Granted Patent B2

US 8,792,890 · App. 12/612,542 · Granted Jul 29, 2014

Inventors: Ayman Ahmed Abdel-Samad (Waterloo, CA); Dinesh Kumar Arora (Waterloo, CA); Christopher Harris Snow (Kitchener, CA); Nazih Almalki (Waterloo, CA); David Philip Hole (Slough, GB)

Assignee: BlackBerry Limited

Abstract

Claims (59)

1. A method for a first mobile station to determine cell information for a first cell, the method comprising:

monitoring a channel for messages containing cell information;

receiving a first message via the monitored channel and addressed to a second mobile station, the first message including first cell information;

storing the first cell information for a time period after receiving the first message;

using a first identifier and a second identifier included in the first message to obtain, from a second message conveyed via the monitored channel, an identity of a first neighbor cell in a plurality of cells, the first identifier to indicate the first message is addressed to the second mobile station and the second identifier to indicate the first cell information corresponds to a plurality of neighbor cell information associated with the first neighbor cell, wherein the second message includes a third identifier, and wherein the method further comprises:

associating the first cell information with the first neighbor cell if the third identifier matches the first identifier; and

not associating the first cell information with the first neighbor cell if the third identifier does not match the first identifier.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

associating the first cell information with the first neighbor cell if the first and second messages are associated with at least one of a same received timeslot index or a same pair of received timeslot indices; and

not associating the first cell information with the first neighbor cell if the first and second messages are not associated with at least one of the same received timeslot index or the same pair of received timeslot indices.

3. A method for a first mobile station to determine cell information for a first cell, the method comprising:

monitoring a channel for messages containing cell information;

receiving a first message via the monitored channel and addressed to a second mobile station, the first message including first cell information;

storing the first cell information for a time period after receiving the first message;

using a first identifier and a second identifier included in the first message to obtain, from a second message conveyed via the monitored channel, an identity of a first neighbor cell in a plurality of cells, the first identifier to indicate the first message is addressed to the second mobile station and the second identifier to indicate the first cell information corresponds to a plurality of neighbor cell information associated with the first neighbor cell, wherein the second message includes a third identifier, and wherein the method further comprises:

associating the first cell information with the first neighbor cell if the first and third identifiers indicate that the respective first and second messages are addressed to the second mobile station; and

not associating the first cell information with the first neighbor cell if the first and third identifiers indicate that the respective first and second messages are addressed to different mobile stations.

4. A method for a first mobile station to determine cell information for a first cell, the method comprising:

monitoring a channel for messages containing cell information;

receiving a first message via the monitored channel and addressed to a second mobile station, the first message including first cell information;

storing the first cell information for a time period after receiving the first message; and

storing a plurality of system information messages associated with a neighbor cell, the plurality of system information messages included in a plurality of packet neighbor cell data (PNCD) messages received via a plurality of monitored channels during a plurality of radio block periods, the plurality of PNCD messages addressed to one or more mobile stations including the second mobile station but not including the first mobile station, wherein an ordering of the system information messages contained in the PNCD messages is varied among the plurality of radio block periods.

5. A method for a first mobile station to determine cell information, the method comprising:

monitoring a channel for messages containing cell information;

receiving a first message via the monitored channel and addressed to a second mobile station, the first message including first cell information corresponding to system information broadcast by a first neighbor cell of a network, the first message not being addressed to the first mobile station; and

storing, at the first mobile station, the first cell information included in the first message addressed to the second mobile station and not addressed to the first mobile station for a time period after receiving the first message to permit the first mobile station to combine the first cell information with other cell information, wherein the monitored channel corresponds to a packet associated control channel (PACCH).

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the first message corresponds to a first packet neighbor cell data (PNCD) message.

7. A method as defined in claim 5 further comprising using the first cell information during the time period to access at least one of the first neighbor cell or a second neighbor cell.

8. A method as defined in claim 5 further comprising:

using a first identifier and a second identifier included in the first message to obtain, from a second message conveyed via the monitored channel, an identity of the first neighbor cell, the first identifier to indicate the first message is addressed to the second mobile station and the second identifier to indicate the first cell information corresponds to a plurality of neighbor cell information associated with the first neighbor cell; and

associating the first cell information with the first neighbor cell.

9. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein the identity of the first neighbor cell comprises a base station identifier and a channel number.

10. A method as defined in claim 8 further comprising combining the first cell information with second cell information included in a third message conveyed via the monitored channel and including the first identifier and the second identifier.

11. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein the first message corresponds to a first PNCD message, the third message corresponds to a second PNCD message, and the second message corresponds to at least one of a packet cell change continue (PCCC) message, a packet cell change order (PCCO) message, a packet system hand over (PSHO) command message or a third PNCD message.

12. A method as defined in claim 5 further comprising:

storing second cell information included in a second message received via the monitored channel and addressed to the second mobile station; and

combining the first cell information and the second cell information to determine system information associated with the first neighbor cell.

13. A tangible machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a first machine to at least:

monitor a packet associated control channel (PACCH) for messages containing neighbor cell information; and

store, at the first machine, first neighbor cell information included in a first packet neighbor cell data (PNCD) message, which is received via the monitored PACCH and addressed to a second machine that is to receive data on the monitored PACCH, for a time period after determining the first PNCD message includes the first neighbor cell information to permit the first machine to combine the first cell information with other cell information, the first neighbor cell information corresponding to system information broadcast by a first neighbor cell, the first PNCD message being addressed to the second machine and not being addressed to the first machine.

14. A first mobile station comprising:

a channel monitor to monitor a channel for messages addressed to one or more other mobile stations, the messages containing neighbor cell information corresponding to system information broadcast by one or more neighbor cells of a network, the monitored channel corresponding to a packet associated control channel (PACCH); and

a message decoder to:

decode and store first neighbor cell information included in a first message, received via the monitored channel and addressed to a second mobile station but not addressed to the first mobile station, for a time period after determining the first message includes the first neighbor cell information;

decode and store second neighbor cell information included in a second message received via the monitored channel and addressed to the second mobile station but not addressed to the first mobile station; and

combine the first neighbor cell information and the second neighbor cell information to determine system information associated with a first neighbor cell in a plurality of neighbor cells.

15. A first mobile station as defined in claim 14 wherein the first message corresponds to a first packet neighbor cell data (PNCD) message and the second message corresponds to a second PNCD message.

16. A first mobile station as defined in claim 14 wherein the message decoder is further to:

use a first identifier and a second identifier included in the first message to obtain, from the second message received via the monitored channel, an identity of the first neighbor cell, the first identifier to indicate the first message is addressed to the second mobile station and the second identifier to indicate the first neighbor cell information corresponds to a plurality of neighbor cell information associated with the first neighbor cell; and

associate the first cell information with the first neighbor cell.

17. A mobile station comprising:

a channel monitor to monitor a channel for messages containing neighbor cell information; and

a message decoder to:

decode and store first neighbor cell information included in a first message, received via the monitored channel and addressed to a second mobile station, for a time period after determining the first message includes the first neighbor cell information;

decode and store second neighbor cell information included in a second message received via the monitored channel and addressed to the second mobile station;

combine the first neighbor cell information and the second neighbor cell information to determine system information associated with a first neighbor cell in a plurality of neighbor cells;

use a first identifier and a second identifier included in the first message to obtain, from the second message received via the monitored channel, an identity of the first neighbor cell, the first identifier to indicate the first message is addressed to the second mobile station and the second identifier to indicate the first neighbor cell information corresponds to a plurality of neighbor cell information associated with the first neighbor cell; and

associate the first cell information with the first neighbor cell, wherein the message decoder is further to combine the first neighbor information and the second neighbor information when the first neighbor information and the second neighbor information have a same first identifier and a same second identifier.

18. A mobile station as defined in claim 17 wherein the first message corresponds to a first packet neighbor cell data (PNCD) message, and the second message corresponds to at least one of second PNCD message, a packet cell change continue (PCCC) message, a packet cell change order (PCCO) message or a packet system hand over (PSHO) command message.

Assignments (10)

Continuity (1)