Methods and apparatus for selecting a communication network

• US 7,389,109 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Naqvi, Noushad, Hind, Hugh, Church, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart; James D
• Application Number:
  US11/393,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20060172737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/422.1, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/434, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/525, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/419, 455/432.1, 455/9, 455/67.11, 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 370/252, 370/462
• US Class Current: 455/435.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• 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 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for selecting a cellular network to provide one or more communication services for a mobile communication device are disclosed. A scanning operation is performed by the mobile device to identify a plurality of cellular networks that support a voice communication service in a geographic coverage area. The mobile device then identifies which of the cellular networks makes a data communication service available to it. Advantageously, the mobile device assigns priority to or selects a cellular network that makes the data communication service available over a network that fails to make the data communication service available, and may register with that network. The data communication service may include, as examples, an e-mail communication service or an Internet access service. Preferably, the cellular network operates in accordance with GSM (Global System for Mobile) and GPRS (Generalized Packet Radio Service).

Claims

1. A method for use in selecting a communication network which provides access to one or more communication services for a mobile communication device which is adapted to operate in accordance with circuit-switched voice communications and packet-switched data communications, the method comprising the acts of:

identifying, by the mobile device, whether communication networks make a data communication service available based on whether an attempt to establish packet data service for the data communication service during registration through each communication network is successful;

assigning priority, by the mobile device in a prioritized list without user intervention, to communication networks that make a voice communication service and the data communication service available over communication networks that make the voice communication service available but fail to make the data communication service available as identified based on whether the attempts to establish the packet data service are successful;

performing a scanning operation to identify one or more available communication networks that are available in a coverage area of the mobile device;

consulting the prioritized list during a network selection procedure to select, based on the assigned priorities in the prioritized list, one of the available communication networks identified in the prioritized list; and

registering with the selected communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data communication service comprises an electronic mail (e-mail) service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying the communication networks that make the data communication service available based on whether the attempt to establish the packet data service for the data communication service during registration through each communication network comprises the further acts of:

for each communication network;

sending a request to attach to the communication network

if attachment to the communication network is granted in response to sending the request, determining that the communication network makes the data communication service available; and

if attachment to the communication network is not granted in response to sending the request, determining that the communication network does not make the data communication service available.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying whether communication networks make the data communication service available is further based on whether an attempt to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service through each communication network is successful.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet data service comprises a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying whether communication networks make the data communication service available is further based on whether an attempt to open a packet data protocol context for the data communication service through each communication network is successful.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is associated with a home network and the data communication service is accessible via the home network, and wherein the act of identifying whether communication networks make the data communication service available is further based on whether an attempt to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service via the home network is successful.

8. A mobile communication device adapted to operate in accordance with circuit-switched voice communications and packet-switched data communications, the mobile device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

an antenna coupled to the wireless transceiver;

one or more processors coupled to the wireless transceiver;

said one or more processors being configured to select a communication network through which to communicate by;

identifying whether communication networks make a data communication service available to the mobile device based on whether an attempt to establish packet data service for the data communication service during registration through each communication network is successful;

assigning priority, in a prioritized list without user intervention, to communication networks that make a voice communication service and the data communication service available over communication networks that make the voice communication service available but fail to make the data communication service available as identified based on whether the attempts to establish the packet data service through each communication network are successful;

performing a scanning operation, with use of the wireless transceiver, to identify one or more available communication networks that are available in a coverage area of the mobile device;

consulting the prioritized list during a network selection procedure to select, based on the assigned priorities in the prioritized list, one of the available communication networks identified in the prioritized list; and

registering with the selected communication network with use of the wireless transceiver.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the data communication service comprises an electronic mail (e-mail) service.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the packet data service comprises a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and the one or more processors is further configured to attempt to establish GPRS service by attempting to attach to the communication network.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to identify whether communication networks make the data communication service available based further on whether an attempt to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service through each communication network is successful.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, which is associated with a home network through which the data communication service is accessible, and wherein the one or more processors is further configured to identify whether communication networks make the data communication service available based further on whether an attempt to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service via the home network is successful.

13. A method of utilizing a prioritized list of communication networks for network selection in a mobile communication device adapted to operate in accordance with circuit-switched voice communications and packet-switched data communications, the method comprising the acts of:

identifying, in the mobile device, whether one or more communication networks make a data communication service available to the mobile device based on whether attempts to register with the communication networks for packet data service are successful;

assigning, in the mobile device without user intervention, a higher priority in the prioritized list to the one or more communication networks identified to make a voice communication service and the data communication service available than those one or more communication networks that make the voice communication service available but not the data communication service available as identified based on whether the attempts to register with the communication networks for the packet data service are successful;

scanning to identify a plurality of available communication networks that are available in a coverage region of the mobile device;

consulting the prioritized list of networks in the network selection to select, based on assigned priorities in the prioritized list, one of the available communication networks identified in the prioritized list; and

registering with the selected communication network for communications.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the prioritized list comprises a plurality of sub-lists; and

the act of assigning comprises the further act of storing identities of the one or more communication networks identified to make the data communication service available in a higher priority sub-list of the prioritized list.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising the further acts of:

for each communication network;

identifying whether a communication network is a forbidden communication network; and

wherein the act of assigning comprises the further act of assigning the communication network a higher priority in the prioritized list if the communication network is not a forbidden communication network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of identifying whether the communication network is a forbidden communication network comprises the further act of comparing the communication network to entries of a list of forbidden communication networks.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the act of:

adding the communication network to a forbidden network list if a communication failure occurs with the communication network.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the act of:

identifying whether the communication network is in the prioritized list; and

reassigning a priority to the communication network in the prioritized list if the communication network is a forbidden communication network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

wherein the prioritized list comprises a plurality of sub-lists;

wherein the act of reassigning priority to the communication network comprises the further acts of;

moving the communication network from one sub-list of the prioritized list to another sub-list of the prioritized list;

removing the communication network from the prioritized list; and

adding the communication network to a different sub-list of the prioritized list.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising the acts of:

for each communication network;

identifying whether the communication network is a preferred communication network; and

if the communication network is a preferred communication network and makes the data communication service available, then assigning the communication network a higher priority in the prioritized list than other communication networks that make the data communication service available but are not preferred communication networks.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of identifying whether the communication network is a preferred communication network comprises the act of comparing the communication network to entries in a communication network list.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the communication network list comprises one or more sub-lists established by one or more of:

a user of the mobile device;

a manufacturer of the mobile device; and

an operator of a communication network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the preferred list comprises a plurality of sub-lists, including a sub-list established by a user, a sub-list established by a manufacturer, and a sub-list established by an operator of a communication network, and wherein the method further comprises the acts of:

for each communication network;

wherein the act of determining if the communication network is a preferred communication network comprises the further act of determining on which sub-list of the communication network list the communication network is listed; and

wherein the act of assigning comprises the further act of assigning the communication network a higher priority in the prioritized list than other communication networks if the network is on the sub-list established by the user.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising the acts of:

for each communication network;

if the communication network supports the data communication service;

determining whether the communication network is known; and

if the communication network is known;

assigning the known communication network a higher priority in the prioritized list than any unknown communication network.

25. The method of claim 13, wherein the data communication service comprises an electronic mail (e-mail) service.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the prioritized list comprises a plurality of sub-lists and the act of assigning the communication network priority comprises the further act of:

placing the known communication network in a higher priority sub-list of known communication networks over a sub-list of unknown communication networks.

27. A method of claim 24, wherein the prioritized list comprises a plurality of sub-lists and the method comprises the further act of:

if the communication network is unknown and does not make the data communication service available;

assigning the communication network a lower priority in the prioritized list by placing it in a lower priority sub-list comprising known voice-capable communication networks under a sub-list of unknown communication networks that make the data communication service available.

28. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication networks comprise GSM/GPRS communication networks and GSM communication networks, and the packet data service comprises GPRS.

29. The method of claim 13, wherein the act of identifying whether the one or more communication networks make the data communication service available is further based on whether an attempt to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service through the communication network is successful.

30. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile device is associated with a home network through which the data service is made available, and wherein the act of identifying whether the one or more communication networks make the data service available is further based on whether an attempt to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service through the communication network is successful.

31. The method of claim 13, wherein the network selection comprises an automatic network selection procedure of the mobile device.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the list of communication networks that is used for comparing comprises a User Preferred Public Land Mobile Network (U-PPLMN) list and an Operator Preferred Public Land Mobile Network (O-PPLMN) list.

33. A method for utilizing a prioritized list of communication networks for network selection in a mobile communication device comprising the acts of:

for each communication network of a plurality of communication networks;

attempting to attach to the communication network to access a packet data service for utilization of a data communication service;

if attachment to the communication network is successful, attempting to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service;

if the communication network is a known communication network and the packet data service and connectivity for the data service are established, then assigning, in the mobile device without user intervention, the communication network a higher priority in the prioritized list than a communication network that is an unknown communication network that makes at least a voice communication service available;

scanning to identify one or more available communication networks that are available in a geographic region of the mobile device;

consulting the prioritized list during the network selection to select, based on the assigned priorities of the prioritized list, an available communication network from the scanning that is identified in the prioritized list; and

registering with the selected communication network for communications.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

determining if the communication network is known by comparing the communication network to entries in a communication network list.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the prioritized list comprises a plurality of sub-lists including one or more sub-lists established by the user of the mobile device, an operator of a communication network, and a manufacturer of the mobile device; and

the act of assigning the communication network a higher priority in the prioritized list comprises the act of placing the communication network in a higher priority sub-list of the prioritized list.

36. The method of claim 33, comprising the further acts of:

wherein the data communication service is available if the mobile device is able to attach to the communication network in response to the attempt to attach to the communication network; and

wherein the data communication service is unavailable if the mobile device is unable to attach to the communication network in response to the attempt.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein:

the prioritized list comprises a plurality of sub-lists; and

the act of assigning higher priority to a known communication network that makes the data communication service available comprises the further act of placing the network in a higher priority sub-list of the prioritized list.

38. A method of selecting a communication network by a mobile communication device, the method comprising the acts of:

for each one of a plurality of communication networks;

determining, by the mobile device, whether the communication network makes a data communication service available based on whether an attempt to establish packet data connectivity for the data communication service through the communication network is successful;

if the communication network makes a voice communication service available and the data communication service available as identified by the act of determining based on whether the attempt to establish the packet data connectivity is successful;

assigning priority, by the mobile device without user intervention, in a network selection list used for network selection by the mobile device, to the communication network over a communication network that makes the voice communication service available to the mobile device but fails to make the data communication service available;

performing a scanning operation to identify one or more available communication networks that are available in a coverage area of the mobile communication device; and

consulting the network selection list during the network selection to select, in accordance with the assigned priorities of the network selection list, one of the available communication networks for communications.