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;    an interoperability entity interconnecting first and second radio access technologies;    a packet router coupled to the services layer and to the first and second radio access technologies, the packet router routing packet data to one of the first and second radio access technologies.    
     
     
         2 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 1 , the packet router including first and second packet protocol entities corresponding to the first and second radio access technologies.  
     
     
         3 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 1 , a radio resource entity coupled to the first and second radio access technologies, a timing entity coupled to the first and second radio access technologies.  
     
     
         4 . A multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture, comprising: 
 a services entity;    a multi-mode entity interconnecting first and second radio access technologies and the service entity,    the multi-mode entity including an interoperability entity for transitioning between the first and second radio access technologies during active calls, the interoperability entity for reselecting among the first and second radio access technologies.    
     
     
         5 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 4 , a packet router coupled to the services entity and to the first and second radio access technologies, a packet router routing packet data to one of the first and second radio access technologies.  
     
     
         6 . A method in a multi-mode mobile wireless communications device including first and second radio access technologies, comprising: 
 conducting a communications session with on one of the first and second radio access technologies;    switching between the first and second radio access technologies during the communications session without interrupting the communications session under control of a radio resource component;    conducting the communications session with on the other one of the first and second radio access technologies after switching.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , controlling switching between the first and second radio resource technologies using a real-time coordinator and the radio resource component.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , controlling interrupt processing of the first and second radio access technologies using an interrupt processing portion of a timing component.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , 
 conducting the communications session includes conducting a packet session,    switching between the first and second radio access technologies includes routing packet data from one of the first and second radio access technologies to the other of the first and second radio access technologies with a packet router.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , routing packet data includes converting the packet data to a protocol corresponding to the radio access technology to which the packet data is routed.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , 
 conducting the communications session includes conducting a voice call,    switching between the first and second radio access technologies using the radio resource component without interrupting the voice call.    
     
     
         12 . A multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture, comprising: 
 a services entity;    a multi-mode entity interconnecting first and second radio access technologies and the service entity,    the multi-mode entity including a radio resource for transitioning between the first and second radio access technologies;    a time critical functionality component coupled to the first and second radio access technologies.    
     
     
         13 . The multi-mode mobile wireless communications device architecture of  claim 12 , a packet router coupled to the services layer and to the first and second radio access technologies, the packet router routing packet data to one of the first and second radio access technologies.