DATA-CAPABLE NETWORK PRIORITIZATION WITH REJECT CODE HANDLING

• US 20100048208A9
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Gunaratnam, Jayasri, Nguyen, Bao, Naqvi, Noushad, Hind, Hugh, Taylor, Bryan, Phipps, Darcy, Swann, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Reject code handling is utilized for a more time-efficient selection of data-capable networks. One illustrative method for use in selecting a wireless communication network for communications involves the steps of causing a request for data connectivity to be transmitted through a first wireless network; reattempting the request for data connectivity through the first wireless network one or more times if a reject code comprising a non-critical error is received in response to the request for data connectivity through the first wireless network; and attempting to select a second wireless network for communications without reattempting the request for data connectivity through the first wireless network one or more times if a reject code comprising a critical error is received in response to the request for data connectivity through the first wireless network.

Claims

1-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A network selection method for use by a mobile station which is adapted for communications using at least one of a voice service and a data service of a wireless communication network, the method comprising the acts of:

storing a list of wireless networks which include those having unavailable data connectivity;

selecting a wireless network that is not included in the list of wireless networks;

causing a request for voice connectivity for the voice service and a request for data connectivity for the data service to be transmitted to the wireless network selected;

if the request for voice connectivity is accepted, receiving an acceptance message for the voice connectivity from the wireless network;

if the request for data connectivity is accepted, receiving an acceptance message for the data connectivity from the wireless network;

if a rejection is received from the wireless network in response to the request for data connectivity;

identifying whether a reject code associated with the rejection from the wireless network indicates that data services are not allowed by the wireless network;

if it is identified that the reject code indicates that the data services are not allowed by the wireless network;

including the wireless network in the list of wireless networks; and

repeating the acts of selecting and causing for a next wireless network.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the request for data connectivity comprises an attach request.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the request for data connectivity comprises a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) attach request and the data services comprises GPRS services,

41. The method of claim 38, wherein the request for voice connectivity comprises a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) attach request.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein the network selection method comprises an automatic network selection method.

43. The method of claim 38, which is embodied as a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and computer instructions stored in the computer readable medium for executing the acts of the method.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein identifying whether a reject code associated with the rejection from the wireless network indicates a result of a permanent problem that exists with the wireless network.

45. The method of claim 38, wherein the request for data connectivity comprises a Routing Area Update (RAU) request.

46. The method of claim 38, wherein the reject code indicative that data services are not allowed by the wireless network has a value of 14.

47. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

maintaining an indication of whether the wireless network currently makes a voice and data connectivity available to the mobile station;

wherein the indication for the wireless network is indicative of currently available data connectivity if the request for data connectivity is accepted; and

wherein the indication for the wireless network is indicative of currently unavailable data connectivity if it is identified that the reject code indicates that the data services are not allowed by the wireless network.

48. The method of claim 38, wherein the act of attempting to select the wireless network for communications is performed only if the first wireless network is not on an Operator Controlled Public Land Mobile Network (O-PLMN) list of a User Controlled (U-PLMN) list of the mobile station.

49. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

performing a scanning operating to identify one or more wireless networks available in a coverage region of the mobile station; and

wherein the act of selecting a wireless network that is not included in the list of wireless networks comprises the further act of selecting one or the wireless networks identified from performing the scanning operation.

50. A mobile station, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being operative to perform a network selection method by;

storing, in the memory, a list of wireless networks which include those having unavailable data connectivity;

selecting a wireless network that is not included in the list of wireless networks;

causing a request for voice connectivity for a voice service and a request for data connectivity for a data service to be transmitted, via the wireless transceiver, to the wireless network selected;

if the request for voice connectivity is accepted, receiving an acceptance message for the voice connectivity from the wireless network via the wireless transceiver;

if the request for data connectivity is accepted, receiving an acceptance message for the data connectivity from the wireless network via the wireless transceiver;

if a rejection is received from the wireless network via the wireless transceiver in response to the request for data connectivity;

identifying whether a reject code associated with the rejection from the wireless network indicates that data services are not allowed by the wireless network;

if it is identified that the reject code indicates that the data services are not allowed by the wireless network;

including the wireless network in the list of wireless networks in the memory; and

repeating the selecting and causing for a next wireless network.

51. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the request for data connectivity comprises an attach request.

52. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the request for data connectivity comprises a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) attach request and the data services comprises GPRS services.

53. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the request for non-data connectivity comprises a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) attach request.

54. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the one or more processors are operative to perform a network selection method comprising an automatic network selection method.

55. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the one or more processors are operative to identify whether the reject code associated with the rejection from the wireless network indicates a result of a permanent problem that exists with the wireless network.

56. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the request for data connectivity comprises a Routing Area Update (RAU) request.

57. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the reject code indicative that data services are not allowed by the wireless network has a value of 14.

58. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to maintain an indication of whether the wireless network currently makes a voice and data connectivity available to the mobile station, wherein the indication for the wireless network is indicative of currently available data connectivity if the request for data connectivity is accepted and indicative of currently unavailable data connectivity if it is identified that the reject code indicates that the data services are not allowed by the wireless network.

59. The mobile station of claim 50, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to attempt to select the wireless network for communications only if the first wireless network is not on an Operator Controlled Public Land Mobile Network (O-PLMN) list of a User Controlled (U-PLMN) list of the mobile station.

60. A communication system, comprising

a plurality of wireless communication networks;

a plurality of mobile station which are operative for communications via the wireless communication networks;

each mobile station being operative to perform a network selection method to select one of the wireless communication networks for communications by;

storing a list of wireless networks which include those having unavailable data connectivity;

selecting a wireless network that is not included in the list of wireless networks;

causing a request for voice connectivity for the voice service and a request for data connectivity for the data service to be transmitted to the wireless network selected;

if the request for voice connectivity is accepted, receiving an acceptance message for the voice connectivity from the wireless network;

if the request for data connectivity is accepted, receiving an acceptance message for the data connectivity from the wireless network;

if a rejection is received from the wireless network in response to the request for data connectivity;

identifying whether a reject code associated with the rejection from the wireless network indicates that data services are not allowed by the wireless network;

if it is identified that the reject code indicates that the data services are not allowed by the wireless network;

including the wireless network in the list of wireless networks; and

repeating the selecting and causing for a next wireless network.

61. The communication system of claim 60, wherein the request for data connectivity from each mobile station comprises an attach request.

62. The communication system of claim 60, wherein the request for data connectivity from each mobile station comprises a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) attach request and the data services comprises GPRS services,

63. The communication system of claim 60, wherein the request for voice connectivity from each mobile station comprises a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) attach request.

64. The communication system of claim 60, wherein each mobile station is operative to perform the network selection method which comprises an automatic network selection method.

65. The communication system of claim 60, wherein each mobile station is operative to identify whether the reject code associated with the rejection from the wireless network indicates a result of a permanent problem that exists with the wireless network.

66. The communication system of claim 60, wherein the request for data connectivity comprises a Routing Area Update (RAU) request.

67. The communication system of claim 60, wherein the reject code indicative that data services are not allowed by the wireless network has a value of 14.

68. The communication system of claim 60, wherein each mobile station is further operative to maintain an indication of whether the wireless network currently makes a voice and data connectivity available to the mobile station, wherein the indication for the wireless network is indicative of currently available data connectivity if the request for data connectivity is accepted and indicative of currently unavailable data connectivity if it is identified that the reject code indicates that the data services are not allowed by the wireless network.

69. The communication system of claim 60, wherein each mobile station is further operative to attempt to select the wireless network for communications only if the first wireless network is not on an Operator Controlled Public Land Mobile Network (O-PLMN) list of a User Controlled (U-PLMN) list of the mobile station.