Apparatus and method for implementing system information acquisition in universal mobile telecommunications system user equipment

1. A method for implementing information acquisition in a mobile user equipment (UE) device, the UE device configurable for use in a telecommunications system comprising a network of a plurality of cells, the method comprising:

determining that a time period has elapsed, the time period associated with stored system information in the UE device and comprising an expiration time limit minus a threshold;

reading broadcast system information received by the UE device after the time period has elapsed; and

updating the stored system information in the UE device in accordance with the broadcast system information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the updated system information on expiry of the expiration time limit.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold is greater than a repetition period for the system information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold is less than or equal to 10 times the repetition period for the system information.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating the method only when the system information has an associated value tag.

6. A mobile user equipment (UE) device, the UE device configurable for use in a telecommunications system comprising a network of a plurality of cells, comprising:

a microprocessor and memory with software, the software configured to determine that a time period being associated with stored system information and comprising an expiration time limit minus a threshold, and farther configured to detect system information received by the UE device after the time period has elapsed, and further configured to update the stored system information in the UE device in accordance with the received system information.

7. The UE device of claim 6 where the software is farther configured to use the updated system information on expiry of the expiration time limit.

8. The UE device of claim 6 wherein the threshold is greater than a repetition period for the system information.

9. The UE device of claim 6 wherein the threshold is less than or equal to 10 times the repetition period for the system information.

10. The UE device of claim 6 where the software is farther configured to initiate determining of the time period only when the system information has an associated value tag.

11. A method for implementing system information acquisition at a mobile telecommunication device, said method comprising the operations of:

accessing, at the mobile telecommunications device, a stored system information block;

accessing, at the mobile telecommunications device, a stored system information block;

determining whether a last acquisition of the system information block occurred beyond a time before an expiration time limit less a threshold; and

if the last acquisition of the system information block occurred beyond the time limit less the threshold, attempting to re-acquire the system information block.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, if performed, said operation of attempting to re-acquire the system information block occurs prior to expiration of the time limit.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the stored system information block accessed during said operation of accessing is associated with an expiration time limit and wherein the expiration time limit used during said operation of determining comprises the expiration time limit associated with the system information block.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the threshold comprises a value programmed into the mobile telecommunications device.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the expiration time limit used during said operation of determining comprises a fixed value.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the fixed value comprises six hours.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the mobile telecommunications device comprises a user equipment, UE, of a Universal Mobile Telephone System, UMTS, and wherein said operations of accessing, determining, and attempting are performed at the UE.