APPARATUS, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD, FOR PAGING AN ACCESS TERMINAL IN A RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20080182595A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: WILLEY, WILLIAM DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US12/019,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20080182595A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/025 Indirect paging

Abstract

An apparatus, and an associated method for paging an access terminal to alert the access terminal of a pending communication. A paging message is generated that includes both a partial identifier and a paging indicator bit. The paging message further includes a field that identifies the length of the partial identifier and a field that identifies how many partial identifiers are included in the message.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating access terminal paging, said apparatus comprising:

a first paging channel message generator configured to form a first paging channel message that includes at least a first page indicator and at least a first access terminal partial identity; and

a message sender configured to send the first paging message on a first paging channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first paging channel message generator is configured to form the first paging channel message that further includes an indication of a bit length of the first access terminal partial identity.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the indication of the bit length comprises one of a first value, and a second value, a third value, and a fourth value.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first access terminal partial identity is one of a first length, and a fourth length.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first paging channel message generator is configured to form the first paging channel message that further includes an indication of how many access terminal partial identities are included in the first paging channel message.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first page indicator comprises more than two page indicators per page.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first page indicator indicates a first access-terminal page and wherein the at least the first access terminal partial identity indicates a second access-terminal page.

8. A method for facilitating access terminal paging, said method comprising:

generating a first paging channel message that includes at least a first page indicator and at least a first access terminal partial identity; and

sending the first paging channel message on a first paging channel.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first page indicator is indicative of a first access terminal page and wherein the first access terminal partial identity is indicative of a second access terminal page.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said generating comprises forming the first paging channel message dependent upon access-terminal latency requirements.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first page indicator defines at least part of a first access terminal page that does not exhibit an access-terminal low latency.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the first access terminal partial identity defines an access terminal page that exhibits an access-terminal low latency.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said generating further comprises generating the first paging channel message that further includes forming an indication of a bit length of the first access terminal partial identity.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the indication of the bit length comprises one of a first value, a second value, a third value, and a fourth value.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein said generating further comprises generating the first paging channel message that further includes an indication of how many access terminal partial identities are included in the first paging channel message.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least the first page indicator comprises more than two page indicators per page.

17. An apparatus for facilitating paging of an access terminal, said apparatus comprising:

a detector configured to detect a first paging channel message that includes at least a first page indicator and at least a first access terminal partial identity; and

a determiner configured to determine whether the first paging message indicates that the access terminal is paged.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first paging channel message detected by said detector further comprises an indication of how many bits that the first access terminal partial identity comprises.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first paging channel message detected by said detector further comprises an indication of how many access terminal partial identities are included in the first paging channel message.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said determiner is further configured to determine if the first access terminal partial identity does not match corresponding bits of an access terminal identity of the access terminal and to determine if the at least the first paging indicator indicates that the access terminal is not paged, and wherein said determiner is configured to cause avoidance of reception of a subsequent page message.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said determiner is further configured to cause a response to the paging channel message if said determiner determines that at least a first access terminal partial identity matches corresponding bits of an access terminal identifier of the access terminal.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said determiner is further configured to delay a response to the paging channel message even if said determiner determines from the at least the first paging indicator that the access terminal is paged.

23. A method for facilitating paging of an access terminal, said method comprising:

detecting a first paging channel message that includes at least a first page indicator and at least a first access terminal partial identity; and

determining whether the first paging channel message indicates that the access terminal is paged.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

avoiding reception of a subsequent page message upon determining that at least a first access terminal partial identity does not match the corresponding bits of an access terminal identity of the access terminal and determining from the at least a first paging indicator that the access terminal is not paged,

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

responding to the paging channel message upon determining that at least a first access terminal partial identity matches the corresponding bits of an access terminal identity of the access terminal.

26. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

delaying a response to the paging channel message despite determining from the at least a first paging indicator that the access terminal is paged.