Location determination for white space utilization

• US 8,437,790 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Anders, Billy R. Jr., Reed, Danny Allen, Garnett, Paul William
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/315,053
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 455/509, 455/114.2, 455/423, 370/329, 370/338, 370/462
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

A technique for a wireless device to obtain white space information from a component configured for cellular communication, such as a cellular phone. The wireless device and cellular phone may communicate using a short-range connection, such as a peer-to-peer connection, ensuring that the white space information, which is location based, generated by the cellular phone is also accurate for the location of the wireless device. With such white space information, the wireless device can comply with regulatory requirements for white space use by accessing a regulatory database identifying, by location, available white space channels. When the cellular phone is configured for accessing a wide area network, the cellular telephone may provide the white space information as a set of channels available for white space communication. Channels of the set may be prioritized based on one or more parameters, including frequency, permitted transmit power or detected noise.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic device to communicate in white space of an unassigned band of a licensed spectrum, the method comprising:

obtaining white space information from a component configured for cellular communication;

where the white space information comprises a reliability parameter and location information that is adapted for use in querying a white space database for usable channels in a location;

configuring a wireless communication sub-system of the electronic device for communication in a white space channel in response to the reliability parameter exceeding a threshold, where the reliability parameter indicates a degree of accuracy of the location information, and where the threshold indicates a desirable degree of accuracy;

where the configuring results in the electronic device being configured for operating as an access point in accordance with an infrastructure protocol; and

where the obtaining the whitespace information comprises communicating over a peer-to-peer connection.

2. The method of claim 1, where the white space information comprises one or more white space channels available for use.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising

repeatedly querying the component for the white space information;

and

receiving the white space information in response to a query.

4. The method of claim 1, where the component configured for cellular communication comprises a cellular telephone separate from the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, where the obtaining the white space information comprises communicating over the peer-to-peer connection.

6. At least one computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, control a portable electronic device configured for communication on a cellular band to perform a method comprising:

obtaining location information;

generating white space information based on the location information,

the generating comprising indicating a higher reliability when the location information is generated using GPS and indicating a lower reliability when the location information is generated using triangulation based on communication with a number of base stations when the number is below a threshold, where the higher reliability and the lower reliability each indicate a degree of accuracy of the location information, and where the threshold indicates a desirable degree of accuracy,

the generating further comprising obtaining, from a database and based on the location information, one or more white space channels in a location of the portable electronic device; and

transmitting the white space information over a peer-to-peer connection.

7. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 6, where the generating the white space information comprises generating reliability information and where the transmitting the white space information comprises transmitting the reliability information.

8. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 7, where the generating the reliability information further comprises indicating the higher reliability when the location information is generated using triangulation based on communication with a number of base stations when the number is above the threshold.

9. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 6, the method further comprising repeatedly providing updates of the white space information.

10. A method of operating a portable electronic device configured for wireless communication over a cellular network, the method comprising:

obtaining location information;

determining whether the portable electronic device has changed location more than a threshold amount since the obtaining the location information, where the threshold amount indicates a maximum allowable distance;

accessing a database using a data connection through the cellular network to generate white space information based on the location information and, when the portable electronic device has changed location more than the threshold amount, updating the generated white space information based on the changed location of the portable electronic device;

associating with the white space information an indicator of reliability of the location information, where the indicator of reliability indicates a degree of accuracy of the location information; and

communicating the white space information over a peer to peer connection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the white space information comprises a plurality of white space channels; and

the method further comprises attaching an order of desirability to the plurality of white space channels based on one or more of a frequency of each white space channel, permitted transmit power for each white space channel, or detected activity on each white space channel.

12. The method of claim 10, where the obtaining the location information comprising accessing a GPS component within the portable electronic device.

13. The method of claim 10, where the obtaining the location information comprising computing the location information based on signals received from at least three cellular base stations.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising communicating the indicator of reliability in conjunction with the white space information.