Cell prioritizing in a cellular radio system

• US 6,978,142 B2
• Filed: 02/24/1998
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Jokimies, Matti
• Primary Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US09/028,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20010011019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,856 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/436, 455/512, 455/517, 455/524, 455/437, 455/449, 455/450, 455/455, 455/422.1, 455/525, 455/435.2
• US Class Current: 455/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

In a cellular radio system (30) the terminals (35) are arranged to set up and maintain radio communication with the base stations (31, 32, 33, 34) in the cells (31a, 32a, 33a, 34a). Regarding the setting up and maintaining of radio communication at least one terminal (35) is arranged to favor at least one cell (32a, 33a) with respect to other cells (31a, 34a), in a manner independent of other terminals. The priority data relating to a terminal are stored in a central database (37), from which they are transmitted to the terminal when it registers.

Claims

1. A cellular radio system, which comprises terminals, cells and a network including stationary network equipment, of which said terminals are arranged to set up and maintain radio communication with the base stations in the cells, wherein regarding the setting up and maintaining of radio communication at least one terminal is arranged to favor at least one cell with respect to other cells in a manner independent of other terminals, based on priority data transmitted to said at least one terminal in a priority identity message, and said priority data comprises at least a priority cell identity and at least one offset parameter.

2. A cellular radio system according to claim 1, wherein the stationary network equipment comprises a database for storing cell priority data relating to individual terminals.

3. A cellular radio system according to claim 2, wherein the stationary network equipment is arranged to supply information to the terminal about priority data stored in the database relating to the terminal, as a response to an excitation, which is one of the following:

the terminal registers with the cellular radio system, the terminal'"'"'s location data changes in the cellular radio system, the priority data in said data base is altered, a predetermined time has passed since the previous message to the terminal, which contained priority data relating to the terminal.

4. A cellular radio system according to claim 1, said priority data further comprising cell reselection hysteresis information.

5. A cellular radio system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one terminal is further arranged to favor the at least one cell based on said at least on parameter calculated for the at least on cell, said calculation being performed in said at least one terminal.

6. a cellular radio system according to claim 1, wherein said priority data is transmitted to said at least on terminal in a priority information message as a unstructured supplementary service data message or a short message service message.

7. A cellular radio system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one terminal is arranged to received system information messages via the broadcast channel of the network.

8. A cellular radio system terminal, which is arranged to set up and maintain radio communication with base stations in cells of a cellular radio system, wherein regarding the setting up and maintaining of radio communication the terminal is arranged to favor at least on cell with respect to other cells in a manner independent of other terminals, based on priority data transmitted to said terminal in a priority information message, and said priority data comprises at least a priority cell identity and at least one offset parameter.

9. A terminal according to claim 8, which is further arranged to maintain a list of possible cells for cell reselection and to arrange said list in an order which is based on a parameter calculated for each cell, wherein for priority cells the terminal is arranged to alter the parameter calculation relating to the cell, so that said parameter is a particularly advantageous value in the case of a priority cell.

10. A terminal according to claim 8, said priority data further comprising cell reselection hysteresis information.

11. A terminal according to claim 8, wherein said terminal is further arranged to favor the at least one cell based on said at least one parameter calculated for said at least one cell, said calculation being performed in said terminal.

12. A terminal according to claim 8, wherein said priority data is transmitted to said terminal in a priority information message as an unstructured supplementary service data message or a short message service message.

13. A terminal according to claim 8, wherein said terminal is arranged to received system information messages via the broadcast channel of the network.

14. A method to realize call prioritizing in a cellular radio system comprising terminals, cells and a network including stationary network equipment, of which said terminals are arranged to set up and maintain radio communication with the base stations in the cells, wherein regarding the setting up and maintaining of radio communication said terminals utilize priority data relating to a terminal in order to favor at least one cell with respect to other cells in a manner independent of other terminals, based on priority data transmitted to said terminal in a priority information message, and said priority data comprises at least a priority cell identity and at lest one offset parameter.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the priority data relating to a terminal is stored in a database of the stationary network equipment, and the priority data is transmitted to the terminal as a response to an excitation, which is one of the following:

the terminal registers with the cellular radio system, the terminal'"'"'s location data changes in the cellular radio system, the priority data in said database is altered, a predetermined time has passed since the previous message to the terminal, which contained priority data relating to the terminal.

16. A method according to claim 14, in which a terminal further maintains a list of possible cells for cell reselection and arranges said list in an order based on a parameter which is calculated for each cell, wherein for priority cells the terminal alters the parameter calculation relating to the cell, so that said parameter gets a particularly advantageous value in the case of a priority cell.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein the priority data relating to a terminal comprises at least the priority cell identity and information about the fact whether or not the terminal shall apply an offset parameter, a delay factor relating to the cell, and cell reselection hysteresis in the calculation of the parameter relating to a priority cell.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the terminal does not apply the delay factor relating to the cell nor the cell reselection hysteresis when it calculates the parameter relating to a cell, in a situation where cell reselection represents shifting from a non-priority cell to a priority cell.

19. A method according to claim 14, said priority data further comprising cell reselection hysteresis information.

20. A method according to claim 14, wherein said terminal is further arranged to favor the at least one cell based on said at least one parameter calculated for at least one cell, said calculating being performed in said terminal.

21. A method according to claim 14, wherein said priority data is transmitted to said terminal in a priority information message as an unstructured supplementary service data message of a short message service message.

22. A method according to claim 14, wherein said terminal is arranged to receive system information via the broadcast channel of the network.