Virtual neighbor objects for managing idle mode mobility in a wireless network

• US 9,060,319 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2013
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ness, Melissa, Henderson, Thomas Wallace, Kapoulas, Spyridon
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US13/886,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20130244663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/329, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Idle mode reselection is presented herein. A virtual neighbor component can create at least one virtual neighbor object and associate the at least one virtual neighbor object with wireless access points. Further, a reselection component can facilitate idle mode reselection between a base station and a wireless access point of the wireless access points based on the at least one virtual neighbor object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating, by a system comprising a processor, a virtual neighbor object comprising a channel number and a scrambling code;

referencing, by the system, femtocell devices utilizing the virtual neighbor object;

sending, by the system, neighbor information directed to a mobile device, wherein the neighbor information comprises the virtual neighbor object and represents channels of neighboring femtocell devices within a defined proximity to the mobile device; and

in response to the sending of the neighbor information, granting, by the system based on the virtual neighbor object and an access restriction that references a signal quality associated with a communication between a femtocell device of the femtocell devices and the mobile device, an idle mode reselection between a wireless access point device and the femtocell device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access restriction comprises an access control list associated with the femtocell device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the neighbor information comprises directing the femtocell device to transmit the neighbor information to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning, by the system, an access control parameter to the femtocell device.

16. The method of claim 4, wherein the granting the idle mode reselection comprises permitting the idle mode reselection based on the access control parameter.

5. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

generating a virtual neighbor object comprising a channel number and a scrambling code;

associating the virtual neighbor object with femtocell devices;

sending neighbor data directed to a mobile wireless device, wherein the neighbor data comprises the virtual neighbor object and represents channels of neighboring femtocell devices within a defined proximity to the mobile wireless device; and

subsequent to the sending of the neighbor data, permitting, based on the virtual neighbor object and an access restriction that references a signal quality associated with a communication between a femtocell device of the femtocell devices and the mobile wireless device, an idle mode reselection between a base station device and the femtocell device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the access restriction comprises an access control list associated with the femtocell device.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the sending the neighbor data comprises directing the femtocell device to transmit the neighbor data to the mobile wireless device.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

assigning an access control parameter to the femtocell device.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the base station device comprises a long term evolution access point device.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the femtocell device comprises a Bluetooth™

access point device.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the femtocell device comprises a worldwide interoperability for microwave access point device.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the femtocell device comprises an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11x based device.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the permitting the idle mode reselection comprises permitting the idle mode reselection based on the access control parameter.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a mobile device comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

receiving neighbor data including a virtual neighbor object that comprises channel data that references a channel number and scrambling code data that references a scrambling code, wherein the virtual neighbor object is associated with femtocell devices and represents channels of proximate femtocell devices within a defined proximity to the mobile device; and

in response to the receiving of the neighbor data, reselecting between a base station device and a femtocell device of the femtocell devices based on the virtual neighbor object and an access restriction that references a signal quality associated with a communication between the femtocell device and the mobile device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the receiving the neighbor data comprises receiving the neighbor data from the femtocell device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the access restriction comprises an identification associated with the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

assigning an access control parameter to the femtocell device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the reselecting comprises reselecting between the base station device and the femtocell device based on the access control parameter.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the access restriction comprises an access control list associated with the femtocell device.