Patents by Inventor Stephen A. Howell

Stephen A. Howell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7904094
    Abstract: A method for reducing wireless communication procedure failure. The method can include initiating a procedure over an existing radio resource control connection on a universal mobile telecommunication system. The method can also include receiving a connection release signal prior to receiving a response from a core network regarding the initiated procedure. The method can further include immediately retrying the procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen A. Howell, Prashanti Das, Srikishna Maloor Ramachandra
  • Publication number: 20090270092
    Abstract: A method of establishing a wireless link is provided. The method comprises a user equipment (UE) receiving a transmission from a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell. When the CSG cell is associated with a CSG identified in a user defined list of CSGs stored in the UE, the method further comprises establishing a wireless link between the UE and the CSG cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
    Inventors: Adrian Buckley, Youngae Kim, Stephen A. Howell, Nicholas P. Alfano
  • Patent number: 7561879
    Abstract: A method for access network (112) sharing, for example, a GSM or UMTS 3G wireless communications radio access network (RAN), among multiple core networks (120, 12, 124 & 126), for example, wireless communications services networks, including transmitting information about the core network sharing the common access network, e.g., a pseudo network identity or the number of core networks sharing the common access network or pointer information, in a system information message. The communication device (102) uses the information provided in the system information message to connect to a core network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Ravi Kuchibhotla, Niels Peter Skov Andersen, Stephen A. Howell
  • Publication number: 20080056194
    Abstract: A dual transfer mode communications network (100), such as a GSM network using AMR and GPRS data transmission modes, allows enhanced data utilization efficiency by multiplexing AMR pauses generated during speech frame transmission by a first mobile system (101) with short packet-switched data bursts from a second mobile system (105). The communications network (100) processes an access request burst signal on an uplink channel from the first mobile system (101) along with the short packet-switched data bursts from the second mobile system (105).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Ilya O. Gonorovsky, Stephen A. Howell, Jian J. Wu
  • Patent number: 7305251
    Abstract: A method (200) for selecting a core network for a communication device includes the steps of: receiving (220) at least one core network identifier; selecting (230) a core network identifier; setting (215) an indicator to indicate whether a substitute core network is allowed; determining (240) whether the selected core network identifier corresponds to a shared network; forming a registration request message containing the selected core network identifier; including (243) the indicator in the registration request message; and transmitting the registration request message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Ravi Kuchibhotla, Niels Peter Skov Andersen, Stephen A. Howell
  • Patent number: 7269146
    Abstract: A wireless communication system (100) is configured to send signaling messages through a cell broadcast service (CBS). CBS message pages used to transport signaling messages are identified by assigned message identifiers. Mobile devices (114) within the communication system (100) recognize the CBS messages transporting signaling messages by the message identifiers and pass the signaling messages to an appropriate application or control program module. The message identifier may be used to specify the application or control program module to process the signaling message. The signaling messages transported by the CBS may be used in controlling a multicasting or broadcasting service. Duplicate copies of the CBS message pages may be transmitted and then buffered at the mobile device (114) as they are received until all parts of the signaling message have been received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Mark E. Pecen, Niels Peter Skov Andersen, Stephen A. Howell, Bonnie Chen
  • Patent number: 6771960
    Abstract: A method for a radiotelephone to scan for service in a radiotelephone system having a plurality of carriers within a corresponding geographic area includes establishing (202) a list of a predetermined number of carriers having the strongest signal strengths from cells proximate to the cell where the radiotelephone is camped. A next step includes determining (206) those proximate carriers from the list that are unsuitable for reselection by the radiotelephone. A next step includes scanning (208) for other suitable carriers within the area to substitute for those unsuitable carriers found in the determining step. A next step includes modifying (212) the list to include those suitable carriers found in the scanning step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcia J. Otting, Stephen A. Howell
  • Publication number: 20040097267
    Abstract: A mobile communication device, and a method of operating a mobile communication device, includes storing at least one frame of a communication signal received from a network, and applying flow control to the lower layers to support network reselection. According to one aspect of the invention, a message is transmitted indicating that a virtual bearer mode of operation is supported by the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device selectively operates in the virtual bearer mode depending upon the response received following such transmission. Additionally, flow control may advantageously be dependent upon detecting that a cell change is imminent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Inventors: Mark E. Pecen, Niels Peter Skov Andersen, Ilya Gonorovsky, Stephen A. Howell, Arnold Sheynman
  • Patent number: 6477372
    Abstract: A method for allowing a radiotelephone to scan for alternate radiotelephone systems, where each cellular radiotelephone system is within a corresponding geographic area and each cell has a base station providing paging and voice communication, includes a first step of registering the radiotelephone on a radiotelephone system. A next step includes establishing whether alternate technology scanning has been enabled for the radiotelephone. If alternate technology scanning is disabled, the radiotelephone receives paging messages from the base station and acknowledges the paging messages addressed to the radiotelephone. If alternate technology scanning is enabled, the radiotelephone scans for an alternate technology while the base station repeats any paging messages addressed to the radiotelephone and ignores a lack of acknowledgement from the radiotelephone for paging messages addressed to the radiotelephone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcia J. Otting, Eric J. Hefner, Stephen A. Howell