System and method for accelerating network selection by a wireless user equipment (UE) device

• US 8,428,584 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Buckley, Adrian, Allen, Andrew, Henderson, Gregory Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US11/173,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20070004405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,853 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/222, 709227-229, 455/435.3, 455/552.1, 370/228
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18547 for geolocalisation of a station position fixing by direction or distance determination G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for accelerating network selection by a wireless user equipment (UE) device without having to perform a full band scan (FBS). In one exemplary embodiment, the wireless UE device is operable to scan in a network environment for discovering at least one network. Depending upon geographic region information decoded from the discovered network'"'"'s identity information, a logic structure in the wireless UE device is operable to determine a subset of appropriate frequency data for selective scanning by said wireless UE device. Using the subset of appropriate frequency data, a selective scanning is performed for locating a network by the wireless UE device.

Claims

1. A method for accelerating network selection by a wireless user equipment (UE) device, comprising:

upon one of power-up and losing coverage of a network with which said wireless UE device was previously registered, scanning by said wireless UE device in at least one band of a plurality of bands identified according to respective radio access technologies as provisioned in a first local database structure;

upon discovering at least one network via said scanning, decoding said at least one network'"'"'s identity information, wherein said identity information comprises identification codes corresponding to at least one of a radio access network, a core network and a service network; and

downloading a second database structure from the network based on said decoded identity information to determine a subset of appropriate frequency data for selective scanning by said wireless UE device, thereby avoiding a full band scan for locating a network.

2. The method for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein said selective scanning is performed as an initial scan procedure.

3. The method for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein said selective scanning is further performed as a background scan procedure.

4. The method for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein said scanning is effectuated in a frequency band compliant with at least one of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standard selected from:

IEEE 802.11 standard, HiperLan standard, HiperLan II standard, Wi-Max standard, OpenAir standard, and Bluetooth standard.

5. The method for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein said scanning is effectuated in a frequency band compliant with at least one of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, an Enhanced Data Rates for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Evolution (EDGE) network, a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant network, an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network, and a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network.

6. The method for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one network'"'"'s identity information is decoded to generate geographic region information relative to said wireless UE device'"'"'s location.

7. The method for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

if multiple networks are located by said wireless UE device via selective scanning, applying a prioritization scheme for choosing a particular network for service.

8. The method for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

if multiple networks are located by said wireless UE device via selective scanning, manually choosing a particular network for service.

9. A system for accelerating network selection by a wireless user equipment (UE) device, comprising:

a component associated with said wireless UE device and configured, upon one of power-up and losing coverage of a network with which said wireless UE device was previously registered, to discover at least one network via scanning in at least one band of a plurality of bands identified according to respective radio access technologies as provisioned in a first local database structure;

a component configured to decode said at least one network'"'"'s identity information, wherein said identity information comprises identification codes corresponding to at least one of a radio access network, a core network and a service network; and

a component configured to download a second database structure from the network based on said decoded identity information to determine a subset of appropriate frequency data for facilitating selective scanning by said wireless UE device, thereby avoiding a full band scan for locating a network.

10. The system for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 9, wherein said selective scanning is performed as an initial scan procedure.

11. The system for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 9, wherein said selective scanning is further performed as a background scan procedure.

12. The system for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 9, wherein said scanning is effectuated in a frequency band compliant with at least one of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standard selected from:

IEEE 802.11 standard, HiperLan standard, HiperLan II standard, Wi-Max standard, OpenAir standard, and Bluetooth standard.

13. The system for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 9, wherein said scanning is effectuated in a frequency band compliant with at least one of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, an Enhanced Data Rates for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Evolution (EDGE) network, a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant network, an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEM), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network, and a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network.

14. The system for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 9, wherein said at least one network'"'"'s identity information is decoded to generate geographic region information relative to said wireless UE device'"'"'s location.

15. The system for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a component configured to apply a prioritization scheme to facilitate selection of a particular network for service if multiple networks are located by said wireless UE device via selective scanning.

16. The system for accelerating network selection by a wireless UE device as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a component configured to manually choose a particular network for service if multiple networks are located by said wireless UE device via selective scanning.

17. A wireless device, comprising:

a communications subsystem operable for scanning and for communicating over a plurality of bands;

a logic structure operable, upon one of power-up and losing coverage of a network with which said wireless UE device was previously registered, to effectuate discovery of at least one network via scanning in at least one band of a plurality of bands identified according to respective radio access technologies as provisioned in a first local database structure;

a logic structure for decoding said at least one network'"'"'s identity information, wherein said identity information comprises identification codes corresponding to at least one of a radio access network, a core network and a service network; and

a logic structure for downloading a second database structure from the network based on said decoded identity information to determine a subset of appropriate frequency data depending on decoded identity information, said subset of appropriate frequency data for facilitating selective scanning by said wireless device, thereby avoiding a full band scan for locating a network;

wherein said logic structures comprise at least one of hardware, firmware, and software that is stored in a memory of the wireless device.