LOCATION DETERMINATION FOR WHITE SPACE UTILIZATION

• US 20130150071A1
• Filed: 01/26/2013
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Anders, Billy R., Reed, Danny Allen, Garnett, Paul William
• Granted Patent: US 8,929,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/454
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

A technique for a wireless device to obtain white space information from a component configured for cellular communication, such as a cellular phone. The wireless device and cellular phone may communicate using a short-range connection, such as a peer-to-peer connection, ensuring that the white space information, which is location based, generated by the cellular phone is also accurate for the location of the wireless device. With such white space information, the wireless device can comply with regulatory requirements for white space use by accessing a regulatory database identifying, by location, available white space channels. When the cellular phone is configured for accessing a wide area network, the cellular telephone may provide the white space information as a set of channels available for white space communication. Channels of the set may be prioritized based on one or more parameters, including frequency, permitted transmit power or detected noise.

Claims

1. A computing device and at least one software module together configured for performing actions comprising:

receiving a request for information regarding white space at a desired location, where the white space comprises an unassigned portion of a radio spectrum;

obtaining location information corresponding to the desired location;

providing at least the obtained location information in response to the received request for information, where the provided information is configured for use in selecting a white space channel within the white space, and for configuring a device for wirelessly communicating via the selected white space channel.

2. The computing device and the at least one software module of claim 1 where the receiving is via a peer-to-peer connection between the computing device and the device, where the device includes an access point.

3. The computing device and the at least one software module of claim 1 where the obtaining is based on global positioning satellite (“

GPS”

) or triangulation.

4. The computing device and the at least one software module of claim 3 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate high-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on GPS.

5. The computing device and the at least one software module of claim 3 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate high-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on triangulation involving more than three base stations.

6. The computing device and the at least one software module of claim 3 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate low-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on triangulation not involving more than three base stations.

7. The computing device and the at least one software module of claim 1, the actions further comprising repeating the obtaining and the providing.

8. A method performed on a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a request for information regarding white space at a desired location, where the white space comprises an unassigned portion of a radio spectrum;

obtaining location information corresponding to the desired location;

providing at least the obtained location information in response to the received request for information, where the provided information is configured for use in selecting a white space channel within the white space, and for configuring a device for wirelessly communicating via the selected white space channel.

9. The method of claim 8 where the receiving is via a peer-to-peer connection between the computing device and the device, where the device includes an access point.

10. The method of claim 8 where the obtaining is based on global positioning satellite (“

GPS”

) or triangulation.

11. The method of claim 10 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate high-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on GPS.

12. The method of claim 10 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate high-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on triangulation involving more than three base stations.

13. The method of claim 10 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate low-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on triangulation not involving more than three base stations.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising repeating the obtaining and the providing.

16. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8 where the receiving is via a peer-to-peer connection between the computing device and the device, where the device includes an access point.

17. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8 where the obtaining is based on global positioning satellite (“

GPS”

) or triangulation.

18. The at least one computer storage device of claim 17 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate high-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on GPS.

19. The at least one computer storage device of claim 17 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate high-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on triangulation involving more than three base stations.

20. The at least one computer storage device of claim 17 where an indicator that is associated with the obtained location information is set to indicate low-reliability of the obtained location information in response to the obtaining being based on triangulation not involving more than three base stations.

15. At least one computer storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform actions comprising:

receiving a request for information regarding white space at a desired location, where the white space comprises an unassigned portion of a radio spectrum;

obtaining location information corresponding to the desired location;

providing at least the obtained location information in response to the received request for information, where the provided information is configured for use in selecting a white space channel within the white space, and for configuring a device for wirelessly communicating via the selected white space channel.