Method and apparatus for controlling network selection

• US 9,474,017 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Scribano, Gino A., Marocchi, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gao, Jing
• Application Number:
  US13/485,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20130324124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/435.3, 455/442
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems for controlling network selection between a current wireless network and a higher-priority wireless network. A subscriber station determines, while connected to a current wireless network, whether it is within a coverage area of a higher-priority wireless network and whether a current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background traffic or higher-priority foreground traffic. Responsive to determining that it is within the coverage area of the higher-priority wireless network and that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background traffic, the subscriber station halts at least the lower-priority background traffic for a predetermined amount of time sufficient to effect a release of a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the current wireless network and searches for and connects to the higher-priority wireless network.

Claims

1. A method for controlling network selection between a current wireless infrastructure network and a higher-priority wireless infrastructure network, the method comprising:

a subscriber station determining, while connected to the current wireless infrastructure network, whether it is within a coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network;

the subscriber station determining whether a current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic or higher-priority foreground data traffic; and

responsive to the subscriber station determining that it is within the coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network and that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic;

the subscriber station halting at least the lower-priority background data traffic for a predetermined amount of time sufficient to effect a release of a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the current wireless infrastructure network; and

responsive to determining that the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network has been terminated, searching for and connecting to the higher- priority wireless infrastructure network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of determining whether the subscriber station is within the coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network and of determining whether a current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic or higher-priority foreground data traffic are executed periodically based on a roaming timer maintained at the subscriber station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the current wireless infrastructure network is a lower-priority commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network is a public safety LTE network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the subscriber station, responsive to determining that the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network has become available and that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic, halting all outbound traffic for the predetermined amount of time sufficient to effect the release of the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to halting at least the lower priority background data traffic for the predetermined amount of time sufficient to effect the release of the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network, transmitting a request to the current wireless infrastructure network to halt any further transmission of inbound traffic data to the subscriber station for at least the predetermined amount of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time is between 1and 60minutes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber station determining that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic comprises determining that an amount of current traffic data load is less than a predetermined threshold level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber station determining that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic comprises determining that the current traffic data load has a regular periodic traffic spike at a defined interval.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network has been terminated comprises the subscriber station receiving notification from the current wireless infrastructure network that the RRC connection has been terminated.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the halted lower-priority background data traffic comprises one of location updates and keep-alive messages.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the subscriber station is within the coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network comprises indexing into a database of higher-priority public safety network coverage areas using a determined current geographic location of the subscriber station.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, via a database of associated network priority levels, priorities of the current wireless infrastructure network and the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein halting the lower-priority background data traffic comprises one of indicating to software modules that network connection is currently unavailable prior to release of the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network, instructing supported programs to halt any further transmissions of lower-priority background data traffic, and discarding generated lower-priority background data traffic.

14. A subscriber station for controlling network selection between a current wireless infrastructure network and a higher-priority wireless infrastructure network, the subscriber station configured to:

determine, while connected to the current wireless infrastructure network, whether it is within a coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network;

determine whether a current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic or higher-priority foreground data traffic; and

responsive to determining that it is within the coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network and that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower- priority background data traffic;

halt at least the lower-priority background data traffic for a predetermined amount of time sufficient to effect a release of a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the current wireless infrastructure network; and

responsive to determining that the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network has been terminated, search for and connect to the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network.

15. The subscriber station of claim 14, further configured to periodically, based on a roaming timer maintained at the subscriber station, determine whether the subscriber station is within the coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network and determine whether a current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic or higher-priority foreground data traffic.

16. The subscriber station of claim 14, wherein the current wireless infrastructure network is a lower-priority commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network is a public safety LTE network.

17. The subscriber station of claim 14 further configured to, responsive to determining that the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network has become available and that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic, halt all outbound traffic for the predetermined amount of time sufficient to effect the release of the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network.

18. The subscriber station of claim 14, further configured to, prior to halting at least the lower priority background data traffic for the predetermined amount of time sufficient to effect the release of the RRC connection with the current wireless infrastructure network, transmit a request to the current wireless infrastructure network to halt any further transmission of inbound traffic data to the subscriber station for at least the predetermined amount of time.

19. The subscriber station of claim 14, wherein the subscriber station is configured to determine that the current traffic data load is indicative of lower-priority background data traffic by one of either (i) determining that an amount of current traffic data load is less than a predetermined threshold level, or (ii) determining that the current traffic data load has a regular periodic traffic spike at a defined interval.

20. The subscriber station of claim 14, further configured to determine whether the subscriber station is within the coverage area of the higher-priority wireless infrastructure network by indexing into a database of higher-priority public safety network coverage areas using a determined current geographic location of the subscriber station.