Method of handoff within a telecommunications system containing digital base stations with different spectral capabilities

• US 20030003913A1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jou, Yu-Cheun, Chen, Tao
• Granted Patent: US 6,853,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a digital wireless telecommunications system that includes a plurality of base station of differing spectral capabilities, and a plurality of remote stations capable of transmitting data to and receiving transmissions from the plurality of base stations. The invention herein provides a method for remote station hand-off between base stations of a narrower spectral capacity and base stations of a wider spectral capacity. A method is provided for a wireless telecommunications infrastructure to facilitate a remote station hand-off from a set of narrowband compliant base stations to at least one wideband compliant base station while a remote station is in the coverage area of both types of base stations. Additionally, the invention herein provides remote station apparatus, base station apparatus, and base station controller apparatus for performing the handoff methodology of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a remote station hand-off between single carrier base stations and multi-carrier base stations, comprising the steps of:

determining that a remote station is receiving signals in a first frequency band in accordance with a single carrier protocol;

determining that said remote station is transmitting signals in a second frequency band in accordance with said single carrier protocol, wherein said second frequency band is substantially the same width as said first frequency band;

receiving signal strength measurements of various base stations in a first message from said remote station;

determining that at least one of said various base stations is single carrier compliant and that at least one of said various base stations is multi-carrier compliant;

an

transmitting a second message to said remote station that indicates that said remote station should begin receiving signals in accordance with a multi-carrier protocol in a third frequency band that is larger than said first frequency band, and

wherein said second frequency band is contained within said fourth frequency band.