Abstract: A method and system for increasing throughput of a wireless communications network and for reducing a reverse noise rise experienced by the wireless network are described. An access network and/or one or more access terminals monitor an activity level of reverse-link communications occurring between the access network and the access terminal(s). The access network and/or the access terminal(s) make a determination of whether an activity level of the reverse-link communications exceeds a threshold. If the threshold is exceeded, the access network and the access terminal(s) each operate in states such that the access network does not measure a noise floor and the access terminal(s) transmit communications to the access network. If the threshold is not exceeded, the access network and the access terminal(s) each operate in states such that the access network measures the noise floor and the access terminal(s) do not transmit communications to the access network.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 13, 2008
Date of Patent:
May 3, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Debasish Sarkar, Sachin R. Vargantwar, Manoj J. Shetty
Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for dynamically adjusting forward-link transmission power in a cellular wireless communication system. A base station controller (BSC) or other radio network entity determines that a given cell sector is transmitting data to at least one mobile station and that no cell sector in a cluster associated with the given cell sector (e.g., among neighboring sectors) is also transmitting data to at least one mobile station. In response, the BSC dynamically increases the forward-link transmit power in the given sector to a level beyond the sector's normal (full) transmit power. The invention preferably applies on a per-timeslot basis and the power increase occurs in at least a data channel segment, to help increase data transmission speed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 11, 2005
Date of Patent:
May 3, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Jason P. Sigg, Meng Y. Yew, Hector M. Ribas, Abhijit V. Apte, Nandish M. Chalishazar
Abstract: A typical cable television (CATV) network can be used as a communication link between a remote antenna system and a cellular base station (BTS). To do so, capacity of the typical CATV network is expanded to add use of an additional frequency spectrum, the added frequency is then divided into frequency channels (bands) of which each channel is digitized (e.g., using QAM) to produce a certain amount data bandwidth per channel, and a certain number of those channels are concatenated together to provide an aggregate data channel for carrying traffic between the cellular BTS and the remote antenna system (e.g., a distributed antenna system (DAS)).
Abstract: A radio access network has a reverse link frequency band for receiving signals from mobile stations and has first and second forward link frequency bands for transmitting signals to mobile stations. The second forward link frequency band has a greater frequency bandwidth than the first forward link frequency band and occupies a different part of the radio frequency spectrum. For certain types of communication sessions, such as voice and low-speed data, the reverse link frequency band and the first forward link frequency band are used. For other types of communication sessions, such as high-speed data and streaming video, the reverse link frequency band and the second forward link frequency band are used.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 3, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Harold W. Johnson, Mark L. Yarkosky, Durga Prasad Satapathy
Abstract: A method and system for controlling the rate at which access terminals hand off from an IS-2000 (e.g., 1xRTT) communication system to an IS-856 (e.g., EVDO) communication system. A base station determines metric indicative of the rate at which hybrid access terminals hand off to the IS-2000 from the IS-856 system, and then based at least in part on the metric, dynamically adjusts a dormancy period that at least one hybrid access terminal must wait before entering a dormant mode in which is looks for service under IS-856. As the rate-metric indicates a higher or lower rate, the system may responsively adjust the dormancy period down or up. The rate at which hybrid access terminals operating under IS-2000 may seek service under IS-856 may thus be tuned to the rate at which they hand of form IS-856 to IS-2000.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 2, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Swaminathan Balakrishnan, Jason P. Sigg, Ashish Bhan, Ajay Manghat
Abstract: Provided are methods and systems associated with interactive voice response (“IVR”) systems that control the amount of time a user interacts with the system. According to the invention, an IVR system utilizes a timer or series of timers to determine how long a user has been interacting with the IVR system. When threshold events occur, the IVR system will analyze the status of the call and may switch the user to a predefined destination, such as to an operator queue, directly to a live operator, or to another designated navigation point in the IVR navigation structure. In this manner increasing the efficiency of manner in which the IVR system interacts with a caller.
Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for dynamic selection by a mobile station of its home agent using its preferred roaming list (PRL). A mobile station maintains a PRL comprising an association between (i) a first set of data identifying a first wireless wide area network (WWAN) and (ii) a first identifier of a first home agent. The mobile station detects a broadcast of the first set of data by the first WWAN. Responsive to detecting the broadcast of the first set of data by the first WWAN, the mobile station connects to the first WWAN. Responsive to connecting to the first WWAN, the mobile station uses the first identifier to register with the first home agent.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 5, 2010
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Robert C. Pippert, Joseph E. Bennett, Ryan S. Talley, Joseph I. Schield, Andrew M. Wurtenberger
Abstract: A wireless network is used for a communication session between a mobile station and an endpoint. The wireless network receives endpoint bits representing communications from the endpoint for the mobile station and uses a first sector to transmit a forward link signal that encodes the endpoint hits. The mobile station generates mobile station hits representing communications from the mobile station for the endpoint and transmits a reverse link signal encoding the mobile station bits. A controller detects an imbalance between an error level in the forward link signal received by the mobile station and an error level in the reverse link signal received by the first sector. In response, the wireless network uses a second sector to receive the reverse link signal without using the second sector to transmit the endpoint bits. The reverse link signals received by the first and second sectors may be combined for diversity gain.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 5, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 26, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Deveshkumar Rai, Manoj Shetty, Sachin R. Vargantwar, Siddharth S. Oroskar, Ashvini Ganesh
Abstract: A mobile node using Mobile IP is served by a network access server (NAS), wherein the NAS has allocated a care-of address for the mobile node and a home agent has a mobility binding that associates the care-of address with the mobile node's home address. When the mobile node's care-of address is no longer valid, an intermediary server receives a notification messages from a first network element (e.g., the NAS or home agent) and sends a resource management message to a second network element (e.g., the home agent or NAS). In response to the resource management message, the second network element clears at least one resource associated with the mobile node. For example, the NAS may de-allocate the care-of address and the home agent may clear the mobility binding.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 5, 2006
Date of Patent:
April 19, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Serge M. Manning, Mark A. Lipford, Charles Brent Hirschman
Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for temporarily modifying a macro-network neighbor list to enable a mobile station to hand off from a macro network to a femto cell. A method includes receiving a signal indicating that the mobile station detected coverage of a femto cell; after receiving the signal, adding the femto cell to the neighbor list, thereby enabling the mobile station to handoff to the femto cell; detecting that the mobile station completed handoff to the femto cell; and in response to detecting that the mobile station completed handoff to the femto cell, removing the femto cell from the neighbor list.
Abstract: A method and system are provided for managing a radio access network (RAN). The RAN defines one or more wireless coverage areas (WCAs) to serve one or more mobile nodes (MNs). Each MN requests data from the RAN at a requested forward-link data rate and the RAN transmits data to the MN at an actual forward-link data rate. For each WCA, an average of the actual forward-link data rates, an average of the requested forward-link data rates, and an RF-link utilization is determined. The RF-link utilization of the WCA is determined by dividing the average actual forward-link data rate of the WCA by the average requested forward-link data rate of the WCA. The RAN is managed by scheduling the addition of one or more carrier frequencies to one or more WCAs, where the scheduling is based on the RF-link utilization of the WCAs.
Abstract: Methods and systems for improving the paging of wireless communication devices (WCDs) are introduced. A radio access network (RAN) begins transmitting a series of paging messages to a WCD, and determines that the WCD is operating on a new carrier frequency. The RAN proactively continues the series of paging messages on the new carrier frequency, without waiting for the prescribed interval between paging messages to expire. Alternatively, the RAN proactively restarts the series of paging messages on the new carrier frequency, without waiting for the prescribed interval between paging messages to expire. Both of these embodiments serve to reduce the delay involved in paging WCDs. The RAN may condition its behavior based on the WCD's profile.
Abstract: A method and server are disclosed for providing floor control in a full-duplex communication session. When no participant currently holds the floor, a server grants the floor in response to receipt of a media stream from a participant, by outputting the participant's media more loudly than one or more other participants' media, while concurrently outputting media from multiple participants. Further, the server may grant levels of the floor with varying levels of loudness, perhaps based on an order in which the server receives media streams as implicit floor requests from the various participants.
Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for selecting a location at which to implement a multi-service repeater in a radio access network. The multi-service repeater may provide service by repeating signals from multiple base stations including at least a first base station and a second base station. In addition, the radio access network may define a coverage area in which mobile stations operate. The method comprises, at each of one or more locations in the coverage area, evaluating one or more mobility indicators that provide information regarding movement of the mobile stations and, based, at least in part, on the evaluation of the mobility indicators at the one or more locations, selecting a given one of the locations where service could be improved by implementation of a multi-service repeater. Quality of service may be improved by intelligently selecting a location for the installation multi-service repeater based on mobility indicators.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 26, 2007
Date of Patent:
April 19, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Derek Warner, Jason Bowker, Robert Woodhouse
Abstract: A device can connect to a packet data network through a first data channel, such as a connection with a wireless telecommunications network. The device can additionally connect to the packet data network through a second data channel. The device can simultaneously transmit data over the first and second data channels. Data channels can be added or removed in order to change the bandwidth available to the device.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 27, 2002
Date of Patent:
April 12, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Lisa J. Brown, Joel E. Campbell, James B. Flack, Hugh H. Fletcher, Robert W. Hammond, Terry T. Yu
Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a home address subnet assignment for IPv6 bootstrapping. When a mobile-IPv6 router bootstraps, it receives a home address subnet prefix address (HoAp). The mobile-IPv6 router includes the HoAp and the mobile-IPv6 router's care-of address in a binding update, and sends the binding update to a home agent. The home agent associates the HoAp with the mobile-IPv6 router's care-of address. Thus, whenever the home agent receives a packet sent to an address with the same prefix as the HoAp, the home agent will forward the packet to the care-of address of the mobile-IPv6 router.
Abstract: A method for selecting a wireless coverage sector to serve a mobile station, such as in response to a handoff request that designates a sector-identifier that represents two or more possible sectors. A serving radio access network (RAN) may identify potential sectors in the region and may then select the sector whose azimuth is closest to the geographic bearing of the mobile station from the sector's base station. Further, in the event of a tie between two or more sectors or in other circumstances, the RAN may also take into consideration how close the mobile station is to various base stations, such as selecting the sector to whose base station the mobile station is closest. In a system that uses neighbor lists to govern handoff, the invention can help to facilitate handoff in a scenario where a mobile station requests handoff to a sector not listed in the mobile station's neighbor list.
Type:
Application
Filed:
November 22, 2010
Publication date:
March 17, 2011
Applicant:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Sachin R. Vargantwar, Ashvini G. Canjeevaram, Manoj Shetty, Siddharth S. Oroskar, DeveshKumar Rai
Abstract: A wireless communication link is established between a mobile station and a landline station, independently of the landline and wireless telecommunications networks. The mobile station, while engaged in a call via a wireless telecommunications network, may wirelessly transmit a bridging signal to a transceiver, in order to include the landline station in the call independently of the landline telecommunications network. While the landline station is engaged in a call via the landline telecommunications network, the transceiver may wirelessly transmit a bridging signal to the mobile station, in order to include the mobile station in the call independently of the wireless telecommunications network.
Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for monitoring user-interface operation. One or more wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, will automatically log user-interface events (such as key-presses) and user-interface states (such as display screen state) and will transmit the log-data, via a wireless link, to a central server. The server will then compile the log-data and generate useful output reports regarding user-interface operation. Such reports can assist device manufacturers and distributors (e.g., wireless carriers), triggering changes in user-interface design so as to improve user experience.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 16, 2005
Date of Patent:
March 8, 2011
Assignee:
Sprint Spectrum L.P.
Inventors:
Michael T. Lundy, Benjamin P. Blinn, Louie E. Wingo, Yat-Sang Hung
Abstract: A method and system are provided for planning a service-provider network. The service-provider network includes a macro network and a number of low-cost internet base stations (LCIBs), where the macro network includes a number of macro base transceiver stations (BTSs). One or more LCIBs are selected. The selected LCIBs are instructed to operate in an unrestricted mode and then operate in the unrestricted mode for an evaluation period. After the evaluation period ends, an off-loaded-traffic amount is determined for at least a portion of the macro network for the evaluation period. The off-loaded-traffic amount is then associated with the one or more selected LCIBs. Then, the service-provider network is planned based on the off-loaded-traffic amount.