Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for using mobile-station revision ratio to improve reverse-link performance. An access node provides service to first and second subsets of access terminals, the first operating according to IS-856, Rel. 0, the second according to IS-856, Rev. A. The access node periodically transmits a reverse activity bit (RAB) to the access terminals, and also periodically computes a ratio of (a) either (1) the number of access terminals in the first subset or (2) the number of access terminals in the second subset to (b) a total number of access terminals in the first and second subsets, and transmits the ratio to at least the first subset. When the RAB is set, the access terminals in the first subset perform a ratio test by comparing the ratio with a threshold, and decrease their reverse-link data rates without reference to any reverse-link transitional probabilities when the computed ratio passes the ratio test.

Abstract: A clearinghouse is used to determine caller location for VoIP calls. The clearinghouse maintains (i) a first correlation between a first IP address and a first ISP and (ii) a second correlation between a second IP address and a second ISP. The clearinghouse receives the first IP address from a VoIP service provider (VSP). The first IP address is a source address of a request from a VoIP telephone to set up a call, received by the VSP from the first ISP. The clearinghouse references the first correlation and queries the first ISP with the first IP address. The clearinghouse then receives from the first ISP a location associated with the first IP address. The clearinghouse transmits this location to an entity such as the VSP or, for a 911 call, perhaps a PSAP. The clearinghouse may select the PSAP based at least in part on the location.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for initiating record-keeping processes for usage of communication services by subscribers. An exemplary method may be implemented in an access network wherein two or more types of subscription plans are available to the subscribers, including an unlimited-use subscription plan.

Abstract: A method and system for establishing group multicast communication, such as PoC multicast communication. Multiple terminals will join a PoC multicast group automatically at some point before the underlying PoC session is being initiated and thus before there is any PoC content for a PoC server to multicast to the group members. Further, this joining process will occur without the PoC multicast channel being listed in the terminals' multicast channel listings. Thereafter, when one of the terminals opts to initiate the PoC session and thus signals to the PoC server, the server will cause the participating terminals to tune to the associated PoC multicast channel for the PoC multicast group that the terminals had already joined. The invention thereby helps to effectively randomize the timing of join-signaling by the various terminals and thus helps to conserve network resources.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are provided for invoking third-party call control via a cable-television host device. A video signal is received into a cable-television host device, the video signal comprising an identifier associated with a first telephony endpoint. A command is received into the cable-television host device, the command requesting establishment of a communication session between the first telephony endpoint and a second telephony endpoint. A message is transmitted via a packet-switched network from the cable-television host device to a network entity, wherein the message comprises content based at least in part on the identifier, and wherein the message further comprises content for causing the network entity to invoke third-party call control to attempt to establish the communication session between the first telephony endpoint and the second telephony endpoint.

Abstract: Tags, such as XML tags, are inserted into email to separate email content from signature blocks, privacy notices and confidentiality notices, and to separate original email messages from replies and replies from further replies. The tags are detected by a system that renders email as speech, such as voice command platform or network-based virtual assistant or message center. The system can render an original email message in one voice mode and the reply in a different voice mode. The tags can be inserted to identify a voice memo in which a user responds to a particular portion of an email message.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for providing satellite assistance data to facilitate determination of the location of a mobile station, particularly for instance a mobile station served by a femtocell. When a positioning server receives a request for the location of a mobile station, the positioning server will determine from the request the mobile station is served by a femtocell and that the positioning server should query a femtocell server for seed data, or the positioning server may otherwise determine from the request that the positioning server should query the femtocell server for seed data. The seed data would preferably be geographic coordinates of a femtocell with which the mobile station is registered. The positioning server may then use that seed data to facilitate obtaining satellite assistance data from a base station almanac, and the positioning serve may provide the satellite assistance data to the mobile station to facilitate location determination.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for implementing an overlay carrier frequency in a wireless coverage area in response to low load in the coverage area. Normally, an carrier frequency may be added in response to high load. However, the disclosed method involves adding a carrier frequency in response to low load, as the addition of a carrier may advantageously increase the likelihood of soft handoff in certain situations, and as low load may facilitate operation on the added carrier without the need to add expensive supporting infrastructure that would typically be added to support full operation on an added carrier frequency.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for repeat paging in a wireless communication system. In accordance with the method, a RAN controller will send a repeat-paging directive to a plurality of BTSs to cause each BTS to begin broadcast of a series of page messages destined to a target mobile station. While transmitting the series, one of the BTSs will then receive from the mobile station a page response, and the BTS will responsively provide to the RAN controller a notification of the page response. In response to receipt of the notification, the RAN controller will then send a paging-stop directive to at least each other BTS of the plurality, and each BTS that receives the paging-stop directive will responsively discontinue broadcasting the series of page messages before completing broadcast of the entire series of page messages, thereby helping to conserve air interface resources.

Abstract: Methods and systems for adjusting the access search window based on the movement of a mobile station (MS) are disclosed. The MS searches for pilot signals using a search window that has an initial size. At a first and second time, the MS determines its position. The MS then determines the distance between the position of the MS at the first time and the second time. When the distance is less than a threshold distance, the MS measures the strength of a pilot signal within the access search window and identifies one or more signal peaks within the access search window that are above a specified signal strength. Next, the MS modifies the access search window into one or more smaller access search windows. The one or more smaller access search windows collectively have a size that is smaller than the initial size.

Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating handoff in a wireless communication network are disclosed. One method entails receiving a sector handoff request from a mobile station, the request including a signaling trend and specifying a sector identifier that identifies a target sector, where multiple available sectors are identified by the sector identifier. The method further entails accessing a history of signaling-trend records, which are indexed per sector, to determine, based on the received signaling trend, which of the multiple available sectors is the intended target sector, and, responsive to the determination of the intended target sector, causing the mobile station to be served by the intended target sector. Other embodiments include a system for implementing the methods and a method in which a mobile station requests handoff to a target sector and provides a signaling trend upon request when it is determined that multiple available sectors have the same sector identifier.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for a wireless communication device (WCD) to adjust a respective search-window size for one or more search windows. In an embodiment, the WCD monitors a battery power level of a WCD. The WCD then adjusts a respective search-window size of one or more search windows of a WCD based on at least the battery power level. In another embodiment, the WCD monitors a WCD's battery power level and the strength of one or more signals in an active set. The WCD 102 then adjusts a respective search-window size of one or more search windows based on at least the battery power level and the strength of one or more active-set signals.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for EV-DO femtocells to use proximity to prioritize service to access terminals. In an embodiment, a femtocell assigns a first range of MAC IDs to a first group of access terminals, where the first group is those access terminals that are less than a threshold distance from the femtocell. The femtocell assigns a second range of MAC IDs to a second group of access terminals, where the second group is those access terminals that are more than the threshold distance from the femtocell. The femtocell repeatedly transmits (1) a first reverse activity bit (RAB) to the first group and (2) a second RAB to the second group, and measures reverse noise rise (RNR) on a femtocell carrier. If the measured RNR is greater than the threshold, the femtocell responsively (1) clears the first RAB and (2) sets the second RAB.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for overriding a most-recently-used (MRU) table for system acquisition. In an embodiment, a mobile station maintains an MRU table populated with data identifying one or more networks to which the mobile station was most recently connected, and the mobile station is arranged to conduct system acquisition by referencing the MRU table prior to referencing a preferred roaming list (PRL). The mobile station receives an MRU-override instruction from a wireless network, and modifies its MRU table according to the instruction, producing a modified MRU table, and conducts at least one subsequent system acquisition with reference to the modified MRU table.

Abstract: A wireless communication device (WCD) may be able to acquire wireless service from preferred wireless coverage areas that are managed by the WCD's service provider. In some cases, the WCD may instead use wireless service from non-preferred wireless coverage areas of the service provider's roaming partners. In order to save roaming fees, the service provider's RAN may determine when the WCD is likely to roam to a non-preferred wireless coverage area. In response to this determination, the RAN may transmit a redirect message to the WCD, causing the WCD to switch from one preferred wireless coverage area to another preferred wireless coverage area. In some situations, the RAN may transmit such a redirect message because the WCD has reported that it has a low remaining battery life.

Abstract: A system and method for suppressing operation of alert logic at a communication device so as to reduce a quantity of alerts presented by various alert logic elements, where each alert logic element is operable to cause an alert for a given event to be presented. Conflict-resolution logic executable by a processor may receive an alert notification for the given event, determine which alert logic elements are operable to present an alert for the given event, determine which of the alert logic elements are running and a priority for each of the alert logic elements, suppressing operation of the alert logic elements that are running and do not have the highest priority, and providing alert notification to the alert logic element that is running and having the highest priority. The alert logic element receiving the alert notification causes the alert for the given event to be presented.

Abstract: A method and system for determining reporting the location of an originating telephone device. A location interoperability platform receives a signaling message from a switch, reflecting a call request from an originating device and carrying data indicating whether the originating device is a landline device or a wireless device. If the data indicates that the originating device is a landline device, then the location interoperability platform invokes a landline location-determination process to determine the location of the originating device. On the other hand, if the data indicates that the originating device is a wireless device, then the location interoperability platform invokes a wireless location-determination process to determine the location of the originating device. The location interoperability platform may then report the determined location to the called party, to help facilitate a location-based service such as emergency response.

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for enhanced reverse-link auxiliary pilot triggering in an access terminal. An access terminal operating in a first state in which it transmits a primary beacon signal on an air interface link to a base station and concurrently transmits a secondary beacon signal to the base station upon a condition that the access terminal transmits packets with payloads exceeding a threshold size, may receive a command from the base station to unconditionally transmit the secondary beacon signal. In response to receiving the command, the access terminal will transition to operating in a second state in which it transmits a primary beacon signal on the air interface link to a base station and concurrently and unconditionally transmits the secondary beacon signal to the base station.

Abstract: Methods are described for handling an incoming call at a mobile switching center when the mobile station is currently in either an access state (in the process of making an outgoing call) or in a paging state (in the process of receiving an earlier incoming call). The mobile switching center waits until the mobile station transitions out of the access state or paging state into a traffic state. The mobile switching center sends an alert message to the mobile station alerting the user of the new incoming call. The mobile switching center handles the incoming call per a response to the alert message. One option would be to send the new incoming call to the user and drop the other incoming call (or the outgoing call). Another option would be to direct the incoming call to voice mail. In either case, the handling of the incoming call is per the user's direction, i.e., as dictated by the response message.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for use of a trusted server such as an over-the-air provisioning server to facilitate mobile location determination. If a mobile location server (MLS) sends a location-determination message to a mobile station and does not receive a response back from the mobile station, there is a chance that the mobile station is not provisioned with a correct address of the MLS and that the mobile station therefore did not respond. To help jump start the location-determination process, the MLS may respond to that situation by instead causing a trusted server such as an over-the-air-service-provisioning (OTASP) server to send a location-determination message to the mobile station, triggering a response from the mobile station.