Redirection of a roaming wireless communication device and nearby home base station to achieve home carrier service

• US 8,391,859 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Pulugurta, Srikanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US12/579,559
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435, 455/432.1, 455/436, 455/433
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and system in which a wireless communication device that is registered for service with a roaming carrier network engages in peer-to-peer communication, via the roaming carrier network, with a home carrier server to notify the home carrier server of the device'"'"'s roaming status and location. The home carrier server then determines that no home carrier base station provides coverage at the reported location, and the home carrier server responsively reconfigures (e.g., directs or causes one or more entities to reconfigure) a nearby home carrier base station so as to provide coverage at the reported location. And the device then receives in response from the home carrier server a directive to register with and be served by the nearby home carrier base station instead and transitions to be served by the nearby home carrier base station.

Claims

1. A system operated by a home wireless carrier, the system comprising:

a home location register for registering current operating location of a wireless communication device that subscribes to service with the home wireless carrier, wherein, when the device detects coverage of a roaming carrier radio access network (RAN) operated by a roaming carrier, the device successfully registers for service with the roaming carrier by a process including (i) the device sending a registration message to the roaming carrier RAN, (ii) a registration update responsively being performed in the home location register, and (iii) a reply being sent to the device; and

a computer comprising a processor,

wherein, when the device has successfully registered for service with the roaming carrier RAN and is being served by the roaming carrier RAN, the computer receives in a peer-to-peer communication from the device to the computer, via the roaming carrier RAN, a report of the location of the device, and

wherein, given the report, the computer (i) makes a determination that no home carrier base station currently provides coverage at the reported location, (ii) responsive to the determination, dynamically reconfigures a nearby home carrier base station to provide coverage at the reported location, and (iii) generates and sends in a peer-to-peer response communication from the computer to the device, via the roaming carrier RAN, a directive that directs the device to be served by the nearby home carrier base station, so as to cause the device to transition to be served by the nearby home carrier base station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer conditions the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station on at least a threshold number of home carrier subscribers reporting operation at the reported location, the threshold being at least two.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer conditions the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station on (a) at least a threshold number of home carrier subscribers reporting operation at the reported location, the threshold being at least two, and (b) the nearby home carrier base station having a level of load below a threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station comprises physically adjusting an antenna configuration of the nearby home carrier base station.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station comprises adjusting phase of one or more antenna elements of the nearby home carrier base station.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer implements the home location register.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising the nearby home carrier base station,

wherein after the computer sends the directive to the device, the nearby home carrier base station receives registration signaling from the device when the device tunes to the nearby home carrier base station in response to the directive, and wherein the nearby home carrier base station then serves the device with wireless communication service.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the directive specifies operational parameters of the nearby home carrier base station, the operational parameters being usable by the device to tune to and begin communication with the nearby home carrier base station.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operational parameters include an initial transmit power usable by the device for initial communication from the device to the nearby home carrier base station.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer selects the initial transmit power based on distance between the reported location of the device and a location of the nearby home carrier base station.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer includes in the directive a specification of the selected initial transmit power.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising the nearby home carrier base station,

wherein after the computer sends the directive to the device, the nearby home carrier base station receives registration signaling transmitted at the initial reverse link transmit power from the device as specified by the directive, and wherein the nearby home carrier base station then serves the device with wireless communication service.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the peer-to-peer communication from the device to the computer is a Short Message Service (SMS) message, and the peer-to-peer response communication from the computer to the device is an SMS message.

14. A method comprising:

a home carrier providing a wireless communication device for use under a service subscription with the home carrier, the home carrier having a home carrier radio access network (RAN) including a home carrier base station, the home carrier having a home location register that holds data specifying current operating location of the device, and the home carrier having a computer that is arranged direct the device to home service when the device is roaming;

when the device has successfully registered for service with a roaming carrier RAN and is being served by the roaming carrier RAN, the computer receiving in a peer-to-peer communication from the device to the computer, via the roaming carrier RAN, a report of geographic location of the device; and

in response to the report, (i) the computer making a determination that no home carrier base station currently provides coverage at the reported location, (ii) responsive to the determination, (iii) the computer dynamically reconfigures a nearby home carrier base station to provide coverage at the reported location, and (iv) the computer generating and sending in a peer-to-peer response communication from the computer to the device, via the roaming carrier RAN, a directive that directs the device to be served by the selected nearby home carrier base station, so as to cause the device to transition to be served by the selected nearby home carrier base station.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the device responds to the directive by transitioning to be served by the selected nearby home base station.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a distance between the reported location and a location of the selected nearby home carrier base station;

using the distance as a basis to determine an initial reverse link transmit power for use by the device to communicate with the nearby home carrier base station;

the computer including in the directive a specification of the determined initial transmit power; and

the nearby home base station then receiving an initial communication transmitted at the determined initial reverse link transmit power from the device as specified by the directive.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

conditioning the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station on at least a threshold number of home carrier subscribers reporting operation at the reported location, the threshold being at least two.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

conditioning the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station on (a) at least a threshold number of home carrier subscribers reporting operation at the reported location, the threshold being at least two, and (b) the nearby home carrier base station having a level of load below a threshold.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station comprises physically adjusting an antenna configuration of the nearby home carrier base station.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the dynamic reconfiguring of the nearby home carrier base station comprises adjusting phase of one or more antenna elements of the nearby home carrier base station.