Scanning of wireless environment in a femto-based home macro sector

• US 8,487,516 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brisebois, Arthur Richard, De Rosa, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Fan
• Application Number:
  US12/337,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20100151858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,672 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 310/370
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) are provided to trigger inter-carrier scanning in a mobile device based at least in part on location thereof. Femto access point (AP) that can serve the mobile device can determine location through cell or sector identifier that is extracted via scan(s) of macro wireless environment of the femto AP. Femto AP can rank extracted sector identifier(s) and establish home macro sector (HMS) identifier(s), and also can generate scanning requirements for idle-mode scan(s) by a mobile device that operates in a HMS and is authorized to access wireless coverage through the femto AP. Scanning requirement(s) can force periodic inter-carrier measurements of a HMS wireless environment, and establish HMS-specific radio link quality threshold(s). Wireless network can receive at least one of HMS identifier(s) and scanning requirement(s) and deliver same to mobile device(s) authorized to exploit wireless coverage through femto AP associated with the HMS ID(s) and the scanning requirement(s).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device comprising a processor, first identifier data indicative of a home macro sector identifier associated with a macro access point device within a macro wireless environment of a home access point device;

receiving, by the mobile device, scanning data indicative of a scanning behavior requirement associated with idle-mode operation, comprising receiving radio link quality threshold data that is different from radio quality threshold data employed in a non-home macro sector; and

implementing, by the mobile device, the scanning behavior requirement, based on a result of comparing second identifier data indicative of an identifier associated with a macro sector serving the mobile device and the first identifier data indicative of the home macro sector identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the macro wireless environment is a first macro wireless environment and the receiving, by the mobile device, the scanning data comprises receiving frequency data indicative of a frequency for scanning a second macro wireless environment of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

facilitating, by the mobile device, a transmission of acknowledgement data indicative of an acknowledgement of the home macro sector identifier, in response to receiving the first identifier data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifier is a first identifier and the method further comprises:

deleting, by the mobile device, the first identifier data, in response to a determination that information indicative of a second identifier associated with the mobile device has been removed from an access data structure that authorizes coverage through the home access point device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifier is a first identifier and the method further comprises:

disabling, by the mobile device, the scanning behavior requirement in response to a determination that information indicative of a second identifier associated with the mobile device has been removed from an access data structure that authorizes coverage through the home access point device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the mobile device, the first identifier data comprises receiving the first identifier data via a text message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the mobile device, the first identifier data associated with the macro access point device comprises receiving the first identifier data in response to a determination that third identifier data associated with the mobile device has been added to an access data structure that authorizes coverage through the home access point device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the mobile device, the second identifier data associated with the macro sector serving the mobile device, during the idle-mode operation; and

triggering, by the mobile device, scanning of a wireless environment in a scanning mode, in accordance with a home macro sector scanning behavior, in response to a determination that the identifier is identical to the home macro sector identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the triggering comprises triggering scanning of the wireless environment in the scanning mode that is dictated by the scanning behavior requirement associated with the idle-mode operation within the home macro sector.

10. A mobile device, comprising:

a memory to store computer-executable instructions; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to performions comprising;

receiving home macro sector identifier data associated with a home macro sector within a first macro wireless environment of a femto access point device, with which the mobile device is authorized to communicate, and scanning behavior requirement data associated with idle-mode operation within the home macro sector, wherein the receiving the home macro sector identifier data comprises receiving the home macro sector identifier data in response to a determination that mobile identifier data associated with the mobile device has been added to an access data structure that authorizes coverage through the femto access point device, and

scanning a second macro wireless environment of the mobile device to detect the femto access point device during the idle-mode operation, in response to a determination that macro identifier data indicative of an identifier of a macro access point device serving the mobile device matches the home macro sector identifier data.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating a dedicated application to monitor the identifier.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

disregarding a scan instruction received through a system broadcast message in response to the mobile device being determined to be within the home macro sector and in the idle-mode operation.

13. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the scanning behavior requirement data associated with idle-mode operation within the home macro sector comprises information indicative of a period of scans of the second macro wireless environment.

14. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the scanning behavior requirement data associated with idle-mode operation within the home macro sector comprises information indicative of a radio link quality threshold that is disparate from another radio quality threshold utilized in a non-home macro sector.

15. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the home macro sector identifier data through a short message service message.

16. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the scanning behavior requirement data comprises frequency data indicative of a frequency for scanning the second macro wireless environment of the mobile device.

17. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the identifier is a first identifier and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information indicative of removal of a second identifier associated with the mobile device from an access data structure that authorizes coverage through the femto access point device, and wherein the home macro sector identifier data and the scanning behavior requirement data are deleted from a data store associated with the mobile device, based on receipt of the information.

18. A system, comprising:

a memory to store computer-executable instructions; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

determining home macro sector identifier data associated with a macro access point device within a macro wireless environment of the femto access point device,

facilitating a transmission of the home macro sector identifier data to a user equipment that is authorized to connect to the femto access point device, wherein the user equipment initiates an inter-carrier frequency scan, in response to a comparison of the home macro sector identifier data with identifier data indicative of an identifier of an access point device serving the user equipment, and

determining idle-mode scanning requirement data, in response to a delivery of indication data indicative of an indication to prohibit generation of a scanning requirement.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the identifier data is first identifier data and the operations further comprise:

facilitating the transmission of the home macro sector identifier data in response to a determination that second identifier data associated with the user equipment is represented within an access data structure that authorizes coverage through the femto access point device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating the transmission of the home macro sector identifier through utilization of a text message.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a delivery of report data indicative of receipt of the home macro sector identifier at the user equipment.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating a transfer of indication data to the user equipment in response to an identifier of the user equipment being removed from an access list that authorizes coverage through the femto access point device, wherein the indication data comprises a request to delete the home macro sector identifier.

23. A system, comprising:

a memory to store computer-executable instructions; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the computer-executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

instructing a home access point device to scan, based on a schedule, a macro wireless environment and identify a home macro sector,

facilitating a transmission of the schedule to the home access point device,

facilitating a reception of identifier data indicative of a home macro sector identifier, and

facilitating a transfer of the identifier data to a mobile device that is authorized to exploit home access point device-based coverage, wherein information identifying the mobile device is recorded in an access data structure associated with the home access point device and wherein the mobile device triggers an inter-carrier frequency scan, during an idle mode of operation and in response to a determination that the home macro sector identifier matches an identifier of an access point device serving the mobile device.