Methods and systems for manual cell selection in boundary area for wireless devices

• US 8,996,004 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Steven D., Shi, Guangming Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US12/260,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20100105392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,344 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/435.3, 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second coverage areas, for a wireless device. The first and second coverage areas may include, for example, include cells controlled by first and second operators or cells in different time zones. In either case, the techniques may facilitate giving preference to cells in a same coverage area as a current cell. The wireless device may then select a cell from the list of neighbor cells as the new cell.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising:

giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell by generating a list of neighbor cells that excludes cells that belong to time zones different from the time zone of the current camped cell from the list of neighbor cells; and

selecting a cell from the list of neighbor cells as the new cell to camp on.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deriving information regarding the first and second time zones; and

presenting the information regarding the first and second time zones to a user of the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

presenting the user an option of whether or not to select a new cell in a time zone different from the current camped cell.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell comprises:

giving a greater weight to one or more selection criteria for cells in a same time zone relative to cells in a different time zone.

5. A method for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising:

deriving first time information from a current camped cell in a first time zone the wireless device is currently camped on;

deriving second time information from a neighbor cell in a second time zone different from the first time zone;

presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device; and

receiving input from the user based at least in part on the presented first and second time information, the input comprising a selection of one or more of the plurality of cells, the selected one or more of the plurality of cells being in the first time zone that the wireless device is currently camped on.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

presenting the user an option of whether or not to select the neighbor cell to camp on.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device comprises displaying a current time in the first time zone and a current time in the second time zone to the user.

8. An apparatus for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising:

logic for giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell by generating a list of neighbor cells that excludes cells that belong to time zones different from the time zone of the current camped cell from the list of neighbor cells; and

logic for selecting a cell from the list of neighbor cells as the new cell to camp on.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

logic for deriving information regarding the first and second time zones; and

logic for presenting the information regarding the first and second time zones to a user of the wireless device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

logic for presenting the user an option of whether or not to select a new cell in a time zone different from the current camped cell.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic for giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell is configured to:

give a greater weight to one or more selection criteria for cells in a same time zone relative to cells in a different time zone.

12. An apparatus for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising:

logic for deriving first time information from a current camped cell in a first time zone the wireless device is currently camped on;

logic for deriving second time information from a neighbor cell in a second time zone different from the first time zone;

logic for presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device; and

logic for receiving input from the user based at least in part on the presented first and second time information, the input comprising a selection of one or more of the plurality of cells, the selected one or more of the plurality of cells being in the first time zone that the wireless device is currently camped on.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

logic for presenting the user an option of whether or not to select the neighbor cell to camp on.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the logic for presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device is configured to display a current time in the first time zone and a current time in the second time zone to the user.

15. An apparatus for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising:

means for giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell by generating a list of neighbor cells that excludes cells that belong to time zones different from the time zone of the current camped cell from the list of neighbor cells; and

means for selecting a cell from the list of neighbor cells as the new cell to camp on.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for deriving information regarding the first and second time zones; and

means for presenting the information regarding the first and second time zones to a user of the wireless device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for presenting the user an option of whether or not to select a new cell in a time zone different from the current camped cell.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell is configured to:

give a greater weight to one or more selection criteria for cells in a same time zone relative to cells in a different time zone.

19. An apparatus for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising:

means for deriving first time information from a current camped cell in a first time zone the wireless device is currently camped on;

means for deriving second time information from a neighbor cell in a second time zone different from the first time zone;

means for presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device; and

means for receiving input from the user based at least in part on the presented first and second time information, the input comprising a selection of one or more of the plurality of cells, the selected one or more of the plurality of cells being in the first time zone that the wireless device is currently camped on.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for presenting the user an option of whether or not to select the neighbor cell to camp on.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device is configured to display a current time in the first time zone and a current time in the second time zone to the user.

22. A computer-program product for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors and the instructions comprising:

instructions for giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell by generating a list of neighbor cells that excludes cells that belong to time zones different from the time zone of the current camped cell from the list of neighbor cells; and

instructions for selecting a cell from the list of neighbor cells as the new cell to camp on.

23. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for deriving information regarding the first and second time zones;

and instructions for presenting the information regarding the first and second time zones to a user of the wireless device.

24. The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for presenting the user an option of whether or not to select a new cell in a time zone different from the current camped cell.

25. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions for giving preference, when building a list of neighbor cells to consider as the new cell, to cells in a same time zone as a current camped cell comprise:

instructions for giving a greater weight to one or more selection criteria for cells in a same time zone relative to cells in a different time zone.

26. A computer-program product for selecting a new cell, from a plurality of cells in a boundary area between first and second time zones, for a wireless device to camp on, comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors and the instructions comprising:

instructions for deriving first time information from a current camped cell in a first time zone the wireless device is currently camped on;

instructions for deriving second time information from a neighbor cell in a second time zone different from the first time zone;

instructions for presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device; and

receiving input from the user based at least in part on the presented first and second time information, the input comprising a selection of one or more of the plurality of cells, the selected one or more of the plurality of cells being in the first time zone that the wireless device is currently camped on.

27. The computer-program product of claim 26, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for presenting the user an option of whether or not to select the neighbor cell to camp on.

28. The computer-program product of claim 26, wherein the instructions for presenting the first and second time information to a user of the wireless device comprise instructions for displaying a current time in the first time zone and a current time in the second time zone to the user.