DYNAMICALLY ENABLED WI-FI

• US 20130208713A1
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: HAMADE, Nayla, HASSAN, Omar, NIMBAVIKAR, Gunjan
• Granted Patent: US 10,064,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/13 Cell handover without a predetermined boundary, e.g. virtual cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The described implementations provide devices, systems, and methods that offload the usage of a cellular network using dynamic selection of broadband network connections such as wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) access points. A Wi-Fi transceiver on a mobile device may be activated when certain conditions (e.g., trigger events) are met. These conditions may include when, for instance, a cellular signal is dropped to 2G, weak or no cellular coverage is detected, a data use limit has been reached, an associated device is in domestic or international roaming or a particular location, and/or an associated device is in a saved private network area.

Claims

1. A method to enable a Wi-Fi transceiver, comprising:

receiving, by a device having wireless communication functionality, a cellular signal; and

enabling a Wi-Fi transceiver if at least the received cellular signal is a 2G signal, the received cellular signal is degraded or lost, a data limit is reached, a roaming state is detected, or a private network is detected.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of enabling enables the Wi-Fi transceiver for at least data communication.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising enabling the Wi-Fi transceiver if at least a voice minute allocation is exceeded or about to be exceeded, and wherein the act of enabling enables the Wi-Fi transceiver for data and voice communications.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of enabling enables the Wi-Fi transceiver for at least voice communication when cellular coverage is not available, the enabling of the Wi-Fi transceiver delayed a predetermined time period after detection that cellular coverage is not available.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising disabling, after the enabling act, the Wi-Fi transceiver if the Wi-Fi transceiver was unable to connect to an access point.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising delaying the disabling act for a predetermined time period.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising preventing the enabling of the Wi-Fi transceiver based on one or more trigger events if the Wi-Fi transceiver has been manually disabled at least by one of an associated mobile device or a network operator.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising preventing the enabling of the Wi-Fi transceiver when it is detected that a mobile device associated with the Wi-Fi transceiver is at least one of moving at a speed greater than a speed threshold or if the mobile device has moved outside a radius threshold.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connection manager, the connection manager preventing the enabling of the Wi-Fi transceiver based on one or more trigger events if the Wi-Fi transceiver has been manually disabled at least by one of an associated mobile device or a network operator.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connection manager, the connection manager preventing the enabling of the Wi-Fi transceiver when it is detected that a mobile device associated with the Wi-Fi transceiver is at least one of moving at a speed greater than a speed threshold or if the mobile device has moved outside a radius threshold.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a Wi-Fi transceiver configured to be enabled if at least a received cellular signal is a 2G signal, the received cellular signal is degraded or lost, a data limit is reached, a roaming state is detected, or a private network is detected.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the Wi-Fi transceiver is configured to be enabled for at least data communication if at least the received cellular signal is a 2G signal, the received cellular signal is degraded or lost, the data limit is reached, the roaming state is detected, or the private network is detected.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the Wi-Fi transceiver is configured to be enabled data and voice communications if at least a voice minute allocation is exceeded or about to be exceeded.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the Wi-Fi transceiver is configured to be enabled for at least voice communication when cellular coverage is not available and subsequent a predetermined time period after detection that cellular coverage is not available.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the Wi-Fi transceiver is configured to be disabled, after Wi-Fi transceiver is enabled, if the Wi-Fi transceiver was unable to connect to an access point after a predetermined time period lapses.

16. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a wireless communication device, a trigger event established to indicate that a transceiver associated with the wireless communication device is to be enabled;

receiving information related to one or more ranked access point; and

causing the transceiver to connect to the ranked access point.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the transceiver is a Wi-Fi transceiver.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the trigger event is at least one of a received 2G signal, a received degraded cellular signal, a data limit is reached, an allocated voice minute maximum is reached, a roaming state is detected, or detection of no cellular coverage.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising preventing the causing the transceiver to connect to the ranked access point if the transceiver has been manually disabled at least by one of an associated mobile device or a network operator.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising preventing the causing the transceiver to connect to the ranked access point if it is detected that a mobile device associated with the transceiver is at least one of moving at a speed greater than a speed threshold or if the mobile device has moved outside a radius threshold.