Apparatus and methods for facilitating tune-away operations in wireless communications systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015181614-A1
Application number	US-201414218375-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 20, 2013
Publication date	Jun 25, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

Access terminals are adapted to facilitate tune-away operations in situations in which multiple subscriptions are employed. According to one example, an access terminal performing an acquisition procedure for a first subscription may suspend the acquisition procedure to obtain a paging message for a second subscription. The access terminal can tune away from the first subscription to the second subscription and monitor for a mobile-terminated page. After a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription is received and processed, the access terminal may resume the acquisition procedure for the first subscription. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also included.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An access terminal, comprising:
a communications interface; a plurality of subscription modules, including a first subscription module associated with a first subscription, and a second subscription module associated with a second subscription; and a processing circuit coupled to the communications interface and the plurality of subscription modules, the processing circuit adapted to:
perform an acquisition process for the first subscription via the communications interface;
suspend the acquisition process for the first subscription and tune the communications interface to the second subscription for a mobile-terminated page on the second subscription; and
monitor the second subscription for a mobile-terminated page via the communications interface.

2 . The access terminal of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to resume the acquisition process for the first subscription after receiving and processing a mobile-terminated page for the second subscription.

3 . The access terminal of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit adapted to perform an acquisition process for the first subscription comprises the processing circuit adapted to:
operate in an acquisition (ACQ) state on the first subscription; or operate in a synchronization (SYNC) state on the first subscription.

4 . The access terminal of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuit is adapted to operate in the synchronization (SYNC) state on the first subscription, and wherein the processing circuit adapted to suspend the acquisition process on the first subscription comprises the processing circuit adapted to suspend a synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer.

5 . The access terminal of claim 4 , wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to initiate a SYNC SUSPEND timer when the synchronization timeout timer.

6 . The access terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the first subscription module associated with the first subscription is employed for data communications; and the second subscription module associated with the second subscription is employed for voice communications.

7 . The access terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the first subscription module associated with the first subscription is adapted for data communications on a 1xEV-DO radio access network; and the second subscription module associated with the second subscription is adapted for voice communications on one of a cdma2000 1x radio access network, a GSM radio access network, a W-CDMA radio access network, and a LTE radio access network.

8 . A method operational on an access terminal, comprising:
performing an acquisition process for a first subscription; suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription; tuning to a second subscription to enable receipt of a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription; and monitoring for a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
resuming the acquisition process for the first subscription after receiving and processing a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein performing an acquisition process for the first subscription comprises:
operating in an acquisition (ACQ) state on the first subscription; or operating in a synchronization (SYNC) state on the first subscription.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein performing an acquisition process for the first subscription comprises operating in a synchronization (SYNC) state on the first subscription; and wherein suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription comprises suspending a synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein suspending the synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer comprises initiating a SYNC SUSPEND timer.

13 . The access terminal of claim 8 , wherein performing an acquisition process for a first subscription comprises performing the acquisition process with a 1xEV-DO radio access network; and
the second subscription module associated with the second subscription is employed for voice communications on one of a cdma2000 1x radio access network, a GSM radio access network, a W-CDMA radio access network, and a LTE radio access network.

14 . The access terminal of claim 8 , wherein tuning to the second subscription comprises tuning to one of a cdma2000 1x radio access network, a GSM radio access network, a W-CDMA radio access network, and a LTE radio access network.

15 . An access terminal, comprising:
means for performing an acquisition process for a first subscription; means for suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription; means for tuning to a second subscription to enable receipt of a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription; and means for monitoring for a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

16 . The access terminal of claim 15 , further comprising:
means for resuming the acquisition process for the first subscription after receiving and processing a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

17 . The access terminal of claim 15 , wherein the means for performing an acquisition process for the first subscription comprises means for operating in at least one of an acquisition (ACQ) state on the first subscription and a synchronization (SYNC) state on the first subscription.

18 . The access terminal of claim 15 , wherein:
the means for performing an acquisition process for the first subscription comprises means for operating in a synchronization (SYNC) state on the first subscription; and the means for suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription comprises means for suspending a synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer.

19 . The access terminal of claim 18 , wherein the means for suspending the synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer comprises initiating a SYNC SUSPEND timer.

20 . The access terminal of claim 15 , wherein:
the first subscription is employed for data communications; and the second subscription is employed for voice communications.

21 . The access terminal of claim 15 , wherein:
the first subscription is adapted for data communications on a 1xEV-DO radio access network; and the second subscription is adapted for voice communications on one of a cdma2000 1x radio access network, a GSM radio access network, a W-CDMA radio access network, and a LTE radio access network.

22 . A processor-readable storage medium, comprising programming for causing a processing circuit to:
perform an acquisition process for a first subscription; suspend the acquisition process for the first subscription; release communication interface resources to a second subscription to enable receipt of a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription; and monitor for a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

23 . The processor-readable storage medium of claim 22 , further comprising programming for causing a processing circuit to:
resume the acquisition process for the first subscription after receiving and processing a mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

24 . The processor-readable storage medium of claim 22 , wherein the acquisition process for the first subscription comprises operation in at lea

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Mitra Soumen
• Chan Robert King
• Kitabi Ammar Taiyebi
• Ukil Aritra
• Elangovan Vijay Karthic
• Du Simei
• Bathija Jayesh
• Ganti Kamalakar
• Komati Vamsi Krishna Chaitanya
• Alimineti Janga Reddy

Classifications

• H04W68/005

  Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication · CPC title

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04W72/542 Primary

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04W72/085 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W56/004 Primary

  compensating for timing error of reception due to propagation delay · CPC title