Virtual neighbor objects for managing idle mode mobility in a wireless network

• US 9,686,727 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2015
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ness, Melissa, Kapoulas, Spyridon, Henderson, Thomas Wallace
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US14/709,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 370331, 370329, 370338, 370341
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Idle mode reselection is presented herein. A virtual neighbor component can create at least one virtual neighbor object and associate the at least one virtual neighbor object with wireless access points. Further, a reselection component can facilitate idle mode reselection between a base station and a wireless access point of the wireless access points based on the at least one virtual neighbor object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending, by a system comprising a processor via a first wireless access point device, neighbor information directed to a mobile device, wherein the neighbor information represents communication channels of a group of femtocell devices within a first defined wireless coverage area of the first wireless access point device; and

in response to the sending of the neighbor information, granting, by the system based on a virtual neighbor object and an access restriction referencing a signal quality of a communication between the mobile device and a first femtocell device of the group of femtocell devices, an idle mode reselection between the first wireless access point device and the first femtocell device, wherein the virtual neighbor object comprises a data element referencing, using a communication channel of the communication channels, the group of femtocell devices within the first defined wireless coverage area, wherein the data element further references, using the communication channel, a second femtocell device within a second defined wireless coverage area, different from the first defined wireless coverage area, of a second wireless access point device, and wherein the first femtocell device and the second femtocell device have respective femto access point device wireless coverage areas that are smaller than the first defined wireless coverage area and the second defined wireless coverage area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the granting of the idle mode reselection comprises granting, based on an identification referencing the mobile device, the idle mode reselection between the wireless access point device and the first femtocell device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the access restriction comprises an access control data structure associated with the first femtocell device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the neighbor information comprises directing the first femtocell device to transmit the neighbor information to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning, by the system, an access control parameter to the first femtocell device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the granting of the idle mode reselection comprises permitting the idle mode reselection based on the access control parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the access control parameter is associated with an identifier of the mobile device.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

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

sending neighbor data directed to a mobile wireless device, wherein the neighbor data represents communication channels of a group of femtocell devices within a first defined wireless coverage area corresponding to the mobile wireless device; and

subsequent to the sending of the neighbor data, permitting, using a communication channel of the communication channels based on an access restriction and a virtual neighbor object referencing a first femtocell device of the group of femtocell devices and a second femtocell device of a second defined wireless coverage area, different than the first defined wireless coverage area, an idle mode reselection between a base station device and the first femtocell device, wherein the first femtocell device and the second femtocell device are associated with respective femtocell transmission powers that are lower than a base station transmission power of the base station device, and wherein the access restriction references a signal quality associated with a communication between the first femtocell device and the mobile wireless device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the permitting comprises permitting, based on an identification referencing the mobile wireless device, the idle mode reselection between the base station device and the first femtocell device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the access restriction comprises an access control data structure associated with the first femtocell device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the sending of the neighbor data comprises directing the first femtocell device to transmit the neighbor data to the mobile wireless device.

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

assigning an access control parameter to the first femtocell device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the permitting of the idle mode reselection comprises permitting the idle mode reselection based on the access control parameter.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the base station device comprises a long term evolution access point device.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the first femtocell device comprises a Bluetooth™

access point device.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the first femtocell device comprises an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11x based device.

17. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving neighbor data representing broadcast channels of proximate femtocell devices within a first defined wireless coverage area corresponding to the mobile device; and

in response to the receiving of the neighbor data, reselecting between a base station device and a first femtocell device of a group of the proximate femtocell devices based on an access restriction and a virtual neighbor object, wherein the access restriction references a signal quality associated with a communication between the first femtocell device and the mobile device, wherein the virtual neighbor object comprises a data element referencing the group of the proximate femtocell devices and a second femtocell device within a second defined wireless coverage area different from the first defined wireless coverage area using a broadcast channel of the broadcast channels, and wherein the first defined wireless coverage area and the second defined wireless coverage area are smaller than a base station wireless transmission area of the base station device.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the reselecting comprises reselecting between the base station device and the first femtocell device based on an identification referencing the mobile device.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the receiving of the neighbor data comprises receiving the neighbor data from the first femtocell device.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the reselecting comprises reselecting between the base station device and the first femtocell device based on another access restriction.