Mobile power handling method and apparatus

• US 20060094478A1
• Filed: 11/02/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Fischer, Patrick, Kim, Myeong-Cheol
• Application Number:
  US11/265,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20060094478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for determining when power saving functions are not beneficial to a mobile communication device and then limiting or inhibiting the use of power saving functions. Information received either from an external entity or information stored in the mobile communication device is utilized to determine if power saving functions are beneficial. The mobile communication device and or a network with which the mobile communication device communicates may alter their behavior in order to not perform unnecessary power saving functions.

Claims

1. A method of communication between a network and a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal; and

one of performing power saving functions and not performing power saving functions according to the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein power saving functions are performed when determined as beneficial and power saving functions are not performed when determined as not beneficial.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an indication to the network whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication comprises at least one of a device type of the mobile communication terminal and a serial number of the mobile communication terminal.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the network comprises a radio network controller (RNC).

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication is provided in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein RRC message is one of a RRC connection setup complete message and a UE capability information message.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication is provided upon establishing a connection with the network.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating the indication provided to the network to reflect whether power saving functions are currently beneficial to the mobile communication terminal during the connection with the network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein power saving functions are determined as not beneficial when the mobile communication terminal is connected to an external power source and power saving functions are determined as beneficial when the mobile communication terminal is not connected to an external power source.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining further comprises receiving information from an external entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information is received from the network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the information is received from the mobile communication terminal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining is performed without receiving any information from an external entity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination is based on one of whether the mobile communication terminal is connected to an external power supply, a device type of the mobile communication terminal and whether the mobile communication terminal is connected to another device that provides power.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an International Mobile station Equipment Identity and Software Version number (IMEI/IMEISV) to the network.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising rejecting commands to perform power saving functions when determined as not beneficial.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing a cause value for rejecting the commands.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein not performing power saving functions comprises at least one of not switching off a backlight of the mobile communication terminal, increasing the time before a backlight of the mobile communication terminal is switched off, maintaining a connection to a device, receiving additional information, activating services, storing time non-critical data and increasing processing power.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the indication is received from the mobile communication terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication comprises at least one of a device type of the mobile communication terminal and a serial number of the mobile communication terminal.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the indication is received in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the RRC message is one of a RRC connection setup complete message and a UE capability information message.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the indication is received upon establishing a connection with the mobile communication terminal.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising updating the indication to reflect whether power saving functions are currently beneficial to the mobile communication terminal during the connection with the mobile terminal.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the indication is received from a network entity.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the indication is received from a core network.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the indication is received from a network source entity upon relocation of control of the mobile communication terminal from the network source entity.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the network source entity is a radio network controller.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an indication to the mobile communication terminal whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an International Mobile station Equipment Identity and Software Version number (IMEI/IMEISV) from the mobile communication terminal.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the determination is based on the International Mobile station Equipment Identity and Software Version number (IMEI/IMEISV).

34. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a cause value for rejecting commands to perform power saving functions from the mobile communication terminal.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein not performing power saving functions comprises at least one of maintaining the mobile communications terminal in a dedicated RRC state for a longer period of time, maintaining the mobile communication terminal in a shared RRC state for a longer period of time, adjusting a timer used to detect mobile communication terminal inactivity, configuring different mobile communication terminal traffic volume measurements and decreasing the delay between mobile communication terminal traffic volume measurements.

36. A method of communication between a network and a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal; and

providing an indication to the network whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the indication comprises at least one of a device type of the mobile communication terminal and a serial number of the mobile communication terminal.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein power saving functions are determined as not beneficial when the mobile communication terminal is connected to an external power source and power saving functions are determined as beneficial when the mobile communication terminal is not connected to an external power source.

39. A method of communication between a network and a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from the mobile communication terminal whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal; and

performing power saving functions if indicated as beneficial and not performing power saving functions if indicated as not beneficial.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the indication comprises at least one of a device type of the mobile communication terminal and a serial number of the mobile communication terminal.

41. A mobile communication terminal for communicating with a network, the mobile communication terminal comprising:

an antenna adapted to adapted to receive RF signals containing messages comprising information related to power saving functions that may be performed by the mobile communication terminal;

an RF module adapted to process the RF signals received by the antenna;

a keypad adapted for inputting information from a user;

a storage unit adapted to store the information related to the power saving functions;

a display adapted to convey information to the user; and

a processing unit adapted to determine whether the power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal and one of performing the power saving functions and not performing the power saving functions according to the determination.

42. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to perform power saving functions when determined as beneficial and not to perform power saving functions when determined as not beneficial.

43. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to provide an indication to the network whether power saving functions are beneficial to the mobile communication terminal.

44. The mobile communication terminal of claim 43, wherein the indication comprises at least one of a device type of the mobile communication terminal and a serial number of the mobile communication terminal.

45. The mobile communication terminal of claim 43, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to provided the indication in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

46. The mobile communication terminal of claim 43, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to provided the indication upon establishing a connection with the network.

47. The mobile communication terminal of claim 46, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to update the indication provided to the network to reflect whether power saving functions are currently beneficial to the mobile communication terminal during the connection with the network

48. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to determine power saving functions as not beneficial when the mobile communication terminal is connected to an external power source and to determine power saving functions as beneficial when the mobile communication terminal is not connected to an external power source.

49. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to utilize the received information related to the power saving functions when determining whether power saving functions are beneficial.

50. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the information related to the power saving functions is received from the network.

51. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted determine if power saving functions are beneficial without receiving any information from an external entity.

52. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted determine if power saving functions are beneficial based on one of whether the mobile communication terminal is connected to an external power supply, a device type of the mobile communication terminal and whether the mobile communication terminal is connected to another device that provides power.

53. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to provide an International Mobile station Equipment Identity and Software Version number (IMEI/IMEISV) to the network.

54. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to reject commands to perform power saving functions when determined as not beneficial.

55. The mobile communication terminal of claim 54, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to provide a cause value for rejecting the commands.

56. The mobile communication terminal of claim 41, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to not perform power saving functions by at least one of not switching off a backlight of the mobile communication terminal, increasing the time before a backlight of the mobile communication terminal is switched off, maintaining a connection to a device, receiving additional information, activating services, storing time non-critical data and increasing processing power.