Method and apparatus for utilizing historical network information for mitigating excessive network updates when selecting a communications channel

1. A method for selecting a communication channel for communications with either a serving base transceiver station or an adjacent base transceiver station, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in a database network identification information and associated incremental values;

identifying an incremental value, wherein the incremental value is associated with a number of network area updates that have occurred previously;

selecting a first margin value when a stored incremental value is less than a predetermined value;

selecting a second margin value when the incremental value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value;

receiving from the serving base transceiver station a reference signal having a reference signal level;

receiving from the adjacent base transceiver station an adjacent transceiver signal having an adjacent transceiver signal level; and

selecting a communications channel with the adjacent base transceiver station and incrementing the incremental value when the adjacent transceiver signal level meets or exceeds a value equal to the reference signal level plus the selected margin value.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of removing network information and associated values from the database gradually over time.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of removing network information and associated values from the database completely when an update with a stored area has not occurred within a certain amount of time.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the network area update is a location area update.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the network area update is a routing area update.

6. A mobile communications device comprising:

a memory for storing network identification information and associated incremental values; and

a processor configured to:

identify an incremental value, wherein the incremental value is associated with a number of network area updates that have occurred previously;

select a first margin value when a stored incremental value is less than a predetermined value;

select a second margin value when the incremental value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value;

receive from a serving base transceiver station a reference signal having a reference signal level;

receive from an adjacent base transceiver station an adjacent transceiver signal having an adjacent transceiver signal level; and

select a communications channel with the adjacent base transceiver station and incrementing the incremental value when the adjacent transceiver signal level meets or exceeds a value equal to the reference signal level plus the selected margin value.

7. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to remove from the memory network information and associated values gradually over time.

8. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to remove from the memory network information and associated values related to a transceiver base station when an update related to that transceiver base station has not occurred within a certain amount of time.

9. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 6 wherein the network area update is a location area update.

10. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 6 wherein the network area update is a routing area update.

11. A computer-readable medium having program code stored thereon for execution by a mobile communication device configured to select a communications channel, the program code comprising:

a code segment for storing network identification information and associated incremental values in a memory;

a code segment for selecting a first margin value when a stored incremental value associated with the number of network area updates that have occurred previously is less than a predetermined value;

a code segment for selecting a second margin value when the incremental value associated with the number of network area updates that have occurred previously is greater than or equal to a predetermined value;

a code segment for receiving from a serving base transceiver station a reference signal having a reference signal level;

a code segment for receiving from an adjacent base transceiver station an adjacent transceiver signal having an adjacent transceiver signal level; and

a code segment for selecting a communications channel with the adjacent base transceiver station and incrementing the incremental value when the adjacent transceiver signal level meets or exceeds a value equal to the reference signal level plus the selected margin value.

12. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising a code segment for removing from the memory network information and associated values gradually over time.

13. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11 further comprising a code segment for removing from the memory network information and associated values related to a transceiver base station when an update related to that transceiver base station has not occurred within a certain amount of time.

14. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11 wherein the network area update is a location area update.

15. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11 wherein the network area update is a routing area update.