Communicating via a FEMTO access point within a wireless communications system

• US 9,544,943 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Santhanam, Arvind V., Paladugu, Karthika, Hande, Prashanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qin, Zhiren
• Application Number:
  US12/939,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20120113862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/241, 370/251, 370/329
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

In an embodiment, a user of a wireless communications device (WCD) is notified when operating in a serving area of a FEMTO access point (AP). In another embodiment, the WCD can notify an application server (AS) that the WCD is served by the FEMTO AP. In another embodiment, the AS can set a service level for a server-arbitrated communication session (CS) based on the FEMTO AP serving status of participating WCDs. In another embodiment, the FEMTO AP can determine to use a downlink control or signaling channel to transmit data to the WCD. In another embodiment, based on its serving FEMTO AP status, the WCD can (i) modify its participation level in the CS and/or (ii) selectively track usage. In another embodiment, the WCD or FEMTO AP can measure performance parameters of the CS to determine whether to trigger a handoff of the WCD to a different AP.

Claims

1. A method of setting up a communication session to be arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, comprising:

determining that a current serving access point (AP) of a wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP;

configuring at least one message to request initiation of the communication session to be arbitrated by the application server and to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected based on the determination; and

transmitting the configured at least one message to the application server,

wherein when the determining, the configuring and the transmitting are performed by an originating wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to a communication session setup request message that requests initiation of the communication session and has a first field set to indicate that the originating wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected, and

wherein when the determining, the configuring and the transmitting are performed by a target wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to an acknowledgment to a communication session setup announce message that announces the communication session to the target wireless communications device and has a second field set to indicate that the target wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the is based on information contained in a periodically transmitted overhead message from the FEMTO AP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, responsive to the determining, the transmitting transmits the configured at least one message on a reverse-link shared access channel instead of setting up a traffic channel (TCH) on which to transmit the configured at least one message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reverse-link shared access channel corresponds to a random access channel (RACH) in WCDMA networks.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting transmits the configured at least one message on the reverse-link shared access channel as a mobile-originated (MO) Data-over-Signaling (DoS) message in 1xEV-DO networks.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the wireless communications device performing the determining, the configuring and the transmitting is configured to use the reverse-link shared access channel exclusively for initial communication session setup message transmissions as long as the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected based on an expectation that being FEMTO-connected is associated with less physical-layer resource contention as compared to a macro AP.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application server is external to a carrier network that operates the FEMTO AP.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring and the transmitting are performed whenever the wireless communications device is determined to be served by any FEMTO AP.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configured at least one message is configured to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected without modifying a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) registration of the wireless communications device.

10. A method of operating a wireless communications device configured to participate in a communication session being arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, comprising:

during the communication session, determining by the wireless communications device that a current serving access point (AP) of the wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP, wherein the FEMTO AP is part of a serving network and the application server is external to an access network component and a core network component of the serving network;

configuring, by the wireless communications device, at least one signaling message related to the communication session to indicate to the application server that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected in response to based on the determination; and

transmitting, by the wireless communications device, the configured at least one signaling message to the application server,

wherein the configured at least one signaling message corresponds to an in-call signaling message that requests the application server to augment one or more parameters of the communication session and has a field set to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining is based on information contained in a periodically transmitted overhead message from the FEMTO AP.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining occurs after the wireless communications device hands off from a macro AP to the FEMTO AP.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the application server is external to a carrier network that operates the FEMTO AP.

14. A wireless communications device configured to set up a communication session to be arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for determining that a current serving access point (AP) of the wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP;

means for configuring at least one message to request initiation of the server-arbitrated communication session to be arbitrated by the application server and to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected based on the determination; and

means for transmitting the configured at least one message to the application server,

wherein when the wireless communications device is an originating wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to a communication session setup request message that requests initiation of the communication session and has a first field set to indicate that the originating wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected, and

wherein when the wireless communications device is a target wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to an acknowledgment to a communication session setup announce message that announces the communication session to the target wireless communications device and has a second field set to indicate that the target wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.

15. A wireless communications device configured participate in a communication session being arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for, during the communication session, determining that a current serving access point (AP) of the wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP, wherein the FEMTO AP is part of a serving network and the application server is external to an access network component and a core network component of the serving network;

means for configuring at least one signaling message related to the communication session to indicate to the application server that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected in response to the determination; and

means for transmitting the configured at least one signaling message to the application server,

wherein the configured at least one signaling message corresponds to an in-call signaling message that requests the application server to augment one or more parameters of the communication session and has a field set to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.

16. A wireless communications device configured to set up a communication session to be arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, comprising:

a processor coupled to a transceiver and configured to determine that a current serving access point (AP) of the wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP,

wherein the processor is configured to configure at least one message to request initiation of the communication session to be arbitrated by the application server and to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected based on the determination; and

wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the configured at least one message to the application server,

wherein when the wireless communications device is an originating wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to a communication session setup request message that requests initiation of the communication session and has a first field set to indicate that the originating wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected, and

wherein when the wireless communications device is a target wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to an acknowledgment to a communication session setup announce message that announces the communication session to the target wireless communications device and has a second field set to indicate that the target wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.

17. A wireless communications device configured participate in a communication session being arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, comprising:

a processor coupled to a transceiver and configured to determine that a current serving access point (AP) of the wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP, during the communication session, wherein the FEMTO AP is part of a serving network and the application server is external to an access network component and a core network component of the serving network,

wherein the processor is configured to configure at least one signaling message related to the communication session to indicate to the application server that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected in response to the determination, and

wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the configured at least one signaling message to the application server,

wherein the configured at least one signaling message corresponds to an in-call signaling message that requests the application server to augment one or more parameters of the communication session and has a field set to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a wireless communications device configured to set up a communication session to be arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, cause the wireless communications device to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to determine that a current serving access point (AP) of the wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP;

program code to configure at least one message to request initiation of the communication session to be arbitrated by the application server and to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected based on the determination; and

program code to transmit the configured at least one message to the application server,

wherein when the wireless communications device is an originating wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to a communication session setup request message that requests initiation of the communication session and has a first field set to indicate that the originating wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected, and

wherein when the wireless communications device is a target wireless communications device of the communication session, the configured at least one message corresponds to an acknowledgment to a communication session setup announce message that announces the communication session to the target wireless communications device and has a second field set to indicate that the target wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a wireless communications device configured participate in a communication session being arbitrated by an application server in a wireless communications system, cause the wireless communications device to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to determine that a current serving access point (AP) of the wireless communications device corresponds to a FEMTO AP, during the communication session, wherein the FEMTO AP is part of a serving network and the application server is external to an access network component and a core network component of the serving network;

program code to configure at least one signaling message related to the communication session to indicate to the application server that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected in response to the determination; and

program code to transmit the configured at least one signaling message to the application server,

wherein the configured at least one signaling message corresponds to an in-call signaling message that requests the application server to augment one or more parameters of the communication session and has a field set to indicate that the wireless communications device is FEMTO-connected.