Multi-mode interoperable mobile station communications architectures and methods

Abstract

A Multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture ( 200 ) including an application layer ( 210 ), a services layer ( 220 ) interfacing the applications layer, a multi-mode layer ( 230 ) interfacing the service layer, and a hardware layer ( 240 ) interfacing the multi-mode layer. The multi-mode layer includes first and second interoperable radio access technologies, for example W-CDMA UMTS and GSM/GPRS technologies.

1 . A multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture, comprising: 
 a services layer;    a data router coupled to the services layer;    a radio resource component coupled to the data router;    first and second radio access technologies coupled to the radio resource component and to the data router.    
   
   
       2 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 1 , a mobility management layer coupled to the services layer, to the radio resource component and to the data router, the mobility management layer for communicating active radio access technology information to the data router, the data router for routing data to the active radio access technology.  
   
   
       3 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 1 , the radio resource component for transitioning between the first and second radio access technologies.  
   
   
       4 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 1 , the data router for routing data between the services layer to the first and second radio access technologies.  
   
   
       5 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 1 , a timing layer coupled to the radio resource component and to the first and second radio access technologies.  
   
   
       6 . A multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture, comprising: 
 a services layer;    first and second radio access technologies, the first radio access technology different than the second radio access technology;    a radio resource component for transitioning between the first and second radio access technologies.    
   
   
       7 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 6 , the radio resource component including a first state machine of the first radio access technology, the radio resource component including a second state machine of the second radio access technology, and the radio resource component including a state transition component for transitioning between the first and second state machines.  
   
   
       8 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 7 , the state transition component for maintaining states of the radio resource component during switching between the first and second state machines.  
   
   
       9 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 7 , the state transition component for allocating resources among the first and second radio access technologies.  
   
   
       10 . A multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture, comprising: 
 first and second radio access technologies, the first radio access technology different than the second radio access technology;    a timing layer for performing real-time and interrupt processing on both of the first and second radio access technologies.    
   
   
       11 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 10 , a radio resource component for transitioning between the first and second radio access technologies.  
   
   
       12 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 10 , the first radio access technology is a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services (UMTS) radio access technology, the second radio access technology is a Generalized Packet Radio Services (GPRS) radio resource/Groupe Special Mobile (GSM) radio access technology.  
   
   
       13 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 12 , the timing layer for performing W-CDMA medium access control (MAC) interrupt processing.  
   
   
       14 . A method in a multi-mode mobile wireless communications device, comprising: 
 performing real-time task processing of first and second radio access technologies;    performing medium access control (MAC) of the first and second radio access technologies by interrupt processing.    
   
   
       15 . A method in a multi-mode mobile wireless communications device, comprising: 
 performing medium access control (MAC) of first and second radio access technologies by interrupt processing;    communicating interrupt processing information to first and second radio link control (RLC) components of the first and second radio access technologies.    
   
   
       16 . A method in a multi-mode mobile wireless communications device, comprising: 
 communicating control information from a mobility management layer to a data router;    routing data with the data router between one of first and second radio access technologies and a services layer based on the control information received from the mobility management layer.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , communicating control information between the mobility management layer and a radio resource layer, transitioning between the first and second radio access technologies at radio resource layer.