System and method for accelerating network selection by a wireless user equipment (UE) device

• US 9,155,033 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Buckley, Adrian, Allen, Andrew, Henderson, Gregory Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US13/859,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/434, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18547 for geolocalisation of a station position fixing by direction or distance determination G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A user equipment device, removable storage module and method for accelerating network selection by a wireless user equipment (UE) device without having to perform a full band scan (FBS). In one exemplary embodiment, the UE device sends location information of the wireless user equipment device to a home network node. The UE device receives appropriate network list information and associated frequency data from the home network node, the network list information comprising network identities comprising a combination of a core network with at least one of an access network and a service network, and locates a network using at least one of the appropriate network list information and associated frequency data without having to do a full band scan.

Claims

1. A method, operable at a wireless user equipment device, the method comprising:

discovering a visited network different from a home network served by a home network node of the user equipment device;

authenticating with the home network node;

sending location information of the wireless user equipment device to the home network node;

receiving network list information and associated frequency data from said home network node based on the location information;

locating a service using the network list information and associated frequency data;

performing a background scan of one or more frequency bands; and

transmitting scanned frequency information to the home network node to continuously update the network list information and associated frequency data in real time.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising constructing a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) using discovered network information and using a Domain Name Server (DNS) look-up to obtain an IP address of the home network node.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the location information is any of Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, a mobile country code/mobile network code (MCC/MNC), and a cell identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the associated frequency data is any of a range of frequencies, a range of channels or a band.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the associated frequency data has a technology associated therewith.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising sending updates to the network list information and associated frequency data to the home network node.

7. A wireless user equipment (UE) device comprising:

a microprocessor operatively coupled to a transceiver and a memory;

instructions for discovering a visited network different from a home network served by a home network node of the user equipment device;

instructions for authenticating with the home network node;

instructions for sending location information of the wireless user equipment device to the home network node;

instructions for receiving network list information and associated frequency data from said home network node based on the location information;

instructions for locating a service using the network list information and associated frequency data;

instructions for performing a background scan of one or more frequency bands; and

instructions for transmitting scanned frequency information to the home network node to continuously update the network list information and associated frequency data in real time.

8. The wireless UE device according to claim 7 further comprising instructions for constructing a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) using discovered network information and using a Domain Name Server (DNS) look-up to obtain an IP address of the home network node.

9. The wireless UE device according to claim 7 wherein the location information is any of Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, a mobile country code/mobile network code (MCC/MNC), and a cell identifier.

10. The wireless UE device according to claim 7 wherein the associated frequency data is any of a range of frequencies, a range of channels or a band.

11. The wireless UE device according to claim 7 wherein the associated frequency data has a technology associated therewith.

12. The wireless UE device according to claim 7 further comprising instructions for sending updates to the network list information and associated frequency data to the home network node.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a sequence of instructions that when executed by a processor in a wireless user equipment device perform a method, the method comprising:

discovering a visited network different from a home network served by a home network node of the user equipment device;

authenticating with the home network node;

sending location information of the wireless user equipment device to the home network node;

receiving network list information and associated frequency data from said home network node based on the location information;

locating a service using the network list information and associated frequency data;

performing a background scan of one or more frequency bands; and

transmitting scanned frequency information to the home network node to continuously update the network list information and associated frequency data in real time.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13 wherein the method further comprises constructing a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) using discovered network information and using a Domain Name Server (DNS) look-up to obtain an IP address of the home network node.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13 wherein the location information can be any of Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, mobile country code/mobile network code (MCC/MNC), or cell identifier.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13 wherein the associated frequency data is any of a range of frequencies, a range of channels or a band.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13 wherein the associated frequency data has a technology associated therewith.