IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
UP-0826057
(2007-07-12)
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등록번호 |
US-7631105
(2009-12-16)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
Berkeley Law & Technology Group LLP
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
4 인용 특허 :
220 |
초록
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Methods are provided for use by mobile units to allow operation with different wireless access points of packet-switched and circuit-switched wireless communication systems. Some methods include, for example, determining whether a mobile unit is compatible with a particular wireless access point, an
Methods are provided for use by mobile units to allow operation with different wireless access points of packet-switched and circuit-switched wireless communication systems. Some methods include, for example, determining whether a mobile unit is compatible with a particular wireless access point, and if further software is needed to make the mobile unit compatible with the wireless access point, sending from the remote server system to the mobile unit one or more executable software modules to be loaded into the mobile unit which may be used to reconfigure the mobile unit to communicate via the wireless access point. Such software modules may be sent in anticipation of a system-level handoff operation.
대표청구항
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What is claimed is: 1. A method for use in a system comprising at least a first wireless access point that uses a first air interface protocol and a second wireless access point that uses a second air interface protocol, and a remote server system that is remotely coupled via an Internet to both th
What is claimed is: 1. A method for use in a system comprising at least a first wireless access point that uses a first air interface protocol and a second wireless access point that uses a second air interface protocol, and a remote server system that is remotely coupled via an Internet to both the first and second wireless access points, wherein a mobile unit communicates via the Internet with the remote server system to facilitate a system-level handoff operation from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point, and the mobile unit couples to the Internet using a first connection via the first wireless access point prior to the system-level handoff operation, the method comprising: determining whether the mobile unit is compatible with the second wireless access point; and if the determining indicates that further software is needed to make the mobile unit compatible with the second wireless access point, sending from the remote server system to the mobile unit one or more executable software modules to be loaded into the mobile unit and to be used to reconfigure the mobile unit to couple to the Internet using a second connection via the second wireless access point; wherein the sending is performed substantially just prior to and in anticipation of the system-level handoff operation. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: the mobile unit receiving the one or more executable software modules via the first connection; the mobile unit reconfiguring a software layer of a protocol stack located in the mobile unit using at least one of the one or more executable software modules; the mobile unit switching one or more first software layers out of the protocol stack, and switching one or more second software layers into the protocol stack, wherein the one or more second software layers include the reconfigured software layer; and the mobile unit coupling to the Internet using the second connection after the system-level handoff operation; wherein the second connection makes use of the protocol stack after the reconfiguring and switching. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile unit uses a software radio architecture and wherein the reconfigured software layer comprises at least one of a link layer and/or a physical layer. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining is performed by the remote server system. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining is performed by the mobile unit. 6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving at the remote server system an indication that the second wireless access point is a potential point of attachment for the mobile unit; wherein the determining is performed by the remote server system. 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving at the remote server system an indication of an event that indicates that the mobile unit is in radio contact range of the second wireless access point; wherein the determining is performed by the remote server system. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote server system further comprises a roam management server, the method further comprising: determining whether the second connection is preferable to the first connection, wherein the determining is performed by the roam management server in accordance with an optimization strategy; and sending from the roam management server to the mobile unit an indication to switch from the first connection to the second connection in the event that the roam management server determines that the second connection is preferable. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the optimization strategy takes into account at least one user preference. 10. The method according to claim 8, the method further comprising: receiving at the roam management server an indication of an event that indicates that the mobile unit is in radio contact range of the second wireless access point; and receiving at the remote server system an indication that the second wireless access point is a potential point of attachment for the mobile unit; wherein the determining is performed by the remote server system. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a resource description language description is used to describe a set of software resources resident in the mobile unit that implement at least a portion of a protocol stack located in the mobile unit. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the determining comprises the remote server system evaluating at least a portion of the resource description language description to determine that the one or more executable software modules are not resident in the mobile unit and are required to make the mobile unit compatible with the second wireless access point, and the determining is performed substantially just prior to and in anticipation of the system-level handoff operation. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the mobile unit comprises a software radio configuration module that causes to be coupled the at least a portion of the resource description language description to the remote server system to enable the remote server system to perform the determining. 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the resource description language description is maintained in a storage area associated with the remote server system. 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first air interface protocol is a satellite communications air interface protocol, the second air interface protocol is a terrestrial cellular communications air interface protocol, the first wireless access point is a part of a satellite overlay network and the second wireless access point is a part of a terrestrial cellular communications network. 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first air interface protocol is a satellite communications air interface protocol, the second air interface protocol is a wireless local area network air interface protocol, the first wireless access point is a part of a satellite overlay network and the second wireless access point is a part of a wireless local area network. 17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first air interface protocol is a terrestrial cellular communications air interface protocol, the second air interface protocol is a wireless local area network air interface protocol, the first wireless access point is a part of a terrestrial cellular communications network and the second wireless access point is a part of a wireless local area network. 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the second wireless access point uses a low power radio transceiver that has a local coverage area less than one mile, and the first wireless access point has a wide coverage area substantially larger than the local coverage area. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the local coverage area is less than a quarter mile. 20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the system-level handoff operation comprises switching a voice telephony call in progress between the mobile unit and a remote endpoint from a circuit switched cellular connection via the terrestrial cellular communications network to a voice-over-Internet connection via the wireless local area network. 21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terrestrial cellular communications network and the wireless local area network are operated by different wireless access service providers. 22. A method for use in a system comprising at least a first wireless access point that uses a packet-switched wireless local area network air interface protocol and a second wireless access point that uses a circuit switched cellular communications air interface protocol, and a remote server system that is remote to both the first and second wireless access points and is configured to facilitate a system-level handoff operation from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point, the method comprising: the remote server system determining whether the mobile unit is compatible with the second wireless access point; and if the determining indicates that further software is needed to make the mobile unit compatible with the second wireless access point, sending from the remote server system to the mobile unit one or more executable software modules to be loaded into the mobile unit and to be used to reconfigure the mobile unit to communicate via the second wireless access point; wherein the sending is performed substantially just prior to and in anticipation of the system-level handoff operation. 23. A method for use in a system comprising at least a first wireless access point that uses a packet-switched wireless local area network air interface protocol and a second wireless access point that uses a circuit switched cellular communications air interface protocol, and a remote server system that is remote to both the first and second wireless access points and is configured to facilitate a system-level handoff operation from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point, the method comprising: determining whether the mobile unit is compatible with the second wireless access point; and if the determining indicates that further software is needed to make the mobile unit compatible with the second wireless access point, sending from the remote server system to the mobile unit one or more executable software modules to be loaded into the mobile unit and to be used to reconfigure the mobile unit to communicate via the second wireless access point; wherein the sending is performed substantially just prior to and in anticipation of the system-level handoff operation.
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