Apparatus and methods of whitespace communication
First Claim
1. A method of providing communication services, comprising:
- receiving, at a first base station and on a licensed frequency, a communication request for network access from a wireless access terminal;
determining at least one available unlicensed frequency corresponding to a location of the wireless access terminal, wherein the determining is based on unlicensed frequency spectrum information for a geographic region, and wherein the determining includes determining, from the unlicensed frequency spectrum information, a second base station that corresponds to the location and operates on the at least one available unlicensed frequency, wherein the second base station is different from or co-located with the first base station;
partitioning at least a portion of the network access for the wireless access terminal to be via the at least one available unlicensed frequency; and
informing the wireless access terminal of the at least one available unlicensed frequency for use to obtain at least the portion of the network access from the second base station and how to contact the second base station.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The described apparatus and methods provide communication services utilizing a combination of non-white space (NWS) and white space (WS) networks. For example, in an aspect, the described apparatus and methods receive, at a first base station (BS) and on a licensed frequency, a communication request for network access from a wireless access terminal (AT). The aspects also determine at least one available unlicensed frequency corresponding to a location of the wireless AT. Further, the aspects partition at least a portion of the network access for the wireless AT to be via the at least one available unlicensed frequency. Additionally, the aspects inform the wireless AT of the at least one available unlicensed frequency for use to obtain at least the portion of the network access. Additional aspects relate to NWS BS assisted handoffs of WS calls, dynamic caching of WS information, peer-to-peer WS communication, and WS BS venue-specific broadcasting.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of providing communication services, comprising:
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receiving, at a first base station and on a licensed frequency, a communication request for network access from a wireless access terminal; determining at least one available unlicensed frequency corresponding to a location of the wireless access terminal, wherein the determining is based on unlicensed frequency spectrum information for a geographic region, and wherein the determining includes determining, from the unlicensed frequency spectrum information, a second base station that corresponds to the location and operates on the at least one available unlicensed frequency, wherein the second base station is different from or co-located with the first base station; partitioning at least a portion of the network access for the wireless access terminal to be via the at least one available unlicensed frequency; and informing the wireless access terminal of the at least one available unlicensed frequency for use to obtain at least the portion of the network access from the second base station and how to contact the second base station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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7. At least one processor configured to provide communication services, comprising:
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a first module configured to receive, at a first base station and on a licensed frequency, a communication request for network access from a wireless access terminal; a second module configured to determine at least one available unlicensed frequency corresponding to a location of the wireless access terminal, wherein the determination is based on unlicensed frequency spectrum information for a geographic region, and wherein the determining includes determining, from the unlicensed frequency spectrum information, a second base station that corresponds to the location and operates on the at least one available unlicensed frequency, wherein the second base station is different from or co-located with the first base station; a third module configured to partition at least a portion of the network access for the wireless access terminal to be via the at least one available unlicensed frequency; and a fourth module configured to inform the wireless access terminal of the at least one available unlicensed frequency for use to obtain at least the portion of the network access from the second base station and how to contact the second base station.
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8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code for providing communication services, comprising:
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at least one instruction operable to cause a computer to receive, at a first base station and on a licensed frequency, a communication request for network access from a wireless access terminal; at least one instruction operable to cause the computer to determine at least one available unlicensed frequency corresponding to a location of the wireless access terminal, wherein the determination is based on unlicensed frequency spectrum information for a geographic region, and wherein the determining includes determining, from the unlicensed frequency spectrum information, a second base station that corresponds to the location and operates on the at least one available unlicensed frequency, wherein the second base station is different from or co-located with the first base station; at least one instruction operable to cause the computer to partition at least a portion of the network access for the wireless access terminal to be via the at least one available unlicensed frequency; and at least one instruction operable to cause the computer to inform the wireless access terminal of the at least one available unlicensed frequency for use to obtain at least the portion of the network access from the second base station and how to contact the second base station.
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9. An apparatus for providing communication services, comprising:
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means for receiving, at a first base station and on a licensed frequency, a communication request for network access from a wireless access terminal; means for determining at least one available unlicensed frequency corresponding to a location of the wireless access terminal, wherein the determining is based on unlicensed frequency spectrum information for a geographic region, and wherein the determining includes determining, from the unlicensed frequency spectrum information, a second base station that corresponds to the location and operates on the at least one available unlicensed frequency, wherein the second base station is different from or co-located with the first base station; means for partitioning at least a portion of the network access for the wireless access terminal to be via the at least one available unlicensed frequency; and means for informing the wireless access terminal of the at least one available unlicensed frequency for use to obtain at least the portion of the network access from the second base station and how to contact the second base station.
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10. A base station, comprising:
a processor configured to; receive, on a licensed frequency, a communication request for network access from a wireless access terminal; determine at least one available unlicensed frequency corresponding to a location of the wireless access terminal, wherein the determining is based on unlicensed frequency spectrum information for a geographic region, and wherein the determining includes determining, from the unlicensed frequency spectrum information, a second base station that corresponds to the location and operates on the at least one available unlicensed frequency, wherein the second base station is different from or co-located with the first base station; partition at least a portion of the network access for the wireless access terminal to be via the at least one available unlicensed frequency; and inform the wireless access terminal of the at least one available unlicensed frequency for use to obtain at least the portion of the network access from the second base station and how to contact the second base station. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19)
Specification