Scanning of wireless environment in a femto-based home macro sector

• US 9,642,080 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brisebois, Arthur Richard, De Rosa, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Fan
• Application Number:
  US14/805,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20150327165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

Inter-carrier scanning is triggered in a mobile device based at least in part on location thereof. Femto access point (AP) that can serve the mobile device can determine location through cell or sector identifier that is extracted via scan(s) of macro wireless environment of the femto AP. Femto AP can rank extracted sector identifier(s) and establish home macro sector (HMS) identifier(s), and also can generate scanning requirements for idle-mode scan(s) by a mobile device that operates in a HMS and is authorized to access wireless coverage through the femto AP. Scanning requirement(s) can force periodic inter-carrier measurements of a HMS wireless environment, and establish HMS-specific radio link quality threshold(s). Wireless network can receive at least one of HMS identifier(s) and scanning requirement(s) and deliver same to mobile device(s) authorized to exploit wireless coverage through femto AP associated with the HMS ID(s) and the scanning requirement(s).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

determining first identifier data representing a sector related to a macro access point device within a macro wireless environment associated with a femto access point device;

in response to a user equipment being determined to be coupled to the macro access point device, determining whether the user equipment received data related to the sector being defined as a home macro sector;

in response to the determining whether the user equipment received the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector, linking the first identifier data to second identifier data associated with the user equipment, and updating an access data structure associated with the macro access point device; and

based on a determination that the user equipment has not received the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector, adding metadata to the access data structure identifying the user equipment as having not received the data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the sector being determined to be defined as the home macro sector, facilitating access, on behalf of the user equipment, to the access point device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the home macro sector is defined based on a defined ranking criterion.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises an international mobile equipment identifier associated with the user equipment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the user equipment being determined to be communicating with the macro access point device, transmitting at least a portion of the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

based on the determination that the user equipment is awaiting the reception of the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector, restricting access, of the user equipment, to the macro access point device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the determination that the user equipment is awaiting the reception of the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector, sending home macro sector data, related to the sector, to the macro access point device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

based on the determination that the user equipment is awaiting the reception of the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector, removing metadata associated with the user equipment from the access data structure associated with the access point device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector is first data, wherein the home macro sector is a first home macro sector, and wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the determination that the user equipment is awaiting the reception of the first data related to the sector being defined as the first home macro sector, sending second data, to the user equipment, to delete third data related to a second home macro sector.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector is first data, wherein the home macro sector is a first home macro sector, and wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the determination that the user equipment is awaiting the reception of the first data related to the sector being defined as the first home macro sector, sending second data, to the user equipment, to temporarily delete, for a defined amount of time, third data related to a second home macro sector.

11. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, first identifier data representing a sector related to a macro access point device within a macro wireless environment associated with an access point device;

directing, by the system, to a user equipment, in response to the user equipment being determined to be coupled to the macro access point device, data related to the sector being defined as a home macro sector;

in response to linking the first identifier data to second identifier data associated with the user equipment, updating, by the system, an access control data structure associated with the macro access point device, and

based on a determination that the user equipment has not received the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector, adding, by the system, metadata to the access control data structure, wherein the metadata identifies the user equipment as having not received the data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the macro access point device is a first macro access point device, and wherein the home macro sector is a first home macro sector, and further comprising:

determining, by the system, that a second macro access point device has been added to the macro wireless environment defining a second home macro sector.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the data is first data, and further comprising:

in response to the determining that the second home macro sector has been added, determining, by the system, whether the user equipment received second data related to the second home macro sector.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to the sector being determined to be defined as the home macro sector, granting, by the system, the user equipment access to the access point device.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adding, by the system, identification data related to the user equipment to a data structure associated with the access point device.

16. A non-transitory computer storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

determining first identifier data representing a sector related to a macro access point device within a macro wireless environment associated with an access point device;

sending, in response to determining that user equipment is coupled to the macro access point device, data related to the sector being defined as a home macro sector;

linking the first identifier data to second identifier data associated with the user equipment;

based on the first identifier data being linked to the second identifier data, updating an access data structure associated with the macro access point device; and

in response to a determination that the user equipment is awaiting reception of the data related to the sector being defined as the home macro sector, associating metadata with the access data structure, wherein the metadata identifies the user equipment as having not received the data.

17. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the user equipment received the data related to the home macro sector.

18. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the determination that the user equipment is awaiting the reception of the data related to the home macro sector, restricting access to the access point device.

19. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the determination that the user equipment is awaiting the reception of the data related to the sector being defined as a home macro sector, reconfiguring the access data structure.

20. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the home macro sector is defined based on a defined ranking criterion.