Intelligent roaming database (IRDB) updating

Abstract

Abstract A unique method and apparatus to dynamically maintain different Intelligent Roaming Database (IRDB) or Preferred Roaming Lists (PRL) in a mobile handset. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the current location of the mobile device or other individualized aspect of the mobile device (e.g., class of service, time of day, etc.) is used to determine and select one of a plurality of different wireless carrier code lists (i.e., IRDBs or PRLs) for download to a particular mobile device. Individual IRDBs may be developed for each mobile device, providing a customized wireless carrier code list based on a type of subscription plan, etc. or other network or subscriber based feature. The described IRDB is of the same size as the current system IRDB (i.e., 82 carriers maximum, 166 bytes maximum), although a list of wireless carriers of any length is within the scope of the present invention. A location based IRDB is downloaded to a particular mobile device when the mobile device enters the location corresponding to that particular location based IRDB. When one of the many location based IRDBs are updated, only those mobiles in the relevant geographical region need have their IRDB updated. When the mobile device roams to a new geographical region and re-registers, a triggering event is formed. The present invention brings the trigger for an IRDB update down to the level of the particular subscriber, e.g., based on the subscribers location, the subscribers plan, etc. The triggering event may be detected by any suitable function of the wireless network, e.g., by utilizing a registration notification (REGNOT) message from the mobile device. The triggering event will cause the download to that triggering mobile device only from a suitable over the air function (OTAF) application including a suitable location based IRDB manager of the location based IRDB for that new region, whether the location based IRDB for that reason has not been changed in a while or has been recently updated. The described location based IRDB manager is implemented in Over The Air Programming (OTAP) software. The location based IRDB manager uses conventional registration information (e.g., the current location information contained in a REGNOT message) in conjunction with data contained in a log file accessible to the location based IRDB manager to determine if a new and/or updated IRDB should be downloaded to the mobile device. Individualized IRDB updating reduces network loading. Moreover, using a location and subscriber based IRDB, the available IRDBs can be focused on a subscriber differentiating feature, e.g., a class of service (COS) basis and/or on the current location of the mobile device, to provide further customization and direction of the mobile device to carriers desired by the servicing wireless company.

Inventors

• 👤 Daniel J. Hronek

Bibliographic Details