Methods and apparatus of enhancing performance in wireless communication systems
First Claim
1. A communications method, the method comprising the steps of:
- operating a wireless communications terminal to maintain a set of communications quality information for a plurality of different wireless communications channels which can be used to communicate information between a base station and said wireless communications terminal, said plurality of different wireless communications channels including at least a first communications channel and a second communications channel, the first and second communications channels having different quality characteristics which are a function of first and second transmission technologies used to establish said first and second communications channels, respectively, said first and second transmission technologies being different;
operating the wireless terminal to generate a signal as a function of the maintained communications channel quality information corresponding to at least said first and said second communications channels; and
transmitting said signal to said base station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for supporting and using multiple communications channels corresponding to different transmit technologies and/or access technologies in parallel within a cell of a wireless communications system are described. Mobile nodes support multiple technologies and can switch between the technology being used at a particular point in time, e.g., from a first channel corresponding to a first technology to a second channel corresponding to a different technology which provides better transmission characteristics, e.g., a better perceived channel quality. Mobiles maintain at least two sets of channel quality information at any one point in time. Mobiles select the better channel and communicate the channel selection to the base station or communicate channel quality information for multiple channels to the base station and allow the base station to select the channel corresponding to the technology providing the better conditions for the mobile. Different mobiles in the same cell may support different technologies.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A communications method, the method comprising the steps of:
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operating a wireless communications terminal to maintain a set of communications quality information for a plurality of different wireless communications channels which can be used to communicate information between a base station and said wireless communications terminal, said plurality of different wireless communications channels including at least a first communications channel and a second communications channel, the first and second communications channels having different quality characteristics which are a function of first and second transmission technologies used to establish said first and second communications channels, respectively, said first and second transmission technologies being different;
operating the wireless terminal to generate a signal as a function of the maintained communications channel quality information corresponding to at least said first and said second communications channels; and
transmitting said signal to said base station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A wireless terminal comprising:
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a set of communications quality information for a plurality of different wireless communications channels which can be used to communicate information between a base station and said wireless communications terminal, said plurality of different wireless communications channels including at least a first communications channel and a second communications channel, the first and second communications channels having different quality characteristics which are a function of first and second transmission technologies used to establish said first and second communications channels, respectively, said first and second transmission technologies being different;
means for generating a signal as a function of the maintained communications channel quality information corresponding to at least said first and said second communications channels; and
a transmitter for transmitting said signal to said base station.
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20. The wireless terminal of claim 19,
wherein said wireless terminal includes a receiver capable of receiving signals transmitted using said first and second technologies, said first and second technologies being different incompatible access technologies.
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22. The wireless terminal of claim 19, wherein said wireless terminal includes a receiver capable of receiving signals transmitted using said first and second technologies where each of the different access technologies corresponds to a different technology standard which defines requirements for complying with the particular access technology, said different access technologies being incompatible as indicated by the technology standard corresponding to one of said different access technologies defining communications requirements which violate the defined requirements of the other different access technologies.
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23. A base station comprising:
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means for transmitting signals corresponding to a plurality of different communications channels in parallel, at least two of said communications channels corresponding to different access technologies;
means for receiving a signal from a wireless terminal which was generated as a function of signal quality information corresponding to at least two different communications channels, said two different communication channels corresponding to different communications technologies; and
a channel segment allocator for allocating channels segments to said wireless terminal as a function of the received signal. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification