# US 10,321,449 B2 · Remote controlled selection of network bearer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,321,449 B2 - Document ID: US10321449B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/515,712 - Filed: 2015-09-30 - Published: 2017-09-14 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-30 - Assignees: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited - Applicants: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited - Inventors: Richard Bailey; Friedhelm Rodermund - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10321449B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 8/24: Transfer of terminal data - H04W 48/18: Selecting a network or a communication service - H04W 60/00: Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration - H04W 72/542: using measured or perceived quality - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract There are disclosed methods and apparatuses for providing configuration data 120 to a device 110. The configuration data may be provided to the device 110 by a configuration server 120 that is configured to output configuration data for sending to the device 110, wherein the configuration data comprises preferred communications bearer data indicating at least one preferred communications bearer for a device communications interface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A configuration server for providing configuration data to a machine-to machine (M2M) device, the configuration server being configured to: output configuration data for sending to the M2M device, wherein the configuration data comprises preferred communications bearer data indicating at least one preferred communications bearer for a device communications interface, wherein the device communications interface is limited to using only one or more communications bearers that are included in the preferred communications bearer data and is prevented from using other communications bearers, wherein the configuration data further comprises a signal strength threshold for one or more of the preferred communications bearers, wherein the signal strength threshold indicates a minimum received signal strength below which the M2M device should not initiate a device communication interface via the one or more preferable communications bearers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The configuration server of claim 1, wherein the preferred communications bearer data indicates a plurality of preferred communications bearers for the device communications interface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The configuration server of claim 2, wherein the plurality of preferred communications bearers are ordered by degree of preference from most preferable communications bearer to least preferable communications bearer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The configuration server of claim 1 further configured to: prior to outputting the configuration data, determine the preferred communications bearer data for the device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The configuration server of claim 4 further configured to: receive a registration message issued from the device, wherein the registration message comprises an identifier of the device; and determine the preferred communications bearer data for the device using at least the identifier of the device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The configuration server of claim 4, further configured to: receive communications bearer information from a network server; and determine the preferred communications bearer data for the device using at least the communications bearer information. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The configuration server of claim 1 being configured to output the configuration data using OMA lightweight machine-to-machine (LWM2M) protocol. ### Claim 8 A machine-to machine (M2M) device for initiating a device communications interface via a communications bearer, the M2M device being configured to: receive configuration data, wherein the configuration data comprises preferred communications bearer data indicating at least one preferred communications bearer for the device communications interface, and wherein the device communications interface is limited to using only one or more communications bearers that are included in the preferred communications bearer data and is prevented from using other communications bearers; and initiate the device communications interface based on the received configuration data, wherein: the configuration data further comprises a signal strength threshold for one or more of the preferred communications bearers, and the signal strength threshold indicates a minimum received signal strength below which the M2M device should not initiate a device communication interface via the one or more preferable communications bearers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the preferred communications bearer data indicates a plurality of preferred communications bearers for the device communications interface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of preferred communications bearers are ordered by degree of preference from most preferable communications bearer to least preferable communications bearer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10, being configured to: initiate the device communications interface via the most preferable communications bearer indicated in the communications bearer data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, being further configured to: if an attempt to initiate the device communications interface fails, initiate the device communications interface via a next most preferable communications bearer indicated in the communications bearer data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, being further configured to: if an attempt to initiate the device communications interface fails for all preferred communications bearers indicated in the preferred communications bearer data, initiate the device communications interface via the most preferable communications bearer indicated in the preferred communications bearer data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10, being further configured to: initiate the device communications interface via a particular communications bearer indicated in the communications bearer data, wherein the particular communications bearer is identified as having a received signal strength greater than or equal to the signal strength threshold for that communications bearer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The device of claim 14, further configured to: if none of the preferred communications bearers indicated in the communications bearer data have a received signal strength greater than or equal to their corresponding signal strength threshold, wait until the received signal strength of one or more of the preferred communications bearers is greater than or equal to its corresponding signal strength threshold; and initiate the device interface via an identified most preferable of the one or more preferred communications bearers that has a received signal strength greater than or equal to its corresponding signal strength threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, being configured to receive the configuration data using OMA lightweight machine-to-machine (LWM2M) protocol. ### Claim 17 A method for providing configuration data to a machine-to machine (M2M) device, the method comprising the step of: receiving configuration data at the device, wherein the configuration data comprises preferred communications bearer data indicating at least one preferred communications bearer for the device communications interface, wherein the device communications interface is limited to using only one or more communications bearers that are included in the preferred communications bearer data and is prevented from using other communications bearers, wherein the configuration data further comprises a signal strength threshold for one or more of the preferred communications bearers, wherein the signal strength threshold indicates a minimum received signal strength below which the M2M device should not initiate a device communication interface via the one or more preferable communications bearers. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the configuration data is received using OMA lightweight machine-to-machine (LWM2M) protocol.