Method for enabling multicast services and user equipment battery savings

• US 20040063442A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldberg, Steven Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,486,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method for providing multicast services to UEs enhances battery life and provides for more efficient use of the radio resources. Each service, or a target group for a service, is assigned an identifier. The identifier is associated with a pointer to the transmission of data. Each UE searches for the identifier in order to know when the data will be transmitted. The UEs may receive the pointer from a number of different paging windows. The transmission of the data occurs after the last pointer is transmitted in order to guarantee that all the target UEs receive a pointer to the data prior to the transmission of the data.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting data to a plurality of wireless transmit/receive units comprising:

a transmitter comprising;

a memory for storing the identification of a group corresponding to at least one UE along with the member UEs associated with the group identifiers;

a scheduler for scheduling the transmission of each said group identifier such that the group identifiers for each UE are transmitted in a single paging window; and

a paging channel comprising a plurality of paging windows, each paging window for supporting the transmission of at least one group identification and associated pointer to a subsequent data message.

2. The system of claim 1 whereby the data message is transmitted after the transmission of all of the group identifications.

3. The system of claim 2 whereby the scheduler transmits a notification of an assigned paging window to each UE.

4. The system of claim 3 whereby each UE powers up during each assigned paging window and is otherwise powered down.

5. A method for enabling multicast services while optimizing radio resources comprising:

identifying a plurality of group member UEs;

determining all groups with which a UE is associated;

scheduling the group identifiers such that each search UE accesses only one paging window; and

notifying UEs of their assigned paging windows.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of determining whether there are any scheduling conflicts between data messages for a particular UE.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of resolving scheduling conflicts prior to notifying UEs of their assigned paging windows where it is determined that there are scheduling conflicts.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of resolving scheduling conflicts is performed by rescheduling data messages so as to avoid any scheduling conflicts that have been determined to exist.

6. The method of claim 6 wherein each group identifier includes an associated pointer for directing UEs to data messages associated with the group in which they belong.