Network handovers

• US 9,066,269 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Sitaram, Krishna, Cole, Jay Douglas, Xue, Wen, Kumar, Rajat
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/764,122
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 455/442, 455/440, 455/444, 455/438, 455/439, 455/436, 455/437, 455/426.1, 455/450, 455/552.1, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for network handovers are provided. An eNodeB of a fourth generation mobile telecommunications network identifies available channels of a third generation mobile telecommunications network in which to handover user devices. Once an available channel is identified, the user device may be handed off to the available channel without unnecessary latency.

Claims

1. One or more nontransitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying a signal of a user device is decreasing in a first network;

querying a base transceiver station (BTS) in a second network to identify one or more channels of the second network that is available to accept the user device; and

based on the identification of the signal of the user device that is decreasing, transferring the user device to a first channel of the one or more channels of the second network that was identified as available to accept the user device.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the one or more channels of the second network is available when a channel is not overloaded.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the first network is a fourth generation mobile telecommunications network.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the second network is a third generation mobile telecommunications network.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the querying is continuously performed regardless of the signal of the user device.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the querying is performed at predefined time intervals.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the user device is further associated with a sector of the first channel.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the sector associated with the user device is based on a location of the user device.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the location of the user device is received from the first network.

10. A system for network handoffs, the system comprising:

a user device connected to a first network; and

a control component of a first network, wherein the control component is configured to

A) identify a signal of the user device is decreasing in the first network,

B) query a base transceiver station (BTS) in a second network to identify one or more channels of the second network that are available to accept the user device, and

C) based on the identification of the signal of the user device that is decreasing, transfer the user device to a first channel of the one or more channels of the second network that was identified as available to accept the user device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first network is a fourth generation mobile telecommunications network.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second network is a third generation mobile telecommunications network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more available channels are not overloaded.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the control component queries the second network continuously.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the control component queries the second network at predefined time intervals.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the control component is further configured to associate the user device with a sector of the one or more available channels.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sector associated with the user device is based on a location of the user device known to the control component.

18. One or more nontransitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying a signal of a user device is decreasing in a fourth generation mobile telecommunications network;

upon identifying the decreasing signal, querying a third generation mobile telecommunications network, separate from the fourth generation mobile telecommunications network, to identify one or more channels of the third generation mobile telecommunications network that is available to accept the user device, wherein an available channel is a channel that is not overloaded with user devices;

associating the user device with a first channel of the one or more channels of the third generation mobile telecommunications network that is available to accept the user device;

identifying a location of the user device;

based on the location of the user device, associating the user device with a sector of the first channel; and

transferring the user device to the first channel and the sector of the first channel.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the method is performed in real-time.