Patents Assigned to Sprint Spectrum L.P.
  • Patent number: 8531412
    Abstract: A method and system for processing touch input. A computing device with a touch-sensing interface may maintain a stored size value for touch input by a known user. The computing device may detect and then determine a size of a touch input. The computing device may then compare the determined size of the detected touch input to the stored size value for the known user's tough input. Based on this comparison, the computing device may process the touch input. For example, in response to the touch input, the computing device may (a) take a first action if the determined size exceeds the stored size value by a first value, and (b) otherwise, take a second action. In one aspect, before using the stored size value for the known user's touch input, the computing device may identify a current user of the computing device as the known user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Geoffrey S. Martin, Danny L. Bowman
  • Patent number: 8526468
    Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to service-tier-based regulation of reverse-link activity at an access terminal operating in a wireless access network. An exemplary method involves (a) receiving one or more reverse activity bits from a wireless access network; (b) based 5 at least in part on the received reverse activity bits, determining a Quick Reverse Activity Bit (QRAB) and/or a Filtered Reverse Activity Bit (FRAB); (c) applying a first service-tier filter to the determined QRAB, wherein the first service-tier filter corresponds to a service tier for which the access terminal is authorized; and (d) based at least in part on the service-tier filtered QRAB, determining an adjustment to reverse-link activity of the access terminal. The method may further involve applying a second service-tier filter to the determined FRAB and using the service-tier filtered QRAB in determining the adjustment to reverse-link activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Hemanth Balaji Pawar, Shilpa Kowdley Srinivas, Bhagwan Khanka, Anoop K. Goyal
  • Patent number: 8526990
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed herein that may be used to share transmit-power information between mobile stations. An exemplary method involves a first mobile station: (i) determining a verified transmit power (VTP) for the first mobile station; (ii) using the VTP to generate a transmit-power message, wherein the transmit-power message is usable to determine an initial transmit power (ITP) for the second mobile station; and (iii) the first mobile station sending the transmit-power message to at least the second mobile station. For instance, the first mobile station may set the ITP for the second mobile station equal to the VTP for the first mobile station, and include an indication of the ITP in the transmit-power message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Srikanth Pulugurta
  • Patent number: 8526906
    Abstract: Exemplary methods and systems are disclosed herein to adjust active-set parameters based on the remaining battery life of a mobile station, generally in order to conserve battery power when the battery is low. An exemplary method involves: (a) a mobile station determining a battery-power level of the mobile station; (b) the mobile station using the determined battery-power level as a basis for setting at least one active-set parameter affecting the number of active sectors in an active set of the mobile station; and (c) the mobile station maintaining the active set according to the at least one active-set parameter. In an exemplary embodiment, the mobile station may set a maximum number of active sectors that the mobile station can include in the active set and/or parameters affecting whether a sector is included in the active set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Siddharth S. Oroskar, Srikanth Pulugurta, Maulik K. Shah
  • Patent number: 8526976
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems that may take advantage of unused space in general page messages (GPMs) by including multiple instances of a given page in the same GPM, in an effort to improve the chances that the intended mobile station receives the page. An exemplary paging method involves: (a) before a transmission of a general page message (GPM) that is formatted to include up to a maximum number of page records, making a determination that less than the maximum number of page records are scheduled to be included in the GPM; (b) in response to the determination, selecting, from the page records that are scheduled to be included in the GPM, at least one page record for which to include two or more instances in the GPM; and (c) transmitting the GPM, wherein two or more instances of the at least one selected page record are included in the transmission of the GPM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Sachin R Vargantwar, Siddharth S Oroskar
  • Patent number: 8520694
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system in which a connection-release buffer is provided in a communication path over which data is transmitted between a computing device (such as a server) and a mobile station. Upon receiving a final packet, indicating that the server has no more data to send to the mobile station, the buffer operates to determine whether a set period of time has elapsed since the last application-data packet was either sent to or received from the mobile station. If so, the buffer retains the final packet until detecting that the mobile station is in connected mode, at which point the buffer forwards the final packet to the mobile station. If not, the buffer forwards the final packet to the mobile station without first buffering the final packet pending detection of the mobile station being in connected mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Soshant Bali
  • Patent number: 8521168
    Abstract: A method and corresponding system is disclosed for enhanced resource allocation in a wireless communication system. According to the method, when an idle wireless device seeks to initiate a call in a given coverage area, the device will provide with its initiation request to the serving radio network a motion specification indicating an extent of movement of the device, based on the device's tracking of its own movement. The network will then use that motion specification provided with the initiation request as a basis to determine whether to select a resource to allocate for the call in the given coverage area based on resource implementation in at least one neighboring coverage area or whether to instead select the resource to allocate without regard to resource allocation in the at least one neighboring coverage area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Jason P. Sigg, Ashish Bhan, Maulik K. Shah, Jasinder P. Singh
  • Patent number: 8521195
    Abstract: Exemplary methods and systems are disclosed herein that may help to dynamically adjust page-transmission power based on the amount of concatenation being applied to a page. An exemplary method involves: (i) before transmission of a page to a mobile station by an access network, the access network identifying any concatenation that is being applied to the page; (ii) based at least in part on the concatenation that is being applied to the page, the access network selecting a page-transmission power for the page; and (iii) the access network transmitting the page to the mobile station at the selected page-transmission power. In an exemplary embodiment, a base station may increase the page-transmission power as the amount of concatenation increases, which may help to improve the paging success rate (PSR) for concatenated pages, among other benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Siddharth S. Oroskar, Sachin R. Vargantwar
  • Patent number: 8522131
    Abstract: An intermediary system is disposed along a communication path between a user device, such as a Web-enabled mobile phone, and a content server. The user device sends a request, such as an HTTP GET request, for a data page at the content server. The data page may be, for example, the hypertext markup language (HTML) code of a Web page. The intermediary receives the request and determines whether the requested data page includes a data reference, such as a uniform resource locator (URL) of an embedded image in the Web page. If the requested page includes a data reference, the intermediary creates a preload instruction and sends the preload instruction to the user device in a response to the request for the data page. The preload instruction instructs the user device to load the referenced data. The preload instruction may be a hidden frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Martin Geddes
  • Patent number: 8514735
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a radio access network (RAN) transmits a connection-setup message to an access terminal. If the RAN has not, within a predetermined amount of time after transmitting the connection-setup message, received a response to the connection-setup message from the access terminal, the RAN makes a poor-link-quality determination as to whether the quality of the reverse link was below a threshold level for an evaluation period consisting of at least part of the time that has elapsed since transmitting the connection-setup message. If not, the RAN treats the non-receipt of the response as a failure of the connection-setup process at least in part by terminating the process. But if so, the RAN excuses non-receipt of the response at least in part by continuing the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Sachin R. Vargantwar
  • Patent number: 8515441
    Abstract: A radio access network (RAN) may assign a wireless channel from a wireless coverage area to a wireless communication device (WCD) by transmitting a channel assignment message to the WCD. In situations where transmitting the channel assignment message is likely to cause the channel assignment message to be lost or damaged, the RAN may delay transmission of the channel assignment message or refrain from transmitting the channel assignment message. For example, if the WCD is receiving signals from the RAN with a poor signal strength, the RAN may wait until the WCD has had an opportunity to improve its coverage before transmitting the channel assignment message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Siddharth S. Oroskar
  • Patent number: 8515434
    Abstract: Femtocell radio access network (RAN) devices are typically small, low-cost base stations that can be deployed in areas where macro-cellular RAN coverage is poor or congested. Thus, wireless communication devices (WCDs) using femtocell devices may benefit from improved wireless coverage, while traffic is offloaded from the macro-cellular RAN. It is desirable to use femtocell devices to their full extent, but also to give the owners of these femtocell devices control over which WCDs may use of femtocell services. Accordingly, femtocell devices may be provisioned with a “greylist” that specifies which WCDs are granted full femtocell services, and which WCDs are granted limited or no femtocell services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Rajveen Narendran, Ryan S. Talley, Muralidhar Malreddy
  • Publication number: 20130210476
    Abstract: An originating mobile station seeks to establish a push-to-talk (PTT) communication session with a destination mobile station. To do this, the originating mobile station transmits a first request message that requests the PTT session. Before receiving a predefined indication that the requested PTT session has been accepted, the originating mobile station transmits a first continuation message that includes first session description information to facilitate establishment of the PTT session. A PTT server receives the first request message and, before receiving the first continuation message, transmits to the destination mobile station a second request message that requests the PTT session. The PTT server then transmits a second continuation message that includes second session description information. The destination mobile station receives the second request message and, before receiving the second continuation message, transmits an acceptance message indicating acceptance of the requested PTT session.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
  • Publication number: 20130210391
    Abstract: A mobile node and its home system generate synchronized time-based codes at periodic time intervals. Each time-based code is valid for a predetermined time period. To facilitate anonymous operation when roaming, the mobile node identifies itself with a coded identifier instead of a public identifier. The coded identifier used at a given time includes the time-based code that is valid for that given time. To authenticate the mobile node, a serving system receives authentication information from the mobile node and forwards the authentication information to a home system. The authentication information includes the current time-based code and a timestamp. The home system identifies the mobile node from the current time-based code and the timestamp. The home system then uses the authentication information to authenticate the mobile node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
  • Patent number: 8509792
    Abstract: A mobile station receives at least one frequency listing that identifies M downlink frequencies that may be used to receive communications from a wireless telecommunications network and N uplink frequencies that may be used to transmit communications to the wireless telecommunications network (M and N are integers greater than one). The mobile station selects a downlink frequency from among the M downlink frequencies and selects an uplink frequency from among the N uplink frequencies, independently of the downlink frequency. To make these selections, the mobile station may use a downlink hashing algorithm to map an identifier of the mobile station (such as MDN, MIN, IMSI, or ESN) to one of the M downlink frequencies and an uplink hashing algorithm to map the identifier to one of the N uplink frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Siddharth S. Oroskar, Sachin R. Vargantwar, Matthew S. Telep, Robert D. Carter
  • Patent number: 8509704
    Abstract: Based on forward signal quality detected by an access terminal, an access network may adjust the transmission rate at which to send power control commands (PCCs) to the access terminal and responsively begin sending PCCs directed to the access terminal at the adjusted transmission rate. For example, in response to determining that the access terminal is detecting a strong forward signal quality, the access network may begin sending PCCs directed to the access terminal at a reduced transmission rate of one PCC in less than every timeslot. In timeslots during which the access network does not send a PCC directed to the access terminal, the access network can then send PCCs directed to other active access terminals at a higher gain, which may in turn increase the percentage of PCCs received by the other active access terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Sachin R. Vargantwar
  • Patent number: 8509179
    Abstract: A mobile device for wireless communication with a wireless local area network (WLAN) includes a transceiver that is able to selectively transmit at a plurality of transmit power levels. When the mobile device associates with a wireless access point in the WLAN, the wireless access point transmits a control signal that controls the power level at which the mobile device transmits wireless signals to that wireless access point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Jason R. Delker, John M. Everson, Bryce A. Jones
  • Patent number: 8509196
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for allocating power among concurrent transmission attempts from a radio access network (RAN). In practice, the RAN encounters a situation where the RAN is going to engage concurrently in at least a transmission attempt of a first message and a transmission attempt of a second message. The RAN then determines an attempt number of the first transmission attempt and an attempt number of the second transmission attempt. The RAN then compares the determined attempt numbers and, based on the comparison, allocated a limited quantity of transmission power among the first transmission attempt and the second transmission attempt. For instance, based the comparison a greater portion of the transmission power may be allocated to one of the transmission attempts and a correspondingly lesser portion of the transmission power may be allocated to the other transmission attempt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: John W. Prock, Anoop K. Goyal, Bhagwan Khanka, Hemanth B. Pawar, Shilpa Kowdley Srivinas
  • Patent number: 8509822
    Abstract: Methods of determining and providing location information as to the whereabouts of a wireless device are disclosed which have less geographical precision that those based on GPS or triangulation algorithms, but which are much more scalable, efficient and less costly. The methods make use of SMS paging and in particular obtain cell and cell sector information from a wireless device from a response message to an SMS page to the device. The cell and cell sector is converted to user-friendly geographical information such as an address or name of a building using a database correlating cell sectors to landmarks, location or addresses, and this user-friendly information is returned to the requestor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Jiongkuan Hou, David Mohan, Kenneth Wayne Samson
  • Patent number: 8509699
    Abstract: A radio access network (RAN) accumulates page messages in a paging buffer for subsequent transmission into a wireless coverage area. A buffer monitor is configured to periodically monitor the occupancy of the paging buffer and to detect when there is a surge in the paging buffer occupancy (e.g., when the occupancy increases by at least a threshold amount during an evaluation time period). When the buffer monitor detects a surge in paging buffer occupancy, the RAN transmits a control message that changes one or more access parameters that mobile stations operating in the wireless coverage area use to determine when to transmit responses to page messages. Because of the changed access parameters, mobile stations that receive page messages in the same time period are less likely to transmit responses in the same access cycle channel, thereby reducing the possibility of access probe collisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Andrew Wurtenberger, Caleb Hyde, Manasa Keshavachandra