Method and apparatus for classifying femto node users

• US 9,204,441 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Nagaraja, Sumeeth, Tokgoz, Yeliz, Yavuz, Mehmet, Singh, Damanjit, Radulescu, Andrei Dragos, Patel, Chirag Sureshbhai
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, JUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/799,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20130294264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 370/203, 370204-215, 370229-240, 370310-337, 370338-350, 370351-394, 370/395.1, 370/395.3, 370/395.4, 370/395.41, 370/395.42, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370431-457, 370458-463, 370464-497, 370498-522, 370521-529
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided in connection with classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto. In one example, a node is equipped to monitor and/or receive one or more parameters communicated by a device, assign a classification to the device related to a frequency of using the femto node based in part on the one or more parameters. In an aspect, the node is equipped to provide services to the device based on the classification. In another aspect, the node is equipped to provide the classification to one or more femto nodes, including the femto node, for providing services to the device.

Claims

1. A method for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

monitoring one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

determining a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

assigning a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

providing the services to the device based on the classification, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters relate to idle-mode communications, active-mode communications, or handover of the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring location area update or routing area update messages from the device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting paging messages to the device, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring responses to the paging messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring one or more handovers of the device to another node, and wherein the assigning the classification is based in part on the one or more handovers relative to one or more registration requests from the device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a location area code or routing area code of the femto node, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring responses from the device based on the modifying.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a measurement control message to the device requesting periodic measurement reports, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring a number of measurement reports received from the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring parameters related to calls of the device at the femto node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a frequency of call initiation or termination at the femto node, a duration of one or more calls at the femto node, or a frequency of inter-call initiation times at the femto node.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring handover of the device to the femto node relative to handover of the device from the femto node.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring applications or the services of the femto node used by the device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring handover information elements regarding the device received from a node from which the device is handed over to the femto node.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more pathloss measurements from the femto node to the device, wherein the monitoring one or more parameters comprises monitoring the one or more pathloss measurements over time.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising ranking the device among a plurality of devices based on the one or more pathloss measurements and additional pathloss measurements of the plurality of devices, wherein the assigning the classification is based in part on the ranking of the device among the plurality of devices.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning the classification is based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to one or more thresholds.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning the classification is based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the femto node.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the services to the device comprises determining a transmission power or time/frequency resource allocation for the device based on the classification.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the services to the device comprises determining a set of services to provide to the device based on the classification.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the services to the device comprises determining one or more advertisements to provide to the device based on the classification.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first amount of resources, and the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second amount of resources, which is less than the first amount of resources.

20. An apparatus for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

monitor one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

determine a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

assign a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

provide the services to the device based on the classification, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use; and

a memory coupled to the processing system.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing system assigns the classification based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to a threshold or to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the femto node.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing system provides the services to the device by determining a transmission power or time/frequency resource allocation for the device, a set of services to provide to the device, or one or more advertisements to present to the device, based on the classification.

23. An apparatus for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

means for monitoring one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

means for determining a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

means for assigning a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

means for providing the services to the device based on the classification, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for assigning assigns the classification based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to a threshold or to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the femto node.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the means for providing provides the services to the device by determining a transmission power or time/frequency resource allocation for the device, a set of services to provide to the device, or one or more advertisements to present to the device, based on the classification.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

code for monitoring one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

code for determining a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

code for assigning a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

code for providing the services to the device based on the classification, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising code for assigning the classification based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to a threshold or to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the femto node.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising code for providing the services to the device by determining a transmission power or time/frequency resource allocation for the device, a set of services to provide to the device, or one or more advertisements to present to the device, based on the classification.

29. A method for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

receiving one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

determining a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

assigning a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

providing the classification to one or more femto nodes, including the femto node, for providing the services to the device, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the one or more parameters relate to idle-mode communications, active-mode communications, or handover of the device.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the assigning includes assigning the classification based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to a threshold or to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the one or more femto nodes.

42. The method of claim 29, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first amount of resources, and the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second amount of resources, which is less than the first amount of resources.

32. An apparatus for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

receive one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

determine a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

assign a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

provide the classification to one or more femto nodes, including the femto node, for providing the services to the device, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use; and

a memory coupled to the processing system.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more parameters relate to idle-mode communications, active-mode communications, or handover of the device.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the processing system assigns the classification based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to a threshold or to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the femto node.

35. An apparatus for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

means for receiving one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

means for determining a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

means for assigning a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

means for providing the classification to one or more femto nodes, including the femto node, for providing the services to the device, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the one or more parameters relate to idle-mode communications, active-mode communications, or handover of the device.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the means for assigning is further configured to assign the classification based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to a threshold or to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the femto node.

38. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for classifying devices that communicate with a femto node for providing services thereto, comprising:

code for receiving one or more parameters communicated by a device to the femto node;

code for determining a frequency of use of the femto node by the device based at least in part on the one or more parameters;

code for assigning a classification to the device based on the frequency of use; and

code for providing the classification to one or more femto nodes, including the femto node, for providing the services to the device, wherein the device is provided with a first level of service if the device is assigned a first classification, wherein the device is provided with a second level of service if the device is assigned a second classification, wherein the first level of service allows the device to utilize a first level of transmit power if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a first frequency of use, and wherein the second level of service allows the device to utilize a second level of transmit power, which is less than the first level of transmit power, if it is determined that the frequency of use by the device is a second frequency of use, which is less than the first frequency of use.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the one or more parameters relate to idle-mode communications, active-mode communications, or handover of the device.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, further comprising code for assigning the classification based in part on comparing the one or more parameters to a threshold or to similar parameters monitored of other devices communicating with the femto node.