Establishing a communication link by selectively powering a transceiver based on a communication request received by another transceiver

• US 20050094589A1
• Filed: 11/04/2003
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Camp, William O. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,768,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A first transceiver in a wireless terminal receives a communication request from a first wireless network. Based on the received communication request, power is selectively provided to a second transceiver in the wireless terminal, and the second transceiver is used to establish a communication link with a second wireless terminal. The first transceiver may be a TDMA transceiver, CDMA transceiver, wireless local area network transceiver, Bluetooth transceiver, or a digital television receiver that receives the communication request from a corresponding type of network, and the second transceiver may be a different one of the receiver types that establishes a communication link with a corresponding type of network. The first transceiver may receive assistance information from the first wireless network. The assistance information may include information that can be used to establish a communication link through the second transceiver with the second wireless network.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a communication link, the method comprising:

receiving a communication request from a first wireless network at a first transceiver in a wireless terminal;

selectively providing power to a second transceiver in the wireless terminal based on the received communication request; and

establishing a communication link with a second wireless network using the second transceiver in the wireless terminal based on the received communication request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the communication request from the first wireless network at the first transceiver comprises receiving the communication request from a TDMA cellular network using a TDMA transceiver;

selectively providing power to a second transceiver in the wireless terminal based on the received communication request comprises selectively providing power to a CDMA transceiver; and

establishing the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver comprises establishing a communication link with a CDMA cellular network using the CDMA transceiver.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving from the TDMA cellular network a timing indicator and an offset between the timing indicator and a code for the communication link with the CDMA cellular network; and

establishing the communication link with the CDMA cellular network using the timing indicator and the offset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the communication request from the first wireless network at the first transceiver comprises receiving the communication request from a cellular network using a cellular transceiver;

selectively providing power to a second transceiver in the wireless terminal based on the received communication request comprises selectively providing power to a wireless local area network transceiver; and

establishing the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver comprises establishing a communication link with a wireless local area network using the wireless local area network transceiver.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving from the cellular network assistance information that identifies at least one wireless local area network that can be used to receive a data message; and

establishing the communication link with the wireless local area network using the assistance information.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving from the cellular network assistance information that identifies an internet service provider and identifies an account from which a data message can be retrieved from the internet service provider; and

retrieving the data message from the internet service provider through the communication link with the wireless local area network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the communication request from the first wireless network at the first transceiver comprises receiving an indication from a cellular network that information directed to the wireless terminal is available from a digital television network;

selectively providing power to a second transceiver in the wireless terminal based on the received communication request comprises selectively providing power to a digital television receiver; and

establishing the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver comprises receiving the information from the digital television network using the digital television receiver.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving from the cellular network assistance information that at least partially identifies the digital television network; and

receiving the information from the digital television network using the assistance information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the communication request from the first wireless network at the first transceiver comprises receiving a call page from the first wireless network; and

establishing the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver comprises establishing a call through the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the communication request from the first wireless network at the first transceiver comprises receiving an indication of an incoming message from the first wireless network; and

establishing the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver comprises receiving the incoming message through the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the communication request from the first wireless network at the first transceiver comprises receiving assistance information from the first wireless network, wherein the assistance information includes information that can be used to establish a communication link with the second wireless network; and

establishing the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver comprises using the assistance information to establish the communication link with the second wireless network.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the communication request based on a least one of identity of the second wireless network, frequency to be used to establish the communication link with the second wireless network, a timing indicator, and an offset between the timing indicator and a code for the communication link with the second wireless network.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing an initial communication link with the first wireless network using the first transceiver in the wireless terminal based on the received communication request, and before establishing the communication link with the second wireless network using the second transceiver in the wireless terminal; and

handing off communication from the initial communication link to the communication link with the second wireless network.

14. A method of establishing a communication link, the method comprising:

receiving a communication request from a cellular network using a cellular transceiver in a wireless terminal; and

establishing a communication link with a wireless local area network using a wireless local area network transceiver in the wireless terminal based on the received communication request.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving from the cellular network assistance information that identifies at least one wireless local area network that can be used to receive a data message; and

establishing the communication link with the wireless local area network using the assistance information.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving from the cellular network assistance information that identifies an internet service provider and identifies an account from which the data message can be retrieved from the internet service provider; and

retrieving the data message from the internet service provider using the assistance information.

17. A method of establishing a communication link, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from a cellular network that information directed to a wireless terminal is available from a digital television network; and

receiving the information from the digital television network based on the indication from the cellular network.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving from the cellular network assistance information that at least partially identifies the digital television network; and

receiving the information from the digital television network using the assistance information.

19. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a first transceiver that is configured to communicate via a first wireless interface;

a second transceiver that is configured to communicate via a second wireless interface, wherein the first wireless interface has a different communication protocol than the second wireless interface; and

a processor that is configured to selectively provide power to the second transceiver based on a communication request received by the first transceiver, and is configured to establish a communication link over the second wireless interface using the second transceiver based on the communication request received by the first transceiver.

20. The wireless terminal of claim 19, wherein the first transceiver is configured to receive assistance information via the first wireless interface, and wherein the processor is configured to establish the communication link over the second wireless interface based on the assistance information.

21. The wireless terminal of claim 19, wherein:

the first transceiver comprises a TDMA transceiver; and

the second transceiver comprises a CDMA transceiver.

22. The wireless terminal of claim 21, wherein:

the first transceiver is configured to receive via the first wireless interface a timing indicator and an offset between the timing indicator and a code for the second wireless interface; and

the processor is configured to establish the communication link over the second wireless interface based on the timing indicator and the offset.

23. The wireless terminal of claim 19, wherein:

the first transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver; and

the second transceiver comprises a wireless local area network transceiver.

24. The wireless terminal of claim 23, wherein:

the cellular transceiver is configured to receive via the first wireless interface assistance information that identifies an internet service provider from which a data message can be retrieved; and

the processor is configured to retrieve the data message from the internet service provider using the wireless local area network transceiver.

25. The wireless terminal of claim 19, wherein:

the first transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver; and

the second transceiver comprises a digital television receiver.

26. The wireless terminal of claim 25, wherein:

the cellular transceiver is configured to receive via the first wireless interface an indication that information that is directed to the wireless terminal is available from a digital television network; and

the processor is configured to retrieve the information from the digital television network using the digital television receiver.

27. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a cellular transceiver that is configured to communicate via a wireless cellular interface;

a wireless local area network transceiver that is configured to communicate via a wireless local area network interface; and

a processor that is configured establish a communication link over the wireless local area network interface using the wireless local area network transceiver based on a communication request received by the cellular transceiver.

28. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a cellular transceiver that is configured to communicate via a wireless cellular interface;

a digital television receiver that is configured to receive information from a digital television network; and

a processor that is configured receive information from the digital television network using the digital television receiver based on a communication request received by the cellular transceiver.

29. A wireless communication system comprising:

a wireless terminal;

a first wireless network that is configured to transmit a communication request to the wireless terminal; and

a second wireless network that is configured to cause the communication request to be communicated by the first wireless network to the wireless terminal, and is configured to establish a communication link with the wireless terminal based on the communication request.

30. The wireless communication system of claim 29, wherein:

the first wireless network comprises a cellular network; and

the second wireless network comprises a wireless local area network.

31. The wireless communication system of claim 29, wherein:

the first wireless network comprises a cellular network; and

the second wireless network comprises a digital television network.

32. The wireless communication system of claim 29, wherein:

the first wireless network comprises a TDMA cellular network; and

the second wireless network comprises a CDMA cellular network.

33. The wireless communication system of claim 29, wherein at least one of the first wireless network and the second wireless network is configured to generate assistance information that can be used to establish a communication link with the second wireless network, and is configured to communicate the assistance information to the wireless terminal through the first wireless network.