Determining Suitability of an Access Network

• US 20140004886A1
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gillett, Mark Alastair, Andersen, Soren Vang, Rodbro, Christoffer Asgaard
• Granted Patent: US 9,439,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• 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 36/324 by mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A mobile terminal for use in a communication system comprising a first, packet-based network and a plurality of wireless access networks providing access to the first network. The mobile terminal comprises: one or more transceivers for connecting to the wireless access networks; and processing apparatus coupled to the one or more transceivers, operable to communicate with the first network by forming connections with the access networks using the one or more transceivers. The processing apparatus is configured to access a database recording motion information relating to motion of connection points of the wireless access networks; and the processing apparatus is further configured to determine one of the wireless access networks for use in accessing the first network, in dependence on the motion information accessed from the database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal for use in a communication system comprising a first, packet-based network and a plurality of wireless access networks providing access to the first network;

the mobile terminal comprising;

one or more transceivers for connecting to the wireless access networks; and

processing apparatus coupled to the one or more transceivers, and operable to communicate with the first network by forming connections with the access networks using the one or more transceivers;

wherein the processing apparatus is configured to access a database recording motion information relating to motion of connection points of the wireless access networks; and

the processing apparatus is further configured to determine one of the wireless access networks for use in accessing the first network, in dependence on the motion information accessed from said database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to automatically select which of a plurality of available ones of said wireless access networks to use to connect to the first network in dependence on the motion information accessed from said database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to determine motion information relating to a connection point as experienced by the mobile terminal, and to thereby dynamically record the determined motion information in the database.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, comprising a positioning module coupled to the processing apparatus and arranged to determine a geographical location of the mobile terminal;

wherein the database records geographical location information relating to a plurality of the wireless access networks, and the processing apparatus of the mobile terminal is configured to determine one of the access networks for use in accessing the first network in dependence on the geographical location information accessed from said database, relative to the geographical location of the mobile terminal as determined by said positioning module.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the geographical locations in said database comprise locations as measured by one or more mobile terminals including at least said mobile terminal, the processing apparatus being configured to dynamically record a geographical position of the mobile terminal as determined by said positioning module as the geographical location information in said database relating to one of said access networks.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the database records the motion information for one or more of the access networks in association with times of day relevant to the availability of the respective access networks, and the processing apparatus of the mobile terminal is configured to determine one of the access networks for use in accessing the first network in dependence on the motion information and associated time of day.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is configured such that said determination of one of the access networks comprises:

controlling activation of one or more of the transceivers to scan for availability of one or more of the access networks in dependence on the motion information accessed from said database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to control activation of the local transceiver to perform the scan in further dependence on motion of the mobile terminal.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to suspend scanning if it is detected that the mobile terminal is moving.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9 wherein the processing apparatus is configured to trigger scan if it is detected that the mobile terminal is no longer moving following said suspension of scanning.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to reduce a number of instances of the scan per unit time in dependence on whether the mobile terminal is moving or not.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to reduce a number of instances of the scan per unit time depending on a speed or velocity of the mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the access networks comprise a plurality of wireless local area networks, and the one or more transceivers comprise a local transceiver for connecting to the wireless local area networks, the processing apparatus being coupled to the local transceiver and operable to communicate with the first network by forming connections with the wireless local area networks using the local transceiver; and

the database records motion information relating to motion of connection points of the wireless local area networks, the processing apparatus being further configured to determine one of the wireless local area networks for use in accessing the first network in dependence on the respective motion information accessed from said database.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to automatically select which of a plurality of available local wireless area networks to use to connect to the first network, in dependence on the motion information accessed from said database.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the access networks comprises one or more wireless wide area networks providing access to the first network, and the mobile terminal comprises a further transceiver for connecting to one or more of the wireless wide area networks, the processing apparatus being coupled to the further transceiver and operable to communicate with the first network by forming a connection with one or more of the wireless wide area networks using the further transceiver.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to automatically select whether to connect to the first network via one of the wireless wide area networks or one of the wireless local area networks in dependence on the respective motion information accessed from said database.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to use one or more of said connections to conduct a live packed-based voice or video call over the first network;

and

the processing apparatus is configured so as, while the call is ongoing, to automatically perform the selection and switch the call from the current connection to another one of said connections using the selected one of the wireless local area networks or a wireless wide area network.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the database comprises additional information relating to a price of one or more of the access networks;

and

the processing apparatus is configured to determine one of the wireless access networks for use in accessing the first network in dependence on the price of one or more of the access networks as accessed from said database.

19. A computer program product for operating a mobile terminal for use in a communication system comprising a first, packet-based network and a plurality of wireless access networks providing access to the first network;

the computer program product comprising code embodied on a tangible computer-readable hardware medium and configured so as when executed on the mobile terminal to perform operations of;

communicating with the first network by forming connections with the access networks using one or more transceivers of the mobile terminal;

accessing a database recording motion information relating to motion of connection points of the wireless access networks; and

determining one of the wireless access networks for use in accessing the first network, in dependence on the motion information accessed from said database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks.

20. A method for use in a communication system comprising a first, packet-based network and a plurality of wireless access networks providing access to the first network, a plurality of wireless local area networks providing access to the first network, and one or more wireless wide area networks providing access to the first network;

the method comprising;

communicating between a local transceiver of a mobile terminal and the first network by forming connections with the wireless local area networks;

accessing a database recording motion information relating to motion of connection points of the wireless access networks; and

determining one of the wireless access networks for use by the mobile terminal in accessing the first network, in dependence on the motion information accessed from said database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks;

wherein the method comprises using the mobile terminal to determine motion information relating to a connection point as experienced by the mobile terminal, and to thereby dynamically record the determined motion information in the database; and

wherein the method comprises using one or more of said connections to conduct a live packed-based voice or video call over the first network, and while the call is ongoing to use the mobile terminal to automatically select which of a plurality of available ones of said local area networks to use to connect to the first network to conduct said call, or whether to connect to the first network via one of the wireless wide area networks or one of the wireless local area networks to conduct the call, in dependence on the motion information accessed from said database relating to one or more of the wireless access networks.