Communication environment switchover

• US 8,599,867 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hicks, John Alson III, Worsham, James A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, M.
• Application Number:
  US13/681,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20130078997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 370316-328, 370331-352, 455405-415, 455418-422, 455436-550, 709203-223
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• 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

Communication environment switchover may be provided. A received signal strength level may be determined corresponding to a signal sent from a first device and received at a second device. The received signal strength level may be measured at the second device. In addition, the first device may be re-provisioned. For example, the first device may be re-provisioned to communicate in a second environment if the first device is provisioned to communicate in a first environment and if the received signal strength level is greater than a first threshold value. Furthermore, the first device to be re-provisioned to communicate in the first environment if the first device is provisioned to communicate in the second environment and if the received signal strength level is less than a second threshold value. The second threshold value may be less than the first threshold value.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

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

in response to querying a wireless access point device for measured signal strength data, determining signal strength information of a transmitted signal associated with a device based on the measured signal strength data;

in response to determining that the device is not provisioned to communicate in a first communication environment, determining whether the device is provisioned to communicate in a second communication environment;

in response to determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in the second communication environment, determining whether a level of the signal strength information is less than a second predetermined level of the signal strength information, wherein the second predetermined level is lower than a first predetermined level of the signal strength information that is associated with a first communication in the second communication environment;

in response to determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in the second communication environment, and in response to determining that the level of the signal strength information is less than the second predetermined level, facilitating re-provisioning the device for establishing a second communication in the first communication environment; and

in response to determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in the first communication environment, and in response to determining that the level of the signal strength information is greater than the first predetermined level, facilitating re-provisioning the device for establishing the first communication and a third communication in the second communication environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication environment comprises a set of cellular wireless network devices associated with a service provider.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication environment comprises a set of packetized data network devices not associated with a service provider.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating re-provisioning of the device via a handover during an active call.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined level comprises a value not greater than −

70 decibel-milliwatts.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined level comprises a value not less than −

50 decibel-milliwatts.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless access point device is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11x based access point device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating roaming of the device between the first communication environment and the second communication environment.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating establishing a three-party call between the first communication environment and the second communication environment.

8. A method, comprising:

in response to sending a request to a wireless access point device for data associated with a signal received by the wireless access point device, determining, by a system comprising a processor, a strength of the signal;

in response to determining that the device is not provisioned to communicate in a first environment, determining, by the system, whether the device is provisioned to communicate in a second environment;

in response to determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in the second environment, determining whether the strength of the signal is less than a second predetermined signal strength, wherein the second predetermined signal strength is lower than a first predetermined signal strength associated with facilitating establishing a first communication in the second environment;

in response to determining that the strength of the signal is less than the second predetermined signal strength, facilitating, by the system, re-provisioning of the device for facilitating a second communication in the first environment; and

in response to determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in the first environment, and in response to determining that the strength of the signal is greater than the first predetermined signal strength, facilitating, by the system, re-provisioning of the device for facilitating the first communication and a third communication in the second communication environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in the first environment comprises determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in a cellular wireless network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in the second environment comprises determining that the device is provisioned to communicate in an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11x based network.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second predetermined signal strength is less than or equal to −

70 decibel-milliwatts.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first predetermined signal strength is greater than or equal to −

50 decibel-milliwatts.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the re-provisioning of the device comprises triggering an in-call transfer from a first wireless communication connection to a second wireless communication connection.

14. A tangible computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining a strength level of a signal that is transmitted by a first device and received by a second device by querying the second device to obtain a measurement of the strength level of the signal;

in response to determining that the first device is not provisioned to communicate in the first environment, determining whether the first device is provisioned to communicate in a second environment and determining whether the strength level of the signal is less than a second predetermined strength level that is lower than a first predetermined strength level, wherein the first predetermined strength level is associated with facilitating a first communication in the second environment;

in response to determining that the first device is provisioned to communicate in the second environment and that the strength level of the signal is less than the second predetermined strength level, re-provisioning the first device to facilitate establishing a second communication in the first environment; and

in response to determining that the first device is provisioned to communicate in the first environment and that the strength level of the signal is greater than the first predetermined strength level, re-provisioning the first device to facilitate establishing the first communication and a third communication in the second environment.

15. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the re-provisioning of the first device comprises facilitating roaming of the first device between the first environment and the second environment.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the re-provisioning of the first device comprises facilitating establishing a three-party call between the first environment and the second environment.

17. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first environment is associated with a set of cellular wireless network devices.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the second environment is associated with a plurality of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11x enabled network devices.