Remedial measures for wireless communication device access request failure

• US 8,406,120 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Sandhu, Sandip, Yachanin, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US12/699,181
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0841 with collision treatment

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods that allow a wireless device to reinitialize operating software of the wireless device due to a quantity of failed communication network access requests. In a particular embodiment, a wireless device transfers a plurality of access requests to a communication network during a period of time. The wireless device monitors responses to the plurality of access requests to determine a quantity of failed access requests during the period of time. Then, the wireless device determines whether the quantity of failed access requests is greater than a threshold value. If the quantity of failed access requests is greater than the threshold value, then wireless device reinitializes the operating software of the wireless device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless device comprising:

transferring a plurality of access requests to a communication network during a period of time;

monitoring responses to the plurality of access requests to determine a quantity of failed access requests during the period of time;

determining whether the quantity of failed access requests is greater than a threshold value; and

if the quantity of failed access requests is greater than the threshold value, reinitializing operating software of the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of failed access requests occur consecutively within the plurality of access requests.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each access request of the plurality of access requests comprises a network access probe.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each access request comprises a sequence of network access probes.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each consecutive network access probe of the sequence of access probes is transmitted at a higher power level than the previous network access probe.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the failed access requests comprises a network access refusal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the failed access requests comprises an network access probe transfer failure.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the quantity of failed access requests is greater than a second threshold value; and

if the quantity of failed access requests is greater than the second threshold value, stopping transference of access requests for a second period of time.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

after the second period of time, transferring a second plurality of access requests to the communication network during a third period of time;

monitoring response to the second plurality of access requests to determine a second quantity of failed access requests during the third period of time;

determining whether the quantity of failed access requests is greater than a third threshold value;

if the second quantity of failed access requests is greater than the third threshold value, stopping transference of access requests for a fourth period of time.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication network comprises a code division multiple access network.

11. A wireless device comprising:

a communication interface configured to transfer a plurality of access requests to a communication network during a period of time and receive responses to the plurality of access requests;

a processing system configured to run operating software, monitor the responses to the plurality of access requests to determine a quantity of failed access requests during the period of time, determine whether the quantity of failed access requests is greater than a threshold value, and, if the quantity of failed access requests is greater than the threshold value, reinitialize the operating software.

12. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein the quantity of failed access requests occur consecutively within the plurality of access requests.

13. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein each access request of the plurality of access requests comprises a network access probe.

14. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein each access request comprises a sequence of network access probes.

15. The wireless device of claim 14 wherein each consecutive network access probe of the sequence of network access probes is transmitted at a higher power level than the previous network access probe.

16. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein at least one of the failed network access requests comprises a network access refusal.

17. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein at least one of the failed network access requests comprises a network access probe transfer failure.

18. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein the processing system is further configured to determine whether the quantity of failed access requests is greater than a second threshold value and, if the quantity of failed access requests is greater than the second threshold value, stopping transference of access requests for a second period of time.

19. The wireless device of claim 18 further comprising:

the communication interface further configured to, after the second period of time, transfer a second plurality of access requests to the communication network during a third period of time;

the processing system further configured to monitor responses to the second plurality of access requests to determine a quantity of failed access requests during the period of time, determine whether the second quantity of failed access requests is greater than a third threshold value, and, if the quantity of failed access requests is greater than the third threshold value, stopping the transference of access requests for a fourth period of time.

20. The wireless device of claim 11 wherein the communication network is a code division multiple access network.