POSITION-BASED CONTROL OF ACCESS TO ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

• US 20100048172A1
• Filed: 08/12/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A system and method for determining, based at least in part on communication device position, whether access to an alternative communication network is authorized. Various aspects of the present invention may, for example and without limitation, comprise determining a position of a mobile communication device serviced by a communication network; determining, based at least in part on the determined position of the mobile communication device, whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access an alternative communication network; and communicating information regarding said determined authorization.

Claims

1. A communication network comprising:

at least one module operable to, at least;

determine a position of a mobile communication device serviced by the communication network;

determine, based at least in part on the determined position of the mobile communication device, whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access an alternative communication network independent of the communication network; and

communicate information regarding said determined authorization.

2. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine the position of the mobile communication device by, at least in part, operating to receive position information from the mobile communication device.

3. The communication network of claim 2, wherein the received position information comprises geographical coordinate information.

4. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine the position of the mobile communication device by, at least in part, operating to receive position information from a system external to the mobile communication device.

5. The communication network of claim 4, wherein the system external to the mobile communication device comprises the alternative communication network.

6. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on communication quality.

7. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on current bandwidth utilization of the communication network.

8. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on predicted future bandwidth utilization of the communication network.

9. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on type of information to be communicated between the mobile communication device and the alternative communication network.

10. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on time-of-day.

11. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to determine whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on an identity of a business entity associated with the alternative communication network.

12. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to communicate information regarding said determined authorization by, at least in part, operating to communicate information regarding said determined authorization to the mobile communication device.

13. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to communicate information regarding said determined authorization by, at least in part, operating to communicate information regarding said determined authorization to the alternative communication network.

14. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to:

determine, based on present communication conditions, whether the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network instead of the communication network; and

if it is determined that the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network, then communicate information to the mobile communication device recommending utilization of the alternative communication network.

15. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to:

determine, based on present communication conditions, whether the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network instead of the communication network; and

if it is determined that the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network, then automatically switch the mobile communication device over to the alternative communication network without interacting with a user of the mobile communication device.

16. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is operable to track utilization of the alternative communication network by the mobile communication device.

17. A method, in a communication network, for determining whether access to an alternative communication network is authorized, the method comprising:

determining a position of a mobile communication device serviced by the communication network;

determining, based at least in part on the determined position of the mobile communication device, whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access an alternative communication network independent of the communication network; and

communicating information regarding said determined authorization.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the position of the mobile communication device comprises receiving position information from the mobile communication device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the received position information comprises geographical coordinate information.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the position of the mobile communication device comprises receiving position information from a system external to the mobile communication device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the system external to the mobile communication device comprises the alternative communication network.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network comprises determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on communication quality.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network comprises determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on current bandwidth utilization of the communication network.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network comprises determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on predicted future bandwidth utilization of the communication network.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network comprises determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on type of information to be communicated between the mobile communication device and the alternative communication network.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network comprises determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on time-of-day.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network comprises determining whether the mobile communication device is authorized to access the alternative communication network based also, at least in part, on an identity of a business entity associated with the alternative communication network.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein communicating information regarding said determined authorization comprises communicating information regarding said determined authorization to the mobile communication device.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein communicating information regarding said determined authorization comprises communicating information regarding said determined authorization to the alternative communication network.

30. The method of claim 17, comprising:

determining, based on present communication conditions, whether the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network instead of the communication network; and

if it is determined that the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network, then communicating information to the mobile communication device recommending utilization of the alternative communication network.

31. The method of claim 17, comprising:

determining, based on present communication conditions, whether the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network instead of the communication network; and

if it is determined that the mobile communication device would experience relatively higher quality communication by utilizing the alternative communication network, then automatically switching the mobile communication device over to the alternative communication network without interacting with a user of the mobile communication device.

32. The method of claim 17, comprising tracking utilization of the alternative communication network by the mobile communication device.