Patents by Inventor Stephen BEARCROFT

Stephen BEARCROFT 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).

  • Base station providing handover among small cells
    Patent number: 9781635
    Abstract: A source base station method, a source base station, a target base station method, a target base station and computer program products are disclosed. The source base station method comprises: in response to receiving an identification message from a user equipment being served by the serving base station identifying a target base station detected by the user equipment, transmitting a prepare message to the target base station requesting the target base station allocate but not utilise resources to support communication with the user equipment; and transmitting an active set update message to the user equipment instructing the user equipment to add the target base station to its active set. In this way it can been seen that functionality employed during hard handover is used in order to provision the target base station, but that soft handover procedures are used towards the user equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Philip Sapiano, Stephen Bearcroft
  • BASE STATION PROVIDING HANDOVER AMONG SMALL CELLS
    Publication number: 20160234723
    Abstract: A source base station method, a source base station, a target base station method, a target base station and computer program products are disclosed. The source base station method comprises: in response to receiving an identification message from a user equipment being served by the serving base station identifying a target base station detected by the user equipment, transmitting a prepare message to the target base station requesting the target base station allocate but not utilise resources to support communication with the user equipment; and transmitting an active set update message to the user equipment instructing the user equipment to add the target base station to its active set. In this way it can been seen that functionality employed during hard handover is used in order to provision the target base station, but that soft handover procedures are used towards the user equipment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Applicant: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Philip SAPIANO, Stephen BEARCROFT