White space utilization

• US 9,288,682 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Garnett, Paul W., Mitchell, Paul W. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US13/773,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

The concepts relate to radio white space utilization. One example can obtain information about a location of a device. The example can access a white space database to obtain radio white space frequencies relative to the location. This example can also perform active scanning of at least some of the radio white space frequencies at the location and not perform active scanning on allocated frequencies.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer cause the computer to perform a method, comprising:

supplying, via a cellular network, a location of a mobile device to a database;

obtaining, via the cellular network, from the database, a list of radio white space frequencies for the location of the mobile device;

accessing a white space data store for information about use activity occurring on the radio white space frequencies;

selecting an individual radio white space frequency for active scanning for a radio white space network, the selecting based on both the list from the database and the information about the use activity from the white space data store;

active scanning the individual radio white space frequency to discover a wireless access point that is providing the radio white space network;

sending results of the active scanning for addition to the white space data store;

associating the mobile device with the discovered wireless access point to utilize the radio white space network; and

,

communicating data on the radio white space network over the individual radio white space frequency rather than the cellular network.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the supplying comprises determining the location using global positioning system (GPS) technologies or wherein the supplying comprises determining the location using triangulation to other devices that are communicatively coupled to the mobile device.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the database is a regulatory database or another database that is populated with information from the regulatory database.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining the radio white space frequencies of a frequency range that includes the radio white space frequencies and allocated frequencies and wherein the active scanning comprises scanning multiple frequencies of the radio white space frequencies of the frequency range and not the allocated frequencies of the frequency range.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the mobile device performs the active scanning and wherein the mobile device is operating on battery power during the active scanning.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the sending further comprises sending the information about the active scanning to the white space data store or to a service provider.

7. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, further comprising further active scanning of additional individual radio white space frequencies for additional networks, the additional individual radio white space frequencies selected based on both the list from the database and the information about the activity from the white space data store.

8. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the information about use activity occurring on the radio white space frequencies is obtained from passive scanning.

9. A device, comprising:

memory and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory;

a battery; and

,

a communication component configured to utilize a cellular network to obtain a set of location-specific radio white space frequencies provided by a regulatory database, the communication component further configured, in an instance where the device is relying on power from the battery, to actively scan individual radio white space frequencies to detect a wireless access point that is providing a network utilizing one of the individual radio white space frequencies, and in another instance where the device is receiving external power, passively scan the individual radio white space frequencies to detect the wireless access point that is providing the network.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the communication component is further configured to report information from the active scanning and/or the passive scanning to a service provider.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the communication component is further configured to store the set of location-specific radio white space frequencies and results of the actively scanned and/or passively scanned individual radio white space frequencies on the memory.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the results of the actively scanned and/or passively scanned individual radio white space frequencies stored in the memory comprise interference levels, signal strength, signal quality, and/or other information associated with the individual radio white space frequencies.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the communication component is further configured to access the results of the actively scanned and/or passively scanned individual radio white space frequencies stored on the memory in response to a change in conditions regarding availability of the individual radio white space frequencies.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the change in conditions comprises a loss of communication with one of the individual radio white space frequencies.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the change in conditions comprises an expiration of conditional use of one of the individual radio white space frequencies.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the change in conditions comprises movement of the device to a new location.

17. A device, comprising:

memory and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory;

a battery; and

,

a communication component configured to;

supply a location of a mobile device to a database;

obtain from the database a list of radio white space frequencies for the location of the mobile device;

access a white space data store for information about use activity occurring on the radio white space frequencies;

select an individual radio white space frequency for active scanning for a radio white space network, the selecting based on both the list from the database and the information about the use activity from the white space data store;

active scan the individual radio white space frequency to discover a wireless access point that is providing the radio white space network; and

,

associate the mobile device with the discovered wireless access point to utilize the radio white space network.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is the mobile device or wherein the device is not the mobile device.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the communication component is further configured to obtain the list of radio white space frequencies from a cellular service provider.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the communication component is further configured to obtain the information about the use activity while the mobile device is receiving external power.