Google Inc.

Motorola Mobility LLC

Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy

Nokia Siemens Networks Oy

Guang Han

Anand Bedekar

Rajeev Agrawal

John McFarland Harris

Bonnie Chen

Rangsan Leelahakriengkrai

Stavros Tzavidas

Vinod Kumar Ramachandran

In a wireless communication system wherein a user equipment (UE) that accesses a cell served by an access point (sometimes known as femtocell) is granted only a limited time period during which to camp on, attach to, or connect to the cell, the communication system permits a user of the UE to anticipate an expiration of the time period and, if desired negotiate an extension of the time period. More particularly, the communication system provides for notification of the UE of the duration of this limited time period and further permits the UE to negotiate an extension of the time period when the UE desires to do so. In the event an extension is requested by the user and granted by the owner/operator, a notification will be sent to the user and the UE may reset a timer.

Method and apparatus for negotiation and notification of a network access time period in a wireless communication system

The described method provides for an efficient method for user equipment () to identify when it is in proximity to an assigned femtocell () in order to be handed over to a femtocell from a macro cell. As the user the equipment moves within a macro cell () that is defined by a serving base station (), it is determined () that it is in the range of or in proximity to the femtocell to which it is registered or subscribed. Upon notification that it is near the femtocell, the user equipment sends () a message to the serving base station of the macro cell indicating the user equipment has identified its femtocell. The serving base station then sends () a message to femtocell to turn on the femtocell so that a handover of the user equipment from the macro cell and serving base station and the femtocell can be initiated. The serving base station sends () a response to the user equipment indicating that the femtocell is ready to receive the user equipment as a part of handover procedure.

Method for identifying user equipment to a femtocell

Systems and techniques for handover management in wireless communication networks. An apparatus, such as a base station, receives information relating to load conditions and computes handover threshold information based on the information relating to the load conditions. The information relating to the load conditions may comprise information received from other base stations, and the base station may in turn share its own information. Information may be shared through direct communication between base stations, or may be managed by a controller. Handover thresholds may be set for user devices based on the load metric information.

Methods and apparatus for handover management

A base station () can determine () which resource blocks a second base station () will utilize to transmit control signaling as corresponds to that second base station. The base station can then prevent () itself from transmitting control signaling (which control signaling corresponds to a plurality of wireless carrier resources as correspond to the base station) using resource blocks that will coincide with the resource blocks the second base station will utilize to transmit its control signaling. These teachings also provide for having the base station then transmit () a signal that comprises an indication that the control signaling as corresponds to the plurality of wireless carrier resources will be transmitted using the alternative resource blocks as compared to at least one ordinarily expected resource block.

Method and apparatus to facilitate avoiding control signaling conflicts when using shared wireless carrier resources

A first base station communicates () with a second base station (wherein an ongoing communication cannot be handed over from the first base station to the second base station and wherein the first and second base station each employ, at least in part, a same set of carrier resources) to prevent interference by usage of the second base station with a user of the first base station. By one approach, this activity can be based, at least in part, upon receipt () of a message from an end user platform indicating that a carrier resource that is presently being used by the end user platform is being interfered with by the second base station. By another approach, this activity can take place prior to any actual such interference.

Method and apparatus to facilitate preventing interference as between base stations sharing carrier resources

Systems and techniques for managing the use of almost blank subframes in wireless communication systems. Base stations in a wireless network monitor load information affecting network nodes. Load information may be in the form of load metric information. The load information may be exchanged between system elements, and an almost blank subframe proportioning may be updated by one or more of the base stations, and information relating to the updated proportioning. The updated almost blank subframe proportioning may be used in scheduling and load metric calculation, as well as almost blank subframe patterning. Updating of almost blank subframe information and load metric information may be performed iteratively.

Methods and apparatus for interference management

Disclosed is a method for providing power control using idle-mode user equipment attached to a cell in a wireless communication system. First and second higher power level thresholds for signal transmissions of a cell are defined, wherein the first power level has a defined offset higher than a minimum required power level, and wherein the first and second power level thresholds define an operating power band therebetween. The user equipment measures a signal transmission power level. If the idle-mode user equipment determines that the signal transmission power level falls outside of the operating power band, then a message is sent to affect a change in signal transmission power level.

Femto-cell power control using idle-mode user equipment in a cellular communication system

A central controller () receives (), from each of a plurality of base stations certain operating information. This operating information can comprise, for example, a self-identifier, information regarding allowed wireless distance coverage, identifiers for neighboring ones of the plurality of base stations, information regarding wireless distances to neighboring base station, or loading information. This operating information is used () to form adjacency information regarding the plurality of base stations. This adjacency information is then used () (along, for example, with the aforementioned loading information) to develop a resource allocation plan as pertains to the resources. This plan is then communicated () to the plurality of base stations such that the latter can utilize the plan to thereby partition use of the plurality of resources to support communication needs of the base stations while avoiding undue interference with respect to the use of such resources.

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Arlington Heights, IL, United States of America

Guang Han