| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090279430 | FEMTO CELL ACCESS POINT PASSTHROUGH MODEL - The subject innovation provides system(s) and method(s) to supply fixed, differentiated quality of service (QoS) for packetized traffic (e.g., voice and data) intended for femto cell coverage when transmitted concurrently with external broadband traffic. Quality of Service differentiation is supplied without an external implementation. Femto cell coverage is prioritized over concurrent packetized traffic to deliver a rich user experience for delay and jitter sensitive applications. A passthrough configuration for a femto access point (AP) facilitates supplying hard QoS for data packet streams, or flows, intended for femto cell coverage or non-femto-cell coverage. The femto AP receives a consolidated packet stream through backhaul link(s) and distinguishes flow(s) for femto coverage and flow(s) for auxiliary broadband coverage. The femto AP routes the flow(s) intended for femto with hard QoS according to QoS policy which can be determined by a network operator or a subscriber. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090279519 | LOCATION SURVEY FOR POWER CALIBRATION IN A FEMTO CELL - System(s) and method(s) are provided to survey a confined area serviced by femto cell for power calibration. Building survey facilitates calibration of femto cell power to suit actual coverage conditions within the building. A femto access point (AP) is set to “calibration mode” while a “calibration call” is effected (e.g., by a subscriber) throughout the intended in-building coverage area. Wireless signal strength for macro and femto coverage is measured and employed to establish an optimal femto AP power. Building survey for power calibration affects operation of the both a building-based AP serving the femto cell and wireless devices, and enhances subscriber experience. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090280819 | FEMTO CELL SIGNALING GATING - System(s) and method(s) are provided to manage signaling in a femto cell access point. A pilot signal power profile, or pilot signal gating, determines transmitted a time-dependent pilot signal power. The power profile displays a duty cycle well below 100% and a power depth, which is the amplitude between maximum and minimum pilot signal power, determined partially upon radio link conditions. The time-dependent power profile can be established through a schedule based at least in part on attachment data or subscriber input; machine-learning method facilitate inferring the schedule. Pilot signal gating profile can be reused in a femto cell deployment to broaden femto cell identification and thus facilitate macro-to-femto handover. Activating/deactivating pilot signal in a femto cell in the scheduled and synchronized manner provided herein leads to macro-femto interference mitigation and mobility improvement(s), and improved battery life of wireless devices that operate in a wireless environment that includes femto cells. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090280853 | SIGNALING-TRIGGERED POWER ADJUSTMENT IN A FEMTO CELL - System(s) and method(s) are provided for signaling-triggered power adjustment in a femto cell. Attachment signal activity is measured and a set of derived signaling activity metrics are assessed and compared with a set of thresholds. An activity metric that overcomes an associated threshold results in a power adjustment of the transmission power of a femto access point (AP). By monitoring LAU (location area update), RAU (routing area update), and call activity, signaling activity metrics (e.g., signaling failure rate, access control rejection rate, or dwell time) are determined and a femto AP can optimize transmission power to ensure coverage maintenance and confinement, as well as mitigate unnecessary signaling. Alarm(s) can be conveyed to a femto network platform when power increases after an adjustment cycle; alarm(s) can prompt a network-based response to actively address femto cell operation. Signaling-triggered power management affects operation of AP serving the femto cell and served mobile terminals. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20100027469 | POINT OF SALES AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT FOR FEMTOCELL SERVICE AND EQUIPMENT - System(s) and method(s) are provided for a femto cell service framework for purchase of femtocell equipment and service and customer support thereof. A point of sale (POS) platform enables purchase of femtocell equipment based on a set of eligibility criteria. POS also allows purchase of add-on services. Direct fulfillment and post-sale transactions such as returns and equipment replacement are also provided. An account management service enables femtocell equipment and service self-care or through customer representatives. Configuration of service account and monitoring of account status is provided. Customer care architecture also enables remote troubleshooting of purchased equipment. Remote troubleshooting includes diagnosis and related manipulation of purchased equipment. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100062717 | ASYMMETRICAL MULTICARRIER INTERFERENCE AVOIDANCE - A system and methods for asymmetrical multicarrier interference avoidance in a communication from a network to a subscriber device. The asymmetrical multicarrier interference avoidance technique comprises measuring signal-to-noise ratio interference values and sorting the measured values into two tables for selecting an anchor and a non-anchor frequency carrier pairs. The system is self-tuning based on changes in the network, the subscriber and the surrounding environment. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100136984 | FEMTO CELL VISITATION HISTORY FOR AUTOMATIC LOCATION AREA CODE PLANNING - System(s) and method(s) are provided for automatic radio paging parameter planning. For location area update (LAC), reuse plan is based at least in part on actual subscriber mobility in a set of deployed femto access points (APs). Mobility data is incorporate in LAC planning through a visitation matrix spanned by the set of deployed femto APs. Visitation matrix elements are counts of failed attachment attempts, or unwelcomed visits, from a subscriber station authorized to attach to a first femto AP into a second femto AP in which the subscriber station is not authorized to attach. Automatic LAC planning is achieved iteratively through a search algorithm that minimizes a cost function related to unwelcome visits, and through a planning principle that assigns disparate LACs to pairs of femto APs with high reciprocal unwelcome visits and same LACs to pairs of femto APs with low reciprocal unwelcome visits. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100144363 | LOAD-BASED ADAPTIVE INACTIVITY TIMERS - System(s) and method(s) are provided to for optimizing cellular network resource utilization under variable load conditions. To optimize resource(s) reallocation, inactivity timers that regulate network resource utilization between activity periods are dynamically adjusted based at least in part on current cell load condition(s). Lookup table(s) or computation based on load-timer mapping(s) can enable, at least in part, configuration of an inactivity timer setting. Inactivity timer values and magnitude of adjustments effected as a function of changes in cell load condition(s) can provide an optimal balance of at least one of network resource utilization; battery life of a served device; or signaling load associated with operation of the device. Inactivity timer setting(s) can be based at least in part on load condition estimates, which mitigate signaling associated with current load condition(s) assessment. Inactivity timers can be autonomously determined. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100151857 | FEMTO-BASED HOME MACRO SECTOR AND ASSOCIATED SCANNING OPERATION - System(s) and method(s) are provided to determine a home macro sector linked to a femto access point and adjust inter-carrier scanning in a mobile device that operates in the home macro sector. A femto access point (AP) can determine a home macro sector through cell or sector identifier that is extracted via scan(s) of macro wireless environment of the femto AP. Femto AP can rank extracted sector identifier(s) and establish home macro sector (HMS) identifier(s), and also can generate scanning requirements for idle-mode scan(s) by mobile device(s) that operates in a HMS. Scanning requirement(s) can force periodic inter-carrier measurements of a HMS wireless environment, and establish HMS-specific radio link quality threshold(s). Wireless network can receive at least one of HMS identifier(s) and scanning requirement(s) and deliver same to mobile device(s) authorized to exploit wireless coverage through femto AP associated with the HMS ID(s) and the scanning requirement(s). | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100151858 | SCANNING OF WIRELESS ENVIRONMENT IN A FEMTO-BASED HOME MACRO SECTOR - System(s) and method(s) are provided to trigger inter-carrier scanning in a mobile device based at least in part on location thereof. Femto access point (AP) that can serve the mobile device can determine location through cell or sector identifier that is extracted via scan(s) of macro wireless environment of the femto AP. Femto AP can rank extracted sector identifier(s) and establish home macro sector (HMS) identifier(s), and also can generate scanning requirements for idle-mode scan(s) by a mobile device that operates in a HMS and is authorized to access wireless coverage through the femto AP. Scanning requirement(s) can force periodic inter-carrier measurements of a HMS wireless environment, and establish HMS-specific radio link quality threshold(s). Wireless network can receive at least one of HMS identifier(s) and scanning requirement(s) and deliver same to mobile device(s) authorized to exploit wireless coverage through femto AP associated with the HMS ID(s) and the scanning requirement(s). | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100159945 | FEMTO CELL VISITATION HISTORY FOR LOCATION BASED SERVICES - System(s) and method(s) are provided for collection and communication of data on handset attachment procedure, or visitation, to one or more femto cells to provide location information. A mobility component receives actual subscriber and femto access point (AP) attachment signaling and extracts visitation data that facilitates generation of real-time or historical visitation reports. Location information is conveyed through visitation reports which can include mobile device identifier(s), femto AP location, and a timestamp. Visitation reports also can include processed visitation data such as mobility matrices, historical mobility patterns or profiles, and predicted mobility events. Provision of location information occurs without the need for dedicated handset functionality, and associated hardware, or additional battery draw. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100246544 | INDOOR COMPETITIVE SURVEY OF WIRELESS NETWORKS - System(s) and method(s) are provided to collect network operation data within a confined indoor wireless environment for generation of competitive intelligence and strategic network planning. Scanner component(s) survey and compare signals transported in a set of electromagnetic frequency bands, and in accordance with a set of radio technologies associated with competing networks. Collected data can be aggregated and delivered to femto gateway node(s), which can supply the data to an analysis component that generates network operations NetOp intelligence. A report component can manage received and aggregated network operation data and convey a portion thereof to planning tool(s) that can produce competitive intelligence and develop strategic network planning. Planning tool(s) can request specific network operation data or NetOp intelligence. Aggregated network operation data can be employed to identify service provider indoor coverage strengths or weaknesses relative to competitors to focus sales activities related to network services, and network improvement efforts. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100278141 | ACCESS CONTROL FOR MACROCELL TO FEMTOCELL HANDOVER - System(s) and method(s) are provided to control access to a femtocell as part of handover of a mobile device from macrocell to femtocell. Macro network platform issues a handover (HO) request towards femto network platform and a single virtual femto node, which represents a plurality of femto access points (APs). Location estimate(s) for the mobile device drives selection of a target femto AP. Selection of the target AP results in acceptance of the HO request. The mobile device also can request macro-to-femto (MTF) handover. HO neighbor list(s) is generated by decoding a network-issued identifier for each femto APs in a set of femtocells, and selectively ranking each femto AP based at least on channel quality; access privileges of the mobile device to each of the identified femto APs determines selectivity. Validation of mobile device's access right(s) drives acceptance of the MTF HO request to a top ranked femto AP. | 11-04-2010 |
| 20100318417 | ENTERPRISE FEMTO BASED KIOSK - Methods and apparatus for employing femto technology in an enterprise kiosk are presented herein. A content component can receive multimedia content from a base station coupled to a core network. Further, a transfer component can wirelessly transfer the received multimedia content to a mobile device utilizing a femto based wireless protocol based on, at least in part, a sale of the received multimedia content. A database component can store the received multimedia content in a data store, and the transfer component can wirelessly transfer the stored multimedia content to the mobile device utilizing the femto based wireless protocol. The transfer component can alternatively record the received multimedia content in a removable data storage device. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20110019715 | ASYMMETRICAL RECEIVERS FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION - System(s) and method(s) are provided to configure receivers in a mobile device to mitigate receiver overload and fully or nearly-fully utilize available spectrum for communication. Configuration is dictated at least in part by at least one of radio link quality or available receiver specifications, and it can be effected by the mobile device or a base station that serves the mobile device. Receiver configuration includes various spectrally asymmetric receivers that tune respective disparate portions of the available spectrum to maximize utilization thereof in the spectral regions prone to overload conditions. In severe overload conditions, a single receiver can be configured to operate in a frequency band spectrally adjacent to a sub-band that leads to overload conditions when employed for telecommunication. To improve performance, the single receiver configuration can be supplemented with at least one of transmit diversity operation, asymmetric multicarrier spreading, or downlink power boost of asymmetrical multicarrier spreading. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110059737 | Exclusive Wireless Service Proposals - Provided herein are systems and methods for providing exclusive wireless service proposals to subscribers. A method for providing an exclusive wireless service proposal to a subscriber includes the steps of conducting measurements of at least one metric; sending measurement data acquired during the step of conducting to a measurement analysis machine (MAM), the MAM being configured to analyze the measurement data; analyzing the measurement data; predicting performance of at least one of wireless voice and wireless data services based upon the results of the analysis step; generating a proposal for exclusive wireless services based upon the measurement data and the performance prediction; and providing the proposal to a subscriber. Systems for performing this and additional or alternative methods are also disclosed. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110087963 | User Interface Control with Edge Finger and Motion Sensing - Devices and methods are disclosed which relate to controlling the interface of a communications device using edge sensors that detect finger placement and movements. The invention combines edge sensors and outputs with left/right hand detection and an associated soft key adaptation. This combination allows a user to make handset inputs, such as display control functions, on the interface using finger placement combinations and motions. The approach may be applied to communications devices such as cellular telephones, PDAs, Tablet PCs, etc. as well as other handheld devices including, but not limited to, those used for GPS, package tracking and musical instruments. The combination user interface approach may be applied to any soft keys, on either side or edge of the device, for any function. | 04-14-2011 |