Patent ID: 9736746
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method of operating a multimode third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) communications device capable of operating in either a 4G network or a 3G network when in an area with overlapping 3G and 4G coverage, the method comprising: responsive to a determination that a 4G base station is intermediately loaded at a load value greater than a first user determined load factor and less than a second user determined load factor that is greater than the first user determined load factor, evaluating, using a processor, a user priority and a multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) mode associated with the 4G network; if the user priority is a lowest user priority and the MIMO mode comprises spatial multiplexing, handing off the dual mode communications device to the 4G network; and if the user priority is a lowest user priority and the MIMO mode comprises space-time-coding, handing off the dual mode communications device to the 3G network.