Universal femto cell

• US 8,295,215 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrill, Robert J., Coppage, Carl Milton
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): EBRAHIM, ANEZ C
• Application Number:
  US11/897,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/422.1, 455/447, 455/267, 455/443, 455/266, 455/450, 455/442, 370/310, 370/328, 370/315, 370/344, 370/342, 370/312, 370/412
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A universal femto cell, method, and computer usable program product for using the universal femto cell are provided such that the femto cell is configurable according to the user'"'"'s choice of wireless carriers. A user configurable component of the universal femto cell enables a user to configure the universal femto cell to operate on at least one wireless communication network. The universal femto cell further includes a storage unit for storing information used in configuring the universal femto cell, a network communication component used in communicating with a network, and a user interface component to receive a user input. The universal femto cell receives a second input from a data processing system, and uses the user input and the second input to configure the universal femto cell to operate on one or more wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A universal femto cell comprising:

a radio transceiver for communicating with a wireless communication device;

a user configurable component in communication with the radio transceiver and configured to enable a user to configure the universal femto cell to operate on any one of a plurality of wireless carrier communication networks;

a storage unit for storing information used in configuring the universal femto cell;

a network communication component for connecting the universal femto cell to a network; and

a user interface component in communication with the storage unit and configured to receive a first input from the user, wherein one of the radio transceiver and the network communication component automatically receives a carrier configuration list that includes information about a set of wireless carriers from a network server in response to the universal femto cellular connecting to the network, and wherein the first input and the carrier configuration list are used by the user configurable component to configure the universal femto cell to operate on a user selected wireless communication network, wherein the user interface component is further configured to receive a second user input that includes user account information associated with the user selected wireless carrier;

wherein the carrier configuration list includes;

a carrier configuration information of the user selected wireless carrier selected from the set of wireless carriers, the carrier configuration information including first instructions to configure the universal femto cell to operate on a wireless communication network operated by the user selected wireless carrier;

wherein the carrier configuration information is provided responsive to a request for carrier configuration information, wherein the request includes authenticating information sufficient to authenticate one or more of the user and the universal femto cell, and the wireless carrier accepts the authenticating information.

2. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the carrier configuration list is received from a first network server and the carrier configuration information is received from a second network server.

3. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the carrier configuration information includes:

additional instructions usable for one or more of diagnostic functions, corrective functions, post-configuration functions, and informative functions, and wherein the additional instructions are received one of together with and separate from the carrier configuration information.

4. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein information used by the universal femto cell for communicating with the network server to receive the carrier configuration list is preconfigured in the universal femto cell prior to sell.

5. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the user interface component is a web server, wherein the web server presents a web page on a web-browser equipped network server, and wherein the user uses the web page to provide the first input.

6. The universal femto cell of claim 1, wherein the network communication component is capable of connecting to at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

7. The universal femto cell of claim 1, further comprising:

a reset mechanism, wherein the reset mechanism instructs the universal femto cell to use a default configuration.

8. A method for using a universal femto cell, the method comprising:

receiving a carrier configuration list that includes information about a set of wireless carriers from a network server in response to the universal femto cellular connecting to a network;

receiving a first input from a user; and

configuring, using the first input and the carrier configuration list, a user configurable component of the universal femto cell to operate the universal femto cell on any one of a user selected wireless communication network among a plurality of wireless carrier communication networks; and

receiving a second user input that includes user account information associated with the user selected wireless carrier;

wherein receiving the carrier configuration list further includes;

receiving career configuration information of a wireless carrier selected from the set of wireless carriers, the carrier configuration information including first instructions to configure the universal femto cell to operate on the user selected wireless communication network operated by the wireless carrier;

wherein the carrier configuration information is received responsive to a request for carrier configuration information, wherein the request includes authenticating information sufficient to authenticate one or more of the user and the universal femto cell, anti the wireless carrier accepts the authenticating information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the carrier configuration list is received from a first network server and the carrier configuration information is received from a second network, server.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving additional instructions, wherein the additional instructions are usable for one or more of diagnostic functions, corrective functions, post-configuration functions, and in formative functions.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein information used for receiving the carrier configuration list is preconfigured in the universal femto cellular prior to sell.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the user interface component is a web server, wherein the web server presents a web page on a web-browser equipped network server, and wherein the user uses the web page to provide the first input.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the network communication component of the universal femto cell is capable of connecting to at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing information used in configuring the universal femto cell in a storage unit.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

resetting the universal femto cell to a default configuration.

16. A computer usable program product in a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for using a universal femto cell that, when executed, cause the universal femto cell to:

receive a first input from the user using a user interface component;

receive a carrier configuration list from a network server using one of a radio transceiver of the femto cell a network communication component of the femto cell;

configure, using the first and the carrier configuration list, a user configurable component of the universal femto cell to operate the universal femto cell on any one of a user selected wireless communication network among a plurality of wireless carrier communication networks; and

receive a second user input that includes user account information associated with the user selected wireless carrier;

wherein the instructions causing the universal femto cell to receive the carrier configuration list further include instructions that, when executed cause the universal femto cell to;

receive a carrier configuration information of a wireless carrier selected from the set of wireless carriers, the carrier configuration information including first instructions to configure the universal femto cell to operate on the user selected wireless communication network operated by the wireless carrier;

wherein the carrier configuration information is received responsive to a request for carrier configuration information, wherein the request includes authenticating information sufficient to authenticate one or more of the user and the universal femto cell, and the wireless carrier accepts the authenticating information.

17. The computer usable program product of claim 16, wherein the carrier configuration list is received from a first network server and the carrier configuration information is received from a second network server.

18. The computer usable program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions to:

receive additional instructions, wherein the additional instructions are usable for one or more of diagnostic functions, corrective functions, post-configuration functions, and informative functions.

19. The computer usable program product of claim 16, wherein information used for receiving the carrier configuration list is preconfigured in the universal femto cell.

20. The computer usable program product of claim 16, wherein the user interface component is a web server, wherein the web server presents a web page on a web-browser equipped network server, and wherein the user uses the web page to provide the first input.

21. The computer usable program product of claim 16, wherein the network communication component of the universal femto cell is capable of connecting to at least one of a local area network and a wide area network.

22. The computer usable program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions to:

store information used in configuring the universal femto cell in a storage unit.

23. The computer usable program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions to:

reset the universal femto cell to a default configuration.

24. The computer usable program product of claim 16, further comprising instructions to:

reset the universal femto cell to a default configuration.