Patents Assigned to Sprint Spectrum L.P.
  • Patent number: 10111088
    Abstract: A user, identified by a network access identifier (NAI) or other user identifier, uses a communication device, identified by a hostname or other device identifier. An Internet Protocol (IP) address is obtained for the communication device, e.g., when the user logs in for access to a packet-switched network. An association between the IP address and the hostname is registered in a domain name server. An association between the user identifier and the hostname is registered in an RWHOIS server. An application may query the RWHOIS server to determine the hostname of the communication device being used by the user and then query the domain name server to determine the IP address of the communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Lyle T. Bertz, Jeremy R. Breau
  • Patent number: 10098138
    Abstract: Backhaul data may be communicated between an access node and a relay wireless device, wherein the relay wireless device serves as backhaul for a plurality of end-user wireless devices and a set of the plurality of the end-user wireless devices comprise a quality of service metric that meets a quality of service criteria. Wireless resources may be scheduled for the relay wireless device using pre-allocated scheduling such that wireless resources are pre-allocated for the relay wireless device. Data may be aggregated for the set of end-user wireless devices that is received at the access node between scheduled transmissions for the pre-allocated scheduling. And the aggregated data may be transmitted, according to the pre-allocated scheduling, from the access node to the relay wireless device at a next transmission for the pre-allocated scheduling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Chunmei Liu, Hemanth Pawar, Krishna Sitaram, Pratik Kothari
  • Patent number: 10098039
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for setting a timeout period. In particular, a BS may have data storage defining a buffer. Also, the BS may be configured to (i) provide an air interface through which the BS serves UEs, (ii) buffer data packets destined to individual UEs, and (iii) apply a buffer timeout process according to which the BS drops a data packet from the buffer in response to that data packet being in the buffer for a timeout period. As such, the BS may make a determination that a served UE is a relay-UE that provides wireless backhaul connectivity for a relay-BS, and may set the timeout period based on the determination. When the BS then applies the buffer timeout process, the BS drops a data packet from the buffer in response to that data packet being in the buffer for the timeout period set based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Nitesh Manchanda, Vanil Parihar, Sreekar Marupaduga, Ryan P. Dreiling
  • Patent number: 10091700
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to performing pre-emptive handovers of the backhaul connection of a moving small access node or a relay node that is attached to a mode of transportation traveling along a known or predefined route. The handovers to specific donor access nodes are based at least on a direction of travel, rate (speed) of travel, and current location of the mode of transportation, as well as the presence and coverage areas of the donor access nodes along the known route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Chunmei Liu, Krishna Sitaram, Hemanth Pawar, Pratik Kothari
  • Patent number: 10091683
    Abstract: A gateway or other entity will detect when the number of relay base stations served by a relay-WCD changes and will responsively modify a configuration of a bearer that extends between the relay-WCD and the gateway. For instance, in response to detecting an increase in the number of relay base stations served by the relay-WCD, the entity could increase a guaranteed minimum bit rate and/or other quality of service level of the bearer. Or in response to detecting a decrease in the number of relay base stations served by the relay-WCD, the entity could decrease a guaranteed minimum bit rate and/or other quality of service level of the bearer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Vanil Parihar, Saravana Velusamy, Sreekar Marupaduga, Nitesh Manchanda
  • Patent number: 10085220
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for compensating for excessive attenuation on an RF connection between a remote radio head (RRH) and an antenna of cell site. In an example configuration, in which first and second RF carriers of a cell site traverse different RF paths between respective RRHs and respective antenna, the second RF carrier may be subject to more attenuation than the first. Consequently, antenna transmission power of the second RF carrier may be below one or another threshold. For communication services to user equipment devices that involve both the first and second RF carriers, the diminished antenna transmission power of the second RF carrier may cause service degradation. In accordance with example embodiments, a controlling network entity may determine that the power is diminished, and responsively reallocate transmission power from an underutilized carrier to the second carrier, thereby boosting its transmission power and remediating service degradation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Sreekar Marupaduga, Ahmad Saleh
  • Patent number: 10085197
    Abstract: In an example method, a donor base station determines that an air interface, over which the donor base station serves a relay-UE and plurality of second UEs, is threshold highly congested and that a relay base station is serving a threshold high number of first UEs. The relay base station is coupled to a relay-UE that provides wireless connectivity for the relay base station and that is served by the donor base station. Responsive to at least the determining that the air interface is threshold highly congested and that the relay base station is serving a threshold high number of first UEs, the donor base station (i) selects one or more of the plurality of second UEs and (ii) hands over the selected one or more second UEs to another base station other than the donor base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Nagi A. Mansour, Pinal Tailor, Sandeep Mangrulkar, Yun Sung Kim
  • Patent number: 10085296
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system in which connections are pre-established without any UE association and are then a pre-established connection is selected and associated with a UE when the UE seeks to attach. Each pre-established connection could include an S5 tunnel between an SGW and PGW and an IP address assignment. And upon UE attachment, an MME could readily signal with a base station to establish an S1-U tunnel for the UE, and to convey the IP address assignment to the UE, without having to wait for establishment of the S5 tunnel and assignment of the IP address, and the MME could further signal with the SGW to cause the S5 tunnel and IP address assignment to be made UE specific and to tie the S5 tunnel with the newly established S1-U tunnel. Further, the quantity and service level of connections pre-established could be based on historical trends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Diego Estrella Chavez, Nagi Mansour
  • Patent number: 10085279
    Abstract: When a base station is serving a user equipment device (UE) that tunes away from the base station during recurring tune-away periods, the base station will determine that the base station did not receive a communication expected to be received at a particular time from the UE. Based on the determining, the base station will estimate a first tune-away period of the UE's recurring tune-away periods to be a time period that encompasses the particular time. And based on the estimated first tune-away period, the base station will estimate times of subsequent tune-away periods. The base station will then configure itself such that it avoids communicating with the UE during the estimated times of the subsequent tune-away periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Dhaval Mehta, Jasinder P. Singh, Udit Thakore, Yu Wang
  • Patent number: 10085161
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to facilitate variation of timer duration. In particular, a relay node (RN) may be configured to be served by a base station (BS) over a relay backhaul air interface and may be configured to serve user equipment devices (UEs) over a relay coverage air interface. Also, the RN may be configured (i) to detect when a threshold error in communication occurs on the relay backhaul air interface, (ii) in response to detecting the threshold error in communication, to start a timer that runs for a timer duration, and (iii) to respond to expiration of the timer duration by engaging in management of the relay backhaul air interface. With these arrangements, the RN may determine a count of how many UEs are being served by the RN over the relay coverage air interface and may set the timer duration based on the determined count of UEs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Siddharth S. Oroskar, Jasinder P. Singh, Nitesh Manchanda, Rajil Malhotra
  • Patent number: 10084700
    Abstract: A method and system to help control message routing in a scenario where a client device is registered with a media system via a first network and the media system is configured by default use the first network as a primary route for routing messages to the WCD. Per the disclosure, the media system will detect, while the client device is so registered via the first network, that a second network is serving the client device with a voice call, and the media system will responsively be reconfigured to use the second network as a primary route for routing of messages destined to the client device. Further, the media system may then subsequently detect that the voice call has ended, and the media system may responsively revert to being configured to use the first network as the primary route for routing of messages destined to the client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Rajil Malhotra, Saravana Velusamy
  • Patent number: 10085266
    Abstract: According to aspects of the present disclosure, a method and system are provided for wireless communication between a user equipment device (UE) and a base station using carrier aggregation and transmission time internal (TTI) bundling. The base station serves the UE with carrier aggregation on multiple carriers and determines, per carrier, a respective bundling size for transmitting a wireless communication between the UE and the base station with transmission TTI bundling on that component carrier. The determined bundling size for at least one of the plurality of component carriers is different than the determined bundling size for another one of the plurality of component carriers. While serving the UE with carrier aggregation on the multiple carriers, the base station invokes TTI bundling to transmit the wireless communication between the UE and the base station on each carrier with the respectively determined bundling size for that component carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Hemanth B. Pawar, Shilpa Kowdley Srinivas, Krishna Sitaram, Chunmei Liu
  • Patent number: 10079641
    Abstract: In systems and methods of transporting data over an optical transport network, a first client signal and a second client signal are received at a network element of the optical transport network, each of the first client signal and the second client signal comprising a header and a data payload. An optical data unit is assembled comprising the first client signal and the second client signal in sequence, and the optical data unit is transmitted over the optical transport network. The first data payload and the second data payload may not be interleaved, and further, the first header and the second header may not be interleaved. The optical data unit can comprise the first client signal and the second client signal in a time sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: SPRINT SPECTRUM, L.P.
    Inventor: Walter Chen
  • Patent number: 10080173
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling handover of a WCD based on the WCD's operating temperature. In an example implementation, a determination is made that the WCD's operating temperature is threshold high, and that determination is used as a basis to trigger handover of the WCD to another coverage system, such as to another carrier frequency or to another base station coverage area. Further, in another example implementation, a determination is made that the WCD's operating temperature is threshold low (e.g., is not threshold high), and that determination is used as a basis to trigger handover of the WCD to another coverage system, such as back to the WCD's initially serving coverage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Deveshkumar N. Rai, Jasinder P. Singh, Naresh Madineni
  • Patent number: 10075268
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for performing carrier aggregation for a wireless device proximate to an antenna system. An uplink signal may be received at an access node from a wireless device in communication with the access node. It may be detected that the wireless device is proximate to an antenna system, wherein the antenna system does not comprise the access node. It may be then determined that carrier aggregation should be triggered for the wireless device based on the detecting. And carrier aggregation may be performed for the wireless device by transmitting data from the access node to the wireless device over a primary carrier and a secondary carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Hemanth Pawar, Krishna Sitaram, Pratik Kothari, Chunmei Liu
  • Patent number: 10075223
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for performing beamforming during carrier aggregation. It may be determined that conditions at an access node and a first wireless device meet a beamforming criteria, wherein the access node and the first wireless device communicate using carrier aggregation including a first frequency band comprising a primary carrier and a second frequency band comprising a component carrier. Data may be communicated between the access node and a second wireless device over the second frequency band, wherein the second wireless device is proximate to the first wireless device. Beamforming signal conditions may be determined for the first wireless device on the first frequency band and the second wireless device on the second frequency band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Hemanth Pawar, Pratik Kothari, Krishna Sitaram, Chunmei Liu
  • Patent number: 10075851
    Abstract: A base station provides service on a host carrier, the host carrier having a host-carrier frequency range that defines a host-carrier bandwidth. Further, the base station provides service on a guest carrier concurrently with the base station providing service on the host carrier, the guest carrier having a guest-carrier frequency range that is defined fully within and as a portion of the host-carrier frequency range and that defines a guest-carrier bandwidth narrower than the host-carrier bandwidth. And the base station dynamically varies the guest-carrier bandwidth based at least on variation in quantity of client devices connected with the base station on the host carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Sreekar Marupaduga, Bryan T. Barbee, Andrew M. Wurtenberger
  • Patent number: 10075217
    Abstract: UEs capable of RF relay are enabled and disabled under certain conditions. The access node can control the on and off duration of the UE functioning as an RF relay. The access node may only enable RF relay when there is a need by another UE for the RF relay. The UEs selected to relay (or to not relay) may be selected based on their location (e.g., close to a UE that is experiencing poor signal strength). In an embodiment, the RF relay function of UEs are successively turned on by the access node. This causes these UEs to relay the access node's beacon signal. If, after a period of time, the wireless network performance is not improved, these UEs are commanded to disable their RF relays. If the wireless network performance is improved, the UE may be allowed to continue as an RF relay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Sanghoon Sung, Udit Thakore, Pinal Tailor, Yun Sung Kim
  • Patent number: 10070351
    Abstract: A method and system to assign a contention-free access resource is disclosed. A first network may be configured to serve user equipment devices (UEs) according to a first protocol and a second network may be configured to serve UEs according to a second protocol. The method involves the first network detecting an attempt to set up a circuit-switched-fallback (CSFB) call between (i) a UE served by the first network and (ii) a remote party, where the CSFB call is to be served by the second network to which the UE would transition to be served with the CSFB call. The method further involves, in response to detecting the attempt to set up the CSFB call, the first network assigning a contention-free access resource to the UE, so as to allow a contention-free access request by the UE to the first network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Siddharth S. Oroskar, Maulik K. Shah, Jasinder P. Singh, John W. Prock
  • Patent number: 10070340
    Abstract: Example methods and an example controller for controlling a bit rate at which a media server streams media content to a UE are provided. The example controller includes at least one processing unit and data storage having instructions executable by the processing unit to carry out operations. The operations include determining an extent to which the UE provides wireless backhaul connectivity between its serving base station and at least one device other than the UE. Further, the operations include, based on the determined extent, (i) establishing the bit rate and (ii) causing the media server to stream a portion of media content to the UE at the established bit rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Hemanth B. Pawar, Shilpa K. Srinivas, Krishna Sitaram, Chunmei Liu