Methods and systems for increasing wireless traffic capacity in the vicinity of an event site

• US 8,452,335 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Graves, Alan, Fitchett, Jeffrey, Vezza, Brian, Watkins, John
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/620,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20130029673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 455/446, 455/453, 455/423, 455/562.1, 4554221-425, 455 6711- 6716
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/04 Traffic adaptive resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

Network entity, method and computer-readable storage medium for use in a network that includes an arrangement of cell sites, each cell site configured to provide wireless services within a respective coverage region. The network entity may include an input configured to receive position information regarding occurrence of an event at an event site, and a processing entity configured to determine, based on the position information regarding occurrence of the event and policy information regarding the network, whether the event warrants coverage region reconfiguration and, if so, to generate a message commanding an adjustment to the coverage region of at least one cell site. An output is configured to release the message towards the at least one cell site, whereby application of the adjustment to the coverage region of the at least one cell site enables an increase in traffic to be accommodated in a vicinity of the event site.

Claims

1. A cell site for use in a wireless network, comprising:

an antenna subsystem having antenna response characteristics that allow the cell site to provide wireless services to users within a coverage region;

a control entity, said control entity configured to receive a first message instructing the cell site to apply an adjustment to the coverage region and, in response, to adjust the antenna response characteristics of the antenna subsystem to move the coverage region towards an event site; and

the control entity configured to receive a second message instructing the cell site to return to a quiescent state and, in response, to adjust the antenna response characteristics of the antenna subsystem a further time to cause the coverage region to assume at least an original position, size or location.

2. The cell site defined in claim 1, said first message having been generated on a basis of a set of factors including position information regarding the event site and position information regarding the cell site.

3. The cell site defined in claim 2, wherein the event site is associated with an expected future increase in demand for wireless services, and wherein said control entity is configured to adjust the antenna response characteristics of the antenna subsystem prior to a time at which said future increase in demand is expected to occur.

4. The cell site defined in claim 1, wherein to adjust the antenna response characteristics, the control entity is operable to increase a sensitivity of the antenna subsystem in a direction towards the event site and decrease a sensitivity of the antenna subsystem in a direction away from the event site.

5. The cell site defined in claim 4, wherein to adjust the antenna response characteristics, the control entity is operable to effect a power level adjustment operation.

6. The cell site defined in claim 4, wherein to adjust the antenna response characteristics, the control entity is operable to effect a beam forming operation.

7. The cell site defined in claim 1, wherein adjustment of the antenna response characteristics causes the coverage region to move as a function of a distance between the cell site and the event site.

8. The cell site defined in claim 7, wherein adjustment of the antenna response characteristics causes the coverage region to move by an amount that is inversely proportional to the distance between the cell site and the event site, when said distance exceeds a threshold.

9. The cell site defined in claim 1, wherein adjustment of the antenna response characteristics causes the cell site to take over wirelessly servicing a set of users until then serviced by a second cell site closer to the event site.

10. The cell site defined in claim 1, wherein adjustment of the antenna response characteristics causes the cell site to cease wirelessly servicing a subset of said users.

11. The cell site defined in claim 10, said control entity configured to receive a third message instructing the cell site to apply a further adjustment to the coverage region and, in response, to adjust the antenna response characteristics-of the antenna subsystem a further time to move the coverage region away from the event site.

12. The cell site defined in claim 11, said cell site being a first cell site, wherein adjustment of the antenna response characteristics the further time causes the cell site to take over wirelessly servicing a set of users until then serviced by a second cell site closer to the event site.

13. The cell site defined in claim 12, wherein at least some of the users in said set of users until then serviced by the second cell site includes at least one user in said subset of users that the first cell site had ceased to service.

14. The cell site defined in claim 12, said cell site being a first cell site, wherein adjustment of the antenna response characteristics the further time causes the cell site to take over wirelessly servicing a set of zero or more users until then serviced by a second cell site closer to the event site, wherein the set of zero or more users contains fewer users than said subset of users that the first cell site had ceased to service.

15. The cell site defined in claim 1, said control entity being configured to receive a sequence of messages instructing the cell site to apply a dynamic adjustment to the coverage region and, in response, to adjust the antenna response characteristics of the antenna subsystem to correspondingly move the coverage region.

16. A method in a wireless network cell site, the cell site comprising an antenna subsystem having antenna response characteristics that allow the cell site to provide wireless services to users within a coverage region, the method comprising:

receiving, at the cell site, a first message instructing the cell site to apply an adjustment to the coverage region;

in response to the first message, adjusting the antenna response characteristics of the antenna subsystem to move the coverage region towards an event site;

receiving, at the cell site, a second message instructing the cell site to return to a quiescent state; and

in response to the second message, adjusting the antenna response characteristics of the antenna subsystem a further time to cause the coverage region to assume at least an original position, size, or location.