GPS assisted network administration

• US 20100330991A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Skeba, Kirk W., Sydir, Jaroslaw J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein include methods, apparatus, and system architectures for using GPS within wireless networks to assist with wireless network management including handovers and data transfers, along with navigation decisions within heterogeneous networks.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a GPS module to provide navigation data, and

a wireless client to receive the navigation data and perform handover based on the navigation data.

2. The device of claim 1, in which the wireless client has a GPS assisted handover module to process access network information and the navigation data to enhance handover operations.

3. The device of claim 2, in which the GPS assisted module identifies infrastructure stations proximal to an expected route.

4. The device of claim 1, in which the wireless client is to be wirelessly linked to a heterogeneous access network.

5. The device of claim 4, in which the access network comprises a GPS assisted handover module to generate handover instructions to the wireless client based on the navigation data.

6. A device, comprising:

a GPS module to provide navigation data, and

a wireless client to receive the navigation data and to make data transfer decisions based on the navigation data.

7. The device of claim 6, in which the data transfer decision includes delaying the data transfer to perform it through one or more desired infrastructure stations.

8. The device of claim 7, in which the wireless client includes a GPS assisted data transfer module to perform selection of the one or more stations without the need of an associated wireless access system.

9. The device of claim 7, in which a wireless access network system comprises a GPS assisted data transfer module to select the one or more infrastructure stations and to convey them to the wireless client.

10. The device of claim 9, in which the access network comprises sub networks of different wireless standards.

11. A device, comprising:

a GPS module, and

a wireless client to provide to the GPS module access network infrastructure information to enable the GPS module to generate one or more routes for enhanced access network service.

12. The device of claim 11, in which the infrastructure information includes the location and range information for infrastructure stations capable of providing desired QoS.

13. The device of claim 11, in which the wireless client includes a Network Service influenced navigation block to generate the access network infrastructure information used by the GPS module in creation of routes.

14. The device of claim 11, in which the access network includes a Network Service influenced navigation block to generate the access network infrastructure information and provide it to the wireless client.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving navigation data; and

identifying scan target infrastructure candidates based on the navigation data.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising identifying one or more infrastructure stations sufficiently proximal to a prospective route.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising delaying a data transfer until at least one of the one or more stations become a serving station.

18. A method, comprising:

generating a route for a user based on (i) destination information from the user, and (ii) infrastructure station for a wireless client.

19. The method of claim 18, in which the generated route allows the wireless client to use infrastructure stations to enable a desired service.