Communication Coordination and Conflict Mitigation for Multi-User Identity Module Devices

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to communication coordination and conflict mitigation for multi-subscriber identity module devices. The present disclosure relates to a method that includes: at a user equipment (UE), establishing a first cellular connection using a first subscriber identity module (SIM), establishing a second cellular connection using a second SIM, receiving, using the second cellular connection, a paging for the second SIM, determining that responding to the paging would cause a conflict with ongoing communication activity of the first SIM; and determining whether to respond to the paging based on at least one of: a paging repetition pattern associated with the second cellular connection; a paging repetition indicator associated with the paging; and a paging cause associated with the paging.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of July 10, 2019, the application number of 201910620158.1, and the invention title of "Communication Coordination and Conflict Mitigation for Multi-User Identity Module Devices". Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to wireless communication and, more particularly, to systems, apparatuses, and methods for coordinating communication and avoiding and / or mitigating conflicts for multi-user identity module devices in a wireless communication system. Background Art

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment or UE) now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these functions. Additionally, there are multiple different wireless communication technologies and standards. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with the WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interface), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), BLUETOOTH TM etc.

[0004] The introduction of an increasing number of features and functions in wireless communication devices has also created a continuing need to improve both wireless communication and wireless communication devices. Of particular importance is ensuring the accuracy of signals transmitted and received by user equipment (UE) (e.g., via wireless devices such as cellular phones, base stations, and relay stations used in wireless cellular communication). For example, some UEs may include multiple user identity modules (SIMs) that can be active simultaneously. In some cases, conflicts may occur between the transmissions of such UEs associated with different SIMs. Such conflicts can have a negative impact on the user experience and performance of the UE. In addition, increasing the functionality of the UE device can place significant stress on the battery life of the UE device. For example, certain paging schedules for different SIMs may require increased power usage. Therefore, it is also very important to reduce the power requirements in the UE device design while allowing the UE device to maintain good transmission and reception capabilities to improve communication.

[0005] To increase coverage and better serve the increasing demands and scope of the envisioned uses of wireless communication, in addition to the above communication standards, there are wireless communication technologies under development, including fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication. Accordingly, there is a need to improve the areas that support such development and design. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Embodiments of apparatuses, systems, and methods are provided for coordinating communication in a wireless communication system and for avoiding and / or mitigating conflicts of multi-user identity module (MUSIM) devices.

[0007] A MUSIM device may determine which SIMs are active and may determine the networks associated with the active SIMs. The MUSIM device may detect potential conflicts and / or other uncoordinated communication among the various SIMs. The MUSIM device may coordinate communication so as to avoid conflicts and / or otherwise improve communication scheduling to improve performance and / or reduce energy usage. The MUSIM device may mitigate some conflicts, such as by prioritizing communication according to various decision rules. The MUSIM device may communicate with one or more base stations based on such coordination and mitigation.

[0008] A network (e.g., a base station and / or other network devices) may provide information to the MUSIM device to enable the MUSIM device to detect conflicts and uncoordinated communication. Additionally, the network may provide information to the MUSIM device to enable the MUSIM device to mitigate conflicts, such as by providing priority information and paging repetition patterns and information. Further, the network may adjust one or more paging schedules and / or methods for delivering Commercial Mobile Alert System messages based on information received from the MUSIM device to improve coordination of communication.

[0009] Note that the techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with several different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, cellular phones, portable media players, tablets, wearable devices, and various other computing devices.

[0010] This Summary of the Invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above features are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as narrowing the scope or essence of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Drawings, and Claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments;

[0012] Figure 2 Shows an exemplary base station communicating with an exemplary wireless user equipment (UE) according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 3 Shows an exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 4 Shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 5 Shows an example block diagram of a cellular communication circuit system according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Shows an example of a 5G NR base station (gNB) according to some embodiments; and

[0017] Figure 8 Shows an exemplary method for coordinating communication and mitigating conflicts according to some embodiments.

[0018] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Description

[0019] Acronyms

[0020] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. The definitions of the most prominent acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are as follows:

[0021] · UE: User Equipment or User Equipment Device

[0022] · RF: Radio Frequency

[0023] · BS: Base Station

[0024] · GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0025] · UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0026] · LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0027] · NR: New Radio Component

[0028] · RAN: Radio Access Network

[0029] ·TX: Transmission / Transmission

[0030] ·RX: Reception

[0031] ·LAN: Local Area Network

[0032] ·WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network

[0033] ·AP: Access Point

[0034] ·RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0035] ·IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

[0036] ·Wi-Fi: Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) RAT based on the IEEE 802.11 standard

[0037] ·MUSIM: Multi-User Identity Module

[0038] ·SIM: Subscriber Identity Module

[0039] Terminology

[0040] The following is a glossary of terms that may appear in this application:

[0041] Storage medium - any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system that executes the program, or may be located in a different second computer system that is connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media located at different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) executable by one or more processors.

[0042] Carrier medium - the memory medium as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0043] Computer system (or computer) – any of various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, Internet appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. Generally, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor for executing instructions from a memory medium.

[0044] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") – any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone TM , Android TM -based phones), tablets (e.g., iPad TM , Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM , Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. Generally, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined as any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is convenient for a user to transport and capable of performing wireless communication.

[0045] Wireless device – any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or can be fixed or stationary at a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0046] Communication device – any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication can be wired or wireless. A communication device can be portable (or mobile), or can be fixed or stationary at a location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0047] Base Station (BS) – The term "base station" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0048] Processing element – refers to various elements or combinations of elements that can perform functions in a device (such as a user device or a cellular network device). Processing elements can include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the various combinations above.

[0049] Wi-Fi – The term “Wi-Fi” has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication network or RAT that is served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provides connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name “Wi-Fi”. Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are different from cellular networks.

[0050] Automatically – means that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware element, ASIC, etc.) without the action or operation being directly specified or performed through user input. Thus, the term “automatically” contrasts with a user manually performing or specifying an operation, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are “automatically” performed are not specified by the user, i.e., they are not “manually” performed, where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a spreadsheet by selecting each field and providing input to specify information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, radio component selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user action. The form can be filled out automatically by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user can initiate the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0051] Configured to – Various components can be described as “configured to” perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad statement that generally means “having” the “structure” to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently performing the task, the component can be configured to perform the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” can be a broad statement that generally means “having” the “circuitry” to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently powered on, the component can be configured to perform the task. Generally, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” can include hardware circuitry.

[0052] For ease of description, various components can be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to”. A component described as configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112 in the interpretation of that component.

[0053] Figure 1 and Figure 2 - Exemplary communication system

[0054] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system in which various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 1 the system is merely an example of a possible system, and embodiments can be implemented in any one of various systems as needed.

[0055] As shown, such an exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102 that communicates with one or more (e.g., any number) user devices 106A, 106B, etc., up to 106N via a transmission medium. Each user device can be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE) or UE device. Thus, user device 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0056] Base station 102 may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site, and may include hardware and / or software that implements wireless communication with UEs 106A through 106N. If base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". If base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB". Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, and various possibilities). Thus, base station 102 may facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Also as used herein, in the context of a UE, a base station may sometimes be considered to represent the network when considering the uplink and downlink communication of the UE. Thus, a UE that communicates with one or more base stations in a network may also be interpreted as a UE that communicates with the network.

[0057] Base station 102 and user equipment may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any one of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), which are also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, advanced LTE (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2, CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, etc.

[0058] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus provide a network of one or more cells that may provide continuous or near-continuous overlapping services to UEs 106 and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0059] Note that UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using either or both of 3GPP cellular communication standards or 3GPP2 cellular communication standards. UE 106 may also be configured or alternatively configured to communicate using WLAN, BLUETOOTH TM , one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0060] In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to coordinate communications and avoid or mitigate conflicts associated with different identities, at least in accordance with the various methods described herein.

[0061] Figure 2 An exemplary user device 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. UE 106 may be a device having wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a wearable device, a computer, or a tablet, or substantially any type of wireless device. UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute process instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may execute any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), an integrated circuit, and / or any of various other possible hardware components configured to execute (e.g., individually or in combination) any of the method embodiments described herein or any part of any of the method embodiments described herein. UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any one of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA 2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0062] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating according to one or more RAT standards using one or more wireless communication protocols. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain among multiple wireless communication standards; the shared radio components may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas for performing wireless communication (e.g., for MIMO). Generally, the radio components may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio components may implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains using the foregoing hardware.

[0063] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include separate transmit chains and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol it is configured to communicate with. As another possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include shared radio components for communicating using any of LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or NR, or LTE or GSM or WCDMA), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and BLUETOOTH TM for communicating. Other configurations are possible.

[0064] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a multi-subscriber identity module (SIM, sometimes referred to as a SIM card). In other words, the UE 106 may be a multi-SIM (MUSIM) device, such as a dual-SIM device. Any of the various types of SIMs may be a physical SIM (e.g., a SIM card) or an embedded (e.g., virtual) SIM. Any combination of physical SIMs and / or virtual SIMs may be included. Each SIM may provide various services to the user (e.g., packet-switched services and / or circuit-switched services). In some embodiments, the UE 106 shares a common receive (Rx) chain and / or transmit (Tx) chain for multiple SIMs (e.g., the UE 106 may have a dual-SIM dual-standby architecture). Other architectures are possible. For example, the UE 106 may be a dual-SIM dual-active architecture, which may include separate Tx chains and / or Rx chains for the various SIMs, which may include more than two SIMs, etc.

[0065] Different identities (e.g., different SIMs) may have different identifiers, such as different UE identities (UE IDs). For example, the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) may be an identity associated with a SIM (e.g., in a MUSIM, each SIM may have its own IMSI. The IMSI may be unique.). Similarly, each SIM may have its own unique international mobile equipment identity (IMEI). Thus, the IMSI and / or IMEI may be examples of possible UE IDs, although other identifiers may be used as UE IDs.

[0066] Different identities can have the same or different relationships with various Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs). For example, a first identity may have a first home PLMN, while a second identity may have a different home PLMN. In such cases, one identity can camp on the home network (e.g., camp on the cell provided by BS 102), while the other identity can be roaming (e.g., also camp on the same cell provided by BS 102, or a different cell provided by the same or a different BS 102) at the same time. In other cases, multiple identities can be home (e.g., on the same or different cells of the same or different networks) or can be roaming at the same time (e.g., on the same or different cells of the same or different networks). It should be understood that multiple combinations are possible. For example, two SIM subscriptions on a MUSIM device can belong to the same equivalent / carrier (e.g., AT&T / AT&T or CMCC / CMCC). As another exemplary possibility, SIM-A can roam into the network of SIM-B (SIM-A, a CMCC user, roams into AT&T and SIM-B is also AT&T).

[0067] Figure 3 - Block diagram of an exemplary UE device

[0068] Figure 3 A block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 according to some embodiments is shown. As shown, UE 106 may include a System on Chip (SOC) 300, which may include portions for various purposes. For example, as shown, SOC 300 may include: a processor 302, which may execute program instructions for UE 106; and a display circuitry 304, which may perform graphics processing and provide a display signal to a display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a Memory Management Unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate these addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 306, Read Only Memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or other circuits or devices, such as display circuitry 304, radio components 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0069] As shown, the SOC 300 can be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 can include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), a display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, BLUETOOTH TM , Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UE device 106 can include at least one antenna (e.g., 335a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., as shown by antennas 335a and 335b), for performing wireless communication with a base station and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and the UE device 106 can include fewer or more antennas. Generally speaking, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antenna 335. For example, the UE device 106 can use antenna 335 with the radio circuitry 330 to perform wireless communication. As described above, in some embodiments, the UE can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0070] As further described subsequently herein, the UE 106 (and / or the base station 102) can include hardware and software components for implementing the methods and embodiments. The processor 302 of the UE device 106 can be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 302 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Additionally, the processor 302 can be coupled to and / or interoperate with other components as Figure 3 shown to perform communication according to the various embodiments disclosed herein. For example, the processor 302 can cause the UE 106 to avoid and / or mitigate conflicts between transmissions associated with different SIMs. The processor 302 can also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UE 106.

[0071] In some embodiments, the radio component 330 can include independent controllers dedicated to controlling communication for various respective RAT standards. For example, as Figure 3 shown, the radio component 330 can include a Wi-Fi controller 332, a cellular controller (e.g., an NR controller) 334, and BLUETOOTH TMController 336, and in at least some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as corresponding integrated circuits (referred to simply as ICs or chips) that communicate with each other and with the SOC 300 (more specifically with the processor 302). For example, the Wi-Fi controller 332 may communicate with the cellular controller 334 via a cell-ISM link or a WCI interface, and / or BLUETOOTH TM The controller 336 may communicate with the cellular controller 334 via a cell-ISM link or the like. Although three separate controllers are shown within the radio component 330, other embodiments may be implemented in the UE device 106 with fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs. Any or all such controllers may be configured to implement any of the various methods and embodiments disclosed herein, for example, to avoid and / or mitigate conflicts between transmissions associated with different SIMs.

[0072] Figure 4 - Block diagram of an exemplary base station

[0073] Figure 4 A block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 4 the base station shown is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450) or other circuits or devices.

[0074] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to a plurality of devices such as the UE device 106 to the telephone network as described above in Figure 1 and Figure 2 . The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured or alternatively configured to couple to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0075] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. Antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may also be configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be designed to communicate via various radio communication standards, including but not limited to NR, LTE, LTE-A, WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc. Processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement and / or support the implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, for example by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a combination thereof. In the case of some RATs (e.g., Wi-Fi), base station 102 may be designed as an access point (AP), in which case network port 470 may be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or a local area network, for example it may include at least one Ethernet port, and radio component 430 may be designed to communicate according to the Wi-Fi standard.

[0076] Figure 5 — Block diagram of a cellular communication circuit system

[0077] Figure 5 The example simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit system according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit system is merely an example of one possible cellular communication circuit; other circuits, such as circuits including or coupled to sufficient antennas for different RATs to perform uplink activities using separate antennas, are also possible. According to an embodiment, cellular communication circuit system 330 may be included in a communication device such as communication device 106 described above. As described above, in addition to other devices, communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices.

[0078] Cellular communication circuit system 330 may be (e.g., communicatively, directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 3Antennas 335a-b and 336 as shown in (China). In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Such receive chains may include and / or be communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to dedicated processors and / or radio components. For example, as Figure 5 shown, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT, such as, for example, LTE or LTE-A, and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT, such as, for example, 5G NR.

[0079] As shown, the modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 communicative with the processors 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include receive circuitry (RX) 532 and transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0080] Similarly, the modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 communicative with the processors 522. The modem 520 may communicate with an RF front end 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include receive circuitry 542 and transmit circuitry 544. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 542 may communicate with a DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0081] In some embodiments, switch 570 may couple transmit circuitry 534 to an uplink (UL) front end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple transmit circuitry 544 to UL front end 572. UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Thus, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported via modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state that allows modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuitry 534 and UL front end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported via modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state that allows modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuitry 544 and UL front end 572).

[0082] In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 330 may be configured to transmit, via a first modem when the switch is in the first state, a request attached to a first network node operating according to a first RAT, and when the switch is in the first state, transmit an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining a substantially concurrent connection with the first network node and a second network node operating according to a second RAT. The wireless device may also be configured to transmit, via a second radio component when the switch is in the second state, a request attached to the second network node. The request may include an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining a substantially concurrent connection with the first network node and the second network node. Additionally, the wireless device may be configured to receive, via the first radio component, an indication that a dual connection with the first network node and the second network node has been established.

[0083] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing features for performing transmissions using multiplexing according to multiple radio access technologies in the same frequency carrier as well as various other techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or additionally), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), in combination with one or more of other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0084] In some embodiments, processors 512, 522, etc. may be configured to implement or support the implementation of some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processors 512, 522, etc. may be configured as programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs or as ASICs or combinations thereof. In addition, as described herein, processors 512, 522, etc. may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors 512, 522, etc. may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processors 512, 522, etc. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 512, 522, etc.

[0085] As described herein, the modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing features for performing transmissions using multiplexing according to multiple radio access technologies in the same frequency carrier and various other technologies described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), in combination with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, the processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0086] Figures 6 to 7 —5G NR architecture

[0087] In some specific implementations, fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications will initially be deployed in parallel with other wireless communication standards (e.g., LTE). For example, Figure 6 shows a possible stand-alone (SA) implementation of a next-generation core (NGC) network 606 and a 5G NR base station (e.g., gNB 604), a dual connection between LTE and 5G new radio components (5G NR or NR), such as according to Figure 7 The exemplary non-stand-alone (NSA) architecture shown has been designated as part of the initial deployment of NR. Thus, as Figure 7As shown, the evolved packet core (EPC) network 600 can continue to communicate with the current LTE base station (e.g., eNB 602). In addition, the eNB 602 can communicate with a 5G NR base station (e.g., gNB 604), and can transfer data between the EPC network 600 and the gNB 604. In some cases, the gNB 604 may also at least have a user plane reference point with the EPC network 600. Thus, the EPC network 600 can be used (or reused), and the gNB 604 can act as additional capacity for the UE, such as for providing increased downlink throughput for the UE. In other words, LTE can be used for control plane signaling, and NR can be used for user plane signaling. Thus, LTE can be used to establish a connection to the network, and NR can be used for data services. It should be understood that many other non-standalone architecture variants are possible.

[0088] Figure 8 - Coordinate the communication of MUSIM devices and mitigate conflicts

[0089] As described above, the UE 106 (e.g., or other wireless device) can include multiple SIMs. For example, the UE 106 can be a MUSIM device. One or more networks associated with the BS 102 (or multiple base stations 102) may not recognize that different identities associated with the SIMs of the UE 106 can belong to the same physical device (e.g., the UE 106). In other words, one or more networks can independently process the SIMs of the UE 106. Thus, the communication with the various SIMs of the UE 106 may not be coordinated by the network, and conflicts and other problems associated with the lack of coordination may occur. Such conflicts may cause interference between communication and lost messages such as lost paging (e.g., mobile terminated (MT) paging). Among various possibilities, the lost paging may cause the UE to be penalized by the network. Additionally, due to paging associated with a low-priority activity of another SIM (e.g., paging indicating the availability of downlink data), such conflicts can cause the interruption of a high-priority activity (e.g., a voice call) of one SIM. Such interruptions can degrade the user experience (e.g., can reduce the throughput of data transmission, etc.).

[0090] In some cases, conflicts may occur between alert system message transmissions across multiple SIMs. Examples of such alert systems include, but are not limited to, the following: Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS), Wireless Public Alert Service (WPAS), etc. Such conflicts may cause interference, and UE 106 may not be able to successfully receive and decode such alert system messages. For example, upon receiving a paging indicating the availability of an alert system message (e.g., to multiple SIMs), the SIMs may simultaneously attempt to retrieve the alert system message. Such simultaneous retrieval attempts may cause the SIMs to compete for resources (e.g., RF circuitry, etc.) to perform the retrieval (e.g., the SIMs may each attempt to pre-empt other SIM actions).

[0091] Similarly, the lack of such communication coordination across multiple SIMs may be inefficient. For example, the paging moments for various identities may be separate. Thus, UE 106 may be awakened to monitor the paging moments for each identity. This increased monitoring may significantly increase power consumption and reduce battery life.

[0092] Avoiding or mitigating such conflicts and lack of coordination may be beneficial to the user experience, battery life, and performance of UE 106. Additionally, mitigating the negative impacts of conflicts may provide similar beneficial effects. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing a method for avoiding and / or mitigating coordination problems between communications associated with different SIMs according to at least some embodiments. Figure 8 Aspects of the method may be implemented by a wireless device, such as in conjunction with one or more base stations (such as UE 106 and BS 102 shown and described with respect to the various figures herein), or more generally, in conjunction with any of the computer circuitry, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the above figures as needed. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the shown method elements and / or other method elements.

[0093] Note that although aspects of the method are described in a manner that involves the use of communication technologies and / or features associated with NR and / or 3GPP specification documents Figure 8 this description is not intended to limit the disclosure, and aspects of the method may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed Figure 8 In various embodiments, some of the shown method elements may be performed simultaneously in a different order than shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown, Figure 8 the method may operate as follows.

[0094] According to some embodiments, UE 106 may determine which SIMs (e.g., or more generally, identities) of the device are active (802). If any SIM is preferred for various functions (e.g., data, voice, etc.), UE ID, etc., then UE 106 may determine various parameters of the SIM, such as the home network and / or preferred network (e.g., based on any subscriptions of the SIM, which networks are preferred for roaming). For example, UE 106 may determine that one SIM is preferred for data transmission in the current location of UE 106 based on the relative cost of the data associated with the subscriptions of the SIMs in that location.

[0095] According to some embodiments, UE 106 may determine one or more networks (e.g., PLMN) available for each SIM (e.g., or more generally, identity) of the device (804). For example, UE 106 may determine whether the home network of the first SIM is available. Similarly, UE 106 may determine whether each (e.g., or any) SIM pre-empts any network, and whether the network pre-empted by each corresponding SIM is the home network (e.g., or other preferred network or corresponding roaming network, etc.). UE 106 may determine which networks are available, and whether each available network is the home network, preferred network, or roaming network of each SIM. The UE may determine the availability of such networks before registering with any network and / or after the UE has registered one or more SIMs with one or more networks.

[0096] In some embodiments, UE 106 may determine one or more parameters associated with each network, such as based on system information transmitted by BS 102. For example, UE 106 may determine the paging configuration of the network (e.g., paging occasion and related details). In some embodiments, the paging configuration transmitted by BS 102 may allow UE 106 to determine the paging repetition pattern of the network, e.g., the pattern of the time and circumstances when the network will re-transmit a paging that UE 106 has not acknowledged after the transmission of the paging. For example, the paging configuration may specify the number of paging repetitions (e.g., waiting for a reply from UE) and the duration between each repetition. Thus, the UE may be able to determine the expected time of one or more repetitions associated with a potentially lost paging.

[0097] In addition, UE 106 may determine similar configuration information related to CMAS from one or more networks, e.g., the time and frequency resources that BS102 may use to transmit alert system messages and related paging to UE 106.

[0098] According to some embodiments, UE 106 may detect potential conflicts and / or other issues associated with a lack of coordination between the communications associated with each SIM (806).

[0099] As a first detection example, the UE 106 may detect that paging instants (e.g., configured discontinuous reception (DRX) parameters) associated with two or more SIMs may be uncoordinated. In other words, the UE may determine that the paging instants (e.g., DRX cycles) potentially cause the UE to monitor paging associated with different SIMs according to different time and / or frequency resources. Thus, due to the uncoordinated paging cycles, the UE may have limited sleep (e.g., DRX off) time and may thus use battery energy faster than if the paging instants of different SIMs were coordinated.

[0100] As a second detection example, the UE 106 may detect a conflict between the paging instants of different SIMs. For example, the UE 106 may simultaneously determine the paging instants of different SIMs.

[0101] As a third detection example, the UE 106 may identify a possible conflict between alert system messages associated with different SIMs. In other words, the UE may identify that the BS 102 (or BSs 102) may simultaneously send multiple (e.g., related, e.g., associated with the same base alert) alert system messages to the UE, and thus the UE 106 may not successfully receive such alert system messages.

[0102] As a fourth detection example, the UE 106 may detect a conflict between the activity of a first SIM and the paging (or other activity) of a second SIM. The UE may determine various parameters of the activity and the paging or other activity. For example, the UE may determine a priority associated with the activity for the first SIM. For example, a voice call may have a high priority. Similarly, the UE may determine a priority associated with the paging. For example, the paging may include a paging cause field (or other indicator of the activity associated with the paging). The paging cause field may explicitly or implicitly indicate to the UE whether the activity associated with the paging is of relatively high or low priority. Among various possibilities, paging indicating downlink data access (e.g., via such a cause field or other indicator) may be considered of low priority.

[0103] According to some embodiments, the UE 106 may (e.g., in cooperation with the network, e.g., the BS 102) coordinate communications (808) associated with different SIMs. To coordinate communications, the UE 106 may provide a coordination request and / or related information to one or more networks associated with one or more SIMs. Such a coordination request and / or information may indicate to one or more in the network to adjust upcoming communications (e.g., paging scheduling, providing alert system messages, etc.) to the UE 106 to avoid potential conflicts between communications associated with different SIMs. In other words, the coordination request may be based on the potential conflict.

[0104] As a first coordination example, UE 106 can inform the network that it is a MUSIM device and / or provide a list of UE IDs on which it can receive paging (e.g., UE ID 1 associated with the first SIM and UE ID 2 associated with the second SIM). UE 106 can indicate the preferred UE ID for receiving paging (e.g., UE ID 1). In other words, UE 106 can transmit a coordination request to the network to provide paging for UE ID 2 at the paging moment of UE ID 1. UE 106 can provide this information to the network at initial registration (one or both SIMs) or at any later time, or even in response to an NW request to provide such information. For example, UE 106 can include the information in a registration request transmitted to BS 102, and BS 102 can forward this information to the core NW element. This first coordination example may be particularly useful in cases where two or more SIMs of the UE camp on the same network (e.g., in some cases of the first detection example above). Similarly, this first coordination example can be used in the case of RAN sharing, whereby multiple identities of the UE can camp on different networks provided by the same base station. Based on such an indication, BS 102 (e.g., or other network devices) can ensure that the paging moment of UE 106 can be calculated based on UE ID 1 (e.g., for both the first SIM and the second SIM). In other words, when BS 102 receives a paging for the SIM associated with UE ID 2 (from a network element), it can transmit the paging on the time / frequency resources corresponding to the paging moment associated with UE ID 1. For example, BS 102 can include an identifier in the paging indication that identifies the paging as a paging for UE ID 2. Similarly, BS 102 can transmit the paging for UE ID 1 on the resources associated with the paging moment of UE ID 1 and can include an identifier indicating that the paging is for UE ID 1. Thus, UE 106 can only monitor the paging moment associated with UE ID 1 (e.g., the DRX of the duration). When receiving a paging for UE ID 1, UE 106 can process the paging normally, e.g., using the SIM. When receiving a paging for UE ID 2 (e.g., at the paging moment associated with UE ID 1), UE 106 can internally forward the received paging to the second SIM, e.g., or the processing element associated with the second SIM. Then, UE 106 can continue with the regular paging process, e.g., using the second SIM. For example, when receiving a paging, UE 106 can identify which SIM the paging is associated with and can provide the paging to the processing element or stack that performs the operations of the associated SIM (e.g., UE ID 1 or UE ID 2).Accordingly, the UE 106 can avoid unnecessary tuning (e.g., interrupting the activity of the first SIM) or the duration of paging monitoring for UE ID 2.

[0105] In some embodiments, paging to the SIM associated with UE ID 2 may be transmitted via a link / cell associated with the SIM associated with UE ID 1. However, the paging may be transmitted at a paging moment determined based on UE ID 2.

[0106] As a second coordination example, the UE 106 may transmit a coordination request to the network to change the paging moment of the first SIM in order to coordinate with the paging moment of the second SIM. This method may be useful in cases where various SIMs preoccupy different networks or base stations. For example, this method may be useful if the UE detects a potential conflict between the paging moments of the two SIMs (e.g., the second detection example). Additionally, this method may be useful if the UE detects that the paging moments are staggered in a way that increases the power consumption of the UE relative to a coordinated paging schedule (e.g., the first detection example). In such scenarios, the UE may request that one paging moment be changed to (e.g., immediately) before or after the other paging moment. Alternatively, the UE 106 may request to change the paging moments so that they occur simultaneously, but at frequencies that the UE 106 can monitor simultaneously. Accordingly, the UE may be able to sequentially monitor the two paging moments (e.g., during a single DRX on period), and then turn off some communication circuitry (e.g., for the DRX off period). As a first possibility, the UE 106 may request that the network provide an offset to the pre-computed paging moment of the first SIM, e.g., move the paging moment by an amount of time equal to the offset. In response to a query from the UE 106, and / or in response to a request from the UE 106 to change the paging moment (e.g., request an offset greater than the maximum offset limit), the network may determine the limits for such an offset and may indicate such limits as part of the paging configuration information. As a second possibility, the UE 106 may (e.g., additionally or alternatively) provide an indication of the paging moment of the second SIM to the network. Accordingly, the UE may provide information to the network associated with the first SIM so that the network can determine and provide a conflict-free paging configuration (e.g., and coordinated DRX parameters) for the first SIM. Accordingly, the network may know and minimize the likelihood of tuning. Among the various possibilities, requests to change such paging moments (e.g., DRX, etc.) from the UE to the network may be transmitted using radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0107] As a third coordination example, UE 106 may transmit to one or more networks a coordination request including an indication as to how or whether the network should transmit an alert system message to the UE, and / or may determine which SIM to use to retrieve the alert system message. In some embodiments, such an indication may allow the network to perform a standardized method to avoid conflicts between the alert system and the MUSIM device. In some embodiments, UE 106 may autonomously determine which SIM to use to retrieve the alert system message based on the following possible decision rules. In such embodiments, UE 106 may or may not indicate to the network which SIM is to be used to retrieve the alert system message. For example, UE 106 may indicate to a first network that a second network has been selected to retrieve the alert system message, and the first network may not transmit the alert system message to UE 106. Additionally, UE 106 may transmit an indication to one or more (e.g., all connected) networks indicating that the alert system message has been received (e.g., using the selected SIM).

[0108] As a first possibility, the UE may select a data-preferred network or SIM to retrieve the alert system message. For example, according to some embodiments, if two SIMs are camped on their respective home networks, UE 106 may determine to use the data-preferred SIM to retrieve the alert system message. Thus, UE 106 may indicate to one or both of the networks that UE 106 will retrieve the alert system message of the network associated with the data-preferred SIM. Thus, the other network may not be able to provide the alert system message to the other SIM.

[0109] As a second possibility, UE 106 may determine to use the home network (e.g., rather than a roaming network) to retrieve the alert system message. For example, according to some embodiments, if a first SIM is camped on the home network and a second SIM is roaming, the UE may determine to retrieve the alert system message via the home network. Thus, UE 106 may indicate to one or both networks that the home network (and the corresponding first SIM) can be used to retrieve the alert system message and / or that the alert system message can be retrieved to the second SIM (e.g., via the roaming network). Thus, the roaming network may not be able to provide the alert to the second SIM.

[0110] As a third possibility, according to some embodiments, if the first SIM is in the idle mode and the second SIM is in the connected mode, the UE may determine to retrieve the alert system message via the connected SIM (e.g., regardless of whether the SIMs are connected to the same or different networks). Thus, the UE 106 may indicate to one or both networks that the connected SIM can be used to retrieve the alert system message and / or may not retrieve the alert system to the idle SIM. Thus, the network associated with the idle SIM may not provide an alert, e.g., when the SIM remains in the idle mode.

[0111] As a fourth possibility, in the case of a radio access network (RAN) shared by multiple networks (e.g., PLMNs), multiple SIMs of the UE 106 may camp on the same cell but have different mobile country codes (MCCs) and / or mobile network codes (MNCs). In such cases, the UE 106 may select one of the SIMs based on the MCC and / or MNC to retrieve the alert system message. Thus, the UE 106 may indicate to one or two networks that the selected SIM can be used to retrieve the alert system message and / or may not retrieve the alert system message to the unselected SIM. Thus, the network associated with the unselected SIM may not provide an alert.

[0112] According to some embodiments, the UE 106 may mitigate conflicts (810) between communications with different SIMs. In other words, the UE 106 may determine which SIM is prioritized in the case of a conflict between communications on one SIM and communications on another SIM (e.g., a conflict not avoided based on the coordination described above with respect to 808). For example, based on receiving a paging for the first SIM, the UE 106 may determine that responding to this paging should result in a conflict and thus interfere with (e.g., require tuning from) the ongoing communication activity of the second SIM. The UE 106 may select among various possibilities whether to continue the activity of the second SIM or respond to the paging for the first SIM based on the paging repetition pattern, a one-bit indicator of whether the paging repeats, and / or the paging cause, as further described below.

[0113] As a first mitigation example, according to some embodiments, the UE 106 can consider the paging repetition pattern of the network (e.g., as indicated in the paging configuration information). For example, as described above, if the UE 106 does not acknowledge the first instance of the paging, the network can provide (e.g., possibly in response to a request from the UE 106) information on how to repeat the paging. For example, the paging repetition pattern can include the number of repetitions and the time interval between repetitions (e.g., among various possibilities, the first repetition can occur 2 frames after the initial paging, the second repetition will occur 3 frames later, etc.). Based on the paging repetition pattern, the UE 106 can determine whether to interrupt the communication of the first SIM (e.g., tune away from the first SIM) in order to respond (e.g., retrieve and decode) to the paging from the second SIM. For example, the UE 106 can determine whether the ongoing communication activity can be completed before the expected repetition based on the paging repetition pattern of the network connected to the first SIM and the expected length of the ongoing communication (e.g., transmission and / or reception) of the second SIM. The UE 106 can determine whether to interrupt the ongoing communication based on a comparison to tune to the paging moment for the first SIM. For example, the UE 106 can compare the expected length of the ongoing communication with the desired time until a particular paging repetition. If the expected length is shorter than the expected time before the repetition, the UE 106 can determine to ignore the paging moment (e.g., rather than tune away) to avoid interrupting the ongoing communication. Thus, determining not to respond to the paging can allow the ongoing communication to be completed before answering the paging (e.g., at a particular paging repetition or a paging repetition before a particular paging repetition). The UE 106 can select a particular paging repetition as needed. For example, the UE 106 can select a particular paging repetition such that a threshold number of further paging repetitions are expected after the particular paging repetition (e.g., to allow for the possibility that the UE 106 may miss a particular paging repetition, e.g., due to factors related to or separate from the ongoing communication). For example, if the paging repetition pattern includes four expected repetitions, the UE can select the 2nd or 3rd repetition to allow two or one additional opportunity to skip receiving the paging at the paging moment due to the ongoing communication. The UE 106 can receive and respond to the repetition of the paging at any expected repetition of the paging (e.g., according to the paging repetition pattern).

[0114] In some embodiments, the network (e.g., BS 102) may include additional paging repetition information in or associated with a paging, and the UE 106 may use this information to select whether to continue the activity of the second SIM or respond to the paging for the first SIM. For example, the BS 102 may include a one-bit indicator in the paging to indicate whether the paging will be repeated (e.g., a paging repetition indicator). The UE 106 may use this indicator (e.g., alternatively or additionally the paging repetition information) to determine whether to page immediately or wait for a repetition. As shown in the first mitigation example above, the UE 106 may use such an indicator in combination with the expected length.

[0115] As a second mitigation example, according to some embodiments, the network (e.g., BS 102) may include a paging cause in a paging. Thus, the UE 106 may consider the paging cause (e.g., as indicated in the paging for the first SIM) to determine the priority of the activity associated with the paging (e.g., distinguish high priority and low priority), and determine whether to preempt the activity of the second SIM based on the paging. Thus, if the paging cause indicates a sufficiently high priority reason for the paging (e.g., a priority above a threshold), the UE 106 may interrupt the ongoing activity of the second SIM in order to respond to the paging. For example, the UE 106 may interrupt the data transmission of the second SIM in order to respond to a paging indicating a voice call for the first SIM. Conversely, if the paging cause does not indicate a sufficiently high priority reason for the paging, the UE 106 may determine not to interrupt the activity of the second SIM, and thus delay responding to the paging for the first SIM. In other words, the UE 106 may consider the priority of the activity of the second SIM and (e.g., compare it with) the priority associated with the paging cause of the first SIM. The UE 106 may consider additional factors such as paging repetition and / or expected duration as in the first mitigation example. In addition, the UE 106 may consider factors related to the network and / or preferences associated with each SIM. For example, the UE 106 may adjust the relative priority attributed to one or more SIMs based on whether the network or SIM is preferred for data, voice, etc.

[0116] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may consider both the paging repetition pattern and the paging cause. In other words, aspects of the first mitigation example and the second mitigation example may be combined. For example, a specific paging repetition may be selected at least partially based on the paging cause. For example, for a higher priority paging cause, the threshold number of paging repetitions may be higher than that for a lower priority paging cause. For example, if the paging cause indicates a voice call, the UE 106 may use a higher number of paging repetitions than for data availability (e.g., to ensure that the voice call is quickly connected), while allowing some time to complete ongoing communication activities.

[0117] UE 106 can communicate (812) with BS 102 (or multiple base stations) according to coordination and mitigation. Such communication can include uplink and / or downlink transmissions using any or all SIMs of UE 106.

[0118] For example, UE 106 and BS 102 can coordinate according to any communication request (e.g., as described with respect to 808) transmitted by UE 106 to BS 102. In other words, BS 102 and / or UE 106 can adjust one or more communication schedules to avoid any identified potential conflicts (e.g., in 806).

[0119] Similarly, in the case of not avoiding potential conflicts, UE 106 can prioritize communications (e.g., as described with respect to 810).

[0120] In some embodiments, UE 106 and / or BS 102 can adjust various communication parameters (e.g., paging time, priority, etc.) as needed based on changes in conditions. For example, UE 106 can move and connect to a different network, and thus can adjust decision rules regarding tuning, coordination between paging schedules, etc.

[0121] In the following, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0122] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in any of various forms. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention can be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the present invention can be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as an ASIC. In other embodiments, the present invention can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as an FPGA.

[0123] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) can be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to execute a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets.

[0124] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium (or memory elements), where the memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any one of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0125] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0126] While the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. The present disclosure is intended that the following claims be construed to cover all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: At a user equipment (UE): Establishing a first cellular connection using a first subscriber identity module (SIM); Establishing a second cellular connection using a second SIM; Receiving, using the second cellular connection, paging configuration information including a paging repetition pattern associated with the second cellular connection, wherein the paging repetition pattern includes a repetition number associated with the repetition and a time interval associated with the repetition; Receiving, using the second cellular connection, a paging for the second SIM; Determining that responding to the paging would cause a conflict with ongoing communication activity of the first SIM; and Determining whether to respond to the paging based on a paging cause associated with the paging, the paging cause indicating voice, wherein determining whether to respond to the paging is further based on the paging repetition pattern, and determining whether to respond to the paging includes comparing an expected length of the ongoing communication activity of the first SIM with a time for a specific expected repetition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether to respond to the paging is further based on at least one of the following: The paging repetition pattern associated with the second cellular connection; and A paging repetition indicator associated with the paging.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Selecting the specific expected repetition, wherein a threshold number of further paging repetitions are expected to occur after the specific expected repetition.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the threshold number of the further paging repetitions is based on the paging cause.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the expected length of the ongoing communication activity of the first SIM is shorter than an amount of time until the specific expected repetition, determining whether to respond to the paging includes determining not to respond to the paging.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving a repetition of the paging at a time determined based on the paging repetition pattern, wherein determining whether to respond to the paging is further based on the paging repetition pattern; And Responding to the repetition of the paging.

7. A device for communication, comprising a processor configured to cause a user equipment to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-6.

8. The device according to claim 7, further comprising radio components operatively coupled to the processor.

9. A computer program product, comprising program instructions configured to cause a device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-6.

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