Abstract:
A mobile device comprises a processor and a transceiver. The processor selects from a plurality of connection types for a user plane assisted global position system (AGPS) data transfer. Each connection type includes a priority level where a first selected connection type is based on the priority levels of the connection types. The transceiver establishes a connection to a wireless network using the selection connection type.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to a system and method for connection management. Specifically, the connection management pertains to selection of a connection for a data transfer using a user plane of an assisted global positioning system (AGPS). 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A mobile unit may be equipped with components that allow a user to utilize the unit in various locations without a need to be permanently connected to an external power supply. The mobile unit may further be equipped to connect to a network. The mobility of the mobile unit and its capability to connect to networks may allow location data to be useful. Thus, the mobile unit may be equipped with a global positioning system (GPS). However, GPS is a satellite based positioning system and is susceptible to several faults such as the urban canyon effect, failure in indoor use or heavy tree cover, etc. The satellites may provide ephemeris data (i.e., orbital information of the particular satellite sending the data) and almanac data (i.e., approximate location of the complete active fleet of satellites). 
         [0003]    An assisted global positioning system (AGPS) has been developed to enhance performance of ascertaining the location of a mobile unit. Specifically, an assistance server is utilized in AGPS. The assistance server may have a relatively high computation power and may receive fragmentary signals (as opposed to whole signals) which may be interpreted to determine location data. The assistance server may continuously have a steady satellite signal so the ephemeris and almanac data may be forwarded to the mobile unit as aiding data, thereby time to first fix (TTFF) is shortened, battery life is saved, and/or antenna size is decreased. The aiding data may be transferred via a control plane or a user plane. When transferred over a user plane, the aiding data may appear as user data in a wireless network over a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/TIP). However, conventional mobile units may only be equipped with a singular mode of transmitting over TCP/IP. Furthermore, the mobile unit may only connect to a certain wireless network where some networks may incur costs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to a device and method for connection management. A mobile device comprises a processor and a transceiver. The processor selects from a plurality of connection types for a user plane assisted global position system (AGPS) data transfer. Each connection type includes a priority level where a first selected connection type is based on the priority levels of the connection types. The transceiver establishes a connection to a wireless network using the selection connection type. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows components of a mobile unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  shows a connectivity table according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  shows a method for connection management according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]    The present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention describe a system and method for connection management. Specifically, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may pertain to when a mobile unit (MU) connects to an assisted global positioning system (AGPS) to transfer location data. To connect to the AGPS, the MU may incorporate a user specified prioritization of various connectivity options available to a mobile unit (MU). The MU, the prioritization, and the connectivity options will be discussed in more detail below. 
         [0009]    Aiding data of the AGPS may be transferred using a control plane or a user plane. The control plane utilizes control channels of, for example, a cellular network. For example, in a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a control channel may differentiate itself from a data channel by channel coding. In the user plane, the traffic of aiding information is carried over internet protocol (IP) bearers. In particular with AGPS, signaling and position data may be transferred over transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) and may appear as user data to a wireless network. In either plane, the data may be sent in the form of, for example, radio frequency (RF) signals. 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows an inner view of an MU  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The MU  100  may be any device that utilizes a portable power supply (e.g., a battery, a capacitor, a supercapacitor, etc.). For example, the MU  100  may be a mobile computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, a pager, a cell phone, a radio frequency identification device, a scanner, etc. It should be noted that the use of the MU  100  is only exemplary. That is, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may apply to any electronic device that may connect to a network and be equipped with a positioning system. The MU  100  may include a processor  105 , a memory  110 , a transceiver  115 , and an antenna  120 . It should be noted that the MU  100  may include further components such as a display and a data input arrangement. 
         [0011]    The processor  105  may be responsible for executing various functionalities of the MU  100 . Specifically, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the processor  105  may perform the connection management. The memory  110  may be a storage unit for the MU  100 . As will be explained in detail below, the memory  110  may store the user specified prioritization of various connectivity options. The memory  110  may also store an operating system installed on the MU  100 . The operating system may include the positioning program. It should be noted that the positioning program may be separate from the operating system and also installed and stored on the memory  100  to be executed by the processor  105 . 
         [0012]    The transceiver  115  and the antenna  120  may be components of the MU  100  that allow the MU  100  to connect to a wireless network. The transceiver  115  may be equipped so that the MU  100  may connect to more than one wireless network. For example, the transceiver  115  may connect to a wireless network when the MU  100  is located within an operating area of the wireless network. When the MU  100  is located within an operating area of multiple wireless networks, the transceiver  115  may connect to any of the wireless networks. The transceiver  115  may connect to a wireless network utilizing conventional connection methods. According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when pertaining to the positioning system, a data transfer may be performed using the user plane of the AGPS (hereinafter “user plane AGPS data transfer”). 
         [0013]    It should be noted that the antenna  120  may send data packets to a switch of the wireless network in a conventional manner. Furthermore, it should be noted that the antenna  120  being external is only exemplary. For example, the antenna  120  may also be internal. Those skilled in the art will understand that the MU  100  connecting to a particular wireless network may require authentication and authorization to connect thereto. For example, a user of the MU  100  may be required to subscribe to a provider of a wireless network, to input a user name and/or password, etc. 
         [0014]    As discussed above, the transceiver  115  may allow the MU  100  to connect to different types of wireless networks. For example, the transceiver  115  may allow the MU  100  to establish a TCP/IP connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer using a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a Bluetooth connection, an ActiveSync connection, a wireless private area network (WPAN), etc. As will be explained in detail below, a user may determine which type of connectivity is to be made and may also determine a priority list of the types of connectivity. It should be noted that the use of a singular transceiver  115  is only exemplary. That is, the MU  100  may include a different transceiver to establish a connection with the various types of connectivity. For example, a transceiver may be disposed to connect to the WWAN, a transceiver may be disposed to connect to the WLAN, etc. Furthermore, it should be noted that a common transceiver may be used to connect to more than one type of connectivity. For example, a single transceiver may connect to the WWAN and the WLAN. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows a connectivity table  200  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The connectivity table  200  will be discussed with reference to the MU  100  of  FIG. 1 . As discussed above, the MU  100  may be equipped with the transceiver  115  that enables the MU  100  to establish a TCP/IP connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer via different types of connectivity (e.g., WWAN, WLAN, Bluetooth, ActiveSync, etc.). The connectivity table  200  may be a result of a user prioritizing the different types of connectivity. The user may be presented with an applet/dialog box, registry settings, and/or an XML file on the display of the MU  100  instructing the user to enter the prioritization. The user may enter the prioritization via the data input arrangement of the MU  100 . It should be noted that the user may manually enter the different types of connectivity, be presented with a list of the available types of connectivity, etc. 
         [0016]    The connectivity table  200  may include three columns. The first column  205  may include the different types of connectivity. The second column  210  may include an activation determination. The third column  215  may include a priority. As shown, the first column  205  may include four different types of connections. That is, the MU  100  may establish a TCP/IP connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer using the four different types of connections: WWAN, WLAN, Bluetooth, and ActiveSync. The second column  210  may indicate that the WWAN, the WLAN, and the Bluetooth connections are activated while the ActiveSync connection is deactivated. The third column  215  may indicate that the WWAN has a priority of “2,” the WLAN has a priority of “1,” the Bluetooth has a priority of “3,” and the ActiveSync has a priority of “4.” Thus, when the MU  100  attempts to establish a TCP/IP connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer, an operating system of the MU  100  may first attempt a connection to the WLAN, then the WWAN, then the Bluetooth, and finally the ActiveSync. However, because the ActiveSync has been deactivated, the operating system may not attempt the connection to the ActiveSync. 
         [0017]    It should be noted that the connectivity table  200  including four different types of connections is only exemplary. As discussed above, other types of connections exist and the connectivity table  200  may incorporate these other types. Furthermore, it should be noted that the activation determination is only exemplary and other combinations of activation for the types of connections may exist. In addition, it should be noted that the priority list shown in column  215  is only exemplary and the user may enter a different priority list. 
         [0018]    It should also be noted that the connectivity table  200  may be alterable. That is, the user may change the values of the connectivity table  200  depending on, for example, an area in which the MU  100  is located. Thus, additional connection types may be entered into column  205 ; activation/deactivation of the connection types may be different since any connection type may be available in one location but unavailable in another; and the priority may be different since one connection may be poor in one location but may be optimal in another location. It should also be noted that the storage of the connectivity settings in a table is only exemplary. Other manners of storing the connectivity settings may be used such as a database, a list, an array, an XML file, a text file, etc. 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  shows a method  300  for connection management according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The method  300  will be discussed with reference to the MU  100  of  FIG. 1  and the connectivity table  200  of  FIG. 2 . The method  300  may be a series of steps executed on the operating system when attempting to establish a connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer. It should again be noted that the connection may be embodied in a separate program executed by the processor  105  and stored on the memory  110 . 
         [0020]    In step  305 , connection preferences may be entered. As discussed above, the connectivity table  200  may represent the preferences inputted by a user. The preferences may include the various types of connections represented in column  205 , the activation/deactivation of the various types represented in column  210 , and the priority of the various types represented in column  215 . Thus, once the connectivity table  200  has been created, a prioritization list may be established. 
         [0021]    In step  310 , a connection with the highest priority may be attempted. As shown in the connectivity table  200 , the WLAN has the highest priority among the different types of connections entered in column  205 . Thus, the operating system or connectivity program may initially attempt to establish a TCP/IP connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer. It should again be noted that the WLAN having the highest priority is only exemplary and the user may have entered that the WWAN, the Bluetooth, or the ActiveSync has the highest priority. 
         [0022]    In step  315 , a determination is made whether a connection has been established using the highest priority connection. This determination may be made when a priority list has been created into the connectivity table  200 . However, as will be discussed in another embodiment below, the determination of step  315  may result in a different set of subsequent steps. 
         [0023]    If step  315  determines that the MU  100  has not established a connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer using the highest priority connection type, the method  300  continues to step  320 . In step  320 , a connection with the next highest priority may be attempted. As shown in the connectivity table  200 , the WWAN has the next highest priority among the different types of connections entered in column  205 . Thus, the operating system or connectivity program may then attempt to establish a TCP/IP connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer with the WWAN. It should again be noted that the WWAN having the next highest priority is only exemplary and the user may have entered that the WLAN, the Bluetooth, or the ActiveSync has the next highest priority. 
         [0024]    The method  300  returns to step  315  and another determination is made whether the MU  100  established a connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer using the next highest priority connection. Steps  315  and  320  may be iterated until a connection has been established. The steps  315  and  320  may be iterated only for the types of connections of column  205  that have been indicated as activated in column  210 . An additional step may be present that determines if no other types of connections are possible. If no other types of connections are possible, a display may indicate to the user that the connection attempts have failed. In another embodiment, a display may indicate that another attempt may be made in a given time period, until a predetermined signal strength has been established, etc. 
         [0025]    If step  315  determines that a connection has been established from the attempt in step  310  (e.g., highest priority) or the attempt in step  320  (e.g., a lower priority), the method  300  continues to step  325 . In step  325 , the connection type that was successful may be utilized for the user plane AGPS data transfer. The result of the above steps may allow the highest available priority connection type to be used in step  325  at all times. If a lower priority connection type is used in step  325 , a continuous attempt at higher priority connections may be attempted. Once a connection is established using a higher priority connection, a subsequent step may exist that may include a display to the user indicating that the higher priority connection is available. The user may decide to disconnect from the current lower priority connection to the higher priority connection or to remain connected to the lower priority connection. 
         [0026]    It should be noted that the priority list embodied in the connectivity table  200  is only exemplary. In another embodiment, the user may select a preferred connection. The preferred connection may then be used for the user plane AGPS data transfer. The method  300  may be modified for this embodiment. That is, the user may enter the preferred connection. The MU  100  may attempt to establish the preferred connection. When the attempt fails, further attempts may be made to establish the preferred connection where the further attempts are based on, for example, time, signal strength, battery capacity, etc. If after a certain number of attempts a connection is still not established, a display may indicate the failure. 
         [0027]    A conventional MU may only allow a user to establish a connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer with a single option. The single option may force the user to connect to a slower connection speed, to be required to pay for the service, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention may allow a user increased options when attempting to establish a connection for the user plane AGPS data transfer. By allowing a user to select the type of connection to be established, the user may have more control to the connection speed and costs involved with the user plane AGPS data transfer. For example, in a first area, the WLAN connection may be optimal. Thus, the user may place the highest priority on the WLAN. However, in a second area, the Bluetooth connection may be optimal. Thus, the user may place the highest priority on the Bluetooth. In another example, the WWAN connection may be optimal but requires the user to increase costs for the user plane AGPS data transfer. Thus, the user may weigh the options of a higher connection speed and increased costs to a lower connection speed and lower costs. 
         [0028]    Throughout this description, it was described that the user of the MU may set the connectivity preferences. However, it may also be possible that connectivity preferences are set by a manufacturer, by a system administrator, etc. In addition, instead of entering the connectivity preferences manually via a data input arrangement of the MU, it may also be possible to receive or download a file that includes the connectivity preferences. 
         [0029]    Those skilled in the art will understand that the above described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any number of manners, including, as a separate software module, as a combination of hardware and software, etc. For example, the method  300  may be a program containing lines of code that, when compiled, may be executed on the processor  105 . 
         [0030]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present invention, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.