Universal femto cell

• US 20090059822A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrill, Robert J., Coppage, Carl M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,295,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A universal femto cell, method, and computer usable program product for using the universal femto cell are provided such that the femto cell is configurable according to the user'"'"'s choice of wireless carriers. A user configurable component of the universal femto cell enables a user to configure the universal femto cell to operate on at least one wireless communication network The universal femto cell further includes a storage unit for storing information used in configuring the universal femto cell, a network communication component used in communicating with a network, and a user interface component to receive a user input. The universal femto cell receives a second input from a data processing system, and uses the user input and the second input to configure the universal femto cell to operate on one or more wireless communication network

Claims

1. A universal femto cell comprising:

a radio transceiver for communicating with a wireless communication device;

a user configurable component in communication with the radio transceiver and configured to enable a user to configure the universal femto cell to operate on at least one wireless communication network;

a storage unit for storing information used in configuring the universal femto cell;

a network communication component; and

a user interface component in communication with the storage unit and configured to receive a first input from the user, one of the radio transceiver and the network communication component receiving a second input from a data processing system, and the first and the second inputs being used by the user configurable component to configure the universal femto cell to operate on the at least one wireless communication network.

2. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the second input includes:

a carrier configuration list, the carrier configuration list including information about a set of wireless carriers; and

a carrier configuration information of a wireless carrier selected from the set of wireless carriers, the carrier configuration information including first instructions to configure the universal femto cell to operate on a wireless communication network operated by the wireless carrier.

3. The universal femto cell of claim 2, wherein the user interface component is further configured to receive:

a fifth input, representative of a selection of the wireless carrier from the set of wireless carriers.

4. The universal femto cell of claim 2, wherein the carrier configuration list and the carrier configuration information are received from one of one data processing system and different data processing systems.

5. The universal femto cell of claim 2, wherein the carrier configuration information includes:

additional instructions usable for one or more of diagnostic functions, corrective functions, post-configuration functions, and informative functions, and wherein the additional instructions are received one of together with and separate from the carrier configuration information.

6. The universal femto cell of claim 2, wherein the carrier configuration information is provided responsive to a request for carrier configuration information, wherein the request includes authenticating information sufficient to authenticate one or more of the user and the universal femto cell, and the wireless carrier accepts the authenticating information.

7. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein an information used by the universal femto cell for communicating with the data processing system to receive the second input is included in the universal femto cell.

8. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the user interface component is a web server, wherein the web server presents a web page on a web-browser equipped data processing system, and wherein the user uses the web page to provide the first input.

9. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the network communication component is capable of connecting to at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

10. The universal femto cell of claim 1, further comprising:

a reset mechanism, wherein the reset mechanism instructs the universal femto cell to use a default configuration.

11. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a carrier configuration list.

12. A method for using a universal femto cell, the method comprising:

receiving a second input from a data processing system using one of a radio transceiver of the femto cell a network communication component of the femto cell;

receiving a first input from the user using a user interface component; and

configuring, using the first and the second inputs, a user configurable component of the universal femto cell to operate the universal femto cell on at least one wireless communication network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the second input further includes:

receiving a third input including a carrier configuration list, the carrier configuration list including information about a set of wireless carriers; and

receiving a fourth input including a carrier configuration information of a wireless carrier selected from the set of wireless carriers, the carrier configuration information including first instructions to configure the universal femto cell to operate on a wireless communication network operated by the wireless carrier.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a fifth input representative of a selection of the wireless carrier from the set of wireless carriers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the third input and the fourth input are received from one of one data processing system and different data processing systems.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a sixth input including additional instructions, wherein the additional instructions are usable for one or more of diagnostic functions, corrective functions, post-configuration functions, and informative functions.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the fourth input is received responsive to a request for carrier configuration information, wherein the request includes authenticating information sufficient to authenticate one or more of the user and the universal femto cell, and the wireless carrier accepts the authenticating information.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein an information used for receiving the second input is included in the universal femto cell.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the user interface component is a web server, wherein the web server presents a web page on a web-browser equipped data processing system, and wherein the user uses the web page to provide the first input.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the network communication component of the universal femto cell is capable of connecting to at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing information used in configuring the universal femto cell in a storage unit.

22. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

resetting the universal femto cell to a default configuration.

23. A computer usable program product in a computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for using a universal femto cell that, when executed, cause the universal femto cell to:

receive a first input from the user using a user interface component;

receive a second input from a data processing system using one of a radio transceiver of the femto cell a network communication component of the femto cell; and

configure, using the first and the second inputs, a user configurable component of the universal femto cell to operate the universal femto cell on at least one wireless communication network

24. The computer usable program product of claim 23, wherein the instructions causing the universal femto cell to receive the second input further include instructions that, when executed cause the universal femto cell to:

receive a third input including a carrier configuration list, the carrier configuration list including information about a set of wireless carriers; and

receive a fourth input including a carrier configuration information of a wireless carrier selected from the set of wireless carriers, the carrier configuration information including first instructions to configure the universal femto cell to operate on a wireless communication network operated by the wireless carrier.

25. The computer usable program product of claim 24, further comprising instructions to:

receive, from the user, a fifth input representative of a selection of the wireless carrier from the set of wireless carriers.

26. The computer usable program product of claim 24, wherein the third input and the fourth input are received from one of one data processing system and different data processing systems.

27. The computer usable program product of claim 24, further comprising instructions to:

receive a sixth input including additional instructions, wherein the additional instructions are usable for one or more of diagnostic functions, corrective functions, post-configuration functions, and informative functions.

28. The computer usable program product of claim 24, wherein the fourth input is received responsive to a request for carrier configuration information, wherein the request includes authenticating information sufficient to authenticate one or more of the user and the universal femto cell, and the wireless carrier accepts the authenticating information.

29. The computer usable program product of claim 23, wherein an information used for receiving the second input is included in the universal femto cell.

30. The computer usable program product of claim 23, wherein the user interface component is a web server, wherein the web server presents a web page on a web-browser equipped data processing system, and wherein the user uses the web page to provide the first input.

31. The computer usable program product of claim 23, wherein the network communication component of the universal femto cell is capable of connecting to at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

32. The computer usable program product of claim 23, further comprising instructions to:

store information used in configuring the universal femto cell in a storage unit.

33. The computer usable program product of claim 23, further comprising instructions to:

reset the universal femto cell to a default configuration.