Abstract: Exemplary methods and systems may be used by a mobile station to request that a sector be removed from its active set, and by a radio access network (RAN) to facilitate such a request. An exemplary method involves (a) a mobile station receiving a congestion indicator in each active sector of an active set of the mobile station, wherein the congestion indicators are received from a RAN; (b) the mobile station using the received congestion indicators as a basis for selecting at least one high-congestion sector from the active set; and (c) the mobile station providing an indication of the at least one high-congestion sector to the RAN. Further, the mobile station may perform steps (b)-(c) in response to a determination that the battery power for the mobile station is below the threshold level.

Abstract: Exemplary methods and systems involve a determination of when a rapid page attempt should be made in the sector where a mobile station's last call ended, before zone-based paging is initiated.

Abstract: Methods and systems for reducing the latency of instant communication session establishment are presented. According to various preferred embodiments, a RAN, may receive a setup request message via a packet-switched network. The RAN may determine, from a quality of service (QOS) indication contained in the setup request message, that the setup request message is requesting establishment of a instant communication session. The RAN may further determine an intended destination wireless communication device (WCD) for the setup request message. Based on the QOS indication and/or a profile indicating the destination WCD's capabilities, the RAN may pre-allocate resources for the instant communication session in parallel to paging the destination WCD. In this way, the latencies associated with these procedures are overlapped, thus reducing the overall latency of instant communication session establishment.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for dynamic determination of EV-DO control-channel bit rate based on forward-link timeslot utilization. Service is provided to access terminals on a carrier in a wireless coverage area. The carrier comprises timeslots that can be active or idle. Active timeslots comprise a data channel; idle timeslots do not. The data channel is arranged to transmit user-traffic information, and also to transmit control-channel information at a bit rate that can be set to a first or second value, where the second value is greater than the first value. A number of active timeslots on the carrier in the coverage area over a time period is determined. It is further determined whether that number is less than a threshold number. If so, the bit rate is set to the first value; if not, the bit rate is set to the second value.

Abstract: Methods and devices for mitigating the impact of handoffs to non-preferred wireless coverage areas are presented. In particular, a RAN may determine that a first wireless communication device (WCD) and a second WCD are contending for a resource of a preferred wireless coverage area, and that both of the WCDs are likely to be handed off to non-preferred wireless coverage area(s) if they are not granted the resource. Both WCDs may be subscribed to a home wireless service provider that also controls and/or operates the preferred wireless coverage area. The RAN may compare historical call length data of the first WCD with historical call length data of the second WCD. Based on the outcome of this comparison, the RAN may allocate the resource to the WCD that would likely incur higher roaming fees to the home wireless service provider if that WCD were to roam to a non-preferred wireless coverage area.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for determining relative priorities of wireless communication devices with respect to controlling controllable devices. A femtocell receiving a registration request and a device identifier from a first wireless communication device may responsively (i) provide the first wireless communication device with wireless service and (ii) use the device identifier to determine at least one respective relative priority of the first wireless communication device compared to a second wireless communication device with respect to controlling at least one controllable device. The femtocell may then transmit at least one message to at least one of (i) the first wireless communication device, (ii) the second wireless communication device, and (iii) at least one controllable device in accordance with the determination, the at least one message reflecting the determined at least one relative priority. In this way, conflicts between multiple controlling devices may be avoided.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for dynamically selecting a paging-concatenation level for a page based on one or more properties of the page. An exemplary method involves, at a wireless communication network that is configured to provide service to at least one wireless-communication device, using at least one property of a page record as a basis for selecting a paging-concatenation level for the page record, and paging the wireless-communication device by transmitting a page message that includes the page record, wherein the page message is of the selected paging-concatenation level. Various properties of the page record, such as the paging-attempt status and/or the target mobile station of the page, among others, may be used to select the paging-concatenation level.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for determining whether to accept an access request from an AT. In an embodiment of the invention, a base station receives an access request from an AT that is located within a sector served by the base station. In response to receiving the access request, the base station obtains the physical location of the AT within the sector. The base station then determines whether to accept the access request based on the physical location of the AT within the sector.

Abstract: A method and system for determining that a given channel defined by a first protocol radio link is overloaded, transmitting a first type of message to a wireless communication device operating on the first protocol radio link, and thereafter transmitting a message of a second type to the wireless communication device via a second protocol radio link. The message of the first type is encoded to cause the wireless communication device to switch from operating on the first protocol radio link to operating on the second protocol radio link and to cause the wireless communication device to switch back to operating on the first protocol radio link upon receipt of the message of the second type. The wireless communication device may present the message of the second type to a user of the wireless communication device.

Abstract: System and methods for generating and transmitting dynamic route-update-radius parameters are described. The parameters are dynamic in that the parameters may be modified from time-to-time. Modification of the parameters may be triggered by a radio access network (RAN) determining that a coverage area formed by the RAN is handling more than a threshold amount of communications to and/or from access terminals operating in the coverage area. The RAN may transmit the dynamic route-update-radius parameters so as to prevent some access terminals from registering with the coverage area while the coverage area is handling more than the threshold amount of communications. While the coverage area is handling a reduced amount of communications, such as less than a threshold amount of communications, the access network may transmit default route-update-radius parameters to coverage areas remote from that coverage area.

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for enhanced Simultaneous Hybrid Dual Receive operation. A hybrid access terminal engaged in an IS-856 data communication in a hybrid IS-2000/IS-856 wireless communication system will use its high-gain antenna to conduct IS-2000 tuneaway scans when the access terminal determines that the IS-2000 signal received from its serving base station is below a level that can be reliably detected by its low-gain antenna. At the same time, the access terminal will continue to use its low-gain antenna to engage in the ongoing IS-856 communication, thereby avoiding interruption of the IS-856 communication by IS-2000 tuneaway scans, even when RF conditions are sub-optimal. The access terminal may apply a DRC offset to its DRC request when using just its low-gain antenna for IS-856 communications.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for delivering calling party notifications. An artificial intelligence software application located on an Intelligence Rules Server is operable to infer why a first call to a mobile station is not connected and predict when a second call to a mobile station is likely to be connected. The application communicates the inference and the prediction to a voice messaging system. The voice messaging system delivers a message to a calling party based on the inference and/or the prediction.

Abstract: A method and system for avoiding missed tuneaways from a first wireless link configured according to a first protocol to a second wireless link configured according to a second protocol. An access network providing the first wireless link may receive, from one or more of a group of hybrid access terminals assigned to given cycles/timeslots of the first wireless link, reports of missed tuneaways from the first wireless link to the second wireless link. Based on the received reports, the access network may determine that the group of hybrid access terminals (or a given one of the group) has missed a threshold extent of tuneaways. In response, the access network may decide to reduce an amount of control-channel data to send on the first wireless link during the given cycles/timeslots and then begin to send a reduced amount of control-channel data on the first wireless link during the given cycles/timeslots.

Abstract: A location of a mobile station is estimated based on wireless communications between the mobile station and a wireless telecommunications network. Call measurement data is obtained for a call involving the mobile station and a plurality of base station antennas. The call measurement data includes round-trip delay (RTD) measurements and received signal strength (RSS) measurements. The most significant one or more base station antennas involved in the call are identified. An expected signal strength is calculated for each significant base station antenna, according to a wireless propagation model that accounts for terrain around the base station antennas. For each significant base station antenna, the corresponding expected signal strength, RTD measurement, and RSS measurement are used to calculate an adjusted RTD value. The one or more adjusted RTD values calculated for the one or more significant base station antennas are used to estimate the mobile station's location.

Abstract: A method is provided for inserting signature blocks into a message being transmitted along a communication path between a first client station and a second client station. The method includes a step of receiving, at an intermediate node in the communication path, a message transmitted from the first client station destined for delivery to the second client station. The message bears a sender-identifier (e.g., email address) and a recipient-identifier (e.g., email address). The method further includes a step of selecting, based at least in part on the sender-identifier, a predefined signature block for the message. The method further includes a step of inserting the selected signature block into the message. The signature block to be inserted may be based on both the sender identifier and the recipient identifier.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed herein that may help to increase the paging success rate, among other benefits. An exemplary method involves a radio access network: (a) detecting a page-shedding event, wherein the page-shedding event comprises an overhead message being sent in a first paging-channel slot instead of a page to a mobile station that was previously scheduled for the first paging-channel slot; (b) in response to detecting the page-shedding event, the radio access network determining whether or not it is a last attempt to send the page that was previously scheduled for the first paging-channel slot; (c) if it is not the last attempt, the radio access network scheduling a next attempt to send the page according to a standard scheduling procedure; and (d) if it is the last attempt, the radio access network rescheduling the last attempt to send the page according to an alternate scheduling procedure.

Abstract: A mobile station receives a neighbor list from a base station in an area of a public wireless network that borders a private wireless network. The neighbor list includes encrypted channel identifiers corresponding to private network channels transmitted by the private wireless network and unencrypted channel identifiers corresponding to public network channels transmitted by the public wireless network. If the mobile station does not subscribe to the private wireless network, the mobile station does not recognize the encrypted channel identifiers and simply ignores them. However, if the mobile station subscribes to the private wireless network, the mobile station decrypts the encrypted channel identifiers and determines whether it is able to initiate a handoff to any of the corresponding private network channels.

Abstract: A method of managing media content such as games, ring tones, screen savers and other media content stored in a wireless device, e.g. cellular phone, is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of storing media content in a memory in the wireless device in a content file, separately storing settings for the media content in the memory in a settings file, and deleting the content file while simultaneously preserving storage of the settings file. The content file may be deleted in response to user action or in response to a timer expiring. If the user attempts to access deleted content, they are prompted to repurchase the content. If the content is repurchased, the saved content settings may be re-applied automatically to the repurchased content.

Abstract: A method and system for provisioning a wireless communication device with a PRL by making a determination of whether the device is being provisioned under an existing subscriber account or rather under a new subscriber account. Based at least in part on the determination, a PRL is selected and the device is provisioned with the selected PRL. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention may enable a wireless carrier to (i) provision a new subscriber's device with a PRL that defines a preference for voice-over-IP (VoIP) service over legacy voice service and/or (ii) provision an existing subscriber's device with a PRL that defines a preference for legacy voice service over VoIP service.

Abstract: Methods and systems for assigning a wireless communication device to a carrier frequency are presented. In an exemplary embodiment, a radio access network (RAN) radiates to define one or more wireless coverage areas using at least two different carrier frequencies. A given wireless communication device (WCD) seeks to engage in a call, and accordingly transmits a probe message to the RAN. In response to receiving the probe message, and based at least on information associated with the probe message, the RAN determines an initial carrier frequency assignment for the given WCD. Preferably, this initial carrier frequency assignment is performed to balance load across at least some of the at least two different carrier frequencies. The RAN then transmits an indication of the carrier frequency assignment to the given WCD. The given WCD may then tune to the assigned carrier frequency and conduct communications using the assigned carrier frequency.