Terminal handover

• US 9,351,215 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honor Device Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Neul Ltd (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Webb, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castaneyra, Ricardo
• Application Number:
  US14/126,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20140219092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/331
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/061 providing hard decisions only; arrangements for tracking or suppressing unwanted low frequency components, e.g. removal of dc offset removal of dc offset in coupling arrangements H04L25/029, H04L25/0296
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/041 using special codes as synchronising signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 using assembly or disassembly of packets
• 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 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 : of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 : adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 : Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A communication terminal for receiving a communication service from a network that is configured to provide communication services to terminals via a plurality of communication devices, the terminal being configured to receive a communication service from a communication device, receive, from that communication device, a request that it handover from that communication service to another provided by the network and decide, responsive to that request, whether or not to handover from that communication service to another provided by the network.

Claims

1. A communication terminal for receiving a communication service from a network that is configured to provide communication services to terminals via a plurality of communication devices, the terminal comprising a processor configured to:

receive a request from the communication device that it handover to another communication device in the network; and

decide, responsive to that request, whether or not to handover from that communication device to the other communication device in the network, wherein to decide comprises to estimate a predicted traffic loading to be generated in a time period indicated for congestion, and not to hard off to the other communication device when the predicted traffic loading is less than a signaling load associated with moving from the communication device to the other communication device and back again.

2. The communication terminal as claimed in claim 1, configured to receive a request from the communication device that indicates an identity associated with one or more other communication devices in the network.

3. The communication terminal as claimed in claim 2, configured to decide whether or not to handover to the other communication device in the network in dependence on those identities.

4. A communication network comprising a plurality of communication devices that are each configured to provide communication services to at least one communication terminal, wherein a communication device from the plurality of communication devices is configured to:

determine that a communication terminal connected to the communication device should handover to another communication device; and

request the communication terminal to handover to another communication device; and

the communication terminal being configured;

to decide, responsive to that request, whether or not to handover from that communication device to the other communication device in dependence of how much data the communication terminal anticipates to communicate in the future via the network, wherein to decide comprises to estimate a predicted traffic loading to be generated in a time period indicated for congestion, and not to hand off to the other communication device when the predicted traffic loading is less than a signaling load associated with moving from the communication device to the other communication device and back again.

5. The communication network as claimed in claim 4, wherein the network is configured for machine-to-machine communication.

6. The communication network as claimed in claim 4, wherein the network is configured to operate in whitespace.

7. A method for providing communication services to a communication terminal via a communication network comprising a plurality of communication devices that are each configured to provide a communication service to at least one terminal, the method comprising:

determining that the communication terminal connected to a communication device should handover to another communication device;

requesting the communication terminal to handover to the other communication device; and

deciding in the terminal, responsive to the request, whether or not to handover from that communication device to the other communication device in dependence of how much data the communication terminal anticipates having to communicate in the future via the network, wherein the deciding comprises estimating a predicted traffic loading to be generated in a time period indicated for congestion, and not handling off to the other communication device when the predicted traffic loading is less than a signaling load associated with moving from the communication device to the other communication device and back again.

8. A communication network comprising a plurality of communication devices that are each configured to provide communication services to at least one communication terminal, wherein a communication device from the plurality of communication devices is configured to:

determine that a communication terminal connected to the communication device should handover to another communication device; and

request the communication terminal to handover to another communication device, the communication terminal being configured to decide, responsive to that request, whether or not to handover from the communication device to the other communication device in dependence of how much data the communication terminal anticipates having to communicate in the future via the network, wherein the terminal receives a communicate service from a network that is configured to provide communication services to terminals via a plurality of communication devices, and

the terminal being configured to;

receive, a communication service from the communication device;

receive, from that communication device, the request that it handover from that communication device to another provided by the network; and

decide, responsive to that request, whether or not to handover from that communication device to other communication terminal anticipates having to communicate in the future via the network wherein to decide comprises to estimate a predicted traffic loading to be generated in a time period indicated for congestion, and not to hand off to the other communication device when the predicted traffic loading is less than a signaling load associated with moving from the communication device to the other communication device and back again.