ENTERPRISE FEMTOCELL SIGNALING

• US 20120094658A1
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chiang, David, Li, Mingxing, Macias, John F., Mathison, James F., Hanbaly, Said
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A mobile device sends a request for a unique wireless network session identifier and receives, based on the request, the unique wireless network session identifier. The mobile device determines whether the unique wireless network session identifier includes a femtocell identifier. The mobile device applies one set of configuration settings when the unique wireless network session identifier includes the femtocell identifier, and applies a different set of configuration settings when the unique wireless network session identifier does not include the femtocell identifier.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user, configuration settings for conducting data transfers via a macro cell base station and different configuration settings for conducting data transfers via a femtocell;

providing, by the mobile device, a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI) request;

receiving, based on the UATI request, a UATI;

determining, by the mobile device, whether the UATI includes a femtocell identifier;

applying, by the mobile device and when the UATI includes the femtocell identifier, the configuration settings for data transfers via the femtocell; and

applying, by the mobile device and when the UATI does not include the femtocell identifier, the configuration settings for data transfers via the macro cell base station.

2. The method of claim 1, where the UATI request is sent to one of:

a macro cell base station, or

a femtocell.

3. The method of claim 1, where the UATI includes dedicated femtocell indicator bits.

4. The method of claim 3, where the dedicated femtocell indicator bits include a two-bit pattern common to all femtocells within a service provider'"'"'s network.

5. The method of claim 1, where applying the configuration settings for data transfers via the femtocell includes one or more of:

presenting, on a display of the mobile device, a femtocell use indicator;

providing a notification of a pricing plan associated with data transfers via the femtocell;

or

providing a notification of pricing associated with a particular data transfer session via the femtocell.

6. The method of claim 5, where applying the configuration settings for data transfers via the macro cell base station includes one or more of:

removing, from the display of the mobile device, the femtocell use indicator;

providing a notification of a pricing plan associated with data transfers via the macro cell base station;

providing a notification of pricing associated with a particular data transfer session via the macro cell base station;

or

restricting the particular data transfer session via the macro cell base station.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from an account server, an account profile, associated with the mobile device, that identifies a pricing plan associated with data transfers via the macro cell base station and a pricing plan associated with data transfers via the femtocell.

8. The method of claim 1, where the macro cell base station and the femtocell are part of an Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) network.

9. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

send a request for a unique wireless network session identifier;

receive, based on the request, the unique wireless network session identifier;

determine whether the unique wireless network session identifier includes a femtocell identifier;

applying, when the unique wireless network session identifier includes the femtocell identifier, a first set of configuration settings; and

applying, when the unique wireless network session identifier does not include the femtocell identifier, a second set of configuration settings.

10. The device of claim 9, where the processor is further to execute instructions to:

receive user input to define the first set of configuration settings and the second set of configuration settings.

11. The device of claim 9, where the request for the unique wireless network session identifier is sent to one of:

a macro cell base station, or

a femtocell.

12. The device of claim 9, where device includes one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a wireless device,

a smart phone,

a laptop computer, or

a global positioning system (GPS) device.

13. The device of claim 9, where the wireless network includes an Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) network.

14. The device of claim 9, where the unique wireless network session identifier includes dedicated femtocell indicator bits.

15. The device of claim 9, where the dedicated femtocell indicator bits include a two-bit pattern common to all femtocells within a service provider'"'"'s network.

16. The device of claim 9, where the first set of configuration settings includes presenting, on a display of the device, a femtocell use indicator that indicates, to a user of the device, that the device is connected to a wireless network via a femtocell.

17. A method implemented by a femtocell device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the femtocell device and from a mobile device, a request for a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI);

obtaining, by the femtocell device, the UATI, where the UATI includes dedicated femtocell indicator bits having a pattern common to a plurality of femtocells within a service provider'"'"'s network; and

sending, by the femtocell device and to the mobile device, the UATI that includes the dedicated femtocell indicator bits.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, from an account server, an account profile, associated with the mobile device, that identifies a pricing plan associated with data transfers via a macro cell base station and a pricing plan associated with data transfers via the femtocell device; and

sending, to the mobile device, the account profile.

19. A method performed by a network device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a femtocell device, a request for a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI) associated with a mobile device;

generating, by the network device, the UATI, where the UATI includes dedicated femtocell indicator bits; and

sending, by the network device and to the femtocell device, the UATI that includes the dedicated femtocell indicator bits.

20. The method of claim 19, where the dedicated femtocell indicator bits have a pattern common to a plurality of femtocells within a service provider'"'"'s network.