Patent ID: 9706583
Date: 2017-07-11
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. In a communication system in which a first radio access network (RAN) provides a first air interface and a second RAN provides a second air interface, and in which the first RAN is interconnected with the second RAN, a method for controlling how a user equipment device (UE) served by a base station of the first RAN is concurrently served by the second RAN, the method comprising: making a determination of whether the UE provides connectivity between at least one other device and the base station; if the determination is that the UE provides connectivity between at least one other device and the base station, then, responsive to the determination being that the UE provides connectivity between at least one other device and the base station, causing the UE to be served by the second RAN in a first mode in which, while the UE is served by the base station via the first air interface, (i) the UE is registered with the second RAN via the first RAN so that when the second RAN pages the UE for a call to be served by the second RAN, the page passes via the first RAN and the UE receives the page via the first air interface, and (ii) the UE does not tune away from the first RAN to the second RAN to check for pages via the second air interface; and if the determination is that the UE does not provide connectivity between at least one other device and the base station, then, responsive to the determination being that that the UE does not provide connectivity between at least one other device and the base station, causing the UE to be served by the second RAN in a second mode rather than in the first mode, wherein in the second mode, while the UE is served by the base station via the first air interface, (i) the UE is registered directly with the second RAN so that when the second RAN pages the UE for a call to be served by the second RAN, the UE receives the page via the second air interface, and (ii) the UE periodically tunes away from the first RAN to the second RAN to check for pages via the second air interface.