Intelligent roaming system with over the air programming
First Claim
1. An apparatus for providing preferred wireless carrier information for use by a mobile station when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, the apparatus comprising:
- a database that identifies preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service;
a generator that generates a list of preferred wireless carrier identities from the database based upon a selected class of service of the mobile station; and
a data-providing device that provides the generated list to the mobile station designated with the selected class of service.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for selecting a preferred wireless carrier from a plurality of wireless carriers for use by a mobile station when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area is provided. The apparatus comprises a database, a generator, and a data providing device. The database stores preferred wireless carrier identities for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service, predetermined national accounts, and predetermined home market areas. The generator generates a list of the preferred wireless carrier identities based upon a selected class of service, a selected national account, a selected home market area of the mobile station. The data-providing device transmits the generated list to each mobile station designated with the selected class of service, selected national account and selected home market area. The list of preferred wireless carriers may be based upon the roaming wireless carriers'"'"' airtime rates and services provided for each of the plurality of market areas. The list may also be based upon a preferred or required air interface technology. The generator may update the list of preferred wireless carriers when one of the plurality of wireless carriers changes a communication characteristic (such as roaming airtime rates the wireless carrier charges for a market area, and services the wireless carrier offers to a market area). The data-providing device provides the updated list of preferred wireless carrier identities to each mobile station previously provided with the list the generator updated.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. An apparatus for providing preferred wireless carrier information for use by a mobile station when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, the apparatus comprising:
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a database that identifies preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service; a generator that generates a list of preferred wireless carrier identities from the database based upon a selected class of service of the mobile station; and a data-providing device that provides the generated list to the mobile station designated with the selected class of service. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for providing preferred wireless carrier information for use by a mobile station when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, the apparatus comprising:
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a database that includes preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service; means for generating a list of preferred wireless carrier identities from the database based upon a selected class of service of the mobile station; and means for providing the generated list to the mobile station designated with the selected class of service. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A mobile station, comprising:
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a memory that stores a list of preferred wireless carrier identities for use by the mobile station when roaming, said list of preferred wireless carrier identities being stored based upon a selected class of service for a plurality of market areas; and a selector that automatically selects a preferred wireless carrier from the list stored in said memory when the mobile station is roaming and enters one of the market areas of the plurality of market areas. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An system for selecting preferred wireless carriers from a plurality of wireless carriers for use by mobile stations when roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, the system comprising:
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a database of preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service; a generator that generates a list of the preferred wireless carrier identities from the database based upon a selected class of service of each mobile station; a data-providing device that provides the generated list to each mobile station designated with the selected class of service; a memory, provided within each mobile station, which stores the generated list of preferred wireless carriers; and a selector that selects a preferred wireless carrier from the list stored in the memory when each mobile station enters one of the market areas of the plurality of market areas, wherein each mobile station switches to the preferred wireless carrier, selected from the list of preferred wireless carrier identities, for communication in response to the mobile station roaming to a predetermined market area. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. A method for selecting a preferred wireless carrier for a mobile station to enable wireless communication when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, a database of preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service being provided at a predetermined location remote from the mobile station, a list of preferred wireless carriers being generated based upon a selected class of service and the home market area of the mobile station, the list being stored in a storage device associated with the mobile station designated with the selected class of service to enable a selection of a preferred wireless carrier band, the method comprising:
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receiving, at the mobile station, a signal transmitted by a wireless carrier; determining whether the received signal is transmitted by a wireless carrier in the home market area of the mobile station; and switching, based on the list in the storage device of the mobile station, a communications band of the mobile station to a preferred wireless carrier band related to the roaming market area when it is determined that the received signal is not transmitted by a wireless carrier in the home market area of the mobile station.
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31. An apparatus for selecting a preferred wireless carrier from a plurality of wireless carriers for use by a mobile station when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, comprising:
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a database of preferred wireless carriers for a plurality of market areas based upon predetermined classes of service, predetermined national accounts and predetermined home market areas; a generator that generates a list of the preferred wireless carriers from the database based upon a selected class of service, a selected national account, a selected home market area of the mobile station; a data providing device that provides the generated list to the mobile station designated with the selected class of service, the selected national account and the selected home market area; a memory, associated with the mobile station, that stores the generated list of preferred wireless carriers; and a selector, provided in the mobile station, that automatically selects a preferred wireless carrier from the list stored in the memory when the mobile station is roaming and enters a market area of the plurality of market areas. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for downloading a list of preferred wireless communication bands stored in a database to a memory device of a plurality of mobile stations, the database containing the list of preferred wireless communication bands from which each mobile station may select a preferred wireless communication band when the mobile station is roaming outside of a home market area of the mobile station, the database having a plurality of national account fields, a plurality of home market area fields, and a plurality of class of service fields, each mobile station being assigned to a national account, a home market area and a class of service, the method comprising:
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determining when the list of preferred wireless communication band stored in the memory of each mobile stations is outdated; determining, when the list is outdated, if each mobile station is registered with a home location register; locating each mobile station and downloading an updated list to each mobile station when it is determined the mobile station is registered with the home location register; and notifying a message center when the mobile station is not registered with the home location register and, thereafter, downloading a new preferred wireless communication band list to each mobile station when it is determined the mobile station later registers with the home location register. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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Specification