SELECTING A RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGY AT A WIRELESS DEVICE

• US 20160255559A1
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Droste, Scott T., George, David
• Application Number:
  US14/632,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255559A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00224 between packet switched [PS] and circuit switched [CS] network technologies, e.g. circuit switched fallback [CSFB]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/023 Buffering or recovering information during reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method of selecting a radio access technology (RAT) at a wireless device includes: establishing an active packet data session from the wireless device through a cellular base station using a 3G RAT; detecting a trigger at the wireless device; searching for another cellular base station that uses a 4G long term evolution (LTE) RAT in response to the trigger; buffering data from the active packet data session that is directed from the wireless device to the cellular base station using the 3G RAT in memory while the wireless device attempts a cellular connection with the cellular base station using 4G LTE; establishing the active packet data session with the cellular base station using 4G LTE; and transmitting the buffered data to the cellular base station using 4G LTE

Claims

1. A method of selecting a radio access technology (RAT) at a wireless device, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing an active packet data session from the wireless device through a cellular base station using a 3G RAT;

(b) detecting a trigger at the wireless device;

(c) searching for another cellular base station that uses a 4G long term evolution (LTE) RAT in response to the trigger;

(d) buffering data from the active packet data session that is directed from the wireless device to the cellular base station using the 3G RAT in memory while the wireless device attempts a cellular connection with the cellular base station using 4G LIE;

(e) establishing the active packet data session with the cellular base station using 4G LTE; and

(f) transmitting the buffered data to the cellular base station using 4G LTE.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of recording location data at the wireless device when connected to a cellular base station using 4G LTE and later comparing a current location of the wireless device with the recorded location data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger further comprises detecting a location area code (LAC) indicating available 4G LTE service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger further comprises a timer that periodically reaches a static time limit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger further comprises a timer that periodically reaches a dynamic time limit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device further comprises a vehicle telematics unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein data from the active packet data session is received by an audio streaming software application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device provides a wireless hotspot that allows other wireless devices to access the Internet via short-range wireless communication protocols.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing the active packet data session with a cellular base station using a 4G LTE before step (a).

10. A method of selecting a radio access technology (RAT) at a wireless device, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing an active packet data session from the wireless device through a cellular base station using a 4G long term evolution (LTE) RAT;

(b) determining that the active packet data session is transmitted through a cellular base station using a 3G RAT;

(c) detecting a trigger at the wireless device;

(d) searching for another cellular base station that uses a 4G LTE RAT in response to the trigger;

(e) buffering data from the active packet data session that is directed from the wireless device to the cellular base station using the 3G RAT in memory while the wireless device attempts a cellular connection with the cellular base station using 4G LTE;

(f) establishing the active packet data session with the cellular base station using 4G LTE; and

(g) transmitting the buffered data to the cellular base station using 4G LTE.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of recording location data at the wireless device when connected to the cellular base station using 4G LTE and later comparing a current location of the wireless device with the recorded location data.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the trigger further comprises detecting a location area code (LAC) indicating available 4G LTE service.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the trigger further comprises a timer that periodically reaches a dynamic time limit.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless device further comprises a vehicle telematics unit.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein data from the active packet data session is received by an audio streaming software application.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless device provides a wireless hotspot that allows other wireless devices to access the Internet via short-range wireless communication protocols.

13. The method of claim 110, wherein the trigger further comprises a timer that periodically reaches a static time limit.