Apparatus and method for extending the coverage area of a licensed wireless communication system using an unlicensed wireless communication system

• US 7,949,326 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baranowski, Joseph G., Shi, Jianxiong, Gupta, Rajeev, Gallagher, Michael D., Markovic, Milan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US12/197,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20090054070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/426, 455/432, 455/437, 455/439, 4554041- 2, 4554561- 3
• US Class Current: 455/404.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• 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: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system includes a network controller to communicate with a telecommunications network. The network controller is coupled to one or more unlicensed wireless base stations serving one or more unlicensed wireless access areas. Each unlicensed wireless access area is mapped to one or more licensed wireless access areas. The system includes a mobile station to communicate with the telecommunications network using a licensed wireless communication channel serviced by the telecommunications network in a licensed wireless access area, and an unlicensed wireless communication channel in an unlicensed wireless access area. The mobile station is associated with a licensed wireless network identifier and a licensed wireless location identifier when the mobile station is in the licensed wireless access area and is associated with an unlicensed wireless network identifier and an unlicensed wireless location identifier when the mobile station is in the unlicensed wireless access area.

Claims

1. A method of locating a telecommunication device operating in a wireless first communication network comprising a network controller, the method comprising:

routing a service request received at the network controller from the telecommunication device to a second communication network;

receiving at the network controller, a request from the second communication network to provide location information for the telecommunication device;

retrieving the location information for the telecommunication device by the network controller; and

from the network controller, passing the location information for the telecommunication device to the second communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said retrieving of the location information comprises identifying an address for an access point of the first communication network, the access point communicatively coupling the telecommunication device to the network controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said retrieving of the location information comprises identifying global positioning system (GPS) coordinates for the telecommunication device in the first communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request is an emergency service request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving of the request from the second communication network at the network controller comprises receiving a base station system management application part (BSSMAP) perform location request message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said routing of the service request comprises sending an identifier associated with a particular service region of the second communication network to the second communication network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifier comprises a location area identifier for identifying a set of service regions of the second communication network and a cell identifier for identifying the particular service region within the set of service regions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network controller stores location information for a set of access points of the first communication network, wherein said retrieving of the location information for the telecommunication device comprises retrieving the stored location information for an access point communicatively coupling the telecommunication device to the network controller.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for execution by a network controller of a wireless first communication network to locate a telecommunication device operating in the first communication network, wherein the network controller communicatively couples the telecommunication device to a licensed wireless second communication network, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

routing a service request received from the telecommunication device to the second communication network;

receiving a request from the second communication network to provide location information for the telecommunication device;

retrieving the location information for the telecommunication device; and

passing the location information for the telecommunication device to the second communication network.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions for retrieving the location information comprises a set of instructions for identifying an address of an access point of the first communication network, the access point for communicatively coupling the telecommunication device to the network controller.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions for retrieving the location information comprises a set of instructions for identifying global positioning system (GPS) coordinates for the telecommunication device in the wireless first communication network.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the service request is an emergency service request.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions for receiving the request from the second communication network comprises a set of instructions for receiving a base station system management application part (BSSMAP) perform location request message.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the set of instructions for routing the service request comprises a set of instructions for routing an identifier associated with a particular service region of the second communication network to the second communication network.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the identifier comprises a location area identifier for identifying a set of service regions of the second communication network and a cell identifier for identifying the particular service region within the set of service regions.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 further comprising a set of instructions for storing location information for a set of access points of the first communication network, wherein the set of instructions for retrieving the location information for the telecommunication device comprises a set of instructions for retrieving the stored location information for an access point that communicatively couples the telecommunication device to the network controller.

17. A method of operating a network controller of a first communication network, the network controller communicatively coupling a telecommunication device operating in the first communication network to a licensed second communication network, the method comprising:

receiving an emergency service request from the telecommunication device;

routing the emergency service request to the second communication network;

receiving a request for a location for the telecommunication device; and

sending location information for the telecommunication device to the second communication network to facilitate providing emergency services to the telecommunication device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the location information for the telecommunication device is based on a location associated with an access point communicatively coupling the telecommunication device to the network controller.