Patent ID: 9210625
Filing Date: 2015-12-08
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for managing network connections of a cellular phone device, the method comprising: receiving, from a cellular radio access network (RAN), a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC connection reconfiguration message comprises a set of radio bearer (RB) setup parameters; establishing a connection with a base station of the cellular RAN in accordance with the set of RB setup parameters; determining that the cellular phone device is connected to a WiFi access point (AP); transmitting, to the cellular RAN, a RRC connection reconfiguration complete message, wherein the RRC connection reconfiguration complete message comprises: receiving, from the cellular RAN, a RRC cellular measurement message, wherein the RRC cellular measurement message comprises a set of cellular measurement parameters specifying the following to be acquired for each of one or more cellular signals received by the cellular phone device: receiving, from the cellular RAN, a RRC WiFi measurement message, wherein the RRC WiFi measurement message comprises a set of WiFi measurement parameters specifying the following to be acquired for each of one or more WiFi signals received by the cellular phone: determining, by the cellular phone device, cellular measurements in accordance with the set of cellular measurement parameters, wherein the cellular measurements indicate a strength of one or more cellular signals received by the cellular phone device from one or more radio base stations of the cellular RAN; transmitting, to the cellular RAN, a cellular measurement report, wherein the cellular measurement report comprises the cellular measurements; determining, by the cellular phone device, WiFi measurements in accordance with the set of WiFi measurement parameters, wherein the WiFi measurements indicate one or more wireless networks in range of the cellular phone device; and transmitting, to the cellular RAN, a WiFi measurement report, wherein the WiFi measurement report comprises the WiFi measurements; determining, by the cellular RAN, whether a second cellular device that is not connected to the WiFi network is proximate to the WiFi AP using the cellular measurements and the cellular and the WiFi measurements; and transmitting, by the cellular RAN in response to determining that the second cellular device is proximate to the WiFi AP, a redirect message to the second cellular device instructing the second cellular device to attempt to connect to the WiFi network.