System, method, and computer-readable medium for user equipment acquisition of an IP-femtocell system

• US 8,938,244 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2008
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: UbeeAirwalk, Inc. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Osborn, Christopher Martin Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Faragalla, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLIVER, GERALD L
• Application Number:
  US12/252,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20090258644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 4554321-4323, 455/422.1, 455/433, 455/434, 4554351-4353, 455436-445, 370331-352, 370389-435
• US Class Current: 455/444
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/385 Uniform resource identifier for session initiation protocol [SIP URI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0058 Transmission of hand-off measurement information, e.g. measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0083 Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 : Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 : by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 : based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 : between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 : Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 : Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium for acquisition of an IP-based femtocell system by a user equipment are provided. A manual femtocell acquisition procedure may be invoked at a user equipment for acquiring access to a femtocell system or network of femtocell systems. The femtocell acquisition routine may be invoked by supply of a command to a femto application hosted by the user equipment. Invocation of the femtocell acquisition routine results in the user equipment seeking the femtocell system allocated a prioritized preferred routing list entry. In the event that a femtocell system is located, the femtocell system may perform electronic serial number screening to prevent unintended attachment and registration on a femtocell system with which the user equipment does not have authorized access.

Claims

1. A method of providing communication services to a user equipment, comprising:

receiving a registration request from the user equipment at a femtocell to register with a femtocell, the femtocell comprising a base transceiver station, a base station controller, and an Internet Operating System to Session Initiation Protocol Adapter (IOS-SIP Adapter) that manages a pool of session initiation protocol user agents, the registration request comprising at least one identifier identifying the user equipment;

comparing, by the femtocell, the identifier with at least one user equipment identifier stored at the femtocell and completing registration of the user equipment with the femtocell in response to determining the received identifier matches the at least one user equipment identifier stored at the femtocell;

communicatively coupling the femtocell with a packet switched backhaul; and

allocating, by the IOS-SIP Adapter, a session initiation protocol user agent from the pool of SIP user agents that is assigned to the user equipment;

wherein completing registration comprises registering an identity of the allocated user agent with a location service for the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one electronic serial number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the registration request is received in response to receiving an input command from a user of the user equipment specifying the femtocell system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the femtocell has an Internet Protocol address assigned thereto, the method further comprising registering, by the femtocell, the session initiation protocol user agent with a location service, wherein the user agent includes the Internet Protocol address.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for execution by a processing system, the computer-executable instructions for providing communication services to a user equipment, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for:

receiving a registration request from the user equipment at a femtocell to register with the femtocell, the femtocell comprising a base transceiver station, a base station controller and an Internet Operating System to Session Initiation Protocol Adapter (IOS-SIP Adapter) that manages a pool of session initiation protocol user agents, the registration request comprising at least one identifier identifying the user equipment;

comparing, by the femtocell, the identifier with at least one user equipment identifier stored at the femtocell and completing registration of the user equipment with the femtocell in response to determining the received identifier matches the at least one identifier stored at the femtocell;

communicatively coupling the at least one femtocell with a packet switched backhaul;

allocating, by the IOS-SIP Adapter, a session initiation protocol user agent from the pool of SIP user agents that is assigned to the user equipment;

wherein completing registration comprises registering an identity of the allocated user agent with a location service for the user equipment.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one electronic serial number.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the registration request is received responsive to receiving an input command from a user of the user equipment specifying the femtocell.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the femtocell has an Internet Protocol address assigned thereto, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium further comprising instructions for registering, by the femtocell, the session initiation protocol user agent with a location service, wherein the user agent includes the Internet Protocol address.

9. A system for providing communication services to a user equipment, the system comprising:

a packet-switched network having a domain with which the user equipment has a session initiation protocol service subscription;

an Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem communicatively interfaced with the packet-switched network;

a femtocell communicatively coupled with the packet-switched network, wherein the femtocell is adapted to provide a radio interface with the user equipment, and wherein the femtocell is configured with at least one identifier of user equipment authorized to access the femtocell; and

a user equipment with a preferred roaming list that includes the femtocell as a preferred network, wherein the user equipment receives an input command from a user that specifies the femtocell is to be acquired, and responsive thereto attempts to register with the femtocell; and

wherein a registration request is received from the user equipment at the femtocell to register with the femtocell, the registration request comprising at least one identifier identifying the user equipment, the femtocell being configured to compare the identifier with at least one identifier stored at the femtocell and to complete registration of the user equipment with the femtocell in response to determining the identifier matches the at least one identifier, wherein the IOS-SIP Adapter allocates a session initiation protocol user agent from the pool of SIP user agents that is assigned to the user equipment, and wherein completing registration comprises registering an identity of the allocated user agent with a location service for the user equipment.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one electronic serial number.