Cellular telephone network to narrow band—internet of things network switching method and apparatus

• US 9,906,991 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Peddiraju, Bhargava, Solanki, Yogender, Chakraborty, Soumen
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US15/279,634
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a mobile communication device such as a mobile telephone includes a communication system that operates using narrow band-internet of things communication. The mobile communication device switches from communication using a mobile telephone communication system to communication using the narrow band-internet of things communication upon occurrence of a condition. The condition may include the mobile communication apparatus being out of range of a base station for the mobile telephone communication network or the battery level of the mobile communication device falling below a threshold. The mobile communication apparatus may switch from discontinuous reception to extended discontinuous reception If the battery power falls below a second threshold, or may switch to a power save mode if the battery power falls below a third threshold. Fewer services are available with the narrow band-internet of things communication, but the range is extended and power usage is less.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile communication device, comprising:

establishing a first communication link between the mobile communication device and a first base station based on a mobile telephone communication;

pausing the first communication between the mobile communication device and the first base station;

establishing a second communication link between the mobile communication device and a second base station based on a narrow band-internet of things communication, the second communication link providing a reduced service communication compared to the mobile telephone communication of the first communication link, the reduced communication service being available at a lower power consumption level than the power level required for the first communication link and at a lower signal level than the signal level required for the mobile telephone communication.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pausing communicating and the establishing a communication link are performed in response to a battery level in the mobile communication device falling below a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being a level required to maintain the mobile telephone communication between the mobile communication device and the first base station.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone communication and the narrow band-internet of things communication are carried out along different signal pathways in a same base station, the first base station and the second base station being the same base station.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pausing communicating and the establishing communication are performed upon one of:

the mobile communication device being out of range for mobile telephone communication with the first base station, and upon receiving a user command.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pausing communicating includes detaching a mobile telephone communication link between the mobile communication device and the first base station, and

wherein the establishing communication included attaching a reduced service communication link between the mobile communication device and the second base station.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pausing communicating and the establishing communication includes a handover of the mobile communication device information from the first base station to the second base station.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the narrow band-internet of things communication operates at frequencies that are in either guard band frequencies or in-band frequencies of the frequencies at which the mobile telephone communication operates.

3. A method for operating a mobile communication device, comprising:

establishing a first communication link between the mobile communication device and a first base station based on a mobile telephone communication;

pausing the first communication between the mobile communication device and the first base station;

establishing a second communication link between the mobile communication device and a second base station based on a narrow band-internet of things communication;

wherein the pausing communicating and the establishing a communication link are performed in response to a battery level in the mobile communication device falling below a predetermined threshold;

wherein the predetermined threshold is a first threshold; and

further comprising;

communicating between the mobile communication device and the second base station using the narrow band-internet of things communication based on a first communication type using a first battery power;

pausing communicating using the narrow band-internet of things communication based on the first communication type in response to the battery level falling below a second predetermined threshold; and

communicating using the narrow band-internet of things communication according to a second communication type in response to the battery level falling below the second predetermined threshold, the second predetermined threshold being a lower battery power level than the first predetermined threshold, the second communication type using less battery power than the first communication type.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

pausing communicating using the second communication type in response to the battery power level falling below a third predetermined threshold, the third predetermined threshold being at a battery power level that is lower than the second predetermined threshold; and

communicating between the mobile communication device and the second base station using a third communication type in response to the battery power level falling below the third threshold, the third communication type using less battery power than the second communication type.

10. A mobile communication apparatus, comprising:

a first communication system configured to establish a first communication between the mobile communication apparatus and a first base station based on a mobile telephone communication, the first communication including voice communication; and

a second communication system configured to establish a second communication between the mobile communication apparatus and a second base station based on narrow band-internet of things communication, the second communication being a reduced services communication lacking voice communication, the second communication being at one of a reduced power level than the voice communication and over an extended range compared to the voice communication.

11. A mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second communication system is added-on to the first communication system.

12. A mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second communication system is integrated with the first communication system.

13. A mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

a control for switching between the first communication system and the second communication system upon detecting a predetermined condition.

14. A mobile communication apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition selected from the set of conditions consisting of:

a battery power level below a predetermined threshold, the mobile communication apparatus being out of range for the first communication with the first base station, and receipt of a user command to switch communication systems.

15. A method adapted to operate an apparatus used in a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

establishing a first communication between a first base station and the mobile communication apparatus using mobile telephone communication, wherein the mobile communication apparatus is within range of the first base station for mobile telephone communication including voice communication and has a battery power level above a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold being sufficient for voice communication;

pausing the first communication when the mobile communication apparatus is out of range for voice communication with the first base station or the battery power level is at or below the predetermined threshold;

establishing a second communication between a second base station and the mobile communication device based on narrow band-internet of things communication, the second communication providing reduced services compared to the mobile telephone communication, the second communication lacking voice communication.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

resuming the first communication between the mobile communication apparatus and the first base station when the mobile communication apparatus is within range of the first base station or the battery power is above the predetermined threshold.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pausing the first communication is in response to receipt of a user command.

18. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first base station includes a plurality of first base stations.

19. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pausing communication using the mobile telephone communication includes detaching the mobile communication apparatus from mobile telephone communication with the first base station, and

wherein the establishing communication using narrow band-internet of things communication includes attaching the mobile communication apparatus to the second base station.

20. A method adapted to operate an apparatus used in a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

establishing a first communication between a first base station and the mobile communication apparatus using mobile telephone communication, wherein the mobile communication apparatus is within range of the first base station and has a battery power level above a predetermined threshold;

pausing the first communication when the mobile communication apparatus is out of range of the first base station or the battery power level is at or below the predetermined threshold;

establishing a second communication between a second base station and the mobile communication device based on narrow band-internet of things communication; and

switching from discontinuous reception to extended discontinuous reception in response to a battery power level of the mobile communication apparatus falling below a second threshold, the second threshold being a battery power level lower than the predetermined threshold; and

switching to power save mode in response to the battery power level of the mobile communication apparatus falling below a power save threshold, the power save threshold being a battery power level lower than the second threshold.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising:

resuming the first communication between the mobile communication apparatus and the first base station when the mobile communication apparatus is within range of the first base station or the battery power is above the predetermined threshold.