Wireless subscriber network registration system for configurable services

• US 20020155829A1
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IPR Licensing Incorporated (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tantivy Communications Incorporated (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Proctor, James A. Jr., Francesca, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

In a wireless telecommunications network, wireless transmissions are carried via an RF medium between users and a central wireless transceiver, or base station processor. A subscriber access unit connected to a user device such as a user PC is employed to transmit wireless messages to and from the base station processor. Multiple, simultaneous wireless transmissions to the base station from different subscriber access units can have a tendency to interfere with each other. Subscriber access units employing an omnidirectional antenna or which are highly mobile will tend to experience more interference than stationary users or subscriber access units employing a directional antenna. The allocation of wireless transmission resources to retransmit wireless messages over a lossy link can have a detrimental effect on wireless resources available for other users. A system which allows a subscriber access unit to register device capabilities with a base station processor to determine the degree to which a particular subscriber access unit may be prone to interference provides computation and adjustment of transmission constraints for each subscriber access unit accordingly to maximize throughput.

Claims

1. A method for managing transmission constraints based on subscriber device capabilities comprising:

determining a set of device capabilities corresponding to a transceiver device;

registering the device capabilities with a remote wireless transceiver device;

computing a set of transmission constraints based on the device capabilities; and

applying the transmission constraints corresponding to the transceiver device to transmissions between the transceiver device and the central transceiver device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transceiver device is a wireless subscriber access unit and the central transceiver device is a base station processor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmission constraints include parameters selected from the group consisting of transmission power, forward error correction (FEC) coding rate, and modulation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the device capabilities include parameters selected from the group consisting of fixed, mobile, and pedestrian.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the device capabilities further include antenna characteristics.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the device capabilities are indicative of an antenna array.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the antenna array comprises one radiating element.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the antenna array comprises radiating elements.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the antenna characteristics include characteristics selected from the group consisting of omnidirectional, one degree of freedom, and multiple degrees of freedom.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein computing the transmission constraints further comprises computing transmission constraints in response to observed transmission characteristics.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the observed transmission characteristics include characteristics selected from the group consisting of bit error rate (BER), interference level, dropped packets, and received power level.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein applying the transmission constraints include allocating a greater data rate to a subscriber corresponding to an antenna having at least one degree of freedom than to a subscriber corresponding to an omnidirectional antenna.

13. The method of claim 4 wherein the transmission constraints limit the power level when the device capabilities indicate mobile.

14. The method of claim 4 wherein the power level to 23 dBm when the device capabilities indicate mobile.

15. The method of claim 4 wherein the transmission constraints include transmitting at an increased power level when the device capabilities indicate fixed.

16. The method of claim 4 wherein the transmission constraints include a power level greater than 23 dBm when the device capabilities indicate fixed.

17. The method of claim 2 wherein the device capabilities are received from a centrally located database in electronic communication with the base station processor.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the centrally located database stores a predetermined sets of data.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the centrally located data base is a wireless Internet facility (WIF).

20. The method of claim 2 wherein the device capabilities are stored at the Subscriber Access Unit and are sent by the subscriber access unit to the base station processor.

21. A system for managing transmission constraints in a wireless network comprising:

a plurality of wireless transceiver devices operable to transmit and receive wireless messages, the wireless transceiver devices having device capabilities;

a registration manager operable to compute transmission constraints for the wireless transceiver devices based on the device capabilities; and

a capacity manager operable to apply the transmission constraints to at least one of the wireless transceiver devices.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a registration database operable to store the device capabilities corresponding to the wireless transceiver devices.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the transceiver devices further comprise wireless subscriber access units and base station processors, wherein the registration manager is in the base station processor.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the transmission constraints include parameters selected from the group consisting of transmission power, forward error correction (FEC) coding rate, and modulation.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the device capabilities include parameters selected from the group consisting of fixed, mobile, and pedestrian.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the device capabilities further include antenna characteristics.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the device capabilities are indicative of an antenna array.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the antenna array comprises one radiating element.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the antenna array comprises 5 radiating elements.

30. The system of claim 26 wherein the antenna characteristics include characteristics selected from the group consisting of omnidirectional, one degree of freedom, and multiple degrees of freedom.

31. The system of claim 21 wherein the registration manager is further operable to compute the transmission constraints in response to observed transmission characteristics.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the observed transmission characteristics include characteristics selected from the group consisting of bit error rate (BER), interference level, dropped packets, and received power level.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the transmission constraints include allocating greater data rate to a subscriber corresponding to an antenna having at least one degree of freedom than to a subscriber corresponding to an omnidirectional antenna.

34. The system of claim 25 wherein the transmission constraints limit the power when the device capabilities indicate mobile

35. The system of claim 25 wherein the transmission constraints limit the power level to 23 dBm when the device capabilities indicate mobile.

36. The system of claim 25 wherein the transmission constraints increase the power level when the device capabilities indicate fixed.

37. The system of claim 25 wherein the transmission constraints include a power level greater than 23 dBm when the device capabilities indicate fixed.

38. The system of claim 23 wherein the device capabilities are received from a centrally located database in electronic communication with the base station processor.

39. The system of claim 23 wherein the centrally located database is a wireless Internet facility (WIF).

40. The system of claim 23 wherein the device capabilities are sent by the subscriber access unit to the base station processor.

41. A computer program product having computer program code for managing transmission constraints based on subscriber device capabilities comprising:

computer program code for determining a set of device capabilities corresponding to a transceiver device;

computer program code for registering the device capabilities with a central wireless transceiver device;

computer program code for computing a set of transmission constraints based on the device capabilities; and

computer program code for applying the transmission constraints corresponding to the transceiver device to transmissions between the transceiver device and the central transceiver device.

42. A computer data signal for managing transmission constraints based on subscriber device capabilities comprising:

program code for determining a set of device capabilities corresponding to a transceiver device;

program code for registering the device capabilities with a central wireless transceiver device;

program code for computing a set of transmission constraints based on the device capabilities; and

program code for applying the transmission constraints corresponding to the transceiver device to transmissions between the transceiver device and the central transceiver device.

43. A system for managing transmission constraints in a wireless network comprising:

means for determining a set of device capabilities corresponding to a transceiver device;

means for registering the device capabilities with a central wireless transceiver device;

means for computing a set of transmission constraints based on the device capabilities; and

means for applying the transmission constraints corresponding to the transceiver device to transmissions between the transceiver device and the central transceiver device.