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US 20140011497A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2014/0011497 A1 Vashi et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jan. 9, 2014 (54) MOBILE DEVICE WHICH DELETES (52) US. Cl. DUPLICATE PREFERRED ROAMING LIST CPC .............. .. H04 W8/00 (2013.01); H04 W88/02 SYSTEM RECORDS FOR IMPROVED (201301) PERFORMANCE USPC ................................... .. 455/4321; 455/5751 (71) Applicant: APPLE INC., Cupertino, CA (US) (72) Inventors: Prashant H. Vashi, Sunnyvale, CA (57) ABSTRACT (US); Vikram B. Yerrabommanahalli, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Karthik Anantharaman, Sunnyvale, CA (US) A User Equipment (UE) device and associated method for operating a User Equipment (UE) in a Wireless communica (73) Assignee: APPLE INC., Cupertino, CA (US) tion system. The UE may store a preferred roaming list in a memory. The preferred roaming list may comprise a plurality (21) Appl.N0.: 13/678,701 of system records Which specify radio access technologies (22) Filed: Nov. 16, 2012 that can be used by the UE. The UE may examine the pre ferred roaming list to delete any duplicate system records in Related US. Application Data the PRL for respective geographic locations (GEOs). This may operate to mitigate the problems created by duplicate (60) Provisional application No. 61/668,957, ?led on Jul. 6, listing of system records Within the PRL. In particular, the 2012. removal of redundant system records Within the PRL may Publication Classi?cation reduce or eliminate unneeded or undesired BSR algorithm execution. In addition, the removal of redundant system (51) Int. Cl. records Within the PRL may reduce temporal service outages, H04W 8/00 (2006.01) since no service origination is alloWed While the UE is H04W 88/02 (2006.01) attempting to ?nd the most preferred system. PRL Modi?cation UE eiores a Preferred Roaming Lisa‘ having system records which correspond to RA T5 402 L15 determines if a system record is upiieeted in the PRL within the same geograehie location (GEO) M UE deletes the less preferred dupt’icaie system record Patent Application Publication Jan. 9, 2014 Sheet 1 0f 5 US 2014/0011497 A1 USQ!‘ device 10643 user device? 1616-’! user device base sfaiian E Fi G, ‘f 106 base simian & PEG. 2 Patent Application Publication Jan. 9, 2014 Sheet 2 0f 5 US 2014/0011497 A1 % NANQ m RGM M “7%?! moi — iaader ‘ & v MMU SW m ' ' 32’0 n i process0r(s) & i Qispiay deck mug” _ dispiay ,F a V ' sec @ E’ " anianna radio 653M, receive chain’! and 235 87', WiFi receaive chain 2 & E antenna 237 FiG. 3 Patent Application Publication Jan. 9, 2014 Sheet 3 0f 5 US 2014/0011497 A1 PRL Modi?cez‘iee V UE stares a Preferred Reeming List having sysiem records which correspond to RA Ts M LIE derermines if e system record is dupiicefed in five PRL Within the same geegrephic iecaiion (G59) M V LIE deieies the fess preferred dupliaete sysiem record m FiG. 4 Patent Application Publication Jan. 9, 2014 Sheet 4 0f 5 US 2014/0011497 A1 PR5. Generation M V LIE defermines if a system recerei is duplicated in the PRL Within the same GEO during PR1. generetien 5_02 v LIE e’eiez‘es ihe {eee preferred eysiem recem‘ frem z‘he PR1. during PR1. generefien M Ff. Examine fhe PR1. fer RA T Seieciier: m V LIE determines if a system recerei is dupiiceied in the PRL Within the same (359 w W UE deiez‘es the fees preferred eyefem record w FEG. 6 US 2014/0011497 A1 Jan. 9, 2014 MOBILE DEVICE WHICH DELETES and other supplementary services for their subscribers When DUPLICATE PREFERRED ROAMING LIST they travel internationally. Roaming agreements can be With SYSTEM RECORDS FOR IMPROVED operators that use the same underlying radio access technol PERFORMANCE ogy or a different technology. For example, a 3GPP2 (Third Generation Partnership Project 2) operator can have roaming PRIORITY CLAIM relationships With other 3GPP2 operators or 3GPP operators. [0001] The present application claims bene?t of priority to [0008] The term “Multi-Mode System Selection” (MMSS) US. Provisional Application No. 61/668,957 titled “Mobile refers to an algorithm that a multimode device utiliZes to Device Which Deletes Duplicate Preferred Roaming List select the radio access technology (RAT) it should use for System Records for Improved Performance” and ?led on Jul. services in any particular region. In some Wireless commu 6, 2012, Whose inventors are Prashant H. Vashi, Vikram B. nication systems, multimode system selection (MMSS) pro Yerrabommanahalli, and Karthik Anantharaman, and Which vides a user equipment (UE) device the ability to select the is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as thought best possible RAT (also referred to as “telecommunication fully and completely set forth herein. standar ”) in a given area. For example, MMSS enables a UE to select the most preferred RAT for accessing different ser FIELD vices among both 3GPP and 3GPP2 systems. [0009] Mobile devices store a roaming list, referred to as [0002] The present invention relates generally to Wireless the PRL (Preferred Roaming List), used to select the appro devices, and more particularly to performance improvement priate RAT for a given geographic region (GEO). The PRL strategies for devices that roam on Wireless netWorks. stores one or more (typically a plurality of) system records for each geographic region, Where each system record identi?es DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART a respective RAT that may be used by the mobile device in a [0003] Wireless communication systems are rapidly groW respective GEO. ing in usage. Further, Wireless communication technology [0010] The goal of the PRL is to help the UE ?nd the most has evolved from voice-only communications to also include preferred RAT (or telecommunication standard) Within a the transmission of data, such as Internet and multimedia GEO and utiliZe that RAT for accessing different services. If content. Therefore, improvements are desired in Wireless the UE cannot ?nd the most preferred RAT Within a GEO, it communication. camps on the next available preferred system for accessing [0004] Wireless network operators can deploy neW radio services. HoWever, the UE uses What is called Better System access technologies in parallel With earlier generation radio Re-selection (BSR) algorithm to try the ?nd the most pre ferred (or a more preferred) system When it is camped on a access technologies, and Wireless netWorks can support mul tiple radio access technologies simultaneously to provide less preferred system. smooth transitions through multiple generations of mobile [0011] HoWever, in some instances the PRL might contain Wireless devices. For example, a representative Wireless net duplicate system records. As one example of this, the con Work can include simultaneous support for the Third Genera struction of one type of PRL (the EqPRL) is based on input tion Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) from many ?les Which are not controlled by the UE, but rather Wireless communication protocol and the Third Generation are controlled by the Wireless operators. Thus there is a Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) CDMA2000 1x (also referred chance that a system might be listed as the most preferred system as Well as a less preferred system Within the same to as 1xRTT or 1x) Wireless communication protocol. This exemplary “simultaneous” Wireless netWork can support cir GEO. For example, a system record may end up being listed cuit sWitched voice connections through a ?rst Wireless net tWice Within the same GEO due to a change in structure/ content of some ?les by the Wireless operator(s). These Work that uses the CDMA2000 1x Wireless communication protocol and packet sWitched connections (voice or data) changes are generally governed by forthcoming roaming relationships or other changes Within a Wireless operator’s s through a second Wireless netWork that uses the LTE Wireless communication protocol. service offerings. [0005] The 3GPP Wireless communications standards [0012] This duplicate listing of systems Will trigger the UE organization develops mobile communication standards that to execute the BSR algorithm and ?nd the most preferred include releases for Global System for Mobile Communica system even though it is already camped on the most pre tions (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Univer ferred system. This behavior is referred to herein as “System sal Mobile Telecommunications System (U MTS), Long Selection loops”. System Selection loops cause unnecessary Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced standards. The battery drain and also a temporal service outage. Battery drain 3GPP2 Wireless communications standards organization is caused by the fact that the UE Will try to ?nd the most develops mobile communication standards that include preferred system once every x seconds, even though there is no need for it to do so. Temporal service outage is caused due CDMA2000 1xRTT and lxEV-DO standards. to the fact no service origination is alloWed While the UE is [0006] Multimode UE devices may refer to UE devices that trying to ?nd the most preferred system. are compatible With a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs) or telecommunication standards. Multimode mobile [0013] Therefore, improvements are desired in the MMSS Wireless devices may include separate signal processing operation of Wireless devices. chips that each can support a different RAT, such as one signal processing chip for the CDMA2000 1x Wireless netWork and SUMMARY another signal processing chip for the LTE Wireless netWork. [0014] Embodiments of the invention relate to a User [0007] Wireless operators, such as AT&T, Sprint, VeriZon, Equipment (UE) device and associated method for operating Orange, etc. typically have roaming relationships With opera a UE in a Wireless communication system. In one embodi tors in different countries to enable accessibility of voice, data ment, the UE may store a preferred roaming list in a memory.