Quality packet radio service for a general packet radio system

• US 20040184426A1
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPNE Corp.
• Original Assignee: Qprs Limited
• Inventors: Tan, Harry
• Granted Patent: US 6,920,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0875 with assigned priorities based access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

The Quality Packet Radio Service enhances the slow General Packet Radio Service medium access procedure to include fast in-session access capability. In order to maximize spectral efficiency, all services in Quality Packet Radio Service are assigned uplink radio channel resources only when they have active data to send. A new set of common control channels is designed to provide these in-session network access capabilities. These channels support similar access and control functions as the General Packet Radio Service common control channels (such as Packet Random Access Channel, Packet Access Grant Channel) except they are used solely in Quality Packet Radio Service to implement in-session access. These common control channels are structured to meet the stringent low delay requirements for in-session access and are termed fast packet common control channels. Since initial radio channel access to the mobile subscriber station has already been established, a smaller amount of overhead information is required for implementing in-session access, thereby allowing these stringent low delay requirements to be met. Specifically, for those services allowed to use in-session access, the assigned uplink channel resources are released during an in-session inactive data period by releasing its assigned Uplink State Flag(s) and Packet Data Traffic Channel(s).

Claims

1. A method for providing low-delay network access to mobile subscriber stations operable in a cellular communication network that provides packet-switched data communications, comprising:

assigning, in response to a service request received from a mobile subscriber station, a radio channel to serve said mobile subscriber station; and

assigning, in response to a service request received from a mobile subscriber station indicative of active data to be exchanged with said mobile subscriber station, radio channel resources on said assigned radio channel to said mobile subscriber station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said assigned radio channel has an uplink channel and a downlink channel, said step of assigning radio channel resources comprises:

releasing, in response to a communication session executing in said mobile subscriber station entering an inactive state, said uplink channel.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of releasing radio channel resources comprises:

releasing assigned uplink channel Uplink State Flag(s) and Packet Data Traffic Channel(s).

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of releasing radio channel resources further comprises:

maintaining the mobile subscriber station uplink Temporary Flow Identifier.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of assigning radio channel resources further comprises:

reassigning, in response to said communication session becomes active again with data to send, radio channel resources on said assigned radio channel to said mobile subscriber station.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

said step of assigning a radio channel comprises;

implementing a virtual connection that supports unidirectional transfer of Logical Link Control Packet Data Units on packet data physical channels between said mobile subscriber station and a Base Station Subsystem in said cellular communication network,

maintaining a Temporary Flow Identifier indicative of the active state of said virtual connection; and

said step of assigning radio channel resources further comprises;

maintaining at least one Uplink State Flag indicative an identity of a specific data transfer executing in said communication session.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said mobile subscriber station transmits data indicative of its identity and the specific virtual connection being referenced by including said Temporary Flow Identifier in its in-session channel request message, said step of assigning radio channel resources enables said Base Station Subsystem to assign uplink resources to serve said virtual connection.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said assigned radio channel has an uplink channel and a downlink channel, said step of assigning radio channel resources comprises:

transmitting, via a fast packet access channel, messages between said mobile subscriber station and said cellular communication network; and

transmitting, via a fast packet control channel, access grant messages to a mobile subscriber station requesting in-session network access and for transmitting polling messages to a mobile subscriber station.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said step of transmitting via a fast packet access channel transmits said messages in individual bursts in a single data frame.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said step of transmitting via a fast packet control channel transmits said messages in individual bursts in a single data frame.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said step of assigning radio channel resources multiplexes multiple data streams with different QoS latency requirements over multiple data traffic channels.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said step of transmitting via a fast packet control channel transmits control channel measurements and timing measurements to said cellular communication network, said method further comprising:

performing at least one of the channel management functions of;

dynamically assigning traffic time slots according to channel quality conditions to increase General Packet Radio Service network throughput through dynamic bandwidth assignment, dynamically changing the peak transmission rate according to channel quality conditions for mobile data networks that employ a set of different multilevel modulation schemes, transmitting timing information during inactive periods of a traffic session.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said step of assigning radio channel resources transmits multiple copies of each message to reduce average delays caused by both traffic contention and mobile radio channel fading degradations.

14. A system for providing low-delay network access to mobile subscriber stations operable in a cellular communication network that provides packet-switched data communications, comprising:

channel assignment means, responsive to a service request received from a mobile subscriber station, for assigning a radio channel to serve said mobile subscriber station; and

fast packet channel assignment means, responsive to a service request received from a mobile subscriber station indicative of active data to be exchanged with said mobile subscriber station, for assigning radio channel resources on said assigned radio channel to said mobile subscriber station.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said assigned radio channel has an uplink channel and a downlink channel, said fast packet channel assignment means comprises:

channel release means, responsive to a communication session executing in said mobile subscriber station entering an inactive state, for releasing said uplink channel.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said channel release means comprises:

means for releasing assigned uplink channel Uplink State Flag(s) and Packet Data Traffic Channel(s).

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said channel release means further comprises:

means for maintaining the mobile subscriber station uplink Temporary Flow Identifier.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said fast packet channel assignment means further comprises:

channel reassignment means, responsive to said communication session becomes active again with data to send, for assigning radio channel resources on said assigned radio channel to said mobile subscriber station.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein:

said channel assignment means comprises;

temporary flow identifier means for implementing a virtual connection that supports unidirectional transfer of Logical Link Control Packet Data Units on packet data physical channels between said mobile subscriber station and a Base Station Subsystem in said cellular communication network,

data flow management means for maintaining a Temporary Flow Identifier indicative of the active state of said virtual connection; and

said fast packet access channel means further comprises;

means for maintaining at least one Uplink State Flag indicative an identity of a specific data transfer executing in said communication session.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said mobile subscriber station transmits data to said fast packet channel assignment means indicative of its identity and the specific virtual connection being referenced by including said Temporary Flow Identifier in its in-session channel request message, said fast packet access channel assignment means enables said Base Station Subsystem to assign uplink resources to serve said virtual connection.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein said assigned radio channel has an uplink channel and a downlink channel, said fast packet channel assignment means comprises:

fast packet access channel means for transmitting messages between said mobile subscriber station and said cellular communication network; and

fast packet control channel means for transmitting access grant messages to a mobile subscriber station requesting in-session network access and for transmitting polling messages to a mobile subscriber station.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said fast packet access channel means transmits said messages in individual bursts in a single data frame.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein said fast packet control channel means transmits said messages in individual bursts in a single data frame.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein said fast packet channel assignment means multiplexes multiple data streams with different QoS latency requirements over multiple data traffic channels.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein said fast packet control channel means transmits control channel measurements and timing measurements to said cellular communication network to enable said cellular communication network further comprising:

means for performing at least one of the channel management functions of;

dynamically assigning traffic time slots according to channel quality conditions to increase General Packet Radio Service network throughput through dynamic bandwidth assignment, dynamically changing the peak transmission rate according to channel quality conditions for mobile data networks that employ a set of different multilevel modulation schemes, transmitting timing information.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein said fast packet channel assignment means transmits multiple copies of each message to reduce average delays caused by both traffic contention and mobile radio channel fading degradations.