Methods and apparatus for use in switching communication operations between a wireless wide area network and a wireless local area network

• US 7,505,446 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Pecen, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu; Michael T
• Application Number:
  US11/335,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20070165583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/348, 455/425, 455/441, 455/552, 455/553
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/008375 based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/326 by proximity to another entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile switches operation for communications from a wireless wide area network (WWAN) to a wireless local area network (WLAN) in an efficient manner. While providing operation for communications in the WWAN, the mobile device continually maintains visited cell site history information which is indicative of visited cell sites of the WWAN that served the mobile device over a moving time period of its operation. The mobile device continually monitors this information to identify whether it has been contained within a local geographic region over the moving time period. When the mobile device is identified to have been contained within the local geographic region, it is permitted to operate for communications with the WLAN, and may enable its WLAN radio transceiver and select the WLAN for communications.

Claims

1. A method for use by a mobile communication device in switching operation for communications from a wireless wide area network to a wireless local area network, the wireless local area network having a plurality of local area coverage cells which are contained within one or more wide area coverage cells of the wide area wireless network, the method comprising the acts of:

providing operation for communications in a wireless wide area network with use of a first wireless transceiver portion adapted for communications in the wireless wide area network, while a second wireless transceiver portion adapted for communications in a wireless local area network is disabled;

during operations in the wireless wide area network;

continually maintaining, in memory, visited cell site history information which includes a cell site count of visited cell sites of the wireless wide area network that served the mobile communication device over a moving time period of operation of the mobile communication device;

determining that the mobile communication device is not permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network and maintaining the second wireless transceiver portion as disabled based on identifying that the cell site count is greater than a cell site threshold count; and

determining whether that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in a wireless local area network and enabling the second wireless transceiver portion for communications based on identifying that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count, which indicates that the mobile communication device has been contained within a local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during operations in the wireless wide area network;

repeating the recited acts of continually maintaining and determining.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when a wireless local area network is available for communications with the mobile communication device;

switching operation for communications to the wireless local area network with use of the second wireless transceiver portion if it is determined that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate in the wireless local area network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying 4 that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count further indicates that the mobile communication device is relatively stationary in the wireless wide area network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the visited cell site history information further comprises a cell reselection count of the number of times a visited cell site was selected by the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation, and the acts of determining that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network and enabling the second wireless transceiver portion for communications are based on both identifying that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count and identifying that the cell reselection count is greater than a cell reselection threshold count, indicating that the mobile communication device has been contained within the local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the visited cell history information comprises a list of identifiers associated with the visited cell sites that served the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

wherein the visited cell site history information further comprises a cell reselection count of the number of times a visited cell site was selected by the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation;

wherein the acts of determining that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network and enabling the second wireless transceiver portion for communications is based on both identifying that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count and identifying that the cell reselection count is greater than a cell reselection threshold count, indicating that the mobile communication device has been contained within the local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation; and

determining that the mobile communication device is not permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network and maintaining the second wireless transceiver portion as disabled based on identifying that the cell reselection count is less than the cell reselection threshold count.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing an indicator which indicates that the wireless local area network is permitted for communications to be displayed in a visual display of the mobile communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular telecommunications network and the wireless local area network comprises an IEEE 802.11-based communication network.

10. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a first wireless transceiver portion which is adapted to operate for communications with a wireless wide area network;

a second wireless transceiver portion which is adapted to operate for communications with a wireless local area network, the wireless local area network having a plurality of local area coverage cells which are contained within one or more wide area coverage cells of the wireless wide area network;

one or more processors coupled to the first and the second wireless transceiver portions;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to;

provide operation for communications in the wireless wide area network with use of the first wireless transceiver portion while the second wireless transceiver portion is disabled;

continually maintain, in the memory, visited cell site history information which includes a cell site count of visited cell sites of the wireless wide area network that served the mobile communication device over a moving time period of operation of the mobile communication device;

determine that the mobile communication device is not permitted to operate for communications in a wireless local area network and therefore maintain the second wireless transceiver portion as disabled based on identifying that the cell site count is greater than a cell site threshold count; and

determine that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network to therefore enable the second wireless transceiver portion for communications based on identifying that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count, which indicates that the mobile communication device has been contained within a local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

when a wireless local area network is available for communications with the mobile communication device;

switch operation for communications to the wireless local area network if it is determined that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate in the wireless local area network.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to repeat the acts of continually maintaining and determining during operations in the wireless wide area network.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to switch operation for communications from the wireless wide area network to the wireless local area network based on determining that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate in the wireless local area network.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the visited cell site history information comprise a cell reselection count of the number of times a visited cell site was selected by the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation, and the one or more processors are further operative to determine that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in a wireless local area network based on both identifying that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count and identifying that the cell reselection count is greater than a cell reselection threshold count, indicating that the mobile communication device has been contained within the local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the visited cell history information comprises a list of identifiers associated with the visited cell sites that served the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the visited cell site history information comprises a time indicator which is indicative of a time at which a visited cell site served the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 10, wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular telecommunications network and the wireless local area network comprises an IEEE 802.11-based communication network.

18. A communication system, comprising:

a wireless wide area network having a plurality of wide area coverage cells;

a wireless local area network having a plurality of local area coverage cells contained within one or more wide area coverage cells of the wireless wide area network;

one or more mobile communication devices which are adapted to operate for communications in both the wireless wide area network and the wireless local area network;

each mobile communication device being operative to;

provide operation for communications in the wireless wide area network with use of a first wireless transceiver portion adapted for communications in the wireless wide area network, while a second wireless transceiver portion adapted for communications in the wireless local area network is disabled;

continually maintain, in memory, visited cell site history information which includes a cell site count of one or more visited cell sites of the wireless wide area network that served the mobile communication device over a moving time period of operation of the mobile communication device;

determine that the mobile communication device is not permitted to operate for communications in a wireless local area network and therefore maintain the second wireless transceiver portion as disabled based on identifying that the cell site count is greater than a cell site threshold count; and

determine that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network with and therefore enable the second wireless transceiver portion for communications based on identifying that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count, which indicates that the mobile communication device has been contained within a local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

19. The communication system of claim 18, wherein each mobile communication device is further operative to:

when the wireless local area network is available for communications with the mobile communication device;

switch operation for communications to the wireless local area network if it is determined that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate in the wireless local area network.

20. The communication system of claim 18, wherein each mobile communication device is further operative to switch operation for communications from the wireless wide area network to the wireless local area network based on determining that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate in the wireless local area network.

21. The communication system of claim 18, wherein the visited cell site history information further comprises a cell reselection count of the number of times a visited cell site was selected by the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation, and wherein each mobile communication device is further operative to determine that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in a wireless local area network based on both identifying that the cell site count is less than the cell site threshold count and identifying that the cell reselection count is greater than a cell reselection threshold count, indicating that the mobile communication device has been contained within the local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

22. The communication system of claim 18, wherein each mobile communication device is further operative to repeat the recited acts of continually maintaining and determining during operations in the wireless wide area network.

23. The communication system of claim 18, wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular telecommunications network and the wireless local area network comprises an IEEE 802.11-based communication network.

24. A method for use by a mobile communication device in switching operation for communications from a wireless wide area network to a wireless local area network, the wireless local area network having a plurality of local area coverage cells which are contained within one or more wide area coverage cells of the wide area wireless network;

the method comprising the acts of;

providing operation for communications in a wireless wide area network with use of a first wireless transceiver portion adapted for communications in the wireless wide area network, while a second wireless transceiver portion adapted for communications in a wireless local area network is disabled;

during operations in the wireless wide area network;

continually maintaining, in memory, visited cell site history information which includes a cell reselection count of the number of times a visited cell site was reselected by the mobile communication device over a moving time period of operation of the mobile communication device;

determining that the mobile communication device is not permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network and maintaining the second wireless transceiver portion as disabled based on identifying that the cell reselection count is less than the a cell reselection threshold count; and

determining that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in a wireless local area network and enabling the second wireless transceiver portion for communications based on identifying that the cell reselection count is greater than the cell reselection threshold count, which indicates that the mobile communication device has been contained within a local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

during operations in the wireless wide area network;

repeating the recited acts of continually maintaining and determining.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

when a wireless local area network is available for communications with the mobile communication device;

switching operation for communications to the wireless local area network with use of the second wireless transceiver portion if it is determined that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate in the wireless local area network.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the act of identifying that the cell reselection count is greater than the cell reselection threshold count further indicates that the mobile communication device is relatively stationary in the wireless wide area network.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the visited cell site history information further comprises a cell site count of the number of times a visited cell site was selected by the mobile communication device over the moving time period of operation, and the acts of determining that the mobile communication device is permitted to operate for communications in the wireless local area network and enabling the second wireless transceiver portion for communications are based both identifying that the cell site count is less than a cell site threshold count and identifying that the cell reselection count is greater than the cell reselection threshold count, indicating that the mobile communication device has been contained within the local geographic region in the wireless wide area network over the moving time period of operation.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular telecommunications network and the wireless local area network comprises an IEEE 802.11-based communication network.