element that conforms to an extensible ASIN.1 encoding standard, the at least one information element being indicative of at least one of a Universal Mobile Telephony System access type, a Global System for Mobile Telephony (GSM) access type, a Bluetooth access type, and an 802.11 access type.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the information indicative of the at least one first measurement associated with the first air interface when the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within the expected range comprises receiving the information indicative of the at least one first measurement associated with the first air interface when the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is within a range expected for a Common Pilot Channel.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving information indicative of the at least one second measurement associated with the second air interface when the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is not within the expected range comprises receiving information indicative of at least one second measurement associated with at least one of a Bluetooth air interface and an 802.11 air interface when the information indicative of the at least one wireless access type is not within a range expected for a Common Pilot Channel.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the information indicative of the at least one first measurement associated with the first air interface comprises, receiving information indicative of at least one of a detection of the first air interface and a quality of service of the first air interface.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the information indicative of the at least one second measurement associated with the second air interface comprises receiving information indicative of at least one of a detection of the second air interface and a quality of service of the second air interface.

20. The method of claim 13, comprising providing information indicative of at least one desired first or second measurement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein providing the information indicative of at least one desired first or second measurement comprises providing at least one Radio Resource Control MEASUREMENT CONTROL message including at least one information element indicative of the at least one desired first or second measurement.

22. The method of claim 13, comprising performing a soft vertical handover between the first and second air interfaces based upon the information indicative of the first and second measurements.