Patent ID: 8320909

Claim:
A method for expanded cell search and selection in a mobile wireless communication device, the method comprising: in a mobile wireless communication device, searching for and locating cells in a first list of neighbor cells and a second list of stored cells; evaluating the located cells using suitability criteria; when locating a suitable first cell that uses a first radio access technology in the first list of neighbor cells, selecting the first cell; otherwise when locating a suitable second cell that uses a second radio access technology in the first list of neighbor cells and not locating a suitable cell that uses the first radio access technology in the second list of stored cells, selecting the second cell; otherwise when locating a suitable third cell that uses the second radio access technology in the first list of neighbor cells, and locating a suitable fourth cell that uses the first radio access technology in the second list of stored cells, and the fourth cell is more suitable than the third cell, selecting the fourth cell, wherein the mobile wireless device assembles the first list of neighbor cells based on information broadcast by one or more network subsystems in a wireless communication network, and the second list of stored cells includes information for at least one cell not broadcast by the wireless communication network.