System and method for managing radio systems

• US 20080200166A1
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCamon, Michael G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,677 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A system and method for switching between radio systems of a wireless device. The wireless device may include a first radio, a second radio, and a third radio. The radios may be configured to communicate using a first, a second, and a third communications protocol, respectively. Circuitry in communication with the radios may be configured to activate the first radio when a signal using the second communications protocol is not detected and to switch activation of the first radio to the third radio in response to detecting a signal using the second communications protocol.

Claims

1. A wireless device comprising:

a first radio, a second radio, and a third radio, the radios configured to communicate using a first, a second, and a third communications protocol, respectively;

circuitry in communication with the radios and configured to activate the first radio when a signal using the second communications protocol is not detected and to switch activation of the first radio to the third radio in response to detecting a signal using the second communications protocol.

2. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to reactivate the first radio in response to losing detection of the signal using the second communications protocol.

3. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein detection of the second communications protocol indicates that the third communications protocol is also present.

4. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the first radio communicates with a cellular network using the first communications protocol.

5. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the first radio and third radio are in a sleep mode when not in use to conserve battery power of the wireless device.

6. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the third radio communicates using a WiFi communications protocol.

7. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the second radio is configured to receive Bluetooth communications protocol signals.

8. A method for a wireless device to switch between communication protocols, said method comprising:

communicating, from a wireless device, using a first communications protocol signal;

listening for a signal using a second communications protocol to determine if the wireless device is within range of a third communications protocol signal;

detecting the signal using the second communications protocol signal;

in response to detecting the second communications protocol signal, activating a third communications protocol signal; and

communicating, from the wireless device, using the third communications protocol signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising deactivating the first communications protocol signal in response to detecting the second communications protocol signal.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the communicating using the first communications protocol signal is performed with a cellular communications system.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein communicating the first communications protocol signal includes communicating any of a GSM, CDMA, and TDMA signal.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the communicating the third communications protocol signal includes communicating a WiFi signal.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

in response to losing the second communications protocol signal, reactivating the first communications protocol signal and deactivating the third communications protocol signal.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein listening for the second communications protocol signal includes listening for a signal using less power than possible by listening for the third communications protocol signal.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein listening for the second communications protocol signal includes listening for a Bluetooth signal.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein the detecting includes detecting a radio frequency identification tag signal.

17. The method according to claim 8, further comprising sleeping a radio associated with the first or third communications protocol signals, respectively, while the other of the first or third radio is activated.

18. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second communications protocol signal is received at approximately the same time as the third communications protocol signal is capable of being received.

19. A wireless device comprising:

a first radio and a second radio, the radios respectively configured to communicate using a first communications protocol and a second communications protocol; and

circuitry in communication with the radios and configured to activate the first radio when a signal using the second communications protocol is detected.

20. The wireless device according to claim 19, wherein the signal is used to indicate proximity to an access point broadcasting a signal using the first communications protocol.

21. The wireless device according to claim 19 wherein the first and second radios are configured to respectively receive signals using the first communications protocol and the second communications protocol.

22. The wireless device according to claim 19, wherein the first radio returns to a sleep mode when a link using the first or second communication protocol is lost between the wireless device and the access point.

23. The wireless device according to claim 19, wherein the wireless device is any of a cell phone, personal digital assistant, laptop, computer, music player, camera, and handheld video game.

24. A method for activating a radio of a wireless device, said method comprising:

listening for a signal using a second communications protocol to determine if the wireless device is within range of communication using a first communications protocol;

detecting the signal using the second communications protocol; and

in response to detecting the second communications protocol signal,

communicating, from the wireless device, using a signal using the first communications protocol.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

in response to losing a communication link using the second communication protocol signal, deactivating the first communication protocol signal.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the second communications protocol is used to determine proximity to an access point broadcasting the first communications protocol signal.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the second communications protocol signal is received approximately the same time as the first communications protocol signal is received.

28. A wireless access point comprising:

a first local transceiver configured to communicate a signal using a first communications protocol with at least one wireless device; and

a second local transceiver configured to communicate a signal using a second communications protocol to activate the at least one wireless device to communicate with the first local transceiver using the first communications protocol.

29. The wireless access point according to claim 28, wherein the first local transceiver and the second local transceiver are located in different positions.

30. The wireless access point according to claim 28, wherein the first and second local transceivers are integrated in a single device.

31. A system for switching between communications protocols, said system comprising:

at least one wireless access point configured to communicate signals using a first communications protocol and a second communications protocol; and

a wireless device configured to communicate using the first communications protocol, the second communications protocol and a third communications protocol, the wireless device communicates using the first communications protocol by default, in response to detecting the second communications protocol broadcast by the wireless access point the wireless device switches communications from using the first communications protocol to using the third communications protocol.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the wireless device deactivates circuits used for broadcasting the first communications protocol in response to the wireless device detecting the second communications protocol;

and

wherein the presence of the second communications protocol broadcast from the at least one wireless access point indicates that the third communications protocol is accessible by the wireless device.