Method for selecting an air interface using an access list on a multi-mode wireless device

Abstract

Application-specific access lists are provided for a multimode mobile wireless device. The multimode mobile device has an access list for each wireless technology. Typically, these technology specific access lists are standard for each technology, and are provided by a service provider or the manufacturer of the multimode mobile device. For each application the multimode wireless device is a likely to operate, an application-specific access list is generated. The application-specific access list ranks the wireless technologies according to its relative desirability for the application. In this way, when the multimode mobile device request an application, the application-specific access list may be used to efficiently acquire a network preferred for that particular application. The application-specific access lists may be updated from time to time as applications are added or changed, as technology specific access lists are updated, or as geographic location changes.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to selecting an air interface system using a searchable access list. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Wireless subscriber devices are widely used and have become an essential aspect of modern life. Wireless subscriber devices such as pagers, mobile phones, PDA's (personal data assistants) are used for work, for personal activities, and as a way to keep in contact with friends and family. Often these devices are used to enable voice communications. Increasingly, however, these devices are used to share data messages without initiating a voice communication. These data messages may be for example, text messages, image files, video files, or audio files. As the functionality of these devices increases, their use and acceptance continues to expand. Further, users have become more reliant upon their wireless devices, and therefore demand high quality service and perfo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] Briefly, the present invention provides application-specific access lists for a multimode mobile wireless device. The multimode mobile device has an access list for each wireless technology. Typically, these technology specific access lists are provided by the service provider for each technology, and are provided by a service provider or the manufacturer of the multimode mobile device. For each application or, class of applications, the multimode wireless device is a likely to operate, an application-specific access list is generated. The application-specific access list ranks each of the supported wireless technologies according to its relative desirability for the application. In this way, when the multimode mobile device request an application, the application-specific access list may be used to efficiently acquire a network preferred for that particular application. The application-specific access lists may be updated from time to time as applications are added or changed, as technology specific access lists are updated, or as geographic location changes.

[0010] Advantageously, the present invention efficiently identifies a desirable network according to specific application requirements. This may reduce time to connect to a network, as well as provide a network operating the more preferred wireless technology.

Problems solved by technology

However, the user has been without mobile phone usage for some time, and may become impatient with the long “searching” indicator on the mobile phone.

In such a multi-mode environment, the multi-mode mobile device may take an exceptionally, and unacceptably, long time to search through the available wireless technologies to find an available network.

Images