Method, apparatus and computer program providing network-associated system priority list for multimode system selection

• US 20060282554A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Hsu, Liangchi, Oommen, Paul, Cheng, Yi, Jiang, Jack Yuefeng
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location 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 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method includes provisioning a multi-mode wireless communications terminal with at least one system priority list (SPL) having information that identifies a plurality of wireless network system types and, for each identified wireless network system type, at least one wireless network of that type. The method selects from the SPL a wireless network for service selectively based on one of a manually specified priority, a priority specified automatically and a priority that is specified for use automatically only during a power-on mode of operation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

provisioning a multi-mode wireless communications terminal with at least one system priority list (SPL) comprising information identifying a plurality of wireless network system types and, for each identified wireless network system type, at least one wireless network of that type; and

selecting from the SPL a wireless network for service selectively based on one of a manually specified priority, a priority specified automatically and a priority that is specified for use automatically only during a power-on mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining preferences of wireless network system type in the SPL, and where selecting considers the preferences.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining at least one priority wireless network for a specific system type in the SPL.

4. The method of claim 3, where selecting confines wireless network selection to priority wireless networks when the corresponding wireless network system type is selected.

5. The method of claim 1, where selecting the wireless network for service selectively based on a priority specified automatically or automatically only during a power-on mode of operation comprises:

selecting one of a first or a highest priority wireless network system in the SPL;

invoking a system-specific network selection procedure to search for an associated priority network;

if a priority wireless network is found in the selected wireless network system, invoking a system specific network selection procedure to acquire the network; and

if a priority network is not found in the selected wireless network system, selecting a next highest priority wireless network system and invoking a system-specific network selection procedure to search for an associated priority network.

6. The method of claim 5, where if the currently selected wireless network system is not the highest priority wireless network system, further comprising periodically searching for a higher priority wireless network system.

7. The method of claim 1, where at least one SPL is a location-specific SPL, where selecting comprises initially determining information descriptive of a current location of the multi-mode wireless communications terminal and accessing a corresponding location-specific SPL.

8. The method of claim 7, where at least one other SPL is a default, non-location specific SPL.

9. The method of claim 7, where accessing comprises using the information to access a SPL index lookup table to map from the information to an appropriate location specific SPL for performing one of multi-mode system selection or re-selection.

10. The method of claim 9, where provisioning the multi-mode wireless communications terminal comprises configuring the SPL index lookup table one of statically or dynamically.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising updating at least one of the SPL, the location-specific SPL, and the SPL index lookup table using an over-the-air (OTA) technique.

12. A computer program product embodied in a tangible memory readable by a data processor of a multi-mode wireless communications terminal and comprising program instructions the execution of which result in operations that comprise:

accessing at least one system priority list (SPL) that comprises information identifying a plurality of wireless network system types and, for each identified wireless network system type, at least one wireless network of that type; and

selecting from the SPL a wireless network for service selectively based on one of a manually specified priority, a priority specified automatically and a priority that is specified for use automatically only during a power-on mode of operation.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, where preferences of wireless network system type as specified in the SPL, and where selecting considers the preferences.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising defining at least one priority wireless network for a specific system type in the SPL.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, where selecting confines wireless network selection to priority wireless networks when the corresponding wireless network system type is selected.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, where the selecting operation comprises:

selecting one of a first or a highest priority wireless network system in the SPL;

invoking a system-specific network selection procedure to search for an associated priority network;

if a priority wireless network is found in the selected wireless network system, invoking a system specific network selection procedure to acquire the network; and

if a priority network is not found in the selected wireless network system, selecting a next highest priority wireless network system and invoking a system-specific network selection procedure to search for an associated priority network.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, where if the currently selected wireless network system is not the highest priority wireless network system, further comprising an operation of periodically searching for a higher priority wireless network system.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, where at least one SPL is a location-specific SPL, where selecting comprises initially determining information descriptive of a current location of the multi-mode wireless communications terminal and accessing a corresponding location-specific SPL.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, where at least one other SPL is a default, non-location specific SPL.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, where the accessing operation comprises using the information to access a SPL index lookup table to map from the information to an appropriate location specific SPL for performing one of multi-mode system selection or re-selection.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising configuring the SPL index lookup table one of statically or dynamically.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising an operation of updating at least one of the SPL, the location-specific SPL, and the SPL index lookup table using an over-the-air (OTA) technique.

23. A mobile station comprising at least one radio frequency transceiver, a data processor and a memory coupled to the data processor, the memory storing information comprising an overlay function and overlay parameters for use by the data processor to perform at least system selection by invoking the overlay function, said overlay parameters comprising at least one system priority list (SPL) comprising information identifying a plurality of wireless network system types and, for each identified wireless network system type, at least one wireless network of that type;

where said overlay function selects from the SPL a wireless network for service selectively based on one of a manually specified priority, a priority specified automatically and a priority that is specified for use automatically only during a power-on mode of operation.

24. The mobile station as in claim 23, where invoking the overlay function occurs in response to the mobile station roaming.

25. The mobile station as in claim 23, where a network identification comprises at least two of the following:

network identifier, system identifier, mobile country code, and mobile network code

26. The mobile station as in claim 23, where the overlay parameters comprise home system and network identification information.

27. The mobile station as in claim 23, where the overlay function when performing system acquisition uses a Preferred Roaming List stored in the memory.

28. The mobile station as in claim 23, where the overlay function when performing system acquisition uses a Public Land Mobile Network list stored in the memory.

29. The mobile station as in claim 23, where the overlay function when performing system acquisition uses wireless local area network access information stored in the memory.

30. The mobile station as in claim 23, where a higher priority system comprises a home system and a lower priority system comprises a non-home system.

31. The mobile station as in claim 23, where the SPL comprises information for specifying preferences of wireless network system that are considered by the overlay function.

32. The mobile station as in claim 23, where the SPL comprises information for specifying at least one priority wireless network for a specific system type.

33. The mobile station of claim 23, where the overlay function is operable to confine wireless network selection to priority wireless networks when the corresponding wireless network system type is selected.

34. The mobile station of claim 23, where the overlay function when selecting the wireless network for service based on a priority specified automatically or automatically only during a power-on mode of operation operates to select one of a first or a highest priority wireless network system in the SPL, invoke a system-specific network selection procedure to search for an associated priority network and, if a priority wireless network is found in the selected wireless network system, invoke a system specific network selection procedure to acquire the network and, if a priority network is not found in the selected wireless network system, select a next highest priority wireless network system and invoke a system-specific network selection procedure to search for an associated priority network.

35. The mobile station of claim 34, where if the currently selected wireless network system is not the highest priority wireless network system, the overlay function periodically searches for a higher priority wireless network system.

36. The mobile station of claim 23, where at least one SPL is a location-specific SPL, and where the data processor determines information descriptive of a current location of the multi-mode wireless communications terminal for use in accessing a corresponding location-specific SPL.

37. The mobile station of claim 36, where at least one other SPL is a default, non-location specific SPL.

38. The mobile station of claim 36, where accessing comprises using the information to access a SPL index lookup table to map from the information to an appropriate location specific SPL for performing one of multi-mode system selection or re-selection.

39. The mobile station of claim 38, where the SPL index lookup table is configured one of statically or dynamically.

40. The mobile station of claim 38, further comprising means for updating at least one of the SPL, the location-specific SPL, and the SPL index lookup table using an over-the-air (OTA) technique.

41. A data structure stored in a memory accessible to a data processor of a multi-mode wireless communications terminal, the data structure defining a System Priority List that comprises a plurality of records each comprising a System Index, a System Type, Priority Networks specifying a class of networks that are allowed to be selected in a specific system type, and System Priority specifying whether a current system has a higher preference than a system in a next record, or whether a current system has the same preference as the system in the next record.

42. The data structure of claim 41, where if the System Type is a GSM/WCDMA system, the Priority Networks are specified as:

HOME—

home Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) only;

PREFERRED—

home PLMNs and preferred visiting PLMNs; and

ANY—

any PLMNs.

43. The data structure of claim 41, where if the system type is at least a CDMA2000/IS95 system, the Priority Networks are specified as:

HOME—

home networks only;

PREFERRED—

home network and preferred roaming networks; and

ANY—

any network.

44. The data structure as in claim 41, where there are a plurality of data structures stored in the memory accessible to the data processor of the multi-mode wireless communications terminal, where at least one of the plurality of data structures is specific to a predetermined geographic region.

45. The data structure as in claim 44, where individual ones of the plurality of data structures are selected using a value obtained from a look up table data structure that is stored in the memory accessible to the data processor of the multi-mode wireless communications terminal, the value being obtained by looking up the value using mobile station location information as a look up key.

46. The data structure as in claim 45, where at least one of the plurality of data structures and the look up table data structure contain data that was received during an over-the-air procedure by the multi-mode wireless communications terminal.