Subscription-based mobile station idle mode cell selection

• US 6,334,052 B1
• Filed: 02/03/1998
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nordstrand, Ingrid
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Congvan
• Application Number:
  US09/017,657
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/552, 455/558, 455/403, 455/426, 455/456, 455/440, 455/434, 455/515, 455/411
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

Subscription-based information in a mobile telecommunications system is utilized to control idle mode operations of a mobile station. In one aspect, cell-related information is broadcast from cells. A mobile station then uses the received cell-related information to determine whether any given cell is part of a predefined service area that is reserved for use by only certain subscribers to the exclusion of other subscribers. The cell-related information may be a cell identifier that uniquely identifies a corresponding cell, or it may alternatively be a service area identifier that uniquely identifies a service area that comprises one or more cells. In either case, the mobile terminal makes its determination by accessing a memory such as a Subscriber Information Module (SIM), and retrieving therefrom stored information that defines the predefined service areas. In another aspect, the SIM may store information identifying preferred cells for the mobile station to camp on during idle mode.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device for use in a communication system that includes a public land mobile network and that is partitioned into a number of cells, the mobile communication device comprising:

wireless means for communicating with the public land mobile network; and

means for determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on one of the cells in the communication system, wherein a result of determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on one of the cells in the communication system is not indicative of whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on another cell in the communication system; and

wherein said means for determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on one of the cells in the communication system comprises;

means for receiving cell-related information, wherein the cell-related information indicates whether the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data;

detecting means for detecting that the cell-related information indicates that the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data;

means for receiving cell barred information from the communication system;

means, responsive to the detecting means, for ignoring the cell barred information if the determining means determines that the cell may be camped on.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the means for determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on one of the cells further comprises a memory device for storing information about which of the cells may be camped on.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the information about which of the cells may be camped on includes a list of cells that may be camped on, wherein the information in the list is arranged to show an order of preference for camping onto a cell.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 3, wherein the means for determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on one of the cells further includes:

means for determining that at least two cells in the communication system may be camped on; and

means for using the information in the memory device to select a highest priority one of the at least two cells.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 2, wherein the means for receiving cell-related information receives the cell related information on a radio control channel that is broadcast from one of the cells in the communication system.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the means for determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on one of the cells comprises a subscription identification module that contains information about which of the cells may be camped on.

7. A mobile communication system that is partitioned into a number of cells, comprising:

a public land mobile network, wherein a mobile communication device is permitted to utilize cells in a predefined service area of the public land mobile network and wherein at least one other mobile communication device is not permitted to utilize cells in the predefined service area;

means for broadcasting cell-related information from at least one of the cells, wherein for each cell, the cell-related information indicates whether that cell belongs to the predefined service area of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data; and

at least one mobile communication device that comprises;

means for receiving the cell-related information from at least one of the cells;

means, responsive to the received cell-related information, for determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on the at least one of the cells;

detecting means for detecting that the cell-related information indicates that the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data;

means for receiving cell barred information from the at least one of the cells; and

means, responsive to the detecting means, for ignoring the cell barred information if the determining means determines that the cell may be camped on.

8. A method for use in a communications system that is partitioned into a number of cells, comprising the steps of:

broadcasting cell-related information from at least one of the cells, wherein for each cell, the cell-related information indicates whether that cell belongs to a predefined service area of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data and wherein a mobile communication device is permitted to utilize cells in the predefined service area and at least one other mobile communication device is not permitted to utilize cells in the predefined service area; and

in a mobile communication device, performing the steps of;

receiving the cell-related information from at least one of the cells;

in response to the received cell-related information, determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on the at least one of the cells, wherein the step of determining whether the mobile communication device is permitted to camp on one of the cells comprises retrieving stored information about which of the cells may be camped on;

detecting that the cell-related information indicates that the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data;

receiving cell barred information from the at least one of the cells; and

ignoring the cell barred information if the determining means determines that the cell may be camped on and the cell-related information indicates that the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data.

9. A mobile communication device for use in a communication system that includes a public land mobile network and that is partitioned into a number of cells, the mobile communication device comprising:

wireless means for receiving cell-related information from one or more of the cells, wherein the cell-related information indicates whether the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by the subscription data;

means for determining from the cell-related information whether one or more cells in the communication system are to be given preference over other cells in the communication system with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device; and

wherein said means for determining from the cell-related information whether one or more cells in the communication system are to be given preference over other cells in the communication system with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device comprises;

detecting means for detecting that the cell-related information indicates that the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data;

means for receiving cell barred information from the communication system; and

means, responsive to the detecting means, for ignoring the cell barred information if the determining means determines that the cell may be given preference over other cells in the communication system with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 9, wherein the means for determining whether one or more cells are to be given preference over other cells with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device further comprises a memory device for storing information about which of the cells are to be give preference.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 10, further comprising:

means for determining a list of suitable cells to be camped on; and

means for selecting one of the suitable cells during the idle mode operation of the mobile communication device by giving higher priority to cells that are to be given preference over cells that are not to be given preference.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 11, wherein the wireless means for receiving cell-related information from one or more of the cells receives the cell-related information on a radio control channel that is broadcast from one of the cells in the communication system.

13. A method for use in a communications system that is partitioned into a number of cells, comprising the steps of:

broadcasting cell-related information from at least one of the cells, wherein the cell-related information indicates whether the cell belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data; and

in a mobile communication device for use in the communications systems, performing the steps of;

receiving the cell-related information from at least one of the cells; and

using the received cell-related information to determine whether said at least one of the cells in the communication system is to be given preference over other cells in the communication system with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device;

detecting that the cell-related information indicates that said at least one of the cells in the communication system belongs to a part of the public land mobile network in which allowed access is controlled by subscription data;

receiving cell barred information from the at least one of the cells; and

ignoring the cell barred information if the determining means determines that the cell may be given preference over other cells in the communication system with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the cell-related information is a cell identifier that uniquely identifies a corresponding cell.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of using the received cell-related information to determine whether said at least one of the cells is to be given preference over other cells with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device further comprises retrieving stored information about which cells are to be given preference over other cells with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the cell-related information is a service area identifier that uniquely identifies a service area that comprises one or more cells.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of using the received cell-related information to determine whether said at least one of the cells is to be given preference over other cells with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device further comprises retrieving stored service area identifiers of service areas that are to be given preference over other cells with respect to selection of a cell to be camped on during an idle mode operation of the mobile communication device.