Cross-technology coverage mapping system and method for modulating scanning behaviour of a wireless user equipment (UE) device

• US 8,185,103 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Alfano, Nicholas, Kezys, Vytautas, Lam, Yiu, George, Richard, Oliver, Brian, Pletsch, Mark, Gopalan, Balaji, Carpenter, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho, Un C
• Application Number:
  US13/113,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20110223935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/414.2, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 455/432.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

A network node provides coverage information to wireless UE devices from a database that correlates coverage information for a radio access network with geographic area locations. The network node accepts updates to the coverage information for the radio access network via a first interface and downloads coverage information from the database to a wireless user equipment (UE) device via a second interface.

Claims

1. A method, operable at a network node, for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device, comprising:

providing a database that correlates coverage information for a plurality of radio access networks operating in a plurality of radio access technologies with geographic area locations;

accepting administrative updates to the database via a first interface;

accepting updates to the coverage information for a first radio access network via a second interface; and

downloading coverage information from the database to a wireless user equipment (UE) device via a third interface.

2. The method for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein the coverage information downloaded to a UE device is based on the geographic area location of the UE device.

3. The method for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device as recited in claim 2, further comprising providing a UE device that is accessing the network node from an access point of the first radio access network with neighboring access points and associated geographic locations.

4. The method for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving updates to coverage information for the first radio access network from a UE device via a fourth interface.

5. The method for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein the updates to coverage information for the first radio access network are received from a network operator of the first radio access network.

6. The method for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first radio access network is one of a generic access network and a wireless local area network.

7. The method for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining that data for a given location area is stale.

8. The method for providing coverage information to a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, further comprising wherein the database further provides a time log of successful and unsuccessful attempts to access a particular radio access network.

9. A network node, comprising:

a database that correlates coverage information for a plurality of radio access networks operating in a plurality of radio access technologies with geographic area locations;

a first interface for accepting administrative updates to the database;

a second interface operable to receive updates to the coverage information from a first radio access network; and

a third interface operable to download information from the database to a user equipment (UE) device.

10. The network node as recited in claim 9, wherein the coverage information downloaded to a UE device is based on the geographic area location of the UE device.

11. The network node as recited in claim 10, wherein the network node is operable to provide a UE device that is accessing the network node via an access point of the first radio access network with neighboring access points and associated geographic locations.

12. The network node as recited in claim 9, further comprising a fourth interface operable to receive updates to the coverage information for the first radio access network from a UE device.

13. The network node as recited in claim 9, wherein updates to coverage information for the first radio access network are received from a network operator of the first radio access network.

14. The network node as recited in claim 9, wherein the first radio access network is one of a generic access network and a wireless local area network.

15. A method operable on a wireless user equipment (UE) device, the method comprising:

using a first interface to download, from a network node, coverage information for a plurality of radio access networks, which operate in a plurality of access technologies, correlated with geographic location;

storing the downloaded information in a local database; and

using a second interface to upload, to the network node, updates to the coverage information for a first radio access network of the plurality of radio access networks.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising while accessing the network node from an access point of a first radio access network, receiving information regarding neighboring access points of the first radio access network and associated geographic locations.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising accessing the radio access network using the downloaded coverage information.