PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11343640-B2
Application Number: US-201916380102-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Power efficient operation at significant locations

Abstract:
A device and method for a user equipment (UE) to implement power savings mechanisms when operating within a significant location. The UE identifies that the UE is at a significant location. The significant location is a location relative to a currently camped cell of a network. At a first time and at the significant location, the UE performs a type of operation related to the network connection. The UE stores information corresponding to the performance of the type of operation at the first time in a profile associated with the significant location. At a second time and at the significant location, the UE performs the type of operation related to the network connection. The performance of the type of operation at the second time is modified based on the information stored in the profile associated with the significant location.

Claims:
What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 at a user equipment (UE) configured to establish a connection with a network: identifying that the UE is at a significant location, wherein the significant location is a location relative to a currently camped cell of the network; 
 performing, at a first time and at the significant location, a type of operation related to the network connection, wherein the type of operation is cell reselection; 
 storing information corresponding to the performance of the type of operation at the first time, wherein the information is stored in a profile associated with the significant location; and performing, at a second time and at the significant location, the type of operation related to the network connection, wherein the performance of the type of operation at the second time is modified based on the information stored in the profile associated with the significant location, wherein the information corresponding to the performance of cell reselection at the first time and at the significant location includes the identity of at least one neighbor cell that is determined to be a reselection candidate based on measurement data, and wherein the performance of the cell reselection at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on collecting measurement data for only the at least one neighbor cell that was determined to be the reselection candidate at the first time. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the type of operation further comprises radio link failure (RLF) recovery. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 wherein the information corresponding to the performance of RLF recovery at the first time and at the significant location includes an identity of a second cell; and 
 wherein the performance of the RLF recovery at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on searching for the second cell. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the type of operation further comprises out of service (OOS) recovery. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 wherein the information corresponding to the performance of OOS recovery at the first time and at the significant location includes an identify of a second cell and an identity of a radio access technology (RAT); and 
 wherein the performance of the OOS recovery at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on searching for the second cell and the RAT. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the type of operation further comprises an inter radio access technology (iRAT) transition between a first RAT to a second RAT. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 wherein the information corresponding to the iRAT transition includes an indication of a dominant RAT, wherein the dominant RAT is determined based on an amount of time the UE spends camped on the first RAT and the second RAT when located at the significant location; and 
 wherein the performance of the iRAT transition at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on the dominant RAT. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein modifying the iRAT transition based on the dominant RAT includes at least one of modifying a threshold related to initiating the iRAT transition and performing cell selection based on the dominant RAT. 
     
     
       9. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
 a transceiver configured to communicate with a cellular network; and 
 a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations, comprising: 
 identifying that the UE is at a significant location, wherein the significant location is a location relative to a currently camped cell of the cellular network; 
 performing, at a first time and at the significant location, a type of operation related to the cellular network connection, wherein the type of operation is an inter radio access technology (iRAT) transition between a first RAT to a second RAT; 
 
       storing information corresponding to the performance of the type of operation at the first time, wherein the information is stored in a profile associated with the significant location, wherein the information corresponding to the iRAT transition includes an indication of a dominant RAT, wherein the dominant RAT is determined based on an amount of time the UE spends camped on the first RAT and the second RAT when located at the significant location, and wherein the performance of the iRAT transition at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on the dominant RAT; and
 performing, at a second time and at the significant location, the type of operation related to the network connection, wherein the performance of the type of operation at the second time is modified based on the information stored in the profile associated with the significant location. 
 
     
     
       10. The UE of  claim 9 , wherein the type of operation further comprises radio link failure (RLF) recovery,
 wherein the information corresponding to the performance of RLF recovery at the first time and at the significant location includes an identity of a second cell; and 
 wherein the performance of the RLF recovery at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on searching for the second cell. 
 
     
     
       11. The UE of  claim 9 , wherein the type of operation further comprises out of service (OOS) recovery,
 wherein the information corresponding to the performance of OOS recovery at the first time and at the significant location includes an identify of a second cell and an identity of a radio access technology (RAT); and 
 wherein the performance of the OOS recovery at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on searching for the second cell and the RAT. 
 
     
     
       12. The UE of  claim 9 , wherein the type of operation further comprises cell reselection,
 wherein the information corresponding to the performance of cell reselection at the first time and at the significant location includes the identity of at least one neighbor cell that is determined to be a reselection candidate based on measurement data; and 
 wherein the performance of the cell reselection at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on collecting measurement data for only the at least one neighbor cell that was determined to be the reselection candidate at the first time. 
 
     
     
       13. The UE of  claim 9 ,
 wherein modifying the iRAT transition based on the dominant RAT includes at least one of modifying a threshold related to initiating the iRAT transition and performing cell selection based on the dominant RAT. 
 
     
     
       14. A processor configured to perform operations, comprising:
 identifying that a user equipment (UE) is at a significant location, wherein the significant location is a location relative to a currently camped cell of the cellular network; 
 performing, at a first time and at the significant location, a type of operation related to the cellular network connection, wherein the type of operation is cell reselection; 
 storing information corresponding to the performance of the type of operation at the first time, wherein the information is stored in a profile associated with the significant location; and performing, at a second time and at the significant location, the type of operation related to the network connection, wherein the performance of the type of operation at the second time is modified based on the information stored in the profile associated with the significant location, wherein the information corresponding to the performance of cell reselection at the first time and at the significant location includes the identity of at least one neighbor cell that is determined to be a reselection candidate based on measurement data; and
 wherein the performance of the cell reselection at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on collecting measurement data for only the at least one neighbor cell that was determined to be the reselection candidate at the first time. 
 
 
     
     
       15. The processor of  claim 14 , wherein the type of operation further comprises radio link failure (RLF) recovery,
 wherein the information corresponding to the performance of RLF recovery at the first time and at the significant location includes an identity of a second cell; and 
 wherein the performance of the RLF recovery at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on searching for the second cell. 
 
     
     
       16. The processor of  claim 14 , wherein the type of operation further comprises out of service (OOS) recovery,
 wherein the information corresponding to the performance of OOS recovery at the first time and at the significant location includes an identify of a second cell and an identity of a radio access technology (RAT); and 
 wherein the performance of the OOS recovery at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on searching for the second cell and the RAT. 
 
     
     
       17. The processor of  claim 14 , wherein the type of operation further comprises an inter radio access technology (iRAT) transition between a first RAT to a second RAT,
 wherein the information corresponding to the iRAT transition includes an indication of a dominant RAT, wherein the dominant RAT is determined based on an amount of time the UE spends camped on the first RAT and the second RAT when located at the significant location; 
 wherein the performance of the iRAT transition at the second time and at the significant location is modified based on the dominant RAT; 
 wherein modifying the iRAT transition based on the dominant RAT includes at least one of modifying a threshold related to initiating the iRAT transition and performing cell selection based on the dominant RAT.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A user equipment (UE) may be configured to establish a connection to at least one of a plurality of different networks or types of networks. To establish the connection and perform the full scope of functionalities normally available to the UE via the network connection, the UE may camp on a cell of a corresponding network. 
     The user and thus, the UE may spend a substantial amount of time at a particular location. For example, the UE may often be located at the user&#39;s home. Generally, when the UE is at the particular location, the UE may interact with the network via the same cells and encounter similar scenarios related to the network connection. Under conventional circumstances, the UE may not consider the results of previous interactions with the network that occurred while operating from the particular location. Thus, despite previous interactions with the network from the particular location having a certain result, the UE may repeat operations in the conventional manner each time the UE operates from the particular location. However, performing operations related to the network connection may cause the UE to experience a power drain. Accordingly, repeating operations under similar circumstances in the conventional manner may be an inefficient use of a limited power supply. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an exemplary embodiment, a method may be performed by a user equipment (UE) configured to establish a connection with a network. The method includes identifying that the UE is at a significant location. The significant location is a location relative to a currently camped cell of the network. The method further includes, performing, at a first time and at the significant location, a type of operation related to the network connection. The method further includes, storing information corresponding to the performance of the type of operation at the first time. The information is stored in a profile associated with the significant location. The method further includes, performing, at a second time and at the significant location, the type of operation related to the network connection. The performance of the type of operation at the second time is modified based on the information stored in the profile associated with the significant location. 
     According to another exemplary embodiment, a method may be performed by a user equipment (UE) configured to establish a connection with a network. The method includes, identifying a first predetermined condition. The first predetermined condition indicates that the UE is located at a location relative to a camped cell of the network for a predetermined amount of time. The method further includes, generating a profile for the location based on identifying the first predetermined condition. The method further includes, collecting, when at the location, information corresponding to at least one of characteristics of the network or behavior of the UE. The information is stored in the profile for the location. 
     According to a further exemplary embodiment, a user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver configured to establish a connection with a cellular network and a processor configured to perform operations. The operations comprising identifying that the UE is at a significant location. The significant location is a location relative to a currently camped cell of the cellular network. The operations further comprising, performing, at a first time and at the significant location, a type of operation related to the cellular network connection. The operations further comprising, storing information corresponding to the performance of the type of operation at the first time. The information is stored in a profile associated with the significant location. The operations comprising, performing, at a second time and at the significant location, the type of operation related to the network connection. The performance of the type of operation at the second time is modified based on the information stored in the profile associated with the significant location. 
    
    
     
       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 method for the UE to declare a significant location according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  shows an example of a portion of the network that includes a plurality of cells and a plurality of significant locations. 
         FIG. 5  shows an exemplary method for the UE to implement power saving mechanisms at a significant location according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  shows an exemplary method for the UE to manage the protocol profile database according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  shows an exemplary method for the UE to add a protocol profile to a protocol profile database that is at maximum capacity according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  shows an exemplary method for the UE to detect entry within a significant location and exit from the significant location. 
         FIG. 9  shows an exemplary signaling diagram that relates to implementing a power saving mechanism for RLF recovery according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 10  shows an exemplary signaling diagram that relates to implementing a power saving mechanism for OOS recovery according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 11  shows an exemplary signaling diagram that relates to implementing a power saving mechanism for cell reselection according to various exemplary embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe a device, system and method for a user equipment (UE) to implement various power saving mechanisms based on the UE&#39;s previous interactions with the network from a particular location. 
     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 at least one of a plurality of different networks or types of networks. The UE and the network may communicate via a cell of the corresponding network. The exemplary embodiments may be described with regard to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and an Evolved Node B (eNB). However, any 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. 
     The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a significant location. Throughout this description the term significant location may refer to a general area relative to at least one cell of the corresponding network in which the UE spends a predetermined amount of time. When the UE identifies a significant location, the UE may store information related to the UE&#39;s interactions with the network when located in the significant location. Subsequently, when operating at the significant location, the UE may implement various power saving mechanisms based on the stored information. 
     The UE may be configured to identify a plurality of significant locations. To manage the stored information for a plurality of significant locations, the UE may generate a protocol profile for a significant location and maintain a database of protocol profiles. Each protocol profile may generally include information regarding the characteristics of the network and/or the behavior of UE relative to the corresponding significant location. However, reference to a protocol profile or any specific type of stored information associated with a significant location is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The UE may store any type of information related to the UE&#39;s interactions with the network from the significant location in any appropriate manner. 
     To provide an example, the UE may identify a general area surrounding or within the user&#39;s home as a significant location. When operating at the user&#39;s home, the UE may interact with the network via a set of cells because these cells have corresponding coverage areas that include the user&#39;s home. Conventionally, the UE may not consider previous interactions with these cells from this location. As a result, each time the UE interacts with these cells from this location the UE may repeat operations related to the network connection in the same manner. The exemplary embodiments relate to the UE modifying conventional operations based on previous experiences at the significant location. Thus, instead of repeating operations related to the network connection in the same manner, the UE may perform the operations in a power efficient manner based on the stored information. 
     The UE may also be configured to establish a connection to a companion UE via a short-range communication protocol. The exemplary embodiments may relate to a UE that is equipped with this configuration but operating in standalone mode. Throughout this description, standalone mode may refer to a mode of operation where the UE directly connects to the cellular network. A UE that is configured to establish a connection via a companion UE may be, for example, a wearable device. For a variety of different reasons, conventional wearable devices may not be intended to primarily operate in standalone mode. The exemplary embodiments may enable the UE to primarily operate in standalone mode. Thus, compared to conventional wearable devices, the exemplary embodiments may enable a UE to operate in standalone mode for longer durations. However, any reference to a particular type of UE or a particular operating mode is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may apply to any type of UE. 
       FIG. 1  shows a network arrangement  100  according to the exemplary embodiments. The network arrangement  100  includes UEs  110 - 114 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the UEs  110 - 114  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 three UEs  110 - 114  is only provided for illustrative purposes. 
     Each of the UEs  110 - 114  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 - 114  may wirelessly communicate 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 - 114  may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G new radio (NR), etc.) and the UEs  110 - 114  may also communicate with networks over a wired connection. Therefore, the UEs  110 - 114  may include a LTE chipset to communicate with the LTE-RAN  120 , a legacy chipset to communicate with the legacy RAN  122  and a WLAN chipset to communicate with the WLAN  124 . 
     Each of the UEs  110 - 114  may also be configured to communicate with at least one of the other UEs  110 - 114  without using the networks  120 - 124 . In the example of the network configuration  100 , the UE  110  may communicate with the UE  112  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 an accessory device and the UE  112  is a source device. Thus, in certain operating modes, the UE  110  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  112  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  110  over the short-range communication pathway. However, in other operating modes, the UE  110  may connect to one or more of the networks  120 - 124  regardless of whether the companion relationship with a further UE has been established. 
     The LTE-RAN  120  and the legacy RAN  122  may be portions of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular 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 - 114  may connect to the LTE-RAN  120  via an evolved Node B (eNB)  120 A,  120 B. Those skilled in the art will understand that any association procedure may be performed for the UEs  110 - 114  to connect to the LTE-RAN  120 . For example, as discussed above, the LTE-RAN  120  may be associated with a particular cellular provider where the UE  110  and/or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the LTE-RAN  120 , the UEs  110 - 114  may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the LTE-RAN  120 . More specifically, the UEs  110 - 114  may associate with a specific cell (e.g., the eNB  120 A or the eNB  120 B 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 - 114  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 - 114  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 - 114 . 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 - 114  in communication with the various networks. 
     The network arrangement  100  may further include a 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 - 114 . Since the CMAS messages are only broadcast over a cellular network, to comply with various regulations and/or standards the UEs  110 - 114  may remain connected, in some manner, to a cellular network, even when the UEs  110 - 114  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, 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 UEs  112 ,  114 . 
     The processor  205  may be configured to execute a plurality of engines for the UE  110 . For example, the engines may include a significant location detection engine  235 , a protocol profile database engine  240  and a power saving engine  245 . The significant location detection engine  235  may enable the UE  110  to identify that a particular location is a significant location. The protocol profile database engine  240  may enable the UE  110  to maintain a plurality of protocol profiles for a plurality of corresponding significant locations. The power saving engine  245  may enable the UE  110  to implement various power saving mechanisms when the UE  110  is operating from a significant location. 
     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). 
     Declaring a Significant Location 
     As mentioned above, a significant location may refer to a general area relative to at least one cell of the corresponding network in which the UE  110  spends a predetermined amount of time. The mechanism the UE  110  may implement to declare an area a significant location may include, in part, monitoring the amount of time the UE  110  is camped on a particular cell. If the UE  110  is camped on the cell for at least the predetermined amount of time, the UE  110  may declare the general area within the vicinity of its current location a significant location. The exemplary embodiments may apply to the predetermined amount of time being set to any appropriate value such as, but not limited to, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 30 minutes, 2 hours, etc. 
     The mechanism used to declare an area a significant location and the process of maintaining the protocol profile is intended to enable the UE  110  to implement power saving mechanisms at locations which the UE  110  frequently visits and/or at which the UE  110  spends a considerable amount of time. For example, the UE  110  may be located at the user&#39;s office Monday-Friday for 6 to 8 hours a day, the UE may be located at the user&#39;s home nearly every night for 10 hours a day, etc. Thus, the exemplary embodiments are intended to generate and maintain protocol profiles that enable the UE  110  to conserve power when located at these types of locations. Since the locations at which the user may visit and/or spend a considerable amount of time may change, the exemplary embodiments enable the UE  110  to maintain a protocol profile database that adapts to the user&#39;s activities. Thus, if the user begins to attend a different work place and no longer returns to the user&#39;s previous work place, any significant locations corresponding to the user&#39;s previous work place will eventually be removed from the database to make room for new locations in which the user may spend a considerable amount of time. However, as mentioned above, the UE  110  declares a significant location based, in part, on being camped on a particular cell for a predetermined amount of time. In addition, the UE  110  may determine a significant location even if the UE  110  is out of cellular coverage by mapping the significant location to the cell in which the device was previously camped on before losing cellular coverage. Thus, any reference to a particular type of location being a significant location is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may declare any type of location a significant location. 
     Each significant location may be a different size. Determining the size of a significant location may be based on any of a number of different factors. As will be described, in detail below with regard to  FIG. 3 , the UE  110  may determine the size of a significant location based on information from the application processor. This may enable the UE  110  to associate the significant location with a general geographic area (e.g., 100 square meters, 10,000 square meters, dimensions of the user&#39;s work place, dimensions of the user&#39;s home or property, etc.). However, the UE  110  may also determine a significant location based on information from the baseband processor. This may enable the UE  110  to associate the significant location with the cellular characteristics of a general area relative to at least one cell of the network (e.g., camped cell ID, neighbor cell ID, measurement data, etc.). Thus, in some exemplary embodiments, the significant location may not be defined by a geographical location but rather may be defined by a combination of the identity of network entities, further characteristics of the cellular environment and/or the behavior of the UE  110 . Accordingly, the UE  110  may declare a significant location based on only information collected by the application processor (e.g., sensors such as, barometer, motion processor, lo-accuracy GPS, etc.), only information collected by the baseband processor, or a combination thereof. 
     After a significant location is declared, the UE  110  may continue to collect information corresponding to the significant location and update the corresponding protocol profile. Thus, the size and/or the characteristics indicative of a significant location may change over time as more information about the significant location is learned by the UE  110 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an exemplary method  300  for the UE  110  to declare a significant location according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  300  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  305 , the UE camps on a cell of the network and initiates a timer. For example, the UE  110  may camp on the eNB  120 A. The timer may provide an indication as to whether the UE  110  is camped on the eNB  102 A for at least the predetermined amount of time. 
     In  310 , the UE  110  determines whether information from the application processor satisfies a first predetermined condition. The first predetermined condition may indicate whether the UE  110  is being relatively stationary. This determination may be based on a plurality of factors related to the geographic location and/or mobility of the UE  110 . If the UE  110  determines that the first predetermined condition is satisfied, the method  300  continues to  315  that will be discussed below. However, if the information from the application processor suggests that the UE  110  is moving at a speed that is beyond general walking speed or there is a change in geographic location by a predetermined distance, the first predetermined condition is not satisfied. Thus, the method  300  ends and a significant location may not be declared. 
     To determine whether information from the application processor satisfies the first predetermined condition, the UE  110  may have a client that is configured to receive information from various modules of the operating system. For example, the client may receive information from the location module of the UE  110  which may provide services for determining the geographic location of the UE  110 . The location module may collect information from various hardware components including, but not limited to, cellular radios, WiFi radio, global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth radio, barometer, accelerometer, magnetometer, compass, etc. However, reference to the location module is merely provided for illustrative purposes. Different operating systems may refer to similar modules or entities by a different name. 
     In  315 , the UE  110  determines whether information from the baseband processor satisfies a second predetermined condition. The second predetermined condition may indicate whether the UE  110  is being relatively stationary and may be based on a plurality of factors related to the characteristics of the network. A change in the characteristics of the network may correlate to a change in location. For example, if measurement data corresponding to the camped cell changes or the identities of the neighbor cells change, this may indicate that the UE  110  is no longer located within the general area the UE  110  was located in when the timer was started in  305 . If the UE  110  determines that the second predetermined condition is satisfied, the method  300  continues to  320  that will be discussed below. If the second predetermined condition is not satisfied, the method  300  ends and a significant location may not be declared. 
     The plurality of factors for determining the second predetermined condition may include, but are not limited to, a change in serving cell identity (e.g., a cell&#39;s corresponding cell ID, frequency, legacy location area codes, legacy routing area codes, LTE tracking area codes, NR registration area codes. etc.), a change in neighbor cell identity, a change in serving cell measurement data (e.g., signal-to-noise-ratio, reference signal receive power (RSRP), reference signal receive quality (RSRQ), reference signal strength indicator (RSSI), etc.) or a change in neighbor cell measurement data. Another factor may be a change in distance between the UE  110  and the eNB  120 A based on RSRP or timing advance value related to random access channel signaling. Another factor may be cellular angle of arrival (e.g., angle (0-360) relative to camped cell) estimated from multiple input multiple output (MIMO) pre-coding matrix index. Similarly, even if the UE  110  is not utilizing the WLAN  124  for a network connection, the UE  110  may use access point (AP) identities (e.g., basic serving set ID (BSSID), MAC address, serving set ID (SSID), etc.) and their corresponding measurement data as an indication of the location of the UE  110 . 
     In  320 , the UE  110  determines whether the value of the timer that was initiated in  305  satisfies a predetermined threshold. If the timer does not satisfy the predetermined threshold in  320 , the method returns to  310 . If the timer satisfies the predetermined threshold the method  300  continues to  325 . 
     As will be described in detail below with regard to  FIG. 8 , the process of declaring a significant location and determining whether the UE  110  is located at an already declared significant location may occur simultaneously. Further, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to declaring a significant location based on both the baseband processor and the application processor satisfying a corresponding predetermined condition. Other exemplary embodiments may relate to declaring the significant location based on only information from the baseband processor satisfying a predetermined condition or only information from the application processor satisfying a predetermined condition. Thus, the example of information from both the baseband processor and the application processor satisfying a predetermined condition is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
     In  325 , the UE  110  declares a significant location. Thus, the UE  110  may generate a protocol profile, tag the significant location with a significant location ID and add the protocol profile to the protocol profile database. The protocol profile may include, in part, various network characteristics that enable the UE  110  to identify that the UE  110  is operating within the significant location. These characteristics may be similar to the information from the application processor that provides the basis for the determination in  310  and the information from the baseband processor that provides the basis for the determination in  315 . Accordingly, the protocol profile for the significant location may include information such as, but not limited to, information regarding the geographic location of the UE  110  and the mobility of the UE  110  that occurred while the timer was running, the cell ID of the camped cell and neighboring cells, the measurement data of the camped cell and the neighbor cells, the distance between the UE  110  and the cell, the cell angle of arrival and other cellular network identities such as, the public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier, global cell ID, location/routing/tracking/registration area codes, etc. As mentioned above, the UE  110  may continue to collect information corresponding to the significant location and update the corresponding protocol profile. Thus, the size and/or the characteristics indicative of a significant location may change over time as more information about the significant location is learned by the UE  110 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an example of a portion of the network that includes a plurality of cells  402 ,  404 ,  406 ,  408  and a plurality of significant locations  410 ,  420 . The cell  402  has a coverage area  403 , the cell  404  has a coverage area  405 , the cell  406  has a coverage area  407 , the cell  408  has the coverage area  409 . 
     The significant location  410  is located within the coverage area  405  of the cell  404 . Thus, the protocol profile of the significant location  410  includes characteristics indicative of being camped on the cell  404  in this general area within the coverage area  405  of the cell  404 . 
     The significant location  420  is located within the coverage area  403  of the cell  402  and the coverage area  407  of the cell  406 . Since the significant location  420  is located within both of these coverage areas, it is possible for the UE  110  to be camped on either the cell  402  or the cell  406  when operating within this general area. However, in this exemplary scenario, the protocol profile associated with the significant location  420  is based on being camped on the cell  406 . Thus, the protocol profile may be defined relative to both characteristics of the camped cell  406  and characteristics of the neighbor cell  402 . However, the power saving mechanism that may be implemented based on the protocol profile are associated with being camped on the cell  406 . The UE  110  may maintain a database of multiple protocol profiles. Thus, there may be another protocol profile that is also associated with approximately the same general area as the significant location  420  but is based on being camped on the cell  402 . In some exemplary embodiments, to limit the memory space consumed by the protocol profile database, the UE  110  may combine multiple protocol profiles that are associated with similar locations into a single entry. 
       FIG. 5  shows an exemplary method  500  for the UE  110  to implement power saving mechanisms at a significant location according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  500  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1 , the UE  110  of  FIG. 2  and the method  300  of  FIG. 3 . 
     In  505 , the UE  110  declares a significant location. As mentioned above with regard to  FIG. 3 , this may include generating a protocol profile corresponding to the significant location and then storing the protocol profile in the protocol profile database. In this exemplary scenario, the significant location corresponds to the user&#39;s home. 
     When the UE  110  is operating at the significant location, the UE  110  may initially perform operations related to the network connection in the conventional manner. The UE  110  may then capture information related to the results of performing operations in the conventional manner and may store this information in the protocol profile corresponding to the significant location. Thus, after the UE  110  declares a significant location, the UE  110  is configured to begin to store and capture this type of information. 
     In  510 , the UE  110  is triggered to perform a type of operation related to the network connection. In this example, the UE  110  encounters a type of connectivity issue with the currently camped cell eNB  120 A and experiences no service. As a result, the UE  110  is triggered to search for a new cell to camp on in the conventional manner. In this example, the result is the UE  110  regaining service by camping on the neighbor cell eNB  120 B by performing cell reselection based on measurement data. 
     In  515 , the UE  110  stores the results of the operation in the protocol profile corresponding to the significant location. 
     In  520 , the UE  110  exits the significant location. For example, the user and thus, the UE  110  may leave the user&#39;s home. 
     In  525 , the UE  110  detects entry into the significant location (e.g., the user returns home). For example, the application processor may provide an indication that the UE  110  is currently located at the significant location based on GPS information and the corresponding protocol profile. Alternatively, the baseband processor may identify characteristics of the network that correspond to the protocol profile. As mentioned above, when the UE  110  is operating at a significant location, the UE  110  may initially perform operations related to the network connection in the conventional manner. Thus, upon entry into the significant location the UE  110  is again configured to store and capture the results of operations performed related to the network connection. 
     In  530 , the UE  110  is triggered to perform the same type of operation related to the network connection that was performed in  510 . Accordingly, the UE  110  determines that the results for this type of operation are stored in the protocol profile corresponding to this significant location. 
     In  535 , the UE  110  modifies the operation based on the results of previously performing this type of operation from the significant location. In this example, instead of searching for a new cell to camp on in the conventional manner, the UE  110  modifies the operation and searches specifically for the eNB  120 B. Thus, compared to the conventional operation, the UE  110  scans fewer frequency bands and processes less information. Accordingly, the UE  110  is able to conserve power (e.g., scan fewer frequency bands, process less information) based on the results of previously performing this operation from the significant location. This example is merely provided for illustrative purposes, exemplary scenarios related to learning and adapting to the results of particular operations are discussed in more detail below with regard to  FIGS. 8-11 . 
     The above description relates to initially declaring a significant location and provides a general overview of how the UE  110  may implement various power saving mechanisms based on learning and adapting to the operations performed from the significant location in the particular manner. The following portion of the description may be categorized as relating to: 1) generating a protocol profile and maintaining the protocol profile database; 2) power saving mechanisms. 
     Generating a Protocol Profile and Maintaining the Protocol Profile Database 
     As mentioned above, when the UE  110  is operating at a significant location the UE  110  may collect information regarding interactions with the network from the significant location. Subsequently, the UE  110  may store this information in the protocol profile for the corresponding significant location. From the UE  110  perspective, there may be a variety of different types of operations performed for a variety of different purposes. 
     The protocol profile may generally include characteristics of the network that the UE  110  learns from operating from the significant location. These characteristics may include information such as, but not limited to, identities of network entities, protocol parameters, metrics related to the cellular network, etc. The characteristics may also include information related to the behavior of the UE  110  when operating at the significant location. 
     To provide a general example of the various interactions that may occur between the UE  110  and the network, consider the following exemplary aspects of establishing, maintaining and utilizing the network connection. 
     The UE  110  may be configured to be in one of a plurality of different operating states when the UE  110  is camped on a cell of a network. One operating state may be characterized as RRC idle state and another operating state may be characterized as RRC connected state. RRC refers to the radio resource control (RRC) protocols. Those skilled in the art will understand that when the UE  110  is in a RRC connected state, the UE  110  may exchange information and/or data with the connected network. The exchange of information and/or data may enable the UE  110  to perform functionalities available via the network connection. Further, those skilled in the art will understand that when the UE  110  is connected to the LTE-RAN  120  and in RRC idle state the UE  110  is generally not exchanging data with the network and radio resources are not being assigned to the UE  110  within the network. However, when the UE  110  is operating in RRC idle state the UE  110  may listen for transmissions from the network. Those skilled in the art will understand that the RRC idle and connected states are terms associated with an LTE network. However, throughout this description these terms are being used generally to describe states the UE  110  may be in when connected to any network and that exhibit the characteristics described above for the RRC idle and connected states. 
     While in RRC idle state the UE  110  may listen for information such as but not limited to, primary synchronization signals (PSS) and secondary synchronization signals (SSS), Master Information Block (MIB), broadcast messages, System Information Block (SIB), paging notifications etc. In response, the UE  110  may issue a request to the network that indicates that the UE  110  wants to be moved to the RRC connected state. Thus, a successful transition from the RRC idle state to the RRC connected state may include the exchange of messages between the UE  110  and the first cell of the first network. 
     Transitioning from a RRC connected state to a RRC idle state may be referred to as RRC connection release and transitioning from a RRC idle state to a RRC connected state may be referred to as RRC connection setup or RRC connection reestablishment. However, reference to RRC connection setup, RRC connection reestablishment and RRC connection release is merely provided for illustrative purposes. Other networks may refer to similar operations by different names. The exemplary embodiments are not limited to RRC connected state and RRC idle state. For example, when the UE  110  is connected to a 5G network, the UE  110  may be configured to be in an RRC inactive state. In RRC inactive mode, the UE  110  maintains an RRC connection while minimizing signaling and power consumption. As described above, reference to any particular operating state is merely provided for illustrative purposes, the exemplary embodiments may apply to any suitable operating state for the UE  110 . 
     The UE  110  may perform measurements on the cell the UE  110  is currently camped on and may also perform measurements on neighbor cells in the surrounding area. The specific type of measurement data collected may be based on network protocols or may be predetermined in any other suitable manner. The measurement data may be based on a single measurement, based on a plurality of measurements, derived from a measurement, derived from a plurality of measurements or based on a combination thereof. For example, when the UE  110  is camped on the eNB  120 A, the UE  110  may measure the RSRP and/or the RSRQ of the serving cell  120 A and the neighbor cell  120 B. 
     The measurement data may be utilized by the UE  110  in determining which cell the UE  110  is to camp on. For example, while the UE  110  is camped on the eNB  120 A, the UE  110  may perform measurements on the eNB  120 A and the neighbor cell eNB  120 B. The UE  110  may perform these measurements on a periodic basis, in accordance with a schedule, based on a timer, in response to an event or predetermined condition defined by the network protocols or a combination thereof. The measurement data may indicate that the connection available via the eNB  120 A is not suitable and the connection via the eNB  120 B would provide a suitable connection. Thus, cell reselection may be initiated and the UE  110  may attempt to camp on the eNB  120 B. However, this example is merely provided for illustrative purposes, the exemplary embodiments may apply to any operation where the UE  110  utilizes measurement data in determining which cell the UE  110  is to camp on. 
     Further, the measurement data may be utilized by the network in determining which cell the UE  110  is to camp on. For example, when the UE  110  is camped on and in an RRC connected state with the eNB  120 A, the UE  110  may perform measurements for the serving cell  120 A and the neighbor cell  120 B. The specific contents and format of the measurement report may be based on the corresponding network protocols. Subsequently, the UE  110  may transmit a measurement report to the LTE-RAN  120  that includes an indication that the connection to the eNB  120 A is no longer suitable and the connection available via the eNB  120 B would provide a suitable connection. Accordingly, the LTE-RAN  120  may initiate a handover procedure and the UE  110  may transition from being camped on and in an RRC connected state with the eNB  120 A to being camped on and in an RRC connected state with the eNB  120 B. The network may initiate a handover procedure based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, signal quality, a cell&#39;s coverage area and balancing the load of the network. A handover procedure may be performed between cells within the same network or between cells of different networks. Further, reference to a handover or a measurement report is merely provided for illustrative purposes and the exemplary embodiments may apply to any operation that involves the network utilizing measurements performed by the UE  110  in determining which cell the UE  110  is to camp on. 
     Network protocols may also include various signaling that takes place after the UE  110  has successfully transitioned to an RRC connected state. For instance, to get Non-Access Stratum (NAS) services from the network (e.g. internet connectivity), network entities beyond the cell may be aware of the presence of the UE  110  to provide the bearers that enable the UE  110  to utilize these services. This may include the UE  110  communicating with various network entities such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME) (e.g. via the connected cell). Connecting to the MME may be achieved by an attach procedure. Once the attach procedure is successfully completed, a context is established for the UE  110  in the MME and the corresponding bearers are established. After the attach procedure is complete the UE  110  may be registered with the network. For a variety of different reasons, while the UE  110  is registered with the network, one of the bearers may be released and the UE  110  may be unable to perform various functionalities. To establish the bearers while registered, the UE  110  may send a service request to the MME. The service request may be triggered because the UE  110  has pending uplink transmissions that require the bearers or the network has downlink transmissions that require the bearers. 
     Further, a connectivity issue between the UE  110  and a particular cell of the corresponding network may occur. Throughout this description, a connectivity issue may refer to any instance where the UE  110  is configured to camp on a particular cell and the UE  110  experiences no service or limited service where the UE  110  cannot perform the full scope of functionalities normally available to the UE  110  via the network connection. The connectivity issue may be the result of an action or inaction by the UE  110 , a cell (e.g., eNB  120 A, eNB  120 B), the network (e.g., LTE-RAN  120 ) or a combination thereof. The connectivity issue may be caused by at least one of a plurality of factors, such as but not limited to, the location of the UE  110 , signal strength, noise, interference, network congestion, network configuration, radio link failure (RLF), an attempt to camp on a cell fails, a handoff procedure fails, protocol stack requirements, failure of an RRC procedure, the connection is released, lack of response to a service request, beam failure, beam recovery failure, an out of service (OOS) event, etc. 
     Accordingly, with regard to a particular significant location, there is a wide variety of information that may be stored in the protocol profile. The more time the UE  110  spends at the significant location the more information the UE  110  may learn. For example, the UE  110  may collect various types of information to identify a serving cell such as, but not limited to, the PLMN ID, the frequency band or channel the serving cell may utilize (e.g., E-UTRA absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN), UTRA absolute radio frequency channel number (UARFCN)), cell global identity, physical cell ID (PCI), primary scrambling codes (PSC) and the ranges of measurement data in RRC connected state and/or RRC idle state corresponding to the serving cell. The UE  110  may also collect similar information to identify neighbor cells. 
     In another example, the UE  110  may collect information corresponding to number of random access channel (RACH) retransmissions after which RACH transmission is successful, the number of radio link control (RLC) retransmission after which RLC transmission is successful, the identity of the cell and frequency after an OOS event or a RLF, the identifies of cells traversed before the UE  110  experiences an OOS event, RRC reestablishment success rate, the amount of time for successful RRC reestablishment, downlink scheduling rate, uplink grant patterns and link quality metrics (LQM). Further, since the characteristics of the network relative to a significant location may change based on the time and/or day of operation, the UE  110  may associate the information stored in the protocol profile with a particular day and/or time the UE  110  captured this information. 
       FIG. 6  shows an exemplary method  600  for the UE  110  to maintain the protocol profile database according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  600  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  605 , the UE  110  is currently camped on a cell of the network. In this scenario, several different results may occur. The UE  110  may determine to update a protocol profile that is currently stored in the protocol profile database, add a protocol profile to the protocol profile database based on declaring a significant location or continue to monitor for the possibility of adding a protocol profile to the protocol profile database. 
     In  610 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  is currently experiencing an OOS event. The UE  110  may be triggered to initiate the process of maintaining the protocol profile database in response to identifying a predetermined event or may be configured to maintain the protocol profile based on a schedule or a periodic basis. The predetermined event may relate to identifying information regarding a characteristic of the network and/or the behavior of the UE  110  that the UE  110  is configured to include in a protocol profile. 
     If the UE  110  is not currently experiencing an OOS event in  610 , the method  600  continues to  615 . In  615 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  was previously experiencing an OOS event. For example, if the UE  110  is triggered to initiate the process of maintaining the protocol profile database in response to identifying a predetermined event the UE  110  may determine if the UE  110  was experiencing an OOS event the previous instance in which the UE  110  was triggered to initiate the process of maintaining the protocol profile database. Similarly, if the UE  110  is configured to maintain the protocol profile database based on a schedule, the UE  110  may determine whether the UE  110  was experiencing an OOS event the previous instance in which the UE  110  initiated the process of maintaining the protocol profile database based on the schedule. If the UE  110  was previously experiencing an OOS event, the method  600  continues to  620 . If the UE  110  did not previously experience an OOS event the method  600  continues to  625 . 
     In  620 , the UE  110  determines the identity of the cell the UE  110  was camped on when the UE  110  exited the OOS event. Further, the UE  110  may also monitor the duration during which the UE  110  experiences OOS. Thus, the UE  110  may update the OOS duration based on exiting the OOS event. Subsequently, the method  600  continues to  625 . 
     In  625 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  is currently within a significant location. To make this determination, the UE  110  may query the database with any available information that may identify a protocol profile. For example, the UE  110  may query the database with information received from the application processor describing the current location of the UE  110 , the cell ID of the currently camped cell, neighbor cell IDs, measurement data corresponding to the currently camped cell, measurement data corresponding to neighbor cells, information corresponding to the WLAN APs, etc. 
     If the UE  110  is currently in a significant location the method  600  continues to  630 . In  630 , the UE  110  updates a protocol profile that is currently stored within the protocol profile database. This may include information such as the cell the UE  110  was previously camped on when the UE  110  exited the OOS event, the duration during which the UE was OOS, the current latitude/longitude from the application processor, the identity and measurement information corresponding to the cellular network and the WLAN, etc. Subsequently, the method  600  ends. 
     Returning to  625 , if the UE  110  is currently not located within a significant location the method  600  continues to  635 . In  635 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  is to declare a general area a significant location. This process is described above with regard to  FIG. 3 . If the factors to declare a significant location are not satisfied the method  600  returns to  610 . If the factors to declare a significant location are satisfied the method  600  continues to  640 . 
     In  640 , the UE  110  determines whether the protocol profile database is at maximum capacity. If the protocol profile database is not at maximum capacity, the method  600  continues to  645  where a protocol profile corresponding to the declared significant location is generated and added to the protocol profile database. 
     If the protocol profile database is at maximum capacity, the method  600  continues to  650 . In  650 , the UE  110  removes a protocol profile from the protocol profile database to make room for the protocol profile that is to be generated for the significant location declared in  635 . The process of removing a protocol profile from the protocol profile database will be described in detail below with regard to  FIG. 7 . Subsequently, the UE  110  adds the new protocol profile to the protocol profile database. 
     Returning to  610 , if the UE  110  is currently experiencing an OOS event the method  600  continues to  655 . In  655 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  was previously experiencing an OOS event. This determination is substantially similar to the determination made in  615 . If the UE  110  was previously experiencing an OOS, the method  600  continues to  660 . If the UE  110  was not previously experiencing an OOS, the method  600  continues to  665 . 
     In  660 , the UE  110  determines that the UE  110  entered an OOS event while on the currently camped cell. Subsequently, in  665 , the UE  110  starts monitoring the duration during which the UE  110  is OOS. Similarly, returning to  655 , if the UE  110  was previously OOS, the UE  110  updates the duration in which the UE has been OOS in  665 . 
     In  670 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  is currently within a significant location. This determination is the same determination that is made in  625 . Like  625 , if the UE  110  determines that the UE is currently within a significant location the method  600  continues to  630  and if the UE  110  determines that the UE is currently not within a significant location the method  600  continues to  635 . 
       FIG. 7  shows an exemplary method  700  for the UE  110  to add a protocol profile to a protocol profile database that is at maximum capacity according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  700  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  705 , the UE  110  determines that a protocol profile is to be added to the protocol profile database and the protocol profile database is at maximum capacity. This is same step described above with regard to  650  of the method  600 . 
     In  710 , the UE  110  determines whether the earliest entered protocol profile in the protocol profile database corresponds to a significant location that has not been visited by the UE  110  for a predetermined number of days. This may indicate to the UE  110  that the UE  110  is unlikely to visit this significant location again. Thus, if the corresponding significant location has not been visited by the UE  110  within a predetermined number of days, the method  700  continues to  725  where the corresponding protocol profile is removed from the database. If the corresponding significant location has been visited by the UE  110  within the predetermined number of days, the method  700  continues to  715 . 
     In  715 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  has been located within one of the significant locations for less than a predetermined amount of overall time. This may indicate to the UE  110  that the UE  110  does not frequently visit this significant location. Thus, if the UE  110  has been located within one of the significant locations for less than a predetermined amount of overall time, the method  700  continues to  725  where the corresponding protocol profile is removed from the database. If the UE  110  has been not located within one of the significant locations for less than a predetermined amount of overall time, the method  700  continues to  720 . 
     In  720 , the UE  110  determines the significant location in which the UE  110  has spent the least amount of overall time. 
     In  725 , the UE  110  removes a protocol profile from the protocol profile database and then adds the protocol profile mentioned in  705  to the protocol profile database. 
     The exemplary embodiments are not limited to only removing protocol profiles when the UE  110  determines that the protocol profile database is at maximum capacity. Alternatively, the UE  110  may monitor for any of the factors listed in  710 ,  715  or  720  on a periodic basis. 
     Power Saving Mechanisms 
     The protocol profile for a significant location may enable the UE  110  to perform various operations from the significant location in a power efficient manner. As mentioned above, when the UE  110  is located at a significant location, the UE  110  may initially perform an operation in the conventional manner. The UE  110  may then store information regarding the circumstances and results of the operation in the protocol profile. The next time the UE  110  encounters a similar scenario when operating from the significant location, instead of performing the operations in the conventional manner, the UE  110  may modify the operation to optimize power consumption. 
       FIG. 8  shows an exemplary method  800  for the UE  110  to detect entry within a significant location and exit from the significant location. The method  800  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  805 , the UE  110  camps on a first cell of the network. When camped, the UE  110  may collect information from the application processor indicative of the current geographic location of the UE  110 . The UE  110  may also collect information from the baseband processor that provides an indication of the characteristics of the current network environment of the UE  110 . For example, the UE  110  may collect cell IDs corresponding to the currently camped cell, cell IDs corresponding to neighbor cells, measurement data corresponding to the currently camped cell and neighbor cells, information regarding the WLAN, etc. In  810 , the UE  110  queries the protocol profile database with the information collected in  805 . 
     In  815 , the UE  110  determines that the UE  110  is currently located within a significant location. For example, in response the query performed in  810 , the protocol profile database may provide an indication that the protocol profile database includes a protocol profile that corresponds to the queried information. 
     As mentioned above, detecting entry into a significant location and determining whether to declare a significant location may be occurring contemporaneously. Thus, the UE  110  may set a timer when camped on the cell as described above with regard to the method  300 . There may be a predetermined amount of time that relates to declaring a location a significant location as described above in  320 - 325  of the method  300 . There may be a further predetermined amount of time that triggers the UE  110  to query the protocol database to determine whether the UE  110  has entered a significant location. The further predetermined amount of time may correspond to a lesser amount of time than the predetermined amount of time referenced in  320 . Thus, in some exemplary embodiments, the UE  110  may set a timer when camped on a cell and if information from the application processor and/or the base band processor satisfy a predetermined condition upon the occurrence of a first predetermined amount of time the UE  110  may query the protocol profile database as mentioned above in  815 . If the UE  110  determines that the UE  110  is not located at a significant location, the UE  110  continues to monitor whether information from the application processor and/or the baseband processor satisfy a predetermined condition. If the information satisfies the predetermined condition until the occurrence of a second predetermined amount of time, the UE  110  may declare a significant location as described above in  320 - 325 . 
     Returning to the method  800 , in  820 , the UE  110  camps on a second cell of the network and initiates a timer. Camping on the second cell may indicate to the UE  110  that the UE  110  has exited the significant location. However, when camping on the second cell, the UE  110  may also monitor for entry into a further significant location. Accordingly, in this example, the UE  110  may use a first predetermined threshold that may indicate that the UE  110  has exited the first significant location and a second predetermined threshold that may be related to determining whether a new significant location is to be declared. 
     In  825 , the UE  110  determines whether the UE  110  has exited the significant location. If the UE  110  returns to the previously camped cell, this may indicate to the UE  110  that the UE  110  has not exited the significant location. If the UE  110  remains camped on the second cell for a duration that satisfies the first predetermined threshold, this may indicate to the UE  110  that the UE  110  has exited the significant location. 
       FIG. 9  shows an exemplary signaling diagram  900  that relates to implementing a power saving mechanism for RLF recovery according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  900  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  905 , the power saving mechanism engine  245  sends a notification to the NAS protocol layer  260  of the UE  110  and the AS protocol layer  265  of the UE  110  indicating that the UE  110  has entered a significant location. 
     In  910 , the UE  110  experiences RLF with the currently camped cell of the LTE-RAN  120 . Subsequently, the UE  110  searches for a cell to camp on and finds a second cell of the LTE-RAN  120  to camp on. Thus, in  915 , the UE  110  experiences RLF recovery on the second cell. In  920 , the AS  265  sends a signal to the power saving mechanism engine  245  that indicates the results of the RLF recovery (e.g., an identifier for the second cell, the amount of time it took to achieve RLF, etc.). The results are then stored in the protocol profile associated with that significant location. Subsequently, in  925 , the UE  110  exits the significant location. 
     In  930 , the UE  110  returns to the significant location and thus, the power saving mechanism engine  245  once again sends a notification to the NAS protocol layer  260  of the UE  110  and the AS protocol layer  265  of the UE  110  indicating that the UE  110  has entered a significant location. In  935 , the UE  110  once again encounters an RLF on the while operating from the significant location. 
     In  940 , the AS  265  queries the power saving mechanism engine  245  for information about RLF when operating from the significant location. In  945 , the power saving mechanism engine  245  responds to the query by providing a response that indicates to the AS  265  that the second cell previously provided a successful RLF recovery at this significant location. 
     Accordingly, in  950 , the UE  110  performs power efficient RLF recovery by performing a search for the second cell. Thus, instead of performing a search in the conventional manner as in  915 , the UE  110  conserves power by searching directly for the second cell because the second cell previously provided RLF recovery under similar circumstances. Thus, the previous interactions with the LTE-RAN  120  at the significant location enables the UE  110  to save power and perform a quicker recovery by searching for a particular cell that the UE  110  has previously successfully utilized for RLF recovery. 
       FIG. 10  shows an exemplary signaling diagram  1000  that relates to implementing a power saving mechanism for OOS recovery according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  1000  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  1005 , the power saving mechanism engine  245  sends a notification to the NAS protocol layer  260  of the UE  110  and the AS protocol layer  265  of the UE  110  indicating that the UE  110  has entered a significant location. The UE  110  is currently in service and currently camped on a first cell. 
     Subsequently, in  1010  the UE  110  loses service on the first cell. As a result, in  1015 , the UE  110  may perform a search in the conventional manner. The search results in the UE  110  regaining service on a second cell on a different RAT. 
     In  1020 , the AS  265  sends a signal to the power saving engine  245  that includes the results of the search, including, but not limited to, the identity of the second cell, the identity of the RAT, recovery time, rate of OOS, etc. This information is then stored in the protocol profile associated with the location. Subsequently, in  1025 , the UE  110  exits the significant location and sends a signal notifying the NAS protocol layer  260  and the AS protocol layer  265 . 
     In  1030 , the UE  110  returns to the significant location and thus, the power saving mechanism engine  245  once again sends a notification to the NAS protocol layer  260  of the UE  110  and the AS protocol layer  265  of the UE  110  indicating that the UE  110  has entered the significant location. In  1035 , the UE  110  once again loses service while operating from the significant location. 
     In  1040 , the NAS protocol layer  260  queries the power saving mechanism engine  245  for information about OOS when operating from the significant location. In  1045 , the power saving mechanism engine  245  responds to the query by providing a response that indicates to the NAS protocol layer  260  that the second cell on the second RAT previously enabled the UE  110  to regain service. The response may also any other information that was included in  1020 . 
     Accordingly, in  1050 , the UE  110  performs power efficient search and recovery that prioritizes the second cell on the second RAT based on the results of the previous search and recovery in  1020 . The other information provided by the power saving engine  245  may allow the UE  110  to optimize the timing of the scan in a power efficient manner. Thus, the previous interactions with the network at the significant location enable the UE  110  to save power and perform a quicker recovery by searching for a particular cell and a particular RAT during instances in which the UE  110  has previously successfully recognized OOS recovery. 
       FIG. 11  shows an exemplary signaling diagram  1100  that relates to implementing a power saving mechanism for cell reselection according to various exemplary embodiments. The method  1100  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG. 1  and the UE  110  of  FIG. 2 . 
     In  1105 , the power saving mechanism engine  245  sends a notification to the NAS protocol layer  260  of the UE  110  and the AS protocol layer  265  of the UE  110  indicating that the UE  110  has entered a significant location. The UE  110  is currently in service and camped on the first cell  270 . 
     In  1110 , neighbor cell measurement data triggers cell reselection. In this exemplary scenario, the neighbor cell measurement data corresponded to a plurality of neighbor cells but the measurement data for the second cell  275  triggered a predetermined threshold and causes the UE  110  to perform cell reselection and camp on the second cell  275 . Accordingly, in  1115  the AS protocol layer  265  sends the power saving engine  245  the cell reselection results including the identity of the second cell  275  as a cell reselection candidate for this significant location. 
     Since cell reselection causes the UE  110  to camp on the second cell  275 , the UE  110  exits the significant location. Thus, in  1120 , the UE  110  exits the significant location and sends a signal notifying the NAS protocol layer  260  and the AS protocol layer  265 . 
     In  1125 , the UE  110  returns to the significant location and thus, the power saving mechanism engine  245  once again sends a notification to the NAS protocol layer  260  of the UE  110  and the AS protocol layer  265  of the UE  110  indicating that the UE  110  has entered the significant location. 
     In  1130 , due to the measurement data, the AS protocol layer  265  queries the power saving mechanism engine  245  for information about cell reselection when operating from the significant location. 
     In  1135 , the power saving mechanism engine  245  responds to the query by providing a response that to the AS  265  that includes cell reselection information identifying the second cell  275 . Based on this information, the UE  110  may save power by avoiding measurements that correspond to other neighbor cells that were previously not cell reselection candidates for the UE  110  at this significant location. Accordingly, in  1140 , the UE  110  performs cell reselection in a power efficient manner and is camped on the second cell  275 . 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the UE  110  may identify network congestion. For example, in response to a RRC connection request, the UE  110  may receive a RRC connection rejection. The RRC connection rejection may include an indication of congestion from NAS signaling, AS signaling, layer  1  signaling, etc. Subsequently, the UE  110  may store the indications of congestion in the protocol profile for the significant location and include an indication of the time of day. 
     Subsequently, when operating at the significant location at the time of day that congestion was identified, the power saving engine  245  may signal the application processor to restrict background data, discretionary data or any other type of non-critical data. Thus, the UE  110  is able to conserve power by avoiding connections that are unlikely to succeed. 
     The UE  110  may encounter overlapping coverage areas for cells of different RATs and thus, the UE  110  may be triggered to perform cell reselection between cells of different RATs. For example, the user&#39;s home may be included in a coverage area for a first cell that belongs to the LTE-RAN  120  and a second cell that belongs the Legacy-RAN  122  (e.g., WCDMA). Under conventional circumstances, in marginal coverage areas, the UE  110  may often be triggered to perform inter-RAT (iRAT) cell reselection or may encounter OOS events on one Rat and reconnect on another RAT. iRAT transitions may cause excessive signaling. For example, when transitioning from LTE to WCDMA the UE  110  sends a location area update (LAU) and a routing area update (RAU). This may also cause the UE  110  to deregister IMS. When transitioning from WCDMA to LTE the UE  110  may send a TAU. Excessive signaling may result in the UE  110  to spending longer duration in RRC connected state which may cause the UE  110  to experience a power drain. 
     The UE  110  may be configured to detect excessive signaling related to iRAT transitions when located at a significant location. For example, the UE  110  may be configured to identify a predetermined amount of iRAT transitions within a predetermined amount of time. To reduce excessive signaling, the UE  110  may initially determine the dominant RAT. This may be the RAT in which the UE  110  spends the most amount of time. In this exemplary scenario, between WCDMA and LTE, the dominant RAT is LTE because the UE  110  spends more than 50% of its time camped on LTE when at this significant location. 
     During operation, when the UE  110  enters CMAS mode while camped on the non-dominant RAT, the UE  110  may set a timer to a predetermined amount of time. If during the duration of the timer, the UE  110  is triggered to an iRAT transition to the dominant RAT then the UE  110  returns to normal service and camps on the dominant RAT. If the timer expires while the UE  110  is camped on the non-dominant RAT, the UE  110  updates registration on the non-dominant RAT and enters normal mode of operation while camped on the non-dominant RAT. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the UE  110  may modify the thresholds that may cause the UE  110  to perform iRAT reselection. By lowering the thresholds related of the dominant RAT (e.g., LTE) to below the threshold levels of the other RAT (e.g., WCDMA), the UE  110  may avoid frequently performing iRAT transitions. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, instead of modifying the thresholds, the UE  110  may enter CMAS mode when the UE  110  is camped on the non-dominant RAT. CMAS mode may be 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. 
     To reduce iRAT transitions that are caused by frequent OOS and then recovery in the other RAT, in one exemplary embodiment the UE  110  may bias cell searches towards the dominant RAT. For example, when the UE  110  experiences OOS at the significant location, the UE  110  may modify operations by setting a timer to a predetermined amount of time and only searching for cells corresponding to the dominant RAT during the duration of the timer. In another exemplary embodiment, the UE  110  may avoid frequent iRAT transitions by declaring itself to be supporting only one RAT. For example, the UE  110  may declare itself to be supporting only the dominant RAT for a predetermined amount of time or until the occurrence of a predetermined condition. Thus, the UE  110  may not perform operations corresponding to the non-dominant RAT for a period of time. As a result, from the network perspective, the UE  110  may not be compatible with the non-dominant RAT and thus, the network will not trigger the UE  110  to perform operations related to the non-dominant RAT. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the UE  110  may utilize CMAS mode to reduce iRAT transitions that are caused by frequent OOS and then recovery in the other RAT. For example, the UE  110  may be configured to enter CMAS only mode when camped on the non-dominant RAT at the significant location. The UE  110  may not return to the dominant RAT within a predetermined amount of time while being in CMAS mode unless it is via cell reselection or cell search after an OOS event on the non-dominant RAT. After OOS, if the UE  110  recovers to the dominant RAT then the UE  110  may exit CMAS mode. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, due to the power cost associated with frequent iRAT transitions, the UE  110  may be configured to monitor for excessive iRAT transitions regardless of whether the UE  110  has determined it is located at a significant location or has determined a dominant RAT. For example, the UE  110  may identify excessive iRAT transitions based on identifying a predetermined number of iRAT transitions within a predetermined amount of time. This may include the UE  110  identifying a predetermined number of cell reselections and/or OOS events on a first RAT and recovery on a second RAT. Subsequently, the UE  110  may implement any of the power saving mechanisms mentioned above with regard to excessive iRAT transitions. 
     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. 
     As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from specific and legitimate sources. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, telephone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, data or records relating to a user&#39;s health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other personal information. 
     The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to declare a significant location and learn the characteristics of the network and/or behavior of the UE relative to the significant location. Accordingly, use of such personal information data improves the user experience by enabling a UE to implement various power saving mechanisms based on the UE&#39;s previous interactions with the network from a significant location. 
     The present disclosure contemplates that those entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities would be expected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. Such information regarding the use of personal data should be prominent and easily accessible by users and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate uses only. Further, such collection/sharing should occur only after receiving the consent of the users or other legitimate basis specified in applicable law. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations that may serve to impose a higher standard. For instance, in the US, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. 
     Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. 
     Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user&#39;s privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods such as differential privacy. 
     Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, declaring a significant location and learning the characteristics of the network and/or behavior of the UE relative to the significant location may be based on aggregated non-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, such as the information associated with the significant location being maintained only on the user&#39;s device. 
     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: 20190410
Publication Date: 20220524
Grant Date: 20220524
Priority Date: 20190410
Inventors: LOVLEKAR, SRIRANG A.
SHIKARI, MURTAZA A.
LU, ZHENG
VASANDANI, Pankaj Subhash
NIMMALA, SRINIVASAN
Gurumoorthy, Sethuraman
NAGARAJAN, VISWANATH
Kavuri, Lakshmi N.
PRAKASAM, SRIDHAR
Kitchens, Robert K.
VENKATARAMAN, VIJAY
DHANAPAL, MUTHUKUMARAN
JING, XIANGPENG
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W64/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y02D30/70", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/11", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W52/283", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/30", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W52/0248", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W84/12", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/023", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/19", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/023", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0456", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/02", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W80/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W80/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/30", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W76/11", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/023", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W84/12", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B7/0456", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/08", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/08", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 72613102