Sony patents method to help phones skip restricted 5G cells
Sony describes a way for mobile devices to check if a nearby cell tower is restricted before connecting. The phone reads specific network data to see if it has permission to use that tower's services. If the phone is not allowed to access the tower, it automatically chooses a different, open cell to connect to.
In the filing’s own words
A method of selecting a cell in a wireless communications network by a communications device, the method comprising receiving system information associated with a candidate cell, the system information comprising a logical portion indication indicating one or more logical portion identities corresponding to respective logical portions of the wireless communications network which can be accessed in the candidate cell, determining that the candidate cell is a non-public cell to which access is restricted, determining that the communications device is not permitted to access any of the logical portions identified in the logical portion indication, and in response to determining that the communications device is not permitted to access any of the logical portions identified in the logical portion indication, selecting as a new serving cell a cell different from the candidate cell.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method of selecting a cell in a wireless communications network by a communications device, the method comprising: receiving composite system information associated with a candidate cell, the composite system information comprising a logical portion indication indicating one or more logical portion identities corresponding to respective logical portions of the wireless communications network which can be accessed in the candidate cell, one or more of the logical portion identities being a slice identifier corresponding to a network slice, a portion of the composite system information being included in a master information block (MIB) and an other portion of the composite system information being including in a system information block (SIB) separate from the MIB, determining that the candidate cell is a non-public cell to which access is restricted based on the composite system information included in the MIB and the SIB, determining that the communications device is not permitted to access any of the logical portions identified in the logical portion indication, and in response to determining that the communications device is not permitted to access any of the logical portions identified in the logical portion indication, selecting as a new serving cell a cell different from the candidate cell.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Group Corporation)
- Official title
- Communications device, infrastructure equipment, core network element and methods
- Patent number
- US12772124B2
- Application number
- 17629415
- Filed
- Jul 6, 2020
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 7
Classified under
H04W 36/04 Electricity & electronicsH04W 48/04 Electricity & electronicsMore from Sony in Networks & wireless
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.