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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9468010-B2
Application number	US-201414218375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 20, 2013
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

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 when operating in one of an acquisition (ACQ) state or synchronization (SYNC) state;
determine a paging schedule for the second subscription, the paging schedule identifying predetermined paging time intervals for monitoring for a mobile-terminated page on the second subscription; and
during one of the predetermined paging time intervals:
suspend the acquisition process for the first subscription;
tune the communications interface to the second subscription; and
monitor for the mobile-terminated page on the second subscription;

wherein, when operating in the SYNC state, the processing circuit adapted to suspend the acquisition process for the first subscription comprises the processing circuit further adapted to:
suspend a synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer defining a time period for decoding a sync message on the first subscription; and
upon completion of the mobile-terminated page on the second subscription, reinstate the SYNC TIMOUT timer to provide additional time to decode the sync message before declaring a SYNC failure.

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 the mobile-terminated page for the second subscription.

3. The access terminal of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to initiate a SYNC SUSPEND timer when the synchronization timeout timer is suspended.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. A method operational on an access terminal, comprising:
performing an acquisition process for a first subscription when operating in one of an acquisition (ACQ) state or synchronization (SYNC) state;
determining a paging schedule for a second subscription, the paging schedule identifying predetermined paging time intervals for monitoring for a mobile-terminated page on the second subscription;
during one of the predetermined paging time intervals:
suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription;
tuning to the second subscription; and
monitoring for the mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription;

wherein, when operating in the SYNC state, the suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription further comprises:
suspending a synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer defining a time period for decoding a sync message on the first subscription; and
upon completion of the mobile-terminated page on the second subscription, reinstating the SYNC TIMOUT timer to provide additional time to decode the sync message before declaring a SYNC failure.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
resuming the acquisition process for the first subscription after receiving and processing the mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein suspending the synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer comprises initiating a SYNC SUSPEND timer.

9. The access terminal of claim 6 , wherein performing the acquisition process for the 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.

10. The access terminal of claim 6 , 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.

11. An access terminal, comprising:
means for performing an acquisition process for a first subscription when operating in one of an acquisition (ACQ) state or synchronization (SYNC) state;
means for determining a paging schedule for the second subscription, the paging schedule identifying predetermined paging time intervals for monitoring for a mobile-terminated page on the second subscription;
during one of the predetermined paging time intervals:
means for suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription;
means for tuning to the second subscription; and
means for monitoring for the mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription;

wherein, when operating in the SYNC state, the means for suspending the acquisition process for the first subscription further comprises:
means for suspending a synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer defining a time period for decoding a sync message on the first subscription; and
upon completion of the mobile-terminated page on the second subscription, means for reinstating the SYNC TIMOUT timer to provide additional time to decode the sync message before declaring a SYNC failure.

12. The access terminal of claim 11 , further comprising:
means for resuming the acquisition process for the first subscription after receiving and processing the mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription.

13. The access terminal of claim 11 , wherein the means for suspending the synchronization timeout (SYNC TIMOUT) timer comprises initiating a SYNC SUSPEND timer.

14. The access terminal of claim 11 , wherein:
the first subscription is employed for data communications; and
the second subscription is employed for voice communications.

15. The access terminal of claim 11 , 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.

16. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium, comprising programming for causing a processing circuit to:
perform an acquisition process for a first subscription when operating in one of an acquisition (ACQ) state or synchronization (SYNC) state;
determine a paging schedule for the second subscription, the paging schedule identifying predetermined paging time intervals for monitoring for a mobile-terminated page on the second subscription;
during one of the predetermined paging time intervals:
suspend the acquisition process for the first subscription;
release communication interface resources to the second subscription; and
monitor for the mobile-terminated page associated with the second subscription;

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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

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W68/00

  User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like · CPC title