Patent ID: 8170048

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for requesting access to a spectrum band, comprising: sensing, by a mobile device, an ambient level for a portion of an electromagnetic spectrum over which the mobile device communicates wirelessly; determining, by the mobile device, and based on the sensed ambient power level, an amount of power required to achieve a desired service within a total permissible power cap during a unit of time; transmitting, by the mobile device, a bid for an auction of an access allocation to a spectrum access manager that groups received bids into at least two different groups according to their respectively sensed ambient power levels and, for each group of bids, auctions access allocation according to the received bids that belong to the group of bids, the access allocation being an allocation for access to a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and wherein the bid includes the sensed ambient power level; determining, in response to the transmitted bid, that a right to transmit data over the access allocation is not granted, and in response to the determination: iteratively incrementing the bid for the auction of the access allocation and transmitting the bid to the spectrum access manager; and determining, in response each transmitted bid, whether a right to transmit data over the access allocation is granted or whether the bid exceeds a maximum bid; and continuing iteratively incrementing the bid and transmitting the bid until a positive determination of one of a right to transmit data over the access allocation is granted or the bid exceeds a maximum bid.