Patent ID: 9585099
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: H04W,Y02D

Claim:
1. A method operable in a user equipment device (UE) that has a battery and is being served on a serving carrier frequency by a base station over an air interface connection between the UE and the base station, wherein the UE is configured (i) with a list of carrier frequencies that includes at least one carrier frequency lower than the serving carrier frequency and at least one carrier frequency higher than the serving carrier frequency and (ii) to scan each of the carrier frequencies on the list in search of target coverage for possible handover from the serving carrier frequency, the method comprising: making a determination, by the UE, that a remaining battery life of the battery is threshold low; in response to making the determination, engaging, by the UE, in a scanning-limiting process, wherein the scanning-limiting process comprises (i) the UE identifying on the list each carrier frequency higher than the serving carrier frequency and (ii) based on the identifying, the UE excluding each identified higher carrier frequency from the list, so that, in response to detecting a trigger to scan carrier frequencies in search of target coverage for possible handover, the UE scans each carrier frequency on the list that is lower than the serving carrier frequency but forgoes scanning each identified higher carrier frequency; detecting, by the UE, the trigger to scan carrier frequencies in search of target coverage for possible handover; and in response to detecting the trigger, the UE scanning carrier frequencies in accordance with the scanning-limiting process.