Method and apparatus for providing information to mobile stations in inactive states

• US 20060029011A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Nextel Communications (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Olfat, Masoud, Etemad, Kamran
• Granted Patent: US 7,796,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for notifying mobile stations in an inactive state of the presence of uplink or downlink channel configuration, broadcast system updates, traffic channel allocations and paging messages are provided. The notification can be provided in an information element in the same channel as the frame, or in a different channel. The information element identifies a subsequent frame which includes broadcast or configuration changes. The notifications for traffic channel allocations can include a first field, which identifies whether there are any traffic channel allocations for any sleep mode mobile station, and a second field for identifying the particular sleep mode mobile stations which are to receive traffic channel allocations. Notifications for paging messages can include a field, which identifies whether there are any paging messages for any idle mode mobile stations, and use second field to identify the particular idle mode mobile stations, which are to receive the paging messages.

Claims

1. A method for notifying mobile stations in an inactive state of information transmitted in a frame, comprising the acts of:

determining whether particular broadcast information will be transmitted in the frame;

determining whether information for at least one of the mobile stations in the inactive state will be transmitted in the frame;

forming an information element notifying mobile stations in the inactive state whether the particular broadcast information or the information for the at least one of the mobile stations in the inactive state will be transmitted in the frame; and

broadcasting the information element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information element is broadcast in a downlink MAP of the frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information element is broadcast in a dedicated physical channel in the frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular broadcast information is an uplink or downlink configuration change.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular broadcast information is a broadcast system update message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the mobile stations in the inactive state is in an idle mode, and the information for the mobile station in the idle mode is information related to a paging message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information for the mobile station in the idle mode identifies that the information element includes additional information related to a paging message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the additional information indicates that the mobile station in the idle mode will receive a paging message in the frame.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the mobile stations in the inactive state is in a sleep mode, and the information for the mobile station in the sleep mode is information related to a traffic channel assignment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the information for the mobile station in the sleep mode identifies that the information element includes additional information related to the traffic channel assignment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the additional information indicates that the mobile station in the idle mode will receive a traffic channel assignment in the frame.

12. A method for determining whether a frame includes information for a mobile station in an inactive state, comprising the acts of:

receiving an information element;

decoding the information element;

examining the information element to determine whether the information element identifies that particular broadcast information or information for the mobile station will be transmitted in the frame.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the information element is broadcast in a downlink MAP of the frame.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the information element is broadcast in a dedicated physical channel in the frame.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the particular broadcast information is an uplink or downlink configuration change.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the particular broadcast information is a broadcast system update message.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile station in the inactive state is in an idle mode, and the information for the mobile station is information related to a paging message.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information for the mobile station identifies that the information element includes additional information related to a paging message.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the additional information indicates that the mobile station will receive a paging message in the frame.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile station is in a sleep mode, and the information for the mobile station is information related to a traffic channel assignment.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the information for the mobile station identifies that the information element includes additional information related to the traffic channel assignment.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the additional information indicates that the mobile station will receive a traffic channel assignment in the frame.

23. A method for determining whether a frame includes information for a mobile station in an inactive state, comprising the acts of:

receiving, by a mobile station in an inactive state, an information element;

examining a first field of the information element to determine whether the information element includes additional information for at least one of a group of mobile stations in the inactive state;

examining a second field of the information element to determine whether the information element includes additional information for the mobile station in the inactive state, when it is determined that the information element includes additional information for the at least one of the group of mobile stations in the inactive state, wherein the second field indicates that the frame includes information for a particular mobile station in the group of mobile stations in the inactive state.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the group of mobile stations in the inactive state are in an idle mode, and the second field identifies particular mobile stations of the group of mobile stations which are to receive paging messages in the frame.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the group of mobile stations in the inactive state are in a sleep mode, and the second field identifies particular mobile stations of the group of inactive mobile stations which are to receive traffic channel assignments in the frame.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the group of mobile stations in the inactive state include mobile stations in a sleep mode and an idle mode, the first field includes a field for identifying whether the second field includes information for at least one of the mobile stations in the idle mode and a field for identifying whether the second field includes information for at least one of the mobile stations in a sleep mode, and the second field identifies particular mobile stations of the sleep mode mobile stations which are to receive traffic channel assignments in the frame and identifies particular mobile stations of the idle mode mobile stations which are to receive paging messages in the frame.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the information element is part of the frame.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the information element is carried in a dedicated physical channel in the frame.