Method and apparatus for controlling access to a multimedia broadcast multicast service in a packet data communication system
First Claim
1. A method for controlling access to a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) service comprising:
- determining a quantity of mobile stations subscribed to the MBMS service and maintaining an active connection;
determining an access probability factor;
broadcasting a control message comprising the access probability factor;
receiving, from each of one or more idle mode mobile stations, a response to the control message;
comparing the number of received responses to a threshold to produce a comparison; and
determining whether to establish a point-to-multipoint communication or a point-to-point communication based on the comparison.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communication system (100) determines whether to establish a point-to-multipoint communication or a point-to-point communication for conveyance of Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) data based on a number of mobile stations (MSs) (102-104), both idle mode and maintaining an active connection, serviced by the system and subscribed to an MBMS service. The system, broadcasts (306) a control message that includes an access probability factor. In order to avoid overloading the system with responses to the control message, MSs maintaining an active connection ignore (506, 508) the control message while idle mode MSs determine (506, 512) whether to respond based on the access probability factor. The system compares (310) a number of received responses to a threshold and determines whether to establish a point-to-multipoint communication (312) or a point-to-point communication (322) based on the comparison. The system also adjusts (314, 330) the access probability factor based on the number of responses.
74 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for controlling access to a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) service comprising:
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determining a quantity of mobile stations subscribed to the MBMS service and maintaining an active connection;
determining an access probability factor;
broadcasting a control message comprising the access probability factor;
receiving, from each of one or more idle mode mobile stations, a response to the control message;
comparing the number of received responses to a threshold to produce a comparison; and
determining whether to establish a point-to-multipoint communication or a point-to-point communication based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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7. (canceled)
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16. (canceled)
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17. (canceled)
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18. An apparatus for controlling access to a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) service comprising:
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at least one memory device that maintains an access probability factor and further maintains a record of a quantity of mobile stations subscribed to the MBMS service and maintaining an active connection;
a processor coupled to the at least one memory device that determines a quantity of mobile stations subscribed to the MBMS service and maintaining an active connection and an access probability factor by reference to the at least one memory device, conveys a control message comprising the access probability factor, receives, from each of one or more idle mode mobile stations, a response to the control message;
compares the number of received responses to a threshold to produce a comparison, and determines whether to establish a point-to-multipoint communication or a point-to-point communication based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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24. (canceled)
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33. (canceled)
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34. (canceled)
Specification