Method and apparatus to limit frequency bands used by a low power radio frequency device
AssigneeNokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
InventorHarri Halminen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and corresponding apparatus for use by a low power radio frequency (LPRF) device intended to communicate with other LPRF devices on an LPRF band when both the LPRF band location and its width can vary by country, the invention for determining in what country the LPRF device is being used, and so the band and bandwidth that should be used, and for ensuring that the LPRF does not communicate on an LPRF band that is not likely the correct band, or is not a band indicated by a user. The invention assesses clues to determine if any particular country is reasonably likely to be the country where the device is being used, and if no such country is determined, and if a user interface is available, the device queries a user.
Claims16
A method, to be performed by a low power radio frequency (LPRF) device, for determining in what radio frequency (RF) band to communicate, if at all, with another LPRF device, the LPRF band to be determined based on the country where the LPRF device is being used by resorting to information indicating the location and width of the LPRF band for a plurality of countries, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) acquiring clues from at least one source from among different kinds of sources and from among at least one of different individual sources of each particular kind, the clues consisting of at least one country code indicating one particular country;
- b) applying a likely determination algorithm to attempt to determine a likely country based on the clues acquired and a predetermined threshold;
- c) attempting to establish a link with the other LPRF device by providing a link setup signal, in a globally available LPRF service band, including, as a self-signaled country code, the likely country code, and receiving from the other LPRF device a corresponding link setup signal;
- d) deciding whether the country code signaled by the other LPRF device corresponds to the same RF band as does the self-signaled country code, and so deciding whether there is an agreed-on country code, and if so providing a signal indicating that the link setup is to be completed for communication on the band corresponding to the agreed-on country code, or else repeating the method starting from the acquiring clues step.
apparatus for use in a low power radio frequency (LPRF) device, for determining in what radio frequency (RF) band to communicate, if at all, with another LPRF device, the LPRF band to be determined based on the country where the LPRF device is being used by resorting to information indicating the location and width of the LPRF band for a plurality of countries, the apparatus comprising:
- a) acquiring means for acquiring clues from at least one source from among different kinds of sources and from among at least one of different individual sources of each particular kind, the clues consisting of at least one country code indicating one particular country, the acquiring means responsive to a signal to acquire clues, for providing the clues acquired;
- b) determination means for applying a likely determination algorithm to attempt to determine a likely country based on the clues acquired and a predetermined threshold, the determination means responsive to the clues and to the predetermined threshold, for providing a result that indicates the likely country;
- c) linking means for attempting to establish a link with the other LPRF device by providing a link setup signal, in a globally available LPRF service band, including, as a self-signaled country code, the likely country code, and receiving from the other LPRF device a corresponding link setup signal and extracting from the link setup signal a country code signaled by the other LPRF device, the linking means responsive to the result that indicates the likely country, the linking means for providing the country code signaled by the other LPRF device;
- d) deciding means for deciding whether the country code signaled by the other LPRF device corresponds to the same RF band as does the self-signaled country code, and so deciding whether there is an agreed-on country code, and if so providing a signal indicating that the link setup is to be completed for communication on the band corresponding to the agreed-on country code, or else signaling the acquirer means to acquire clues again.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.