PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10863397-B2
Application Number: US-201916406373-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Opportunistic use of the cellular capabilities of a paired device

Abstract:
A device, system and method for a user equipment (UE) to opportunistically utilize the wireless capabilities of a paired device. The UE is configured to establish a first cellular network connection based on a first subscription, a second cellular network connection based on a second subscription and a connection to a further UE based on a short-range communication protocol. The UE identifies a predetermined condition and transmits an indication to the further UE based on the predetermined condition. The further UE establishes a further cellular network connection in response to the indication and the further cellular network connection is based on one of the first subscription or the second subscription. The UE then declares no service for one of the first cellular network connection or the second cellular network connection based on the further cellular network connection.

Claims:
What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 at a user equipment (UE) configured to establish a first cellular network connection based on a first subscription, a second cellular network connection based on a second subscription and a connection to a further UE based on a short-range communication protocol: 
 identifying a predetermined condition when the UE has established the first cellular network connection and the second cellular network connection; 
 transmitting an indication to the further UE based on identifying the predetermined condition, wherein a third cellular network connection is established by the further UE in response to the indication, wherein the third cellular network connection is based on one of the first subscription or the second subscription; and 
 declaring no service for one of the first cellular network connection or the second cellular network connection based on the third cellular network connection, wherein the no service is declared for the one of the first subscription or the second subscription that the further UE is using for the third cellular connection. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition is based on whether the UE is performing a voice call using the first subscription. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 initiating a call handover to the further UE based on the UE and the further UE being associated with the first subscription. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the further UE monitors paging for the second subscription based on the UE and the further UE being associated with the second subscription. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition is based on a first predetermined threshold corresponding to a first battery power parameter of the UP and a second predetermined threshold corresponding to a second battery power parameter of the further UE. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition is based on a first radio frequency (RF) parameter corresponding to the first cellular network connection and a second RF parameter corresponding to the second cellular network connection. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the UE is configured with a dual-sim dual-standby operating mode. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving assistance data from the further UE; and 
 camping on a cell based on the assistance data. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the assistance data includes at least one of neighbor cell measurement data and a system information block (SIB). 
     
     
       10. A method comprising:
 at a user equipment (UE) configured to connect to a further UE based on a short-range communication protocol, wherein the further UE is configured with a first cellular network connection based on a first subscription and a second cellular network connection based on a second subscription: 
 receiving an indication from the further UE; 
 in response to the indication, establishing a third cellular network connection using one of the first subscription or the second subscription, wherein the further UE declares no service for the one of the first subscription or the second subscription that the UE is using for the third cellular connection; and 
 performing an operation related to the third cellular network connection. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving a call handover from the further UE based on the UE and the further UE being associated with the first subscription. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein receiving the call handover is further based on a connection to a wireless audio output device. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 after the call handover is performed, initiating a further call handover to the further UE. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the further call handover is initiated based on a predetermined duration. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 monitoring paging for the second subscription based on the UE and the further UE being associated with the second subscription. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 transmitting assistance data to the further UE, wherein the further UE is configured to camp on a cell based on the assistance data. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the UE is equipped with an embedded subscriber identification module (eSIM) associated with at least one of the first subscription or the second subscription. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the further UE performs at least one a cell search, a public land mobile network (PLMN) or a closed subscriber group (CSG) search for one of the first subscription or the second subscription. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the further UE is configured with a dual-sim dual-standby operating mode. 
     
     
       20. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
 a transceiver, configured to establish a first network connection based on a first subscription and a second network connection based on a second subscription; and 
 a processor configured to perform operations, comprising:
 identifying a predetermined condition when the UE has established the first cellular network connection and the second cellular network connection; 
 transmitting an indication to the further UE based on identifying the predetermined condition, wherein a third cellular network connection is established by the further UE in response to the indication, wherein the third cellular network connection is based on one of the first subscription or the second subscription; and 
 declaring no service for one of the first cellular network connection or the second cellular network connection based on the third cellular network connection, wherein the no service is declared for the one of the first subscription or the second subscription that the further UE is using for the third cellular connection.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A user equipment (UE) may be equipped with a plurality of subscriber identification modules (SIMS) and each SIM may enable the UE to establish an independent network connection. For example, the UE may be equipped with a first SIM and a second SIM for dual-sim dual-standby (DSDS) functionality. When in a DSDS operating mode, the UE may establish a first network connection using the first SIM and a second network connection using the second SIM. However, the UE may be configured to use the same hardware, software and/or firmware components to perform operations related to each network connection. Thus, when the UE is utilizing a component to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with one SIM, that component is not available to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with the other SIM. Accordingly, when in the DSDS operating mode, performing an operation related to the network connection associated with one SIM may cause the UE to be unable to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with the other SIM. 
     The UE may also be paired with a further UE via a short-range communication protocol. For example, the UE may be a source device and the further UE may be an accessory device. The source device and the accessory device may communicate via the short-range communication protocol to perform various operations. However, under conventional circumstances, when the source device has established a plurality of network connections (e.g., DSDS operating mode) the capabilities of the connected accessory device are not efficiently utilized. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an exemplary embodiment, a method may be performed by a user equipment (UE) configured to establish a first cellular network connection based on a first subscription, a second cellular network connection based on a second subscription and a connection to a further UE based on a short-range communication protocol. The method includes, identifying a predetermined condition and transmitting an indication to the further UE based on identifying the predetermined condition. The further UE is configured to establish a further cellular network connection in response to the indication and the further cellular network connection is based on one of the first subscription or the second subscription. The method further includes, declaring no service for one of the first cellular network connection or the second cellular network connection based on the further cellular network connection. 
     According to another exemplary embodiment, a method may be performed at a user equipment (UE) configured to connect to a further UE based on a short-range communication protocol, wherein the further UE is configured to establish a first cellular network connection based on a first subscription and a second cellular network connection based on a second subscription. The method includes, receiving an indication from the further UE and in response to the indication, establishing a further cellular network connection. The method further includes, performing an operation related to the further cellular network connection, wherein the further cellular network connection is based on one of the first subscription or the second subscription. 
     According to a further exemplary embodiment, a user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver, configured to establish a first network connection based on a first subscription and a second network connection based on a second subscription. The UE further includes a processor configured to perform operations. The operations comprising, identifying a predetermined condition and transmitting an indication to a further UE based on identifying the predetermined condition. The UE is connected to the further UE based on a short-range communication protocol and the further UE is configured to establish a further cellular network connection in response to the indication. The further cellular network connection is based on one of the first subscription or the second subscription. The operations further comprising, declaring no service for one of the first cellular network connection or the second cellular network connection based on the further cellular network connection. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an exemplary network arrangement according to various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 3  shows an exemplary arrangement that includes the UE in a DSDS operating mode configured with a first network connection, a second network connection and a connection to the further UE via a short-range communication protocol according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  shows a method for utilizing the further UE when the UE is operating in the DSDS operating mode according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  shows an exemplary arrangement that includes the UE configured to perform an operation using a first subscription and the further UE configured to perform an operation using a second subscription according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  shows a method for utilizing the further UE when the UE is performing a voice call using a subscription that is not associated with the further UE according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  shows a method for utilizing the further UE to perform a voice call according to various exemplary embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawing&#39;s, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe a device, system and method to improve network connectivity for a user equipment (UE) that is capable of supporting a plurality of network connections and paired with a further UE via a short-range communication protocol. 
     The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a UE. However, reference to a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any electronic component. 
     The UE may establish a connection to a network by camping on a cell of the network. In one example, the network may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and the cell may be an Evolved Node B (eNB). However, reference to a particular network or a particular type of cell is merely provided for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will understand that the network may be any type of network and the cell may be any type of cell within the corresponding network. 
     Various exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a UE that is equipped with a first subscriber identification module (SIM) and a second SIM for dual-sim dual-standby (DSDS) functionality. When in a DSDS operating mode, the UE may establish a first network connection using the first SIM and a second network connection using the second SIM. The first and second network connections may each be independent from one another and exist simultaneously. Thus, each SIM may be associated with its own telephone number and/or subscription with a cellular service provider. Accordingly, DSDS enables a single UE to be associated with two different telephone numbers and/or subscriptions. Throughout this description, for the purposes of differentiating between SIMs, reference will be made to SIM  1  and SIM  2 . However, this is only intended to differentiate between the two SIMs and is not intended to indicate any sort of priority/preference between either SIM  1  or SIM  2 . 
     A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that a SIM contains information that is required for a UE to establish a network connection. For example, the SIM may include an international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI) that may be used for authentication with the network provider. In the context of DSDS, a user may have a first subscription with a cellular service provider that is enabled by SIM  1  and a second subscription with the cellular service provider that is enabled by SIM  2 . In one example, the same cellular service provider is associated with both SIM  1  and SIM  2 . In another example, a different cellular service provider is associated with each SIM. Reference to any particular type of information being included in a SIM is merely provided for illustrative purposes. A SIM may include a wide variety of different types of information that different networks or entities may refer to by different names. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments may apply to a SIM that contains any type of information used by the UE to establish a network connection. 
     Throughout this description, it will be described that the SIMs are in a state, e.g., standby state, active state, etc. It should be understood that this state refers to a state of the connection of the UE to a network that is associated with the particular SIM. A SIM may be characterized as being in a standby state. When the SIM is in the standby state, the UE is generally not exchanging data over the corresponding network connection. However, the UE may be listening for transmissions from the network over the corresponding network connection. Thus, the UE may perform various operations related to network connection associated with the SIM. These operations may include but are not limited to, monitoring for paging messages, listening for emergency messages, collecting measurement data, performing operations related to mobility management, idle mode operations, etc. Accordingly, each SIM is available to be selected by the UE for various network services. For example, when SIM  1  and SIM  2  are in the standby state, the UE may select one of SIM  1  or SIM  2  with which to initiate/receive a voice call, utilize short message service (SMS), utilize multimedia message service (MMS), access a data service, etc. As will be described below, when an exchange of data occurs between the UE and the network over the network connection associated with a particular SIM, that SIM may be characterized as being in the active state. 
     Conventionally, the UE may utilize the same hardware, software and/or firmware components to perform operations related to the network connection associated with SIM  1  and the network connection associated with SIM  2 . For example, the UE may be configured to use the same transceiver to perform operations related to both network connections. Using the same component for both network connections may create scenarios in which the UE is unable to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with one of SIM  1  or SIM  2  because the UE is currently using that component to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with the other SIM. 
     When both SIM  1  and SIM  2  are in the standby state, the UE may transition between performing an operation related to the network connection associated with SIM  1  and performing an operation related to the network connection associated with SIM  2 . As mentioned above, sharing components between both network connections may create instances in which performing an operation related to the network connection associated with one SIM may cause the UE to be unable perform an operation related to the other network connection. However, due to the frequency and duration in which operations related to a network connection associated with a SIM in the standby state are performed, there is ample time for the UE to transition between performing an operation related to the network connection associated with SIM  1  and an operation related to the network connection associated with SIM  2  without creating an inadequate user experience for the subscription associated with either SIM. 
     Throughout this description, a SIM may also be characterized as being in an active state. When a SIM is in the active state, the UE is exchanging information and/or data over the corresponding network connection. The exchange of information and/or data enables the UE to perform functionalities normally available via the network connection. For example, the SIM may be in the active state when the UE is sending/receiving data during a voice call over the corresponding network connection. In another example, the SIM may be in the active state when the UE is utilizing an Internet protocol (IP) based service (e.g., sending/receiving payload data, streaming audio, streaming video, etc.) over the corresponding network connection. Any reference to standby state and active state are merely provided for illustrative purposes, different networks and entities may refer to similar types of states for a SIM by different names. 
     When a SIM is in the active state, the UE is utilizing a hardware, software and/or firmware component to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with the SIM. As mentioned above, this may cause the UE to be unable to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with the other SIM. Accordingly, when one SIM is in the active state, the user experience for the subscription associated with the other SIM may be negatively impacted. 
     To provide a general example of a conventional DSDS operations, consider the following exemplary scenario. The UE is in a DSDS operating mode and camped on a cell of a corresponding network. SIM  1  is in the standby state and SIM  2  is in the standby state. As mentioned above, the network connection associated with SIM  1  and the network connection associated with SIM  2  are independent from one another. Accordingly, in certain configurations, the UE may camp on a single cell for both network connections. In other configurations, the UE may camp on one cell for the network connection associated with SIM  1  and camp on a different cell for the network connection associated with SIM  2 . 
     If one of the SIMs transitions to the active state, the user experience for the subscription associated with the other SIM may be negatively impacted. For example, when SIM  1  is in the active state, the UE may utilize its transceiver to send/receive data over the network connection associated with SIM  1 . Thus, the transceiver may not be available to be utilized to perform operations related to the network connection associated with SIM  2 (e.g., monitor for paging, listen for emergency messages, receive a voice call for the telephone number associated with SIM  2 , perform an operations related to mobility management, etc.). From the user perspective, if SIM  1  is in the active state for a short duration, the user experience for the subscription associated with SIM  2  may not experience any noticeable adverse effects. For example, if SIM  1  transitions from the standby state to the active state to receive a SMS and then transitions back to the standby state after the SMS is received, SIM  2  may only be unavailable for a short duration. 
     In certain conventional configurations, when one of the SIMs is in the active state and/or configured to be used to access a particular service for more than a predetermined amount of time, the other SIM may transition into a suspended state. When a SIM is in the suspended state, the network connection associated with the SIM is in no service. The UE may transition one of the SIMs into the suspended state and declare no service over the corresponding network connection to ensure that the shared components may be dedicated to the network connection associated with one of the SIMs. For example, initially, SIM  1  and SIM  2  may both be in the standby state. Subsequently, the user may elect to participate in a voice call using the telephone number associated with SIM  1 . In this example, to ensure that the shared components are available to perform operations related to the voice call being performed over the network connection associated with SIM  1 , the UE may transition SIM  2  into the suspended state. Any reference to a SIM being in the suspended state is merely provided for illustrative purposes, different networks and entities may refer to a similar type state by a different name. 
     The UE may also be configured to connect to a further UE via a short-range communication protocol. When connected, the UE and the further UE may exchange information and coordinate operations to perform various functionalities. Like the UE, the further UE may be any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. For example, the UE may be a source device and the further UE may be an accessory device. 
     An accessory device may directly connect to the cellular network. Like the UE, the further UE device may be equipped with a SIM. The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to the further being provisioned with an embedded SIM (eSIM). The eSIM is an integrated circuit that is embedded in the UE and is not intended to be physically removed from the UE. In contrast, a SIM is an integrated circuit that is capable of being physically inserted and removed from a device. However, reference to the further UE including an eSIM is merely for illustrative purposes, the further UE may include a SIM. 
     The eSIM of the further UE may be a clone of the SIM of the UE. Thus, the UE and the further UE may be associated with the same telephone number and/or subscription. The further UE may be equipped with more than one eSIM. Thus, the further UE may be equipped with an eSIM that is a clone of SIM  1  and/or an eSIM that is a clone of SIM  2 . Throughout this description, an eSIM that is a clone of SIM  1  may be referred to as eSIM  1  and an eSIM that is a clone of SIM  2  may be referred to as eSIM  2 . Further, it should be noted that SIM  1  and/or SIM  2  may be an eSIM. Accordingly, reference to SIM  1 , SIM  2 , eSIM  1  and eSIM  2  is only intended to differentiate between the SIMs of the UE and the SIMs of the further UE. The exemplary embodiments may apply to any combination of SIMs and eSIMs between the UE and the further UE. 
     The exemplary embodiments relate to improving network connectivity and performance for a UE configured with DSDS functionality by utilizing the cellular capabilities of the further UE. For example, under conventional circumstances, the UE may be unable to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with one SIM because the UE is performing an operation related to the network connection associated with the other SIM. The exemplary embodiments mitigate the adverse effects of sharing components for DSDS functionality by configuring the UE to perform operations using a first subscription (e.g., SIM  1  or eSIM  1 ) and the further UE to perform operations using a second subscription (e.g., SIM  2  or eSIM  2 ). 
     To provide a general example, consider the following exemplary scenario. The UE is participating in a voice call over the network connection associated with SIM  1 . As mentioned above, under conventional circumstances, the UE may be unable to perform operations related to the network connection associated with SIM  2  for the duration of the voice call over the network connection associated with SIM  1 . However, according to various exemplary embodiments, if the further UE is provisioned with eSIM  1 , the UE may handover the voice call associated with SIM  1  to the further UE. Accordingly, the voice call may be continued via the further UE while the UE performs operations related to the network connection associated with SIM  2 . Alternatively, if the further UE is provisioned with eSIM  2 , the further UE may perform operations related to the network connection for the subscription associated with SIM  2  while the voice call is performed by the UE over the network connection associated SIM  1 . Thus, the UE may perform operations related to one of the network connections associated with one of the subscriptions (e.g., the subscription for SIM  1  and eSIM  1  or the subscription for SIM  2  and eSIM  2 ) while the further UE performs operations related to the other subscription. 
     The exemplary embodiments are not limited to DSDS functionality and may apply to other configurations in which the UE is capable of establishing a plurality of independent network connections. For example, the UE may be equipped with more than two SIMs. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments may apply to a UE that is equipped with more than two SIMs and is configured to be paired with a further UE via a short-range communication protocol. 
     The exemplary embodiments may also apply to single radio LTE (SRLTE). In accordance with SRLTE, the UE may be equipped with one SIM. However, in accordance with SRLTE, the UE may maintain a connection to the LTE network and a connection to a legacy network. Like DSDS, when in a SRLTE operating mode, the UE may be configured to use the same components for the connection to the LTE network and the connection to the legacy network. Conventionally, when one connection is being utilized to exchange information and/or data with the network, the UE may experience no service or limited service on the other connection. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments may also apply to a UE with SRLTE functionality and configured to be paired with a further UE via a short-range communication protocol. 
       FIG. 1  shows a network arrangement  100  according to the exemplary embodiments. The network arrangement  100  includes UEs  110 ,  112 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the UEs  110 ,  112  may be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearable devices, Cat-M devices, Cat-M1 devices, MTC devices, eMTC devices, other types of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. An actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users. Thus, the example of two UEs  110 ,  112  is only provided for illustrative purposes. 
     Each of the UEs  110 ,  112  may be configured to communicate directly with one or more networks. In the example of the network configuration  100 , the networks with which the UEs  110 ,  112  may wirelessly communicate with are a LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN)  120 , a legacy radio access network (RAN)  122  and a wireless local access network (WLAN)  124 . However, the UEs  110 ,  112  may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G new radio (NR), etc.) and the UEs  110 ,  112  may also communicate with networks over a wired connection. Therefore, the UEs  110 ,  112  may include an LTE chipset to communicate with the LTE-RAN  120 , a legacy chipset to communicate with the legacy RAN  122  and an ISM chipset to communicate with the WLAN  124 . 
     The UE  110  may be configured with DSDS functionality. Accordingly, in certain operating modes, the UE  110  may establish a first network connection using SIM  1  and a second network connection with a network using SIM  2 . The first network connection and the second network connection may be independent from one another and exist simultaneously. In the example of the network configuration  100 , the UE  110  is camped on the eNB  120 A for both the first and second network connections. However, this is merely provided for illustrative purposes. In an actual network arrangement, the UE  110  may camp on a first cell corresponding to a first network for the first network connection and a second cell corresponding to a second network for the second network connection. 
     The UEs  110 ,  112  may communicate with one another without using the networks  120 - 124 . For example, the UEs  110 ,  112  may communicate with one another using a short-range communication protocol such as BlueTooth. Thus, if the UE  110  and the UE  112  are within a proximity of one another (e.g., within a distance in which BlueTooth communications may be performed), the UE  110  and the UE  112  may exchange data. In one exemplary scenario, if the short-range communication protocol is being used, the UE  110  and the UE  112  may have a companion relationship where the UE  110  is a source device and the UE  112  is an accessory device. Thus, in certain operating modes, the UE  112  may be configured to access network services by utilizing only the short-range communication protocol without connecting to any of the networks  120 - 124 . In this exemplary operating mode, the UE  110  may connect to one or more of the networks  120 - 124  and relay data exchanged with the one or more networks  120 - 124  to the UE  112  over the short-range communication pathway. However, in other operating modes, the UE  112  may connect to one or more of the networks  120 - 124  regardless of whether the companion relationship with the UE  110  has been established. 
     The LTE-RAN  120  and the legacy RAN  122  may be portions of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular service providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&amp;T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks  120 ,  122  may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) that are configured to send and receive traffic from UEs that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set. The WLAN  124  may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, Hot Spot, IEEE 802.11x networks, etc.). 
     The UEs  110 ,  112  may connect to the LTE-RAN  120  via an evolved Node B (eNB)  120 A. Those skilled in the art will understand that any association procedure may be performed for the UEs  110 ,  112  to connect to the LTE-RAN  120 . For example, as discussed above, the LTE-RAN  120  may be associated with a particular cellular service provider where the UEs  110 ,  112  and/or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM). Upon detecting the presence of the LTE-RAN  120 , the UEs  110 ,  112  may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the LTE-RAN  120 . More specifically, the UEs  110 ,  112  may associate with a specific cell (e.g., the eNB  120 A of the LTE-RAN  120 ). As mentioned above, the use of the LTE-RAN  120  is for illustrative purposes and any type of network may be used. For example, the UEs  110 ,  112  may also connect to the Legacy RAN  122  or the 5G NR (not pictured). 
     In addition to the networks  120 ,  122  and  124  the network arrangement  100  also includes a cellular core network  130 , the Internet  140 , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)  150 , and a network services backbone  160 . The cellular core network  130  may be considered to be the interconnected set of components that manages the operation and traffic of the cellular network. The cellular core network  130  also manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet  140 . The IMS  150  may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UEs  110 ,  112  using the IP protocol. The IMS  150  may communicate with the cellular core network  130  and the Internet  140  to provide the multimedia services to the UEs  110 ,  112 . The network services backbone  160  is in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internet  140  and the cellular core network  130 . The network services backbone  160  may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UEs  110 ,  112  in communication with the various networks. 
     The network arrangement  100  may further include a Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) server  170  that may generate emergency messages and/or emergency message indications (e.g., pings) to be broadcast over the cellular networks  120 ,  122  to the UEs  110 ,  112 . Since the CMAS messages are only broadcast over a cellular network, to comply with various regulations and/or standards the UEs  110 ,  112  may remain connected, in some manner, to a cellular network, even when the UEs  110 ,  112  have established a connection to a non-cellular network such as the WLAN  124 . The network arrangement  100  shows the CMAS server  170  directly connected to each cellular network (e.g., LTE-RAN  120  and Legacy RAN  122 ). However, this is merely provided for illustrative purposes, CMAS server  170  may be connected to the cellular networks via the cellular core network  130 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an exemplary UE  110  according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE  110  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1 . The UE  110  may represent any electronic device and may include a processor  205 , a memory arrangement  210 , a display device  215 , an input/output (I/O) device  220 , a transceiver  225 , and other components  230 . The other components  230  may include, for example, a SIM, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery that provides a limited power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UE  110  to other electronic devices, sensors to detect conditions of the UE  110 , etc. A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the UE  110  may also represent the UE  112 . 
     The processor  205  may be configured to execute a plurality of engines for the UE  110 . For example, the engines may include a DSDS accessory engine  245 . The DSDS accessory engine  245  may monitor for predetermined conditions that may indicate that utilizing the capabilities of a connected accessory device (e.g., further UE  112 ) would improve the user experience for at least one of a plurality of subscriptions associated with the UE  110 . When identified, the DSDS accessory engine  245  may generate a message that is to be transmitted from the UE  110  to the further UE  112  that triggers the further UE  112  to perform various operations. The message and the operations will be described in greater detail below. 
     The above referenced engines each being an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor  205  is only exemplary. The functionality associated with the engines may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE  110  or may be a modular component coupled to the UE  110 , e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as one application or separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor  205  is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE. 
     The memory  210  may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE  110 . As will be described in further detail below, the memory  210  may store data associated with the conditions of the UE  110  when a determination of the operating mode is performed. The display device  215  may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I/O device  220  may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. The display device  215  and the I/O device  220  may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen. The transceiver  225  may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the LTE-RAN  120 , the legacy RAN  122 , the WLAN  124 , etc. Accordingly, the transceiver  225  may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies). 
       FIG. 3  shows an exemplary arrangement  300  that includes the UE  110  in a DSDS operating mode configured with a first network connection, a second network connection and a connection to the further UE  112  via a short-range communication protocol according to various exemplary embodiments.  FIG. 3  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     The exemplary arrangement  300  illustrates the UE  110  configured with a network connection  302  to the network  304 . The network connection  302  is associated with SIM  1 . The UE  110  is also configured with a further network connection  310  to the network  312 . The network connection  310  is associated with SIM  2 . In accordance with DSDS, both network connections  302 ,  310  are independent from one another and maintained simultaneously. 
     Reference to two separate networks  304 ,  312  is only intended to demonstrate that the network connections  302 ,  304  are independent from one another. The networks with which the UE  110  may connect to may be based on the subscription corresponding to the SIM. Thus, if the subscription associated with SIM  1  and the subscription associated with SIM  2  are permitted to access the same network and/or services, the network connections  302 ,  304  may be to the same network. For example, both subscriptions may be with the same cellular service provider and permitted to access the same services. However, the subscriptions may also be with different cellular service providers and/or permitted to access different types of services. Accordingly, throughout this description, any reference to the network connection or corresponding network associated with either SIM  1  or SIM  2  possessing a particular characteristic or being utilized for a particular service is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
     Consider the following exemplary scenario, SIM  1  is in the standby state and SIM  2  is in the standby state. When a SIM is in the standby state, the corresponding network connection is generally not being used to exchange data. However, the UE may be listening for transmissions from the networks  304 ,  312  over the respective network connections  302 ,  310 . Thus, the UE  110  may perform operations to maintain both network connections  302 ,  310 . These operations may include, but are not limited to, monitoring for paging, collecting measurement data, performing idle mode operations, etc. To provide an example, at one instance the UE  110  may tune its transceiver  225  to listen for transmissions from the network  304  over the network connection  302 . Based on the received information, the UE  110  may collect measurement data for mobility management. Subsequently, the UE  110  may tune its transceiver  225  to listen for transmission from the network  312  over the network connection  310 . This enables the UE  110  to maintain the network connection  302  and the network connection  310  simultaneously. Since both network connections  302 ,  310  are maintained in DSDS operating mode, the UE  110  may select either SIM  1  or SIM  2  to utilize for a network service (e.g., VoLTE, SMS, MMS, etc.) over the corresponding network connection. As will be described below, the SIM may be characterized as being in the active state when an exchange of data occurs between the UE and the network over the network connection associated with the selected SIM. 
     The UE  110  may be configured to use the same hardware, software and/or firmware components to perform operations related to the network connection associated with SIM  1  and the network connection associated with SIM  2 . Since the number of operations related to a network connection associated with a SIM in the standby state is limited, there is ample time for the UE  110  to perform operations for both SIM  1  and SIM  2  using the same components when both SIM  1  and SIM  2  are in the standby state. For example, the UE  110  may switch back and forth between performing radio resource control (RRC) idle mode operations for SIM  1  and RRC idle mode operations for SIM  2 . 
     When one of SIM  1  or SIM  2  transitions from the standby state to the active state, the UE  110  is exchanging data over the network connection associated with that SIM. Since the UE  110  may be configured to share components to perform operations for both network connections  302 ,  310 , performing an operation related to one network connection may cause the UE  110  to be unable to perform an operation related to the other network connection. For example, if the UE  110  is exchanging packets over the network connection  302  associated with SIM  1  to perform a voice call, SIM  1  would be characterized as being in the active state. Thus, the UE  110  may be unable to perform an operation related to network connection  310  associated with SIM  2  because the transceiver  225  is being utilized to exchange packets over the network connection  302  associated with SIM  1 . 
     From the UE  110  perspective, to exchange data with the network over one of the network connections  302 ,  310  the UE may need to establish an RRC connection. Continuing with the example above, to perform the voice call over the network connection  302  associated with SIM  1  the UE  110  may need to transition from an RRC idle state to an RRC connected state. Accordingly, the status of the RRC connection (e.g., RRC idle state, RRC connected state) may be indicative of the operating state of the SIM associated with that network connection. For example, when a SIM is in the standby state the UE  110  may perform RRC idle state operations. When the SIM is in the active state, the UE  110  is exchanging data with the network and thus, the UE  110  may be in the RRC connected state. However, there may be instances during the RRC connected state where the UE  110  is not utilizing the transceiver  225  to perform an operation related to that corresponding network connection. Regardless of the status of the RRC connection, when a component is not being utilized to perform an operation related to one network connection the UE  110  is capable of utilizing that component to perform an operation for the other network connection. Accordingly, while the status of the RRC connection may generally be indicative of the operating state of the SIM associated with that network connection, there is no required correlation between the status of the RRC connection and the operating state of the SIM. 
     In the exemplary arrangement  300 , The UE  110  is also connected to the further UE  112  via connection  320 . The connection  320  may be in accordance with a short-range communication protocol (e.g., BlueTooth). In some exemplary embodiments, the further UE  112  may be provisioned with a single eSIM (e.g., eSIM  1  or eSIM  2 ). In other exemplary embodiments, the further UE  112  may be provisioned with both eSIM  1  and eSIM  2 . Thus, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  may be used for the same telephone number and/or subscription. 
     As mentioned above, when one of SIM  1  or SIM  2  is in the active state, various components may be unavailable for operations related to the network connection for the other SIM. This may negatively impact the user experience for the subscription associated with the other SIM. For example, if SIM  1  is in the active state, the UE  110  may not be able to monitor paging over the network connection  310  associated with SIM  2 . Thus, the UE  110  may miss indications for incoming communications over the network connection  310  associated with SIM  2 . The incoming communications may include, but are not limited to, an incoming voice call, a SMS, an MMS, an emergency message, etc. 
     The exemplary embodiments relate to utilizing the cellular capabilities of the further UE  112  to perform operations related to the subscription associated with one of the SIMS while the UE  110  performs operations related to the subscription associated with the other SIM. With regard to the example above, this may include utilizing the further UE  112  to monitor for paging for the subscription associated with SIM  2 . This enables the UE  110  to avoid the adverse effects of conventional DSDS functionality where performing an operation related to the network connection associated with one of SIM  1  or SIM  2  causes the UE  110  to be unable to perform an operation related to the network connection associated the other SIM. 
       FIG. 4  shows a method  400  for utilizing the further UE  112  when the UE  110  is operating in the DSDS operating mode according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  400  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1 , the UE  110  of  FIG. 2  and the exemplary arrangement  300  of  FIG. 3 . 
     In  405 , the UE  110  is in the DSDS operating mode and connected to the further UE  112  via a short-range communication protocol. 
     Consider the following exemplary scenario, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are in the arrangement  300 . Accordingly, the UE  110  has a first network connection  302  with the network  304  that is associated with SIM  1  and a second network connection  310  with the network  312  that is associated with SIM  2 . Further, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are connected via connection  320  in accordance with a short-range communication protocol (e.g., BlueTooth). In this exemplary scenario, the further UE  112  is equipped with at least one of eSIM  1  and eSIM  2 . However, the cellular baseband of the further UE  112  is offline. 
     In  410 , a predetermined condition is identified. The predetermined condition may indicate that utilizing the further UE  112  may mitigate the adverse effects of conventional DSDS functionality. Either the UE  110  or the further UE  112  may identify the predetermined condition. 
     There may be a plurality of predetermined conditions and each may be based on at least one factor. For example, the predetermined condition may relate to, at least in part, whether a network service (e.g., voice call, IP based service, SMS, MMS, etc.) is being utilized or is to be utilized by the UE  110 . The predetermined condition may also relate to the amount of battery power available at the UE  110  and/or the further UE  112 . Another factor that may be considered relates to the radio frequency (RF) conditions experienced at the UE  110  and/or the further UE  112 . The predetermined condition may also relate to the wireless capabilities of the further UE  112 . For example, these capabilities may include, but are not limited to, the radio access technology (RAT) the further UE  112  may camp on, the frequency bands the further UE  112  may utilize for communications, the public land mobile network (PLMN) the further UE  112  may utilize, etc. Another consideration may be whether an external audio output device (e.g., wired or wireless headphones) is connected to one of the UE  110  or the further UE  112 . 
     Compared to DSDS functionality, performing operations for a single subscription typically consumes less power than DSDS functionality. Accordingly, in one aspect, the UE  110  can conserve power by utilizing the further UE  112  to perform operations for one of the subscriptions. However, the further UE  112  may also have its own power concerns. For example, the further UE  112  may be a wearable device. The longer the wearable device can operate without being charged the better the user experience. Accordingly, in another aspect, the further UE  112  can conserve power by limiting the amount of time the further UE  112  is configured to perform operations related to one of the subscriptions. Thus, one exemplary predetermined condition may relate to a combination of the UE  110  having less than a predetermined amount of remaining battery life available (e.g., 5%, 10%, 20%, 25%, 30%, etc.) and the further UE  112  having more than a predetermined amount of remaining battery life available (e.g., 20%, 30%, 45%, 50%, etc.). This may enable the UE  110  to offload tasks to the further UE  112  during instances in which the further UE  112  has an ample amount of battery power remaining. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the UE  110  may experience adequate radio frequency (RF) conditions associated with the cellular coverage for one of SIM  1  or SIM  2  and poor RF conditions associated with the cellular coverage for the other SIM. Thus, one exemplary predetermined condition may relate to a parameter or combination of parameters indicative of the RF conditions associated with one SIM being above a predetermined threshold and a parameter or combination of parameters indicative of the RF conditions associated with the other SIM being below the predetermined threshold. This enables the UE  110  to offload operations associated with cellular coverage for the SIM experiencing the adequate conditions to the further UE  112  and dedicate its resources and components to performing operations for the SIM experiencing poor RF conditions. 
     The predetermined condition may also relate to the UE  110  being unable to perform specific operations related to one of the network connections. For example, if the UE  110  is performing a data transfer over the network connection associated with SIM  1 , various components may be unavailable to be utilized to perform an operation related to the network connection associated with the other SIM. Thus, the UE  110  may be unable to perform public land mobile network (PLMN) searches or closed subscriber group (CSG) searches for one SIM during the data transfer. Accordingly, one exemplary predetermined condition may relate to UE  110  being unable to perform a particular operation. This enables the UE  110  to offload operations associated with the coverage for one of the subscriptions during a data transfer using the other subscription. 
     Predetermined conditions related to a voice call will be discussed below with regard to  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 . Throughout this description, reference to any particular predetermined condition is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may incorporate any predetermined condition that indicates that utilizing the further UE  112  may mitigate the adverse effects of being configured to utilize the same component to perform operations related to a plurality of connections. 
     In  415 , the further UE  112  establishes a cellular network connection. For instance, in this exemplary scenario the cellular baseband for the further UE  112  is offline. If the UE  110  identifies the predetermined condition in  410 , the UE  110  may signal the further UE  112  to establish a cellular network connection. Alternatively, if the further UE  112  identifies the predetermined condition, the further UE  112  may be triggered to bring its cellular baseband online and establish a cellular network connection. To establish the connection, the further UE  112  may perform cell selection and camp on a cell corresponding to a cellular network. 
     In  420 , the UE  110  performs an operation related to a first subscription and the further UE  112  performs an operation related to a second subscription. For example, in accordance with DSDS functionality, the UE  110  is associated with a first subscription to a cellular service provider that is enabled by SIM  1  and a second subscription to a cellular service provider that is enabled by SIM  2 . If the further UE  112  is equipped with eSIM  1 , both the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are associated with the first subscription. Similarly, if the further UE  112  is equipped with eSIM  2 , both the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are associated with the second subscription. Accordingly, which operations are performed by the UE  110  and which operations are to be performed the further UE  112  may depend on the number of subscriptions associated with the further UE  112 .  FIG. 6  provides an example of the operations to be performed by the further UE  112  when a voice call is received for a subscription that is not associated with the further UE  112  and  FIG. 7  provides an example of the operations performed by the further UE  112  when a voice call is received for a subscription that is associated with the further UE  112 . However, any reference to the further UE  112  being utilized to perform a particular operation using a particular subscription is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The further UE  112  may be utilized to perform any operation using any subscription with which the further UE  112  is associated. 
     As mentioned above, the exemplary embodiments may also apply to SRLTE. Thus, in some exemplary embodiments, the UE  110  may implement a predetermined condition that indicates that utilizing the further UE  112  may mitigate the adverse effects of conventional SRLTE functionality. For example, the predetermined condition may relate to whether a voice call is being performed over the legacy network. If the voice call is being performed, the UE  110  may offload operations related to the LTE network during the voice call. 
       FIG. 5  shows an exemplary arrangement  500  that includes the UE  110  configured to perform an operation using a first subscription and the further UE  112  configured to perform an operation using a second subscription according to various exemplary embodiments. The exemplary arrangement  500  provides an example of the configuration for the UE  110  and the further UE  112  during  420  of the method  400 . 
     As mentioned above, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are initially in the exemplary arrangement  300  when the method  400  begins. During  420 , the UE  110  and the further UE  112  may be in the exemplary arrangement  500 . In this exemplary scenario, the further UE  112  is equipped with eSIM  2 . Thus, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are both associated with the second subscription. Accordingly, the further UE  112  may be utilized to perform operations for the second subscription while the UE  110  performs operations for the first subscription. 
     Compared to the exemplary arrangement  300 , the network connection  302  associated with SIM  1  remains in the exemplary arrangement  500 . Thus, the UE  110  may perform operations related to the network connection  302  associated with SIM  1 . 
     Further, in the exemplary arrangement  500 , the connection  320  between the UE  110  and the further UE  112  also remains. However, it is not necessary for the connection  320  to be maintained. For example, once the further UE  112  is configured to perform an operation using one of the subscriptions, the connection  320  may be terminated. Terminating the connection  320  may enable the UE  110  and/or the further UE  112  to conserve power by avoiding the power cost of maintaining the connection  320 . This may also enable the UE  110  and the further UE  112  to exceed the proximity of the BlueTooth connection (e.g., connection  320 ) without experiencing a power drain performing operations intended to attempt to re-establish the connection  320 . 
     Unlike the exemplary arrangement  300 , the connection  310  between the UE  110  and the network  312  is not available in the exemplary arrangement  500 . For example, SIM  2  may be in the suspended state. Instead, in the exemplary arrangement  500 , the further UE  112  has connected to the network  312  via the network connection  311  using eSIM  2 . 
     To provide a general example, initially the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are in the exemplary arrangement  300 . Subsequently, the UE  110  is configured to perform a voice call over the network connection  302  using SIM  1 . To avoid the adverse effects of conventional DSDS functionality, the method  400  is implemented. In  420 , the UE  110  performs the voice call using SIM  1  (e.g., the first subscription) and the further UE  112  performs an operation related to the second subscription as shown in the exemplary arrangement  500 . For example, the further UE  112  may monitor for paging using the second subscription. Accordingly, compared to conventional DSDS functionality where incoming communications for the second subscription (e.g., SIM  2 ) may be missed due to the UE  110  performing an operation related to the network connection associated with the first subscription (e.g., SIM  1 ), the exemplary embodiments are able to monitor for paging to the second subscription using the further UE  112 . Thus, the adverse effects of conventional DSDS functionality may be mitigated by using the cellular capabilities of the further UE  112 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a method  600  for utilizing the further UE  112  when the UE  110  is performing a voice call using a subscription that is not associated with the further UE  112  according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  600  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1 , the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 , the exemplary arrangement  300  of  FIG. 3  and the method  400  of  FIG. 4 . 
     Consider the following exemplary scenario, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are in the exemplary arrangement  300 . Accordingly, the UE  110  has a first network connection  302  with the network  304  that is associated with SIM  1  and a second network connection  310  with the network  312  that is associated with SIM  2 . Further, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are connected via connection  320  in accordance with a short-range communication protocol (e.g., BlueTooth). In this exemplary scenario, the further UE  112  is equipped with eSIM  1  and the cellular baseband of the further UE  112  is offline. 
     In  605 , a voice call is established over the network connection  310  using SIM  2 . For example, the UE  110  may establish a mobile originating (MO) or a mobile terminating (MT) voice call for the telephone number associated with SIM  2 . 
     In  610 , the UE  110  determines that the further UE  112  is to be utilized to perform operations using eSIM  1 . This determination may be based on identifying the predetermined condition in  410  of the method  400 . Accordingly, the predetermined condition may be based on, at least in part, the establishment of a voice call at the UE  110 . In some exemplary embodiments, the predetermined condition may also include a time factor related to the duration of the voice call. For example, a timer may be initiated based on the establishment of the voice call. If the voice call ends prior to the expiration of the timer, the further UE  112  may not be utilized to perform cellular operations for one of the subscriptions. If the timer expires, the further UE  112  may be utilized. This allows the further UE  112  to be utilized if the voice call exceeds a certain amount of time while avoiding the power cost of establishing and maintaining a cellular network connection during a voice call that lasts for a short duration. The time may be set to expired based on any appropriate predetermined value (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms), 500 ms, 3 seconds, 7 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.). 
     Based on the determination in  610 , the UE  110  may send a signal to the further UE  112  via the connection  320 . The signal may trigger the further UE  112  to perform an operation using eSIM  1 . However, as will be described below in  615 - 630 , the type of operations that may be performed by the further UE  112  may depend on various factors. 
     In  615 , it is determined whether the further UE  112  is associated with a WiFi network (e.g., WLAN  124 ). The UE  110  and the further UE  112  may communicate periodically regarding their respective configurations. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE  110  may make the determination in  615  based on information received from the further UE  112 . In other exemplary embodiments, the further UE  112  may make the determination based on the further UE  112  being triggered to perform an operation using eSIM  1 . 
     If the further UE  112  is not associated with the WiFi network, the method  600  continues to  620 . In  620 , further UE  112  brings its cellular baseband online. This enables the further UE  112 , to camp on a cell of a cellular network. Once camped, the further UE  112  may monitor for paging to receive incoming communications for the subscription associated with SIM  1  and eSIM  1 . This also enables the further UE  112  to monitor for CMAS messages. Thus, in  620 , the UE  110  is performing a voice call over the network connection associated with SIM  2  while the further UE  112  is performing an operation related to the subscription associated with SIM  1  and eSIM  1 . Subsequently, the method  600  ends. 
     Under conventional circumstances, the UE  110  would not be capable of adequately monitoring for incoming communications associated with SIM  1 . For example, the UE  110  may transition SIM  1  in to the suspended state or the UE  110  may not have any components available to perform operations related to the network connection associated with SIM  1 . Thus, the UE  110  would be unaware of incoming communications associated with SIM  1  while performing the voice call using SIM  2 . By utilizing the further UE  112  to monitor for incoming communications, the user would be aware of an incoming voice call for the telephone number associated with SIM  1  during the voice call over the network connection associated with SIM  2 . 
     Returning to  615 , if the further UE  112  is associated with the WiFi network, the method  600  continues to  625 . In  625 , it is determined whether the subscription associated with SIM  1  and eSIM  1  is registered for WiFi calling. If registered for WiFi calling, the method  600  continues to  630 . If WiFi calling is not available, the method  600  continues to  620 . 
     In  630 , the further UE  112  brings its cellular baseband online in CMAS mode. CMAS mode may refer to a power efficient mode of operation during which information and/or data related to CMAS messages are processed while other operations related to the cellular network connection are limited, omitted and/or delayed. However, reference to CMAS mode is merely exemplary, as there may be similar modes of operation referred to by different names. Subsequently, the method  600  ends. 
     CMAS messages are only sent over cellular networks. When the UE  110  is performing a voice call, the UE  110  may not monitor for CMAS messages for either subscription. Accordingly, by operating the cellular baseband of the further UE  112  in CMAS mode, CMAS messages are received. CMAS messages are also received when the further UE  112  is in normal mode (e.g., not associated with WiFi or not registered to WiFi calling). In this example, since the further UE  112  can perform WiFi calling, the further UE  112  may monitor for incoming communications for the subscription associated with SIM  1  and eSIM  1  over a WiFi connection. Thus, the capabilities of the further UE  112  in  620  and  630  are generally the same. However, the combination of using the WiFi calling and CMAS mode may provide the further UE  112  with greater power saving benefits. 
       FIG. 7  shows a method  700  for utilizing the further UE  112  to perform a voice call according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  700  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1 , the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 , the exemplary arrangement  300  of  FIG. 3  and the method  400  of  FIG. 4 . 
     Consider the following exemplary scenario, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are in the exemplary arrangement  300 . Accordingly, the UE  110  has a first network connection  302  with the network  304  that is associated with SIM  1  and a second network connection  310  with the network  312  that is associated with SIM  2 . Further, the UE  110  and the further UE  112  are connected via connection  320  in accordance with a short-range communication protocol (e.g., BlueTooth). In this exemplary scenario, the further UE  112  is equipped with eSIM  1  and the cellular baseband of the further UE  112  is offline. However, in contrast to the method  600  where a voice call is performed using SIM  2 , the method  700  relates to a voice call using the subscription associated with SIM  1  and eSIM  1 . 
     In  705 , a voice call is established over the network connection  310  using SIM  1 . For example, the UE  110  may establish a mobile originating (MO) or a mobile terminating (MT) voice call for the telephone number associated with SIM  1 . 
     In  710 , the UE  110  determines whether the further UE  112  is capable of receiving a call handover from the UE  110 . A call handover may refer to a signaling exchange between the UE  110  and the further UE  112  over the connection  320  that enables the further UE  112  to perform a voice call that was previously being performed at the UE  110 . If the further UE  112  is not capable of receiving the call handover, the call remains at the UE  110  and the method  700  ends. If the further UE  112  is capable of receiving the call handover, the method  700  continues to  715 . 
     The determination in  710  may be based on identifying the predetermined condition in  410  of the method  400 . Accordingly, the predetermined condition may be based on, at least in part, the establishment of a voice call at the UE  110 . The predetermined condition may also be based on the capabilities of the further UE  112 . One factor may relate to the RAT that is available for the further UE  112  to camp on. For example, the voice call may be performed over the legacy RAN  122  and VoLTE may not be available. However, the further UE  112  may only be able to camp on a cell corresponding to the LTE-RAN  120 . Thus, in this example, the capabilities of the further UE  112  would not allow the further UE  112  to perform the voice call. 
     Another factor may relate to the frequency bands that the further UE  112  is able to access and/or the RF profile of the further UE  112 . For example, compared to the UE  110 , the further UE  112  may not be able to access the same frequency bands. Thus, in certain locations, camping may not be possible for the further UE  112 . Similarly, camping may not be possible based on the RF profile of the further UE  112 . The RF profile may include parameters such as, but not limited to, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal to noise ratio (SNR), transmit power, etc.). These parameters may not be sufficient to permit camping and may cause the further UE  112  to experience no service or limited service. 
     Another factor may relate to the PLMN of the cell the further UE  112  is to camp on. For example, compared to the UE  110 , the further UE  112  may camp onto cells with different PLMNs. The network service provided by different PLMNs may vary and thus, the PLMN of the cell the further UE  112  is to camp on may not be capable of supporting the characteristics of the voice call being performed at the UE  110 . 
     Using the connection  320 , the UE  110  and the further UE  112  may exchange information that enables the UE to determine the capabilities of the further UE  112 . Thus, in some exemplary embodiments, the UE  110  may make the determination in  710  based on information that was received from the further UE  112  prior to the voice call being established. 
     In  715 , the UE  110  determines whether a predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition in  710  may indicate to the UE  110  that the current configuration of the further UE  112  is capable of providing a voice call experience that is acceptable to the user. The UE  110  may identify the predetermined condition based on settings associated with subscription. Alternatively, the predetermined condition in  715  may be based on whether user input is received during the voice call. 
     For example, the further UE  112  may be a wearable device. The user may not want to perform a call handover to the further UE  112  unless a wireless audio output device and/or audio input device (e.g., wireless headphones) are available for use. In another example, the user may not want to perform a call handover if the voice call is a conference call. Conference calls may have longer durations than a typical voice call. Thus, the user may not want the further UE  112  to utilize the power that would be required to perform a conference call with a potentially long duration. 
     If the predetermined condition in  715  is satisfied, the method  700  continues to  720  where a call handover is performed. If the predetermined condition in  715  is not satisfied, the call is performed at the UE  110  and the method  700  ends. 
     In  720 , the further UE  112  performs the voice call for the subscription, associated with SIM  1  and eSIM  1 . Thus, the UE  110  is available to perform operations related to the network connection associated with SIM  2 . For example, while the voice call if performed using the further UE  112 , the UE  110  may monitor for incoming communications for SIM  2  and CMAS messages. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the further UE  112  may be triggered to initiate a call handover back to the UE  110  based on a predetermined condition. For example, if the further UE  112  identifies that measurement data corresponding to the currently camped cell indicates that the voice call is likely to be dropped, the further UE  112  and the UE  110  may perform a call handover to the UE  110 . In other exemplary embodiments, a call handover from the further UE  112  to the UE  110  may be triggered after a predetermined duration. This may enable the further UE  112  to limit the amount of power spent performing the voice call. Similarly, a call handover may be triggered if the battery level of the further UE  112  falls below a certain value. 
     As mentioned above, the further UE  112  may be provisioned with both eSIM  1  and eSIM  2 . The examples provided above in the method  600  of  FIG. 6  and the method  700  of  FIG. 7  relate to utilizing the further UE  112  when it is associated with one subscription. However, when the further UE  112  is associated with both subscriptions, the further UE  112  may be utilized to perform operations for either subscription. For example, if a voice call is performed at the UE  110  using SIM  1 , the further UE  112  may be utilized to either perform operations to maintain coverage for the SIM  2  (e.g., monitor for paging, perform idle mode operations, etc.) or the UE  110  may handover the voice call to the further UE  112 . 
     Compared to the cellular capabilities of the further UE  112 , the UE  110  generally provides more reliability with regard to voice call retention and higher audio quality. Accordingly, when a voice call is received for one of SIM  1  or SIM  2  and the further UE  112  is provisioned with both eSIM  1  and eSIM  2 , the UE  110  may be configured to be used for the voice call while the further UE  112  is configured to perform operations to maintain coverage for the other subscription. However, in this configuration, the exemplary embodiments may apply to the UE  110  and the further UE  112  being used for either subscription. 
     The further UE  112  may be configured to provide assistance data to the UE  110 . The assistance data may enable the UE  110  to camp quickly and reestablish coverage for one of the subscriptions after the further UE  112  is utilized. For example, the assistance data may include information such as, but not limited to, parameters associated with the serving cell for the further UE  112 , measurement data associated with neighbor cells collected by the further UE  112 , system information blocks (SIBs) received over various frequency bands by the further UE  112 , etc. To reestablish coverage for one of the subscriptions at the UE  110 , the UE  110  may camp on a cell based on the assistance data received from the further UE  112 . 
     The UE  110  may also utilize assistance data from the further UE  112  when the UE  110  is unable to perform an operation related for one of the subscriptions because the UE  110  is performing an operation for another subscription. For example, the UE  110  may be performing an operation such as a data transfer or paging reorganization over the network connection associated with SIM  1  and thus, the UE  110  may be unable to perform operations related to maintaining coverage for the subscription associated with SIM  2 . Thus, the UE  110  may offload particular operations to the further UE  112  such as, but not limited to, collecting neighbor cell measurement data, performing a cell search, cell re-selection, out of service (OOS) recovery, PLMN search, CSG search, etc. Subsequently, the further UE  112  may provide the UE  110  with assistance data that enables the UE  110  to camp quickly and reestablish coverage for the subscription associated with SIM  2 . 
     As mentioned above, the exemplary embodiments also apply to SRLTE. Thus, assistance data may also enable the UE  110  to camp quickly and reestablish coverage after the further UE  112  is utilized to perform operations for one of the network connections (e.g., LTE or legacy network connection). For example, while the UE  110  performs a voice call over the legacy network, the further UE  112  may collect measurement data for mobility management with regard to the LTE connection. This data may be provided to the UE  110  after the voice call over the legacy network. 
     The further UE  112  may be an accessory device. An accessory device may be a power limited device. Thus, the use of the further UE  112  may be limited to conserve power. To balance the benefits of the exemplary embodiments and the power cost at the further UE  112 , a power budget may be implemented. For example, the further UE  112  may limit the performance of an operation to an overall duration over a particular time window. In another example, the further UE  112  may limit the performance of an operation based on the amount of power consumed over a particular time window. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardware platform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. In a further example, the exemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190508
Publication Date: 20201208
Grant Date: 20201208
Priority Date: 20190508
Inventors: DHANANI, TARAKKUMAR G.
LOVLEKAR, SRIRANG A.
PRABHAKAR, ALOSIOUS PRADEEP
VENKATARAMAN, VIJAY
SHIKARI, MURTAZA A.
SINGH, AJOY K.
GADDE, VIJAY
XING, LONGDA
SHETH, NISHIT S.
THAREJA, ROHIT
Gurumoorthy, Sethuraman
NIMMALA, SRINIVASAN
GARG, SHARAD
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W36/302", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/035", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/1446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0069", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/15", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/80", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/15", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0069", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/30", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/80", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/15", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/035", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/302", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/1446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0069", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 73045877