Location based network selection

• US 8,965,447 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Wohld, Adam Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Obayanju, Omoniyi
• Application Number:
  US12/862,372
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.3, 455/434, 455/525, 455/435.2
• US Class Current: 455/525
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A mobile network system includes a number of mobile network base stations and a mobile station. The mobile station includes a mobile station antenna and a location determination device for identifying a geographic location of the mobile station. A mobile transceiver is also included and is configured to transmit and receive mobile communication signals from the mobile network base stations via the antenna. A microprocessor controls the transmission and reception of the mobile communication signals and communicates with the location determination device. Further, a spatial database identifies geographic positions related to the mobile networks. The microprocessor compares the geographical location of the mobile station with the geographic positions of the mobile networks to determine a preferred mobile network system.

Claims

1. A mobile station for communication through a mobile network system adjacent to a preferred mobile network system and separated from the preferred mobile network system by a geo-political boundary, the mobile station comprising:

a location determination device for obtaining data indicative of a geographic location of the mobile station;

a mobile station antenna electrically linked to the location determination device;

a mobile transceiver electrically linked to the antenna, the mobile transceiver configured to transmit and receive mobile communication signals to and from the mobile network system via the antenna;

a microprocessor electronically linked to the mobile transceiver to control the transmission and reception of the mobile communication signals and communicating with the location determination device;

a spatial database electronically linked to the processor, and storing data identifying at least one or more geographic positions related to one or more mobile network systems,

wherein the microprocessor is configured to;

establish using the mobile transceiver a connection to a first mobile network system, the first mobile network system having a position determining entity (PDE);

generate and send via the established connection a message to the PDE including the data obtained from the location determination device indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station;

receive a response message from the PDE including a geographic coordinate for the geographic location of the mobile station, in response to the sending of the message to the PDE including the data indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station;

retrieve, from the spatial database, data identifying, based on the geographical coordinate included in the response message from the PDE, a subset of the one or more geographic positions of the one or more mobile network systems;

compare the geographic coordinate for the geographic location of the mobile station identified in the response message to the data identifying the subset of the one or more geographic positions of the one or more mobile network systems to determine the preferred mobile network system; and

control the mobile transceiver to establish a connection to the preferred mobile network system determined based on the geographic coordinate received in the response message from the PDE and the geographic positions in the spatial database, selection of the preferred mobile network system based only on the geographic coordinate and the one or more geographic positions such that network conditions that might otherwise cause the mobile station to select the adjacent mobile network system are disregarded and a connection to the preferred mobile network system, rather than the adjacent mobile network system, is established, and

wherein a geographic coordinate for each position of a mobile network system identifies a coordinate for the center of an intended service area of the respective mobile network system.

2. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the mobile transceiver is configured to be tuned to a RF signal based on the preferred mobile network system.

3. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the location determination device is a Global Positioning System (GPS).

4. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein each entry in the spatial database identifying one of the plurality of geographic positions of the mobile network systems includes a series of geographical coordinates defining a boundary.

8. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the preferred mobile network system is different from the first mobile network system.

10. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the data obtained from the location determination device includes measurements of signals received from satellites and indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station.

12. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein:

the spatial database stores data identifying, for each respective one of the one or more mobile network systems, at least one radio frequency and channel associated with the respective one mobile network system; and

the controlling the mobile transceiver comprises controlling the mobile transceiver to tune to the at least one radio frequency and channel associated with the preferred mobile network system in the spatial database.

14. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein each entry in the spatial database identifying one of the one or more geographic positions of the at least one or more mobile network systems includes a series of geographical coordinates for each base station of the mobile network system associated with the entry.

16. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor generates and sends the message to the PDE in response to receiving a signal from the first mobile network system that the mobile station is in a border area.

17. The mobile station of claim 16,

wherein the border area is a boundary area between service areas of different mobile network systems, and

wherein the different mobile network systems operate on different frequencies in the respective service areas.

18. The mobile station of claim 16,

wherein the border area is a boundary area between service areas of different mobile network systems, and

wherein the different mobile network systems direct mobile stations being served to idle on different channels.

20. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein:

when the microprocessor compares the geographic coordinate with the one or more geographic positions in the spatial database, the microprocessor determines multiple mobile network systems, and

the microprocessor is further configured to;

rank the multiple mobile network systems; and

sequentially tune the mobile station transceiver, in an order provided from the ranked multiple mobile network systems, until one of the multiple mobile network systems is acquired.

5. A method for location based roaming of a mobile station in a mobile network system,

wherein a mobile network system is adjacent to a preferred mobile network system and separated from the preferred mobile network system by a geo-political boundary, and the mobile station stores a spatial database containing data identifying a plurality of geographic positions associated with a plurality of mobile network systems,

the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection to a first mobile network system using a mobile station transceiver in the mobile station, the first mobile network system having a position determining entity (PDE);

acquiring data indicative of a geographic location of a mobile station using a location determination device in the mobile station;

generating and sending via the established connection a message to the PDE including the data indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station;

receiving a response message from the PDE including a geographic coordinate for the geographic location mobile of the mobile station, in response to the sending of the message to the PDE including the data indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station;

retrieving, from the spatial database, data identifying, based on the geographical coordinate included in the response message from the PDE, a subset of the plurality of geographic positions of the mobile network systems;

comparing, with a microprocessor located in the mobile station, the geographic coordinate received from the PDE for the geographic location of the mobile station to the data identifying the subset of the plurality of geographic positions of the mobile network systems;

determining a preferred mobile network system, from the plurality of mobile network systems, based on the comparison step;

tuning the mobile station transceiver to establish a connection to and communicate with the preferred mobile network system; and

in controlling the mobile transceiver, basing selection of the preferred mobile network system only on the geographic coordinate and the geographic positions such that network conditions that might otherwise cause the mobile station to select the adjacent mobile network system are disregarded and a connection to the preferred mobile network system, rather than the adjacent mobile network system, is established.

6. The method for location based roaming in a mobile network of claim 5, wherein the determining step further comprises the steps of:

determining additional preferred mobile network systems, from the plurality of mobile network systems; and

compiling a list which includes the preferred mobile network system and the additional preferred mobile network systems,

wherein the tuning step further comprises the step of sequentially tuning the mobile station transceiver, in an order provided from the compiled list, until one of the preferred mobile network systems is acquired.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the determined preferred mobile network system is different from the first mobile network system.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the acquiring data indicative of a geographic location of a mobile station comprises receiving signals from satellites and indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the spatial database stores data identifying, for each respective one of the plurality of mobile network systems, at least one radio frequency and channel associated with the respective one mobile network system; and

the tuning the mobile station transceiver comprises tuning the mobile station transceiver to the at least one radio frequency and channel associated with the preferred mobile network system in the spatial database.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein each entry in the spatial database includes a series of geographical coordinates for each base station of the mobile network system associated with the entry.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein the microprocessor acquires the data indicative of a geographic location in response to receiving a signal from the first mobile network system that the mobile station is in a border area.

21. The method of claim 5, wherein each entry in the spatial database identifying one of the plurality of geographic positions of a mobile network system includes a series of geographical coordinates defining a boundary.

7. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable storage medium; and

instructions, embodied in the machine readable storage medium, for causing a mobile station communicating through a mobile network system, wherein the mobile network system is adjacent to a preferred mobile network system and separated from the preferred mobile network system by a geo-political boundary, and storing a spatial database containing data identifying a plurality of geographic positions associated with a plurality of mobile network systems to implement functions including function to;

establish a connection to a first mobile network system using a mobile station transceiver in the mobile station, the first mobile network system having a position determining entity (PDE);

acquire data indicative of a geographic location of a mobile station using a location determination device in the mobile station;

generate and send via the established connection a message to the PDE including the data indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station;

receive a response message from the PDE including a geographic coordinate for the geographic location of the mobile station, in response to the sending of the message to the PDE including the data indicative of the geographic location of the mobile station;

retrieve, from the spatial database, based on the geographical coordinate included in the response message from the PDE, data identifying a subset of the plurality of geographic positions of the mobile network systems;

compare, with a microprocessor located in the mobile station, the geographic coordinate received from the PDE for the geographic location of the mobile station to data identifying the subset of the plurality of geographic positions of the mobile network systems;

determine the preferred mobile network system, from the plurality of mobile network systems, based on the comparison function;

tune the mobile station transceiver to establish a connection to and communicate with the preferred mobile network system; and

in controlling the mobile transceiver, base selection of the preferred mobile network system only on the geographic coordinate and the geographic positions such that network conditions that might otherwise cause the mobile station to select the adjacent mobile network system are disregarded and a connection to the preferred mobile network system, rather than the adjacent mobile network system, is established.