System and method for dual mode communication

• US 9,265,073 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Powell, Mark, Patel, Rajiv H., Goel, Puneet, Brown, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Khajuria, Shripal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Farhad
• Application Number:
  US12/977,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20110286343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/331
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Wi-Fi setup application and path switching applications are provided to allow commands received from native applications of the UE to be redirected to a Wi-Fi engine. The Wi-Fi engine supports circuit switched and packet switched services over a Wi-Fi connection, thus allowing commands received from native applications on a UE to connect the user to either a wireless unlicensed communication system or a wireless licensed communication system.

Claims

1. A method for mobile communication, the method comprising:

generating radio interface layer (RIL) commands in response to a command from a native dialer application of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes a first RIL for a licensed wireless communication network and a second RIL for an unlicensed wireless communication network, wherein the RIL commands include a subscriber identity and commands to cause the first RIL of the mobile device to establish a connection with a core network via the licensed wireless communication network, wherein establishing the connection with the core network by the first RIL includes authenticating, by the first RIL, the mobile device with the core network;

determining that a RIL switch is set to use the unlicensed wireless communication network, said determination based at least on an availability of Wi-Fi services to the mobile device, wherein said RIL switch located between the native dialer application and said first RIL, and is located between the native dialer application and the second RIL of the mobile device;

diverting, by the RIL switch, the RIL commands to the second RIL of the mobile device, wherein the second RIL is configured to establish the connection to the core network via the unlicensed wireless communication network in response to receiving the diverted RIL commands;

receiving, by the second RIL, the diverted RIL commands from the RIL switch; and

establishing, by the second RIL, the connection with the core network via the unlicensed wireless communication network using the subscriber identity and the diverted RIL commands, wherein establishing the connection with the core network by the second RIL includes authenticating, by the second RIL, the mobile device with the core network via the unlicensed wireless communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes repackaging, by the second RIL, the diverted RIL commands into commands for establishing communication with the unlicensed wireless communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first RIL comprises a vendor RIL configured to establish communication with the licensed wireless communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second RIL is configured to i) perform non access stratum functions, ii) establish an IP transport to a network controller of the unlicensed wireless communication network, and iii) transfer data between the network controller and the second RIL over the established IP transport.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes activating the RIL switch in response to detecting the availability of the Wi-Fi services to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes accessing, by the second RIL, a subscriber identity module (SIM) access interface to obtain information for authenticating the mobile device with the core network, wherein the SIM access interface is accessed by the second RIL subsequent to receiving the diverted RIL commands.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method includes placing the first RIL in an reduced power consumption mode, and wherein the SIM access interface remains accessible to the second RIL while the first RIL is in the reduced power consumption mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes storing, at a storage subsystem accessible to the second RIL, information associated with a latest unlicensed serving server, wherein the information associated with a latest unlicensed serving server is used to establish the connection to the unlicensed wireless communication network.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one processor, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

generating radio interface layer (RIL) commands in response to a command from a native dialer application of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes a first RIL for a licensed wireless communication network and a second RIL for an unlicensed wireless communication network, wherein the RIL commands include a subscriber identity and commands to cause the first RIL of the mobile device to establish a connection with a core network via a licensed first wireless communication network, wherein establishing the connection with the core network by the first RIL includes authenticating, by the first RIL, the mobile device with the core network;

determining that a RIL switch is set to use the unlicensed wireless communication network, said determination based at least on an availability of Wi-Fi services to the mobile device, wherein said RIL switch located between the native dialer application and said first RIL, and is located between the native dialer application and the second RIL;

diverting, at the RIL switch, the RIL commands to the second RIL, wherein the second RIL is configured to establish the connection to the core network via the unlicensed wireless communication network in response to receiving the diverted RIL commands;

receiving, by the second RIL, the diverted RIL commands from the RIL switch; and

establishing, by the second RIL, a connection with the core network via an unlicensed second wireless communication network using the subscriber identity and the diverted RIL commands, wherein establishing the connection with the core network by the second RIL includes authenticating, by the second RIL, the mobile device with the core network via the unlicensed wireless communication network.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the program includes instructions for repackaging, by the second RIL, the diverted RIL commands into commands for establishing communication with the unlicensed second wireless communication network.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first RIL comprises a vendor RIL configured to establish communication with the licensed first wireless communication network.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the second RIL is configured to i) perform non access stratum functions, ii) establish an IP transport to a network controller of the unlicensed second wireless communication network, and iii) transfer data between an access point and the second RIL over the established IP transport.

13. A mobile device comprising:

at least one processor configured to provide a dialer application for generating radio interface layer (RIL) commands, the RIL commands comprising a subscriber identity and commands to cause a first RIL of the mobile device to establish a connection with a core network via a licensed first wireless communication network, wherein establishing the connection with the core network by the first RIL includes authenticating, by the first RIL, the mobile device with the core network;

an unlicensed wireless radio configured to communicate via an unlicensed wireless communication network;

a RIL switch to divert the RIL commands to an unlicensed wireless radio client based on a set of criteria comprising at least an availability of Wi-Fi services to the mobile device, wherein the RIL switch is located between the dialer application and the first RIL, and is located between the dialer application and the unlicensed wireless radio, wherein the unlicensed wireless radio is configured to establish the connection with the core network via the unlicensed wireless communication network using the subscriber identity and the diverted RIL commands, wherein establishing the connection with the core network by the unlicensed wireless radio includes authenticating, by the unlicensed wireless radio, the mobile device with the core network via the unlicensed wireless communication network; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the unlicensed wireless radio is configured to repackage the diverted RIL commands into generic access network (GAN) commands for establishing communication with the unlicensed wireless communication network.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the first RIL comprises a vendor RIL configured to establish communication with the licensed first wireless communication network.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the unlicensed wireless is configured to i) perform non access stratum functions, ii) establish an IP transport to a network controller of the unlicensed wireless communication network, and iii) transfer data between an access point and an unlicensed wireless radio client over the established IP transport.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the unlicensed wireless radio comprises a data switch coupled between an output of a TCP/IP stack and the unlicensed wireless radio client, the data switch configured to 1) replicate a cellular General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) interface, 2) convert data packets from IP stack to data packets compatible with the unlicensed wireless radio client, and 3) convert responses from the unlicensed wireless radio client into data format that is compatible with a man machine interface (MMI) of the mobile device.

18. The mobile device of claim 16, further comprising a Wi-Fi setup application configured to enable communication between the dialer application and the unlicensed wireless radio client in a library/OS layer of the mobile device, wherein dialer application operates within in an application layer of the mobile device.

19. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the unlicensed wireless radio comprises a second RIL directly coupled between the RIL switch and the unlicensed wireless radio, the second RIL configured to 1) replicate functionalities of the first RIL, 2) convert the RIL commands into commands for the unlicensed wireless radio client, and 3) convert responses form the unlicensed wireless radio client to RIL commands.

20. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the mobile device includes:

an unlicensed virtual interface;

a wireless local area network (WLAN) subsystem;

a cellular baseband subsystem configured to transmit data to the core network via the licensed first wireless communication network;

a Wi-Fi subsystem configured to transmit data via the connection to the unlicensed wireless communication network; and

a data switch, wherein the data switch is coupled to the unlicensed virtual interface, the WLAN subsystem, and the cellular baseband subsystem, and wherein the data switch is configured to;

provide packets generated based on the diverted RIL commands to the unlicensed virtual interface;

provide non-cellular data packets to the WLAN subsystem; and

receive cellular data packets from the cellular baseband subsystem.