Method and system for acquisition of neighbour cell information

• US 9,204,373 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Arora, Dinesh Kumar, Snow, Christopher Harris, Abdel-Samad, Ayman Ahmed, Almalki, Nazih
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duffy, James P
• Application Number:
  US12/549,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20110051660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,286 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment

Abstract

A system and method for acquisition of neighbor cell information are provided. A serving cell receives a request for neighbor cell system information, and in response to the request, the serving cell transmits neighbor cell system information.

Claims

1. A method for enabling expedited call re-establishment comprising:

as part of a neighbour cell system information exchange that is independent of a handover;

a) a serving cell receiving a request for neighbour cell system information from a mobile station for enabling expedited call re-establishment of a voice call in a neighbour cell in the event of failure of the call in the serving cell, wherein the request includes an identification of at least one neighbour cell;

b) in response to the request, the serving cell transmitting to the mobile station neighbour cell system information for each neighbour cell identified in the request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving a request for neighbour cell information comprises receiving the request on an uplink control channel available to a mobile station in CS (circuit switched)-only mode; and

transmitting neighbour cell system information comprises transmitting the neighbour cell information on a downlink control channel available to a mobile station in CS (circuit switched)-only mode.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each control channel is a control channel that may steal speech frames to send control information.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising configuring a discontinuous set of transmission periods for downlink transmission to a given mobile station;

wherein the transmission of neighbour cell system information occurs during one of the downlink discontinuous transmission periods.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein each control channel is a FACCH (fast associated control channel).

6. The method of claim 2 wherein each control channel is a SACCH (slow associated control channel).

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving a request for neighbour cell information comprises receiving the request on an uplink packet switched control channel available to a mobile station having a packet switched connection;

transmitting neighbour cell system information comprises transmitting the neighbour cell information on a downlink packet switched control channel available to a mobile station having a PS connection.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein each control channel is a PACCH (packet associated control channel).

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the request includes an indication of which system information is being requested.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the indication of which system information is being requested comprises a bitmap in respect of a set of defined SI blocks.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

if the request includes an indication of which system information is being requested treating the request as a request for the system information thus indicated; and

if the request for neighbour cell information that does not include an indication of any specific system information treating the request as a request for all of a predefined set of system information.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prioritizing the neighbour cell system information transmission by transmitting system information taking into account prioritization.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a “

no change”

message to indicate there is no change to previously transmitted neighbour cell system information.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

configuring a system information validity that is longer than 30 seconds at least for the transmitted neighbour cell system information.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting an indication of whether a mobile station is permitted to request for neighbour cell system information.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the system information comprises a set of parameters that enable a mobile station to establish a connection to the neighbour cell in the event a connection to the serving cell is lost.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein expedited call re-establishment to a neighbour cell comprises cell re-establishment without acquiring system information broadcast by the neighbour cell before accessing the neighbour cell.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is for the purpose of enabling expedited cell re-establishment in the event of a subsequent radio link failure.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the mobile station stops using a traffic channel in the serving cell when a radio link failure is determined.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein:

transmitting a request for neighbour cell information comprises transmitting the request on an uplink control channel available to the mobile station in CS (circuit switched)-only mode; and

receiving neighbour cell system information comprises receiving the neighbour cell information on a downlink control channel available to the mobile station in CS (circuit switched)-only mode.

20. A method in a mobile station, the method for enabling expedited call re-establishment comprising:

as part of a neighbour cell system information exchange that is independent of a handover;

a) transmitting a request for neighbour cell system information to a serving cell, for enabling expedited call re-establishment of a voice call in a neighbour cell in the event of failure of the call in the serving cell, and the request including an identification of at least one neighbour cell;

b) in response to the request, receiving neighbour cell system information for each neighbour cell identified in the request;

following failure of the call, sending a message on a random access channel requesting call-reestablishment to one of the neighbour cells identified in the request using system information obtained prior to failure of the call.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein each control channel is a control channel that steals speech frames to send control information.