Patent ID: 8422461

Claim:
A method for identifying an interfering signal in a cellular mini-cell system, wherein the cellular mini-cell system comprises a plurality of mini-cells each comprising a signal collection system and a local network controller comprising a signal analyzer, the method comprising: receiving at the local network controller configuration parameters and timing parameters from a reporting mini-cell; storing the configuration parameters and the timing parameters in a known-signal datastore, wherein the known-signal datastore comprises configuration parameters and timing parameters of other mini-cells and signals associated with a source; receiving at the local network controller a signal sample of the interfering signal obtained by the collection system of the reporting mini-cells, wherein the signal sample of the interfering signal comprises at least one identifiable signal component; using the signal analyzer to apply a decoding process to the at least one identifiable signal component; decoding the at least one identifiable signal component to obtain identifying information of the source of the at least one identifiable signal component and storing the source identifying information in the known-signal datastore when the at least one identifiable signal component can be decoded; using the signal analyzer to apply a correlation process to the at least one identifiable signal component when the signal sample of the interfering signal cannot be decoded, wherein the correlation process utilizes at least one of the configuration parameters and the timing parameters with a known signal pattern and the source identifying information from the known signal record; and identifying the source of the at least one identifiable signal component and storing the source identifying information in the known signal record when the correlation process is successful.