Method and apparatus for automatic adaptation of communications systems to regional spectrum variations

Abstract

A method of configuring an RF transceiver to receive a geographic-region specific message within a RF signal from a communications network, includes detecting the geographic-region specific message in a first RF transceiver operating in a first RF frequency spectrum; associating the detected geographic-region specific RF signal with a geographic region; generating a configuration command signal for the geographic region; and configuring a second RF transceiver to receive and transmit RF signals in a second RF frequency spectrum particular to the geographic region from the configuration command signal. A system for configuring an RF transceiver for use with a communications network, wherein the network includes transmitters which transmit a geographic-region specific message unique to the geographic region in which the transmitter is located, includes a mobile appliance having plural RF transceivers therein, including a first RF transceiver operating in a first RF frequency spectrum and a second RF transceiver operating in a second RF frequency spectrum, wherein the first RF transceiver receives the geographic-region specific message from a transmitter; a configuration mechanism for receiving the geographic-region specific message from the first transceiver, generating a configuration command signal, and transmitting the configuration command signal to the second RF transceiver; wherein the second RF transceiver, upon receipt of the configuration command signal, changes an associated RF configuration to operate in the second RF frequency spectrum associated with the geographic region.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.