Opportunistic channel assignments

• US 20040203837A1
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher Lawrence
• Original Assignee: Christopher Lawrence
• Inventors: Lawrence, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US10/263,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203837A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

The invention relates to cellular mobile communications systems and more specifically to a system and method for efficiently managing system control signaling to optimize spectrum and other important system resources.

Claims

1. A method for opportunistic control signal switching that produces a behavior wherein cell boundaries are explicitly changed in a wireless communications network.

2. System according to claim 1 where the control signal switching entails switching in time, postponing, suspending indefinitely, curtailing altogether, switching in spectral channel, switching in physical hardware.

3. System according to claim 2 where the control signal switching entails switching in time, postponing, suspending indefinitely, curtailing altogether, switching in spectral channel, switching in physical hardware causing cell boundaries in the system to be altered for devices not currently using traffic resources.

4. System according to claim 1 where the control signal switching entails switching the broadcast control signal

5. System according to claim 4 where the control signal switching entails switching broadcast control signal relating to access privileges

6. System according to claim 5 where the switching point-to-point broadcast control signal

7. System according to claim 6 where the switching point-to-point broadcast control signal that is related to use of the traffic resource

8. System according to claim 1 where the control signal switching entails cessation of transmission of said control signal on the radio resource

9. System according to claim 8 where the switching releases the radio resource for other system use

10. System according to claim 9 where the switching releases the radio resource for traffic use

11. System according to claim 1 where the switching entails cessation of transmission of the control signal on the spectral resource

12. System according to claim 11 where the switching releases the spectral resource for other system use

13. System according to claim 12 where the switching releases the spectral resource for traffic use

14. System according to claim 1 where the basis for the switching decision is centered on the desire to preferentially reallocate system resources and where said resources may be hardware, software or radio frequency based.

15. System according to claim 1 where the basis for the switching decision is centered on resource availability.

16. System according to claim 1 where the basis for the switching decision is centered on the need for end units to obtain positive pre-acknowledgement of service availability.

17. System according to claim 1 where the basis for the switching decision is centered on the desire for end units to have greater certainty of service availability.

18. System according to claim 1 wherein opportunistic control signal switching is realized according to Embodiment 1 previously described and depicted in FIG. 1 in which a switching decision algorithm 102 is added to the MSC'"'"'s 101 existing call processing capabilities.

19. System according to claim 1 wherein opportunistic control signal switching is realized according to Embodiment 2 previously described and depicted in FIG. 2 in which a switching decision algorithm 102 is an external adjunct to the workings of MSC 101 and deployed in ancillary equipment selected from the group consisting of:

(1) centrally located;

(2) physically distributed.

20. System according to claim 1 wherein opportunistic control signal switching is realized according to Embodiment 3 previously described and depicted in FIG. 3 in which a switching decision algorithm 102 is realized by adding ancillary RF equipment and logic to cell site radio equipment as depicted by components 108 and 109 of FIG. 3. In this embodiment, sensing equipment 108 is used to determine the output state of the service radio(s) 106, and, correspondingly, logical signals are passed between components 108 and 109 to assign said control signals to a preferred state.

21. System according to claim 1 wherein opportunistic control signal switching is realized according to Embodiment 4 previously described and depicted in FIG. 4 in which ancillary logic 111 and RF equipment 109 together comprise the switching decision algorithm. The RF component 109 and logical component 111 may be located at the cell site or may be deployed centrally (e.g., at an MSC) or regionally. In this embodiment ancillary logic 111 is used to intercept, inspect and modify control signaling to the service radio(s) 106, and, correspondingly, logical signals are passed between components 111 and 109 to assign said control signals to a preferred state.

22. System according to claim 1 wherein opportunistic control signal switching is realized according to Embodiment 5 previously described and depicted in FIG. 5 in which ancillary logic 112 and RF equipment 108 together comprise the switching decision algorithm. The RF component 108 and logical component 112 may be located at the cell site or may be deployed centrally (e.g., at an MSC) or regionally. In this embodiment RF sensing equipment 108 is used to intercept, inspect and modify control signaling to the service radio(s) 106, and, correspondingly, logical signals are passed between components 108 and 112 to assign said control signals to a preferred state.