IP NETWORK INFORMATION DATABASE IN MOBILE DEVICES FOR USE WITH MEDIA INDEPENDENT INFORMATION SERVER

• US 20070041344A1
• Filed: 08/16/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Legacy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Incorporated, Toshiba Corporation
• Inventors: Madhani, Sunil, Yaqub, Raziq
• Granted Patent: US 7,380,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/005 involving radio access media independent information, e.g. MIH [Media independent Hand-off]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A mobile device receives wireless network information from a MIIS (Media Independent Information Server), and builds its own database of existing networks with their associated characteristics, appropriately mapped with GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) coordinates or other appropriate form of geographical location identifying information. Consequently, the mobile device becomes “smart” over time through the learning process of first attempting to utilize its own developed database and, only if such database information falls short, making a remote query to a MIIS to get required information for session continuity and performing handovers. The mobile device may store the information received from the MIIS in its own local database together with a time-stamp. Each time the mobile device needs to get updated or new information, it sends a request to the MIIS along with the time-stamp appended to the request. In this way, the mobile device is sent only the information that it does not already have stored in its database.

Claims

1. A method of performing a handoff operation for a wireless IP mobile device, comprising the steps of:

providing a local database in said mobile device that stores wireless network information;

comparing a received signal strength of said mobile device with a threshold value, and if said received signal strength is determined to be weak as compared with said threshold value,

checking said local database for available wireless networks in a current geographic region in which said mobile device is located and initiating handoff actions to a target network if an available network exists as stored in said database;

if no available network information for said region exists in said database, sending a query to a MIIS for available network information, and initiating handoff actions to a target network if an available network exists as indicated in a response from said MIIS.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining geographical coordinates to determine a present geographic region location of said mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing network information received in response to a query to said MIIS in said local database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of storing network information received in response to a query to said MIIS in said local database, and associating a time-stamp with information stored in said local database, where said time-stamp indicates the time that said information has been updated.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of determining whether network information stored in said local database is in need of being updated by comparing a current time with said time-stamp, sending a MIIS update query including said time-stamp to said MIIS if stored network information needs updating, and updating said network information with updated information received in an update response from said MIIS.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the updated information provided by said MIIS includes only information that is different from the network information already stored in said local database.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of creating a Network Stability Index (NSI), which is indicative of the frequency with which network information updates are provided for a certain network over a predetermined period of time, and storing said NSI in said local database.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of consulting said NSI when it is determined that stored network information is determined to need updating, and proceeding to send an update MIIS query if the value of said NSI is below a predetermined threshold indicative of sufficient network stability.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of consulting said NSI when it is determined that stored network information is determined to need updating, and refraining from sending an update MIIS query if the value of said NSI is at or above a predetermined threshold indicative of sufficient network stability.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of decreasing said NSI value when network update information is received within said predetermined time period.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of increasing said NSI value when no network update information is received within said predetermined time period.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of obtaining geographical coordinates comprises the step of receiving GPS signals.

13. A method of maintaining a network information database in a wireless IP mobile device, comprising the steps of:

providing a local database in said mobile device that stores wireless network information;

checking said local database for available wireless networks in a current geographic region in which said mobile device is located;

if an available network exists as stored in said database, determining whether stored network information of said available network needs to be updated, sending a MIIS update query to a MIIS if said stored network information needs updating, and updating said network information with updated information received in an update response from said MIIS;

if no available network information for said region exists in said database, sending a query to said MIIS for available network information, and storing network information received in a response from said MIIS in said database.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of obtaining geographic coordinates to determine said current geographic region.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining whether stored network information needs to be updated comprises the step of comparing a stored time-stamp associated with said stored network information with a current time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said time-stamp is appended to said MIIS update query.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining whether stored network information needs to be updated comprises the further step of consulting a Network Stability Index (NSI) when result of said comparison indicates a need for network information update, and sending a MIIS update query only if a value of said NSI is below a predetermined network stability threshold level.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of sending a query to said MIIS for available network information comprises the steps of:

sending a preliminary query for general network information;

comparing received general network information with user-specified preferences; and

sending a second query to receive full network information for at lease one network that meets said user-specified preferences.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein information in said local database is obtained and updated in accordance with the method as set forth in claim 13.

19. A method of performing a handoff operation for a wireless IP mobile device, comprising the steps of:

providing a local database in said mobile device that stores wireless network information;

comparing a received signal strength of said mobile device with a threshold value, and if said received signal strength is determined to be weak as compared with said threshold value, and

checking said local database for available wireless networks in a current geographic region in which said mobile device is located and initiating handoff actions to a target network if an available network exists as stored in said database.