Systems and methods for using topology to determine whether to grant an access request from an access terminal

• US 8,355,364 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2009
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Vargantwar, Sachin, Rai, Deveshkumar, Khanka, Bhagwan, Goyal, Sandeep, Goyal, Anoop
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Application Number:
  US12/572,426
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for determining whether to accept an access request from an AT. In an embodiment of the invention, a base station receives an access request from an AT that is located within a sector served by the base station. In response to receiving the access request, the base station obtains the physical location of the AT within the sector. The base station then determines whether to accept the access request based on the physical location of the AT within the sector.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a base station, an access request from an access terminal, wherein the access terminal is physically located within a first distance from the base station, and wherein the first distance is defined by an access search window;

in response to receiving the access request, determining, by the base station, (i) a physical location of the access terminal, and (ii) a specific geographical topology in which the access terminal is physically located, wherein the specific geographical topology contains structure that interferes with signals communicated between the access terminal and the base station;

if the access terminal is physically located within a second distance from the base station, wherein the second distance is associated with the specific geographical topology, accepting, by the base station, the access request; and

if the access terminal is physically located beyond the second distance, rejecting, by the base station, the access request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the physical location of the access terminal comprises requesting the physical location of the access terminal from a location system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location system, in response to receiving the physical location request, determines the physical location of the access terminal using an angle-of-arrival technique.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the location system, in response to receiving the physical location request, determines the physical location of the access terminal using a time-of-arrival technique.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the location system, in response to receiving the physical location request, determines the physical location of the access terminal using GPS coordinates of the access terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific geographical topology is an urban topology.

7. A system comprising:

a base station, wherein the base station includes a processor and data storage, wherein the data storage contains program logic that, upon execution by the processor, causes the base station to;

receive an access request from an access terminal, wherein the access terminal is physically located within a first distance from the base station, and wherein the first distance is defined by an access search window;

in response to receiving the access request, determine (i) a physical location of the access terminal, and (ii) a specific geographical topology in which the access terminal is physically located, wherein the specific geographical topology contains structure that interferes with signals communicated between the access terminal and the base station;

if the access terminal is physically located within a second distance from the base station, wherein the second distance is associated with the specific geographical topology, accept the access request; and

if the access terminal is physically located beyond the second distance, reject the access request.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a location system, wherein determining the physical location of the access terminal comprises requesting the physical location of the access terminal from the location system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the location system is arranged to determine the physical location of the access terminal using an angle-of-arrival technique in response to receiving the physical location request from the base station.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the location system is arranged to determine the physical location of the access terminal using a time-of-arrival technique in response to receiving the physical location request from the base station.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the location system is arranged to determine the physical location of the access terminal using GPS coordinates of the access terminal in response to receiving the physical location request from the base station.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the specific geographic topology is an urban topology.