Radio telecommunications system and method of operating the same with polling

• US 10,608,765 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2019
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cayla, Stephane, de Lannoy, Arnaud Le Clercq
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaidi, Iqbal
• Application Number:
  US16/383,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20190245638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/16 in which the time allocation to individual channels within a transmission cycle is variable, e.g. to accommodate varying complexity of signals, to vary number of channels transmitted H04J3/17, H04J3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling

Abstract

An apparatus or method for transmitting data blocks on a communications channel having a radio link between two stations including a user equipment comprises receiving first data blocks from the user equipment, and transmitting second data blocks to the user equipment. A polling interval is dynamically set for the transmission of polling messages to the user equipment after transmission of the second data blocks, the polling interval being set in accordance with at least one of: a size of one or more data blocks received by the apparatus from the user equipment, a size of one or more blocks transmitted from the apparatus to the user equipment, and a service to which the user equipment is subscribed. The apparatus may be used as a PCU in a cellular mobile telephone system.

Claims

1. A method of performing communication between a first and a second radio link control (RLC)/medium access control (MAC) entity, comprising:

performing, by the second RLC/MAC entity;

receiving a set of data blocks from the first RLC/MAC entity;

receiving a plurality of polling messages to request that the second RLC/MAC entity acknowledge receipt of the set of data blocks transmitted from the first RLC/MAC entity to the second RLC/MAC entity; and

transmitting at least one acknowledgement message acknowledging receipt of one or more of the set of data blocks, the at least one acknowledgement message being responsive to a particular one of the plurality of polling messages;

wherein receiving the plurality of polling messages comprises;

receiving a first polling message after a previously received polling message, wherein an interval of time between reception of the previously received polling message and reception of the first polling message is a first polling interval, and

receiving a second polling message after the first polling message, wherein an interval of time between reception of the first polling message and reception of the second polling message is a second polling interval, wherein the second polling interval is different from the first polling interval, and wherein the second polling interval is based on at least one parameter of the set of data blocks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second polling interval is based on one or more of:

a size of one or more data blocks of the set of data blocks, or an amount of data blocks in the set of data blocks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second polling interval is based on a quality of service information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second polling interval is based on a service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data blocks are downlink data blocks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second polling interval is set independently of polling intervals for other RLC/MAC entities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a first acknowledgement message of the at least one acknowledgement message includes a positive acknowledgement for a first data block of the set of data blocks and a negative acknowledgement for a second data block of the set of data blocks.

8. A second radio link control (RLC)/medium access control (MAC) entity configured to wirelessly communicate with a first RLC/MAC entity, wherein the second RLC/MAC entity comprises:

an interface to one or more antennas for performing wireless communication; and

processing hardware coupled to the one or more antennas via the interface, wherein the processing hardware is configured to;

receive, via the interface, a plurality of polling messages to request that the second RLC/MAC entity acknowledge receipt of a set of data blocks transmitted from the first RLC/MAC entity to the second RLC/MAC entity; and

transmit, via the interface, from the second RLC/MAC entity at least one acknowledgement message acknowledging receipt of one or more of the set of data blocks, the at least one acknowledgement message being responsive to a particular one of the plurality of polling messages;

wherein to receive the plurality of polling messages, the processing hardware is further configured to;

receive, via the interface, a first polling message after a previously transmitted polling message, wherein an interval of time between transmission of the previously transmitted polling message and transmission of the first polling message is a first polling interval; and

receive, via the interface, a second polling message after the first polling message, wherein an interval of time between transmission of the first polling message and transmission of the second polling message is a second polling interval, wherein the second polling interval is different from the first polling interval, and wherein the second polling interval is determined responsive to at least one parameter of the set of data blocks.

9. The second RLC/MAC entity of claim 8, wherein the second polling interval is based on a size of one or more data blocks of the set of data blocks.

10. The second RLC/MAC entity of claim 8, wherein the second polling interval is based on an amount of data blocks in the set of data blocks.

11. The second RLC/MAC entity of claim 8, wherein the second polling interval is based on a service.

12. The second RLC/MAC entity of claim 8, wherein the second polling interval is based on a quality of service information.

13. The second RLC/MAC entity of claim 8, wherein the set of data blocks are downlink data blocks.

14. The second RLC/MAC entity of claim 8, wherein the second polling interval is set independently of polling intervals for other RLC/MAC entities.

15. The second RLC/MAC entity of claim 8, wherein a first acknowledgement message of the at least one acknowledgement message includes a positive acknowledgement for a first data block of the set of data blocks and a negative acknowledgement for a second data block of the set of data blocks.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless interface; and

a processing element coupled to the wireless interface, wherein the processing element is configured to;

receive, via the wireless interface, a plurality of polling messages to request that a receiving radio link control (RLC)/medium access control (MAC) entity acknowledge receipt of a set of data blocks transmitted to the receiving RLC/MAC entity; and

transmit, via the wireless interface, from the receiving RLC/MAC entity at least one acknowledgement message acknowledging receipt of one or more of the set of data blocks, the at least one acknowledgement message being responsive to a particular one of the plurality of polling messages;

wherein to receive the plurality of polling messages, the processing element is further configured to;

receive, via the wireless interface, a first polling message after a previously transmitted polling message, wherein an interval of time between transmission of the previously transmitted polling message and transmission of the first polling message is a first polling interval; and

receive, via the wireless interface, a second polling message after the first polling message, wherein an interval of time between transmission of the first polling message and transmission of the second polling message a second polling interval, wherein the second polling interval is different from the first polling interval, and wherein the second polling interval is determined responsive to at least one parameter of the set of data blocks.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second polling interval is based on one or more of:

a size of one or more data blocks of the set of data blocks, an amount of data blocks in the set of data blocks, a service, or a quality of service information.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the set of data blocks are downlink data blocks.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second polling interval is set independently of polling intervals for other RLC/MAC entities.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a first acknowledgement message of the at least one acknowledgement message includes a positive acknowledgement for a first data block of the set of data blocks and a negative acknowledgement for a second data block of the set of data blocks.