Optimized system selection using location estimation

• US 8,929,888 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rao, Bharath Narasimha, Chaudhary, Madhusudan, Anantharaman, Karthik
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEIBER, SHANTELL LAKETA
• Application Number:
  US13/110,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20120129487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/456.1, 455/450
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A current location of a mobile system in a wireless network can be determined by using information provided by a base station in communication with the mobile system. The information can include a system identifier (SID) table and a local time offset (LTM_OFF) value and a daylight savings time (DAYLT) value. The SID table is used to provide a mobile country code (MCC) associated with a country in which the mobile device is located. The LTM_OFF value is used to provide a range of longitude values in which the mobile device is located. The current location of the mobile device is based upon at least the range of longitude values and the current country. The current location is used to build an optimized scan list that is used, in turn, to identify and acquire access to the preferred system by a mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a mobile system, a message from a base station, the message including a system identifier (SID) and time information that identifies the base station;

estimating a first location of the mobile system based on the time information, the estimated location identifying a location within a country;

using the estimated first location to identify a preferred system;

acquiring service associated with the preferred systems;

associating the acquired service with a geographical region in a locate table, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a range of geographic coordinates;

subsequent to the estimating of the first location, estimating a second location of the mobile system, wherein the second location is outside of the range of geographic coordinates; and

updating the range associated with the geographical region to include the second location.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the geographical region locate table is used to identify the preferred system.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a Preferred Roaming List (PRL) indicator indicating that the SID is provisioned in a PRL stored in the mobile system.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a second SID associated with the acquired service, wherein the geographical region is associated with the second SID,

wherein updating the range associated with the geographical region includes updating a range of geographic coordinates associated with the second SID.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the SID is not associated with the preferred system, wherein the determination is made by using the geographical region locate table.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

building a scan list based on channels associated with the geographical region in the geographical region locate table, and

using the scan list to acquire the preferred system.

7. The method as recited claim 6, further comprising;

scanning the optimized scan list to acquire access to the preferred system.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimated location includes a geographic coordinate.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the estimated location includes a range of locations.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the time information includes a time offset.

11. A wireless mobile system, comprising:

a wireless interface, the wireless interface configured for wirelessly communication with a wireless base station;

a memory device, the memory device arranged to store data, the data including at least a preferred roaming list (PRL); and

a processor, the processor coupled to the wireless interface and the memory device, the processor arranged to;

access, at a mobile system, a message received from a base station, the message including a system identifier (SID) and time information that identifies the base station;

estimate a first location of the mobile system based on the time information, the estimated location identifying a location within a country;

use the estimated first location to identify a preferred system;

acquire service associated with the preferred system;

associate the acquired service with a geographical region in a locate table, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a range of geographic coordinates;

subsequent to the estimating of the first location, estimate a second location of the mobile system, wherein the second location is outside of the range of geographic coordinates; and

update the range associated with the geographical region to include the second location.

12. The wireless mobile system, as recited in claim 11, wherein the geographical region locate table is used to identify the preferred system.

13. The wireless mobile system, as recited in claim 11, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a Preferred Roaming List (PRL) indicator indicating that the SID is provisioned in a PRL stored in the mobile system.

14. The wireless mobile system, as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor is further arranged to:

identify a second SID associated with the acquired service, wherein the geographical region is associated with the second SID,

wherein updating the range associated with the geographical region includes updating a range of geographic coordinates associated with the second SID.

15. The wireless mobile system, as recited in claim 11, wherein the processor builds a scan list based on channels associated with the geographical region in the geographical region locate table and scans the scan list to acquire access to the preferred system.

16. Non-transitory computer readable medium for storing program code executable by a processor in a wireless mobile system in a wireless communication network, comprising:

computer code for receiving, at a mobile system, a message from a base station, the message including a system identifier (SID) and time information that identifies the base station;

computer code for estimating a first location of the mobile system based on the time information, the estimated location identifying a location within a country;

computer code for using the estimated first location to identify a preferred system;

computer code for acquiring service associated with the preferred system;

computer code for associating the acquired service with a geographical region in a locate table, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a range of geographic coordinates;

computer code for, subsequent to the estimating of the first location, estimating a second location of the mobile system, wherein the second location is outside of the range of geographic coordinates; and

computer code for updating the range associated with the geographical region to include the second location.

17. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the geographical region locate table is used to identify the preferred system.

18. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a Preferred Roaming List (PRL) indicator indicating that the SID is provisioned in a PRL stored in the mobile system.

19. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

computer code for identifying a second SID associated with the acquired service, wherein the geographical region is associated with the second SID,

wherein updating the range associated with the geographical region includes updating a range of geographic coordinates associated with the second SID.

20. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

computer code for building a scan list based on channels associated with the geographical region in the geographical region locate table, and

computer code for using the scan list to acquire the preferred system.

21. The computer readable medium as recited claim 16, further comprising;

computer code for determining that the SID is not associated with the preferred system, wherein the determination is made by using the geographical region locate table.

22. A wireless network, comprising:

a base station; and

a mobile system, wherein the mobile system is configured to;

access, at a mobile system, a message received from a base station, the message including a system identifier (SID) and time information that identifies the base station;

estimate a first location of the mobile system based on the time information, the estimated first location identifying a location within a country;

use the estimated first location to identify a preferred system;

acquire service associated with the preferred system;

associate the acquired service with a geographical region in a locate table, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a range of geographic coordinates;

subsequent to the estimating of the first location, estimate a second location of the mobile system, wherein the second location is outside of the range of geographic coordinates; and

update the range associated with the geographical region to include the second location.

23. The wireless network as recited in claim 22, wherein the geographical region locate table is used to identify the preferred system.

24. The wireless network as recited in claim 23, wherein the geographical region is further associated with a Preferred Roaming List (PRL) indicator indicating that the SID is provisioned in a PRL stored in the mobile system.

25. The wireless network as recited in claim 23, wherein the mobile system is further configured to identify a second SID associated with the acquired service, wherein the geographical region is associated with the second SID, wherein updating the range associated with the geographical region includes updating a range of geographic coordinates associated with the second SID.

26. The wireless network as recited in claim 23, wherein the mobile device builds a scan list based on channels associated with the geographical region in the geographical region locate table, uses the scan list to acquire the preferred system and scans the optimized scan list to acquire access to the preferred system.