Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

Sprint Spectrum L.p.

Nicholas David Kullman

Sreekar Marupaduga

Andrew Mark Wurtenberger

Rajveen Narendran

Muralidhar Malreddy

Matt Masters

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for optimizing the transfer of neighbor information in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. In a particular embodiment, a method provides exchanging communications with an eNodeB of a LTE wireless communication network. The method further provides receiving at least one physical cell identifier (PCI) from at least one respective neighboring cell during a predetermined time period. After the predetermined time period, the method provides transferring the at least one PCI to the eNodeB.

Optimization of neighbor information transfer in a long term evolution network

A wireless communication device that receives wireless access from a wireless access node through a relay node associated with the wireless access node comprises a wireless communication transceiver and a processing system. The wireless communication transceiver is configured to receive communications of the wireless access node that are relayed by the relay node for delivery to the wireless communication device, wherein the relay node receives the communications over a beamformed communication transmitted by the wireless access node. The processing system is configured to process the communications to determine a request for a location of the wireless communication device for the wireless access, identify a location of the relay node, and responsive to the request for the location of the wireless communication device, report the location of the relay node instead of the location of the wireless communication device.

Utilization of relay nodes with beamformed communications

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for dynamically adjusting drop-timer thresholds based on loading. An embodiment takes the form of a method carried out by at least one network entity in a communication system that also includes a radio access network (RAN) providing wireless service to access terminals in a coverage area, in part by enforcing a drop timer having an associated start threshold and an associated stop threshold. The method includes determining a current level of load in the coverage area, and further includes adjusting one or both of the start threshold and the stop threshold based at least in part on the determined current level of load in the coverage area.

Systems and methods for dynamically adjusting drop-timer thresholds based on loading

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for to dynamically adjusting the number of uplink grants per random access response (RAR) message. In a particular embodiment, a method provides, for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless access node having a downlink control channel including a plurality of control channel elements, determining wireless signal conditions for a plurality of wireless devices requesting communication service from the wireless access node. The method further provides allocating a number of the plurality of control channel elements for a random access response message based on the wireless signal conditions. The method further includes transferring a plurality of uplink grants to the plurality of wireless devices in the number of control channel elements.

Dynamic adjustment of the number of uplink grants per random access response message

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for dynamically adjusting preambles for a random access channel. In a particular embodiment, a method provides, for a wireless access node having a random access channel, determining a demand for contention based preambles of the random access channel and a demand for contention free preambles of the random access channel. The method further provides determining a number of contention based preambles and a number of contention free preambles for the random access channel based on the demand for contention based preambles and the demand for contention free preambles. The method also provides allocating the number of contention based preambles and the number of contention free preambles to the random access channel.

Dynamic adjustment of preambles for a random access channel

A roaming control system and method for a roaming WCD while roaming away from the home wireless access network are provided. The roaming control system in one example embodiment includes a communication interface configured to exchange communications with the WCD and with other wireless access networks and a processing system coupled to the communication interface, with the processing system configured to ping the roaming WCD at predetermined time intervals, if the ping was successful, record a WCD roaming location using a ping response, if the ping was successful, provide WCD roaming control information to a visited wireless access network where the roaming WCD is currently located, and if the ping was unsuccessful, then broaden a search scope and repeat the pinging.

Roaming control system and method for a roaming wireless communication device

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods to provide relay operation information to a wireless communication network. In a particular embodiment, a method provides determining information regarding operation of a wireless communication relay and transferring the information to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication network. The method further provides, based on the information, adjusting parameters for LTE communication paths that pass through the wireless communication relay.

Provision of relay operation information to a wireless communication network

A wireless access node to facilitate dynamic assignment of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) modes comprises a wireless communication transceiver and a processing system. The wireless communication transceiver is configured to receive a scattering coefficient transmitted from a wireless communication device served by the wireless access node. The processing system is configured to compare the scattering coefficient to a scattering threshold, and if the scattering coefficient exceeds the scattering threshold, select a lower order MIMO mode for the wireless communication device and assign the lower order MIMO mode to the wireless communication device.

Dynamic assignment of MIMO modes for a wireless communication device

A base station may be configured to emit a plurality of beams in a given coverage area, where each beam defines a different respective sub-coverage area of the given coverage area and serves wireless communication devices (WCDs) located in the respective sub-coverage area. While emitting these beams, the base station may detect that there is a threshold number of highly-mobile WCDs located in the given coverage area. In response, the base station may activate a global beam that serves WCDs located anywhere in the given coverage area. In turn, the base station may assign at least one highly-mobile WCD located in the given coverage area to the global beam.

Method and system of activating a global beam in a coverage area

Disclosed herein are methods and systems to provide, to a wireless communication device (WCD), a mapping between a first unsupported message type and a first supported message type. One embodiment takes the form of a method that involves a base station transmitting in a coverage area, for receipt by a given WCD configured to send a first unsupported message type to the base station, a mapping that correlates the first unsupported message type with the first supported message type. As a result of transmitting the mapping, the base station receives, from the given WCD, a message of the first supported message type in the place of a message of the first unsupported message type.

System and method for avoiding the transmission of unsupported messages

A radio access network (RAN) may be configured to communicate with mobile stations using two or more different coordinated multipoint schemes. Further, the RAN may use different coordinated multipoint schemes for different communications with the same mobile station. In particular, methods and systems are disclosed herein that help to intelligently switch between different coordinated multipoint schemes for communications with a given mobile station, based on the remaining battery life of the mobile station.

Adaptive CoMP schemes in LTE networks based on battery life

A method and system for dynamically allocating backhaul bearer service based on network loading conditions to help use backhaul-network resources more efficiently. A RAN detects an event relating to bearer service establishment for a given application. Then the RAN identifies a standard bearer service for the given application, where the standard bearer service has a first quality of service. After detecting the event, the RAN determines that a load of the backhaul communication network does not exceed a load threshold. Then, based on the determination that the load of the backhaul communication network does not exceed the load threshold, the RAN selects a bearer service for the given application, where the selected bearer service has a second quality of service that is higher than the first quality of service. Next, the RAN causes the selected bearer service to be established.

Dynamic allocation of backhaul bearer services based on loading conditions

A wireless communication device to improve multipath environments for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless networks comprises a wireless communication transceiver and a processing system. The wireless communication transceiver is configured to receive MIMO performance information for a plurality of locations of a premises. The processing system is configured to process the MIMO performance information to determine individual ranks associated with each of the locations, wherein higher ones of the ranks indicate better MIMO performance, compare each of the individual ranks to a threshold to determine a group of suboptimal locations of the plurality of locations that have ranks falling below the threshold, and process the suboptimal locations with an in-building geometry of the premises to identify at least one location to install a scattering agent.

Growing community of inventors

Vashon, WA, United States of America

Nicholas David Kullman