Method and apparatus for location based wireless roaming between communication networks

• US 6,897,805 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bajikar, Sundeep M.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/028,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 455/12.1, 455/13.2, 455/277.1
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention an apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a positioning mechanism to determine a position of the apparatus; a baseband module comprising a plurality of network interfaces each supporting a network communications protocol; a determining mechanism to determine which communications networks are operative at the position of the apparatus; a selection mechanism to select one of the operative communications networks; and a connection mechanism to seamlessly connect the apparatus to the selected communications network using one of the network interfaces.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a positioning mechanism to determine a position of said apparatus;

a baseband module including a plurality of network interfaces each supporting a network communications protocol;

a determining mechanism to determine which communications networks are operative at said position;

a selection mechanism to select one of said operative communications networks;

a connection mechanism to seamlessly connect said apparatus to said selected communications network using one of said network interfaces; and

a mechanism to manage a power consumption of the network interfaces not selected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the positioning mechanism comprises a positioning sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the positioning sensor comprises a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the positioning mechanism transmits a triangulation signal which is triangulated by a network operator, the apparatus then operating to receive a result of said triangulation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining mechanism determines the operative communications networks using an area coverage map indicating the communications networks operative at said position.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said area coverage map comprises operational information about said operative communications networks.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said area coverage map is stored locally in a memory device included in said apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said selection mechanism selects said operative communications network based on user-defined criteria.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user-defined criteria is selected from a group comprising of a network bandwidth, network services and network billing rates.

10. A method comprising:

determining a position of a user device;

determining which communications networks are operative at said position using a digital map indicating a coverage area for each communications network;

selecting one of said operative networks;

connecting said user device seamlessly to said selected network; and

managing a power consumption of network interfaces to the operative networks not selected.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining said position is performed by transmitting a triangulation signal from said user device, which signal is triangulated by a network operator;

and receiving a result of said triangulation.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining said position is achieved using a positioning sensor which forms part of said user device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said digital map is stored in a memory device forming a part of said user device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting one of said operative networks is based on user-defined criteria.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said user-defined criteria is selected from a group comprising of a network bandwidth, network services and network billing rates.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a sequence of instructions which when executed by a processor cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a position of a user device;

determining which communications networks are operative at said position;

selecting one of said operative communications networks;

connecting said device seamlessly to the selected network; and

managing a power consumption of network interfaces to the operative networks not selected.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining said position is performed by transmitting a triangulation signal from said device, which signal is triangulated by a network carrier;

and receiving a result of said triangulation.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining said position is achieved using a positioning sensor which forms a part of said user device.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining which communications networks are operative at said position comprises using a digital map indicating coverage area for the communications networks.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein said digital, map is stored in a memory device forming a part of said user device.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein selecting one of said operative networks is based on user defined criteria.

23. Apparatus comprising:

positioning means for determining a position of said apparatus;

communication means including a plurality of network interfaces each supporting a network communications protocol;

determining means for determining which communications networks are operative at said position;

selection means for selecting one of said operative communications networks;

connection means for seamlessly connecting said apparatus to said selected communications network using one of said network interfaces; and

power management means for managing a power consumption of network interfaces to the operative communications networks not selected.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein said user defined criteria is selected from a group comprising of a network bandwidth, network services and network billing rates.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the positioning means comprises a positioning sensor.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said positioning sensor comprises a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) sensor.