Method and apparatus for management of low-battery mobile stations

• US 7,570,975 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harris, John M., Benes, Stanley J., Kelley, Sean S., Oprescu-Surcobe, Valentin
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US11/552,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20070091836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 455/127.1, 455/70, 455572-574, 455/343.1, 455/343.5, 455/404.1, 455/343.2, 455/69, 455/412.2, 340/7.32, 340/7.33, 340/7.35, 340/7.22, 340/7.37, 340/7.41
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system provides network-based battery power management that may be transparent to a user of a mobile station (MS). When one or more elements of a network of the communication system determines that the MS is operating at a low power supply charge level and/or has experienced a significant change in a charging level of the power supply, the one or more network elements may arrange for postponement of delivery of a delay-tolerant service to the MS or for adjustment of one or more of a characteristic of a service provided to the MS and a parameter of a radio communication with the MS, including restoration of full services to an MS whose power supply charge level has been restored.

Claims

1. A method for managing a charge level of a power supply of a mobile station comprising:

determining, by a network element, that the mobile station is operating at a low power supply charge level; and

in response to the determination, performing one or more of adjusting a parameter of a radio communication with the mobile station, and instructing the mobile station to acquire an alternative network, communication system, or wireless technology that is different than the current network, communication system, or wireless technology.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting comprises one or more of changing a technique for managing an active set of the mobile station, operating the mobile station at a different forward error rate, operating the mobile station with different retransmission parameters, selecting a channel for farther communications with the mobile station based on an amount of power consumed for transmission over each such channel, applying resource allocation strategies that minimize power consumption by the mobile station, controlling radio configuration and gating to minimize power consumption by the mobile station, and prohibiting speculative active behavior related to the mobile station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of adjusting a parameter of a radio frequency communication with the mobile station and instructing the mobile station to acquire an alternative network is based on one or more of a type of the mobile station, a service subscribed to by the mobile station, and battery characteristics of the mobile station.

4. A Services Battery Manager that resides in a telecommunications network and is configured to determine that a mobile station is operating at a low power supply charge level and, in response to the determination, perform one or more of postponing a service being delivered to the mobile station, adjusting signaling between the mobile station and a network serving the mobile station, delaying a connection of an incoming call by alerting on a common channel and connecting the call only upon acceptance of the call by a target mobile station, disabling a ring tone of the originating mobile station, reducing a quantity of message alerts being delivered to the mobile station, reducing a quantity of call alerts being delivered to the mobile station, queuing and combining one or more call alerts and messages for conveyance to the mobile station in a combined message, speeding up voicemail playback when a user of the mobile station is on the voice channel, automatically reducing an amount of information being delivered to the mobile station with respect to voicemail messages, replacing real-time voice with “

voice messaging”

increasing an interval between updates for services that require periodic refreshing of information, and instructing the mobile station to acquire an alternative network, communication system, or wireless technology that is different than the current network, communication system, or wireless technology.

5. The Services Battery Manager of claim 4, wherein the Service Battery Manager postpones delivery of a service provided to the mobile station by postponing delivery of one or more of a Short Message Service, an Enhanced Messaging Service, a Multimedia Messaging Service, a push service, a “

To Go”

service, and an over-the-air delivering of a software update to the mobile station.

6. The Services Battery Manager of claim 4, wherein the Services Battery Manager performs one or more of adjusting a characteristic of a service being delivered to the mobile station and postponing a service being delivered to the mobile station based on one or more of a type of the mobile station, a capability of the mobile station, a service subscribed to by the mobile station, a profile of power consumption of the mobile station, and battery characteristics of the mobile station.

7. An application service comprising the Services Battery Manager of claim 4.

8. A core network element comprising the Services Battery Manager of claim 4.

9. A Radio Battery Manager that resides in a Radio Access portion of a telecommunications network and is configured to self-determine that a mobile station has undergone a change in a charging level, in response to the determination, adjust a parameter of a radio frequency communication with the mobile station.

10. The Radio Battery Manager of claim 9, wherein the Radio Battery Manager adjusts a parameter of a radio frequency communication by one or more of changing a technique for managing an active set of the mobile station, operating the mobile station at a different forward error rate, operating the mobile station with different retransmission parameters, selecting a channel for further communications with the mobile station based on an amount of power consumed for transmission over each such channel, applying resource allocation strategies that minimize power consumption by the mobile station, controlling radio configuration and gating to minimize power consumption by the mobile station, and prohibiting speculative behavior related to the mobile station.

11. The Radio Battery Manager of claim 9, wherein the Radio Battery Manager adjusts a parameter of a radio frequency communication based on one or more of a type of the mobile station, a service subscribed to by the mobile station, and battery characteristics of the mobile station.

12. A Base Station Controller comprising the Battery Manager of the Radio Access portion of the network of claim 9.

13. A Packet Control Function comprising the Battery Manager of the network in claim 9.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of determining that the mobile station has undergone a change in a charging level comprises self-determining by the Radio Battery Manager that the mobile station has undergone a change in a charging level by referencing to at least one timer in the network.

15. A Base Station comprising the Battery Manager of the Radio Access portion of the network of claim 9.

16. A method for managing a charge level of a power supply of a mobile station comprising:

determining, by a network element, that the mobile station is operating at a low power supply charge level; and

in response to the determination, performing one or more of postponing a service being delivered to the mobile station, reducing a quantity of message alerts provided to the mobile station, reducing a quantity of call alerts provided to the mobile station, and queuing and combining one or more call alerts and messages for conveyance to the mobile station in a combined message, speeding up voicemail playback when a user of the mobile station is on the voice channel, automatically reducing an amount of information provided to the mobile station with respect to voicemail messages, replacing real-time voice with “

voice messaging”

, automatically eliminating a video component of a multimedia stream and sending only an audio component, and increasing an interval between updates for services that require periodic refreshing of information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein postponing delivery of a service comprises postponing delivery of one or more of a Short Messaging Service, an Enhanced Messaging Service, a Multimedia Messaging Service, a push service, a “

To Go”

service, and an over-the-air provisioning of a software update to the mobile station.