ENHANCEMENTS FOR MULTI-MODE SYSTEM SELECTION (MMSS) AND MMSS SYSTEM PRIORITY LISTS (MSPLS)

• US 20110014913A1
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yoon, Young Cheul, Ramachandran, Shyamal, Swaminathan, Arvind, Balasubramanian, Srinivasan
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

A mobile device or access terminal of a wireless wide area network (WWAN) communication system is provisioned for Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) wherein an MMSS System Priority List (MSPL) is used with respect to the underlying system selection priority list (e.g., Private Land Mobile Network (PLMN) list). Relating a current location to one or more entries in an MMSS Location Associated Priority List (MLPLs) enables scaling a range of entries in the PLMN list, indicating whether the MSPL apply to the entire list of PLMNs stored in an access terminal or to some subset of the PLMN List. Similarly, the present innovation addresses whether the MSPL applies to the entire Preferred Roaming List (PRL) or some subset of a geo-spatial location (GEO) area.

Claims

1. A method for multi-mode system selection in a wireless wide area network, comprising:

determining a current geo-spatial location coverage region;

selecting a subset of system selection location priority lists based upon the current geo-spatial location coverage region;

scaling down entries in underlying system selection information by mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to a set of associated system priority information;

selecting an available access node in accordance with a radio access technology that is selected according to the system selection priority list; and

communicating over an air-interface with the available access node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein scaling down entries in the underlying system selection information further comprises selecting a subset of preferred class parameters of radio access technologies contained in the associated system priority information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein scaling down entries in the underlying system selection information further comprises selecting a subset of system type parameters of radio access technologies contained in the associated system priority information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of associated system priority information comprises at least one Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) System Priority List (MSPL) that includes system priority rules for one or more system types and at least one MMSS Location Priority List (MLPL) that relates a communication system to a corresponding MSPL.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the underlying system selection information comprises a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) list and a Preferred Roaming List (PRL).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the PLMN list comprises an Equivalent Home PLMN (EHPLMN) list and an Operator PLMN (OPLMN) list and the EHPLMN list and OPLMN list respectively comprise records of systems identified by Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises determining a Mobile Country Code (MCC).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the Mobile Country Code (MCC) further comprises determining a System Identifier (SID) mapped to the MCC.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises detecting a plurality of network information selected from a group consisting of Mobile Country Code (MCC), System Identifier (SID), Network Identifier (NID) and Subnet Identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises detecting a plurality of network information selected from a group consisting of Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), System Identifier (SID), Network Identifier (NID) and Subnet Identifier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to the set of associated system priority information further comprises one-to-one mapping of a Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) Location Priority List (MLPL) to a MMSS System Priority List (MSPL).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to the set of associated system priority information further comprises many-to-one mapping of a plurality of entries in a Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) Location Priority List (MLPL) to a MMSS System Priority List (MSPL).

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises detecting a grouping identifier for a Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) Location Priority Lists (MLPLs) from a network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein detecting the grouping identifier further comprises identifying one MLPL.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises detecting one of a plurality of combinations of system information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting one of a plurality of network information further comprises detecting network information selected from a group consisting of Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), System Identifier (SID), Network Identifier (NID) and Subnet Identifier.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting periodic better service re-selection scans to a different radio access technology.

18. At least one processor for multi-mode system selection in a wireless wide area network, comprising:

a first module for determining a current geo-spatial location coverage region;

a second module for selecting a subset of system selection location priority lists based upon the current geo-spatial location coverage region;

a third module for scaling down entries in underlying system selection information by mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to a set of associated system priority information;

a fourth module for selecting an available access node in accordance with a radio access technology that is selected according to the system selection priority list; and

a fifth module for communicating over an air-interface with the available access node.

19. A computer program product for multi-mode system selection in a wireless wide area network, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing sets of codes;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to determine a current geo-spatial location coverage region;

a second set of codes for causing the computer to select a subset of system selection location priority lists based upon the current geo-spatial location coverage region;

a third set of codes for causing the computer to scale down entries in underlying system selection information by mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to a set of associated system priority information;

a fourth set of codes for causing the computer to select an available access node in accordance with a radio access technology that is selected according to the system selection priority list; and

a fifth set of codes for causing the computer to communicate over an air-interface with the available access node.

20. An apparatus for multi-mode system selection in a wireless wide area network, comprising:

means for determining a current geo-spatial location coverage region;

means for selecting a subset of system selection location priority lists based upon the current geo-spatial location coverage region;

means for scaling down entries in underlying system selection information by mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to a set of associated system priority information;

means for selecting an available access node in accordance with a radio access technology that is selected according to the system selection priority list; and

means for communicating over an air-interface with the available access node.

21. An apparatus for multi-mode system selection in a wireless wide area network, comprising:

a computing platform for

determining a current geo-spatial location coverage region,

selecting a subset of system selection location priority lists based upon the current geo-spatial location coverage region,

scaling down entries in underlying system selection information by mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to a set of associated system priority information, and

selecting an available access node in accordance with a radio access technology that is selected according to the system selection priority list; and

a transceiver for communicating over an air-interface with the available access node.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for scaling down entries in the underlying system selection information by selecting a subset of preferred class parameters of radio access technologies contained in the associated system priority information.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for scaling down entries in the underlying system selection information by selecting a subset of system type parameters of radio access technologies contained in the associated system priority information.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the set of associated system priority information comprises at least one Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) System Priority List (MSPL) that includes system priority rules for one or more system types and at least one MMSS Location Priority List (MLPL) that relates a communication system to a corresponding MSPL.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the underlying system selection information comprises a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) list and a Preferred Roaming List (PRL).

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the PLMN list comprises an Equivalent Home PLMN (EHPLMN) list and an Operator PLMN (OPLMN) list and the EHPLMN list and OPLMN list respectively comprise records of systems identified by Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC).

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region by determining a Mobile Country Code (MCC).

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the computing platform is further for determining the Mobile Country Code (MCC) by determining a System Identifier (SID) mapped to the MCC.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises detecting a plurality of network information selected from a group consisting of Mobile Country Code (MCC), System Identifier (SID), Network Identifier (NID) and Subnet Identifier.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises detecting a plurality of network information selected from a group consisting of Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), System Identifier (SID), Network Identifier (NID) and Subnet Identifier.

31. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to the set of associated system priority information by one-to-one mapping of a Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) Location Priority List (MLPL) to a MMSS System Priority List (MSPL).

32. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for mapping the subset of system selection location priority lists to the set of associated system priority information comprises a many-to-one mapping of a plurality of entries in a Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) Location Priority List (MLPL) to a MMSS System Priority List (MSPL).

33. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region by detecting a grouping identifier for a Multi-Mode System Selection (MMSS) Location Priority Lists (MLPLs) from a network.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the computing platform is further for detecting the grouping identifier by identifying one MLPL.

35. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform is further for determining the current geo-spatial location coverage region further comprises detecting one of a plurality of combinations of system information.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the computing platform is further for detecting one of a plurality of network information by detecting network information selected from a group consisting of Mobile Country Code (MCC), System Identifier (SID), Network Identifier (NID) and Subnet Identifier.

37. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the computing platform via the transceiver is further for limiting periodic better service re-selection scans to a different radio access technology.