Apparatus and Method for Extending the Coverage Area of a Licensed Wireless Communication System Using an Unlicensed Wireless Communication System

• US 20090054070A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baranowaki, Joseph G., Shi, Jianxiong, Gupta, Rajeev, Gallagher, Michael D., Markovic, Milan
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system includes a network controller to communicate with a telecommunications network. The network controller is coupled to one or more unlicensed wireless base stations serving one or more unlicensed wireless access areas. Each unlicensed wireless access area is mapped to one or more licensed wireless access areas. The system includes a mobile station to communicate with the telecommunications network using a licensed wireless communication channel serviced by the telecommunications network in a licensed wireless access area, and an unlicensed wireless communication channel in an unlicensed wireless access area. The mobile station is associated with a licensed wireless network identifier and a licensed wireless location identifier when the mobile station is in the licensed wireless access area and is associated with an unlicensed wireless network identifier and an unlicensed wireless location identifier when the mobile station is in the unlicensed wireless access area.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method comprising:

routing a service request received at a network controller of a first communication network from a service region of the first communication network to a second communication network;

receiving at the network controller, a request from the second communication network to provide location information for the service region of the first communication network;

retrieving the location information by the network controller; and

from the network controller, passing the location information to the second communication network for processing.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said retrieving of the location information comprises identifying an address for an access point associated with the service region of the first communication network, said access point for communicatively coupling a telecommunication device in the service region of the first communication network to the network controller.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said retrieving of the location information comprises identifying global positioning system (GPS) coordinates for a telecommunication device at the first network service region establishing the service request.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the service request is an emergency services request.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said receiving of the request from the second communication network at the network controller comprises receiving a BSSMAP perform location request message.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said routing of the service request from the service region comprises routing an identifier associated with the service region to the second communication network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifier comprises a location area identifier for identifying a set of service regions and a cell identifier for identifying the service region within the set of service regions.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the network controller stores the location information for the set of service regions of the first communication network, and said retrieving of the location information comprises retrieving the location information from the network controller.

21. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for execution by a network controller of a first wireless network, wherein the network controller communicatively couples a plurality of first network service regions to a licensed wireless second network, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

routing a service request received from a service region of the first network to the second network;

receiving a request from the second network to provide location information for the service region of the first network;

retrieving the location information; and

passing the location information to the second network for processing.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions for retrieving the location information comprises a set of instructions for identifying an address of an access point associated with the service region of the first communication network, said access point for communicatively coupling a telecommunication device in the service region of the first communication network to the network controller.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions for retrieving the location information comprises a set of instructions for identifying global positioning system (GPS) coordinates for a telecommunication device at the first network service region establishing the service request.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the service request is an emergency services request.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions for receiving a request from the second network comprises a set of instructions for receiving a BSSMAP perform location request message.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions for routing the service request from the service region comprises a set of instructions for routing an identifier associated with the service region to the second communication network.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the identifier comprises a location area identifier for identifying a set of service regions and a cell identifier for identifying the service region within the set of service regions.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21 further comprising a set of instructions for storing location information for the set of service regions of the first communication network, and the set of instructions for retrieving the location information comprises a set of instructions for retrieving the stored location information.

29. A method of operating a network controller of a first network that communicatively couples a plurality of service regions of the first network to a second licensed network in order to utilize at least one location based service of the second network, said method comprising:

routing a location based service request received from a particular service region of the first network to the second network;

sending location information for the particular service region to the second network to facilitate establishment of the location based service request with the second network; and

providing location based services to a caller placing the location based service request.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the location based service request is an emergency services request.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein providing location based services comprise providing emergency assistance to the particular service region where a caller associated with the emergency services request is located.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the location information for the particular service region is based on a location associated with an access point communicatively coupling the particular service region to the network controller.