EP1258165A1 - Position assisted service selection - Google Patents

Abstract

A scanning method for a mobile terminal in a mobile communication network uses the current location of the mobile terminal to select frequency bands to be scanned. The mobile terminal includes an enriched database containing area definitions and service provider information corresponding to each area definition. When the scanning procedure is initiated, the mobile terminal compares its current location to the area definitions in the database to determine the frequency bands to be scanned. Thus, the mobile terminal scans first those frequency bands in which a preferred service provider is expected.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A method for selecting a service provider by a mobile terminal, said method comprising: storing service provider data for a plurality of service providers in said mobile terminal, said service provider data including service area data describing at least one service area for at least one of said plurality of service providers; determining a current geographic location of said mobile terminal; and selecting a service provider based on said current geographic location of said mobile terminal and said service area data stored in said mobile terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said service provider data stored in said mobile terminal further includes technology type data indicating the type of communication technology supported by said at least one service provider in said at least one service area.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said selecting a service provider is further based on said technology type data. 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said service provider data stored in said mobile terminal further includes service provider priority data for said at least one service provider.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said selecting a service provider is further based on said service provider priority data.

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6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said service provider data stored in said mobile terminal further includes service provider identification data for said at least one service provider.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said service provider data stored in said mobile terminal includes frequency band data indicating the frequency band of said at least one service provider in said at least one service area.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said service provider data stored in said mobile terminal includes control channel data indicating at least one control channel frequency of said at least one service provider in said at least one service area.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said storing service provider data includes storing said service provider data in a removable memory device associated with said mobile terminal. 10. The method according to claim 1 wherein said determining a current geographic location of said mobile terminal includes receiving a transmission from a remote location containing data representing said current geographic location.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein said determining said current geographic location of said mobile terminal includes transmitting a request and receiving a transmission responsive to said request containing data representing said current geographic location.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said transmitting a request comprises said mobile terminal transmitting said request to a serving base station and

19 wherein said receiving a transmission responsive to said request comprises said mobile terminal receiving a responsive transmission from said base station.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein said determining said current geographic location of said mobile terminal includes determining said current geographic location based on signals received by a positioning receiver in said mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 1 further including updating said service area data stored in said mobile terminal based on areas visited by said mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 14 further including storing said areas visited by said mobile terminal in a history list in a mobile communication network.

16. The method of claim 14 further including storing said areas visited by said mobile terminal in a history list in said mobile terminal.

17. A wireless communications mobile terminal, comprising: a transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF signals over a plurality of communication channels; memory including a service provider database, said service provider database including a list of service providers and service area data describing at least one service area of at least one of said service providers; and control logic operatively connected to said transceiver and said memory and adapted to select a service provider based on said service area data in said service provider database.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 17 further including a position estimating device in communication with said control logic, said position

20 estimating device determining the current geographic location of said mobile terminal, wherein said control logic selects a service provider by comparing said current geographic location of said mobile terminal with said service area data.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 18 wherein said position estimating device includes a GPS receiver.

20. The mobile terminal according to claim 17 wherein said service provider database includes technology type data indicating the type of communication technology supported by said at least one service provider.

21. The mobile terminal according to claim 17 wherein said mobile communication device has a plurality of operating modes.

22. The mobile terminal according to claim 21 wherein at least one operating mode is a digital operating mode.

23. The mobile terminal according to claim 22 wherein one of said operating modes is satellite mode. 24. The mobile terminal according to claim 17 wherein said memory is selected from a group consisting of random access memory resident in said mobile terminal, a removable memory device selectively attached to said mobile terminal, and a smart card.

25. The mobile terminal according to claim 17 wherein said transceiver receives an indication of said mobile terminal's current geographic location from a mobile communication network and wherein said control logic is adapted to select a service provider based on said service area data in said service provider database and said indication.

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26. A method for selecting a control channel by a mobile terminal, said method comprising: storing service provider data for a plurality of service providers in said mobile terminal, said service provider data including service area data indicative of at least one service area of said at least one service provider and corresponding channel band data indicative of at least one channel band associated with said at least one service provider in said at least one service area; determining the current geographic location of said mobile terminal; selecting one or more of said channel bands based on a comparison of said current geographic location and said service area data; and scanning said selected channel bands.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said selecting one or more of said channel bands includes: determining, based on said service area data, a group of available service providers providing service to said current geographic location of said mobile terminal; selecting one or more of said available service providers; and for each available service provider selected, determining a channel band associated with said available service provider based on said channel band data.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said service provider data stored in said mobile terminal includes service provider priority data.

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29. The method of claim 28 wherein said selecting one or more of said available service providers is based on said service provider priority data.

30. The method of 28 wherein said scanning said selected channel bands comprises scanning channel bands in sorted order based on said service provider priority data.

33. A method for selecting a control channel by a mobile terminal, said method comprising: determining a current geographic location of said mobile terminal; selecting, and thereafter scanning, one or more channel bands based on said current geographic location until a suitable control channel is found.

34. A method for selecting a service provider by a mobile terminal having a plurality of operating modes, wherein one of said operating modes is a satellite mode, said method comprising: storing service provider data for a plurality of land-based service providers in said mobile terminal, said service provider data including service area data indicative of at least one service area of said at least one land-based service provider; determining the current geographic location of said mobile terminal; and selecting an operating mode based on a comparison of said current geographic location with said service area data.

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35. The method of claim 34 wherein said selecting an operating mode includes selecting said satellite mode when said current geographic location is not within any of said at least one service areas.

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