System and method for locating a cellular service

• US 7,184,788 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2000
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aeris Communications Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aeris.Net
• Inventors: Sotelo, James, Fultz, Robert, Hosain, Syed Zaeem
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US09/549,450
• Time in Patent Office: 2,510 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/515, 455/552, 455/553, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/410, 455/411, 455/419, 455/420, 455/403, 455/466, 455/550.1, 455/575, 455/435.2
• US Class Current: 455/515
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A method for determining whether a particular service is provided by a cellular service provider comprising: listening for a page which includes a particular number plan area code (“NPA”) in a first frequency block; if the page is not heard in the first frequency block within a specified time period, listening for a page in a second frequency block which includes the particular NPA; and determining that the service is provided in the frequency block in which the page is sensed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

reading a first system identification number (“

SID”

) broadcast in a first frequency band, the first SID identifying a cellular service provider;

determining whether the first SID matches a SID stored in a dynamically updated SID table, the SID in the table identifying a cellular service provider that supports an application that exchanges remote access application message (RAAM) data packets with a radio frequency (RF) module via cellular control channels;

switching to a second frequency band and reading a second SID broadcast in the second frequency band if the first SID does not match a SID stored in the SID table, wherein support for the application is identified if the first or second SID matches a SID stored in the SID table;

determining whether support for the application needs to be detected quickly if neither the first nor the second SID is identified in the SID table;

performing a first process to detect support for the application if support needs to be detected quickly; and

performing a second process to detect support for the application if support does not need to be detected quickly.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second process comprises:

listening for cellular pages having an NPA value in a first frequency band, the NPA value indicating that the cellular service provider broadcasting in the first frequency band supports the application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, if the cellular page is not detected in the first frequency band within a period of time:

switching to a second frequency band and listening for cellular pages having the NPA value in the second frequency band, the NPA value indicating that the cellular service provider broadcasting in the second frequency band supports the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first process further comprises:

transmitting a page request packet in the first frequency band to a host across a cellular network; and

receiving a cellular page from the host in response to the page request packet, thereby identifying the cellular service provider broadcasting at the first frequency band as one which supports the application.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the SID table to include a SID of the cellular service provider from which the cellular page was received.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising, if the cellular page is not received within a predetermined period of time:

switching to a second frequency band and transmitting a second page request packet to a host across a cellular network; and

receiving a cellular page from the host in response to the second page request packet, thereby identifying the cellular service provider broadcasting at the second frequency band as one which supports the application.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising updating the SID table to include a SID of the cellular service provider from which the cellular page was received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second frequency bands are cellular A and B bands, respectively.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a machine accessible medium including content that when accessed by a machine causes the machine to:

read a first system identification number (“

SID”

) broadcast in a first frequency band, the first SID identifying a cellular service provider;

determine whether the first SID matches a SID stored in a dynamically updated SID table, the SID in the table identifying a cellular service provider that supports an application that exchanges remote access application message (RAAM) data packets with a radio frequency (RF) module via cellular control channels;

switch to a second frequency band and read a second SID broadcast in the second frequency band if the first SID does not match a SID stored in the SID table, wherein support for the application is identified if the SID in the first or second frequency bands matches a SID stored in the SID table;

determine whether support for the application needs to be detected quickly if neither the first nor the second SID is identified in the SID table;

perform a first process to detect support for the application if support needs to be detected quickly; and

perform a second process to detect support for the application if support does not need to be detected quickly.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the second process comprises:

listening for cellular pages having an NPA value in a first frequency band, the NPA value indicating that the cellular service provider broadcasting in the first frequency band supports the application; and

switching to a second frequency band and listening for cellular pages having the NPA value in the second frequency band, the NPA value indicating that the cellular service provider broadcasting in the second frequency band supports the application.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the first process comprises:

transmitting a page request packet in the first frequency band to a host across a cellular network; and

receiving a cellular page from the host in response to the page request packet, identifying the cellular service provider broadcasting at the first frequency band as one which supports the application.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, further comprising a machine accessible medium including content that when accessed by a machine causes the machine to update the SID table to include a SID of the cellular service provider from which the page was received.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, further comprising a machine accessible medium including content that when accessed by a machine causes the machine to, if the cellular page is not received within a predetermined period of time:

switch to a second frequency band and transmitting a second page request packet to a host across a cellular network; and

receive a cellular page from the host in response to the page request packet, identifying the cellular service provider broadcasting at the second frequency band as one which supports the application.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, further comprising a machine accessible medium including content that when accessed by a machine causes the machine to update the SID table to include a SID of the cellular service provider from which the page was received.