SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PAUSING AN ONGOING TRANSMISSION IN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20080291853A1
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: WIATROWSKI, DAVID G., BELMONTE, JOHN P., ITTNER, KEVIN M., CHOWDHARY, DIPENDRA M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/36 for reassigning the resources associated with the released connections

Abstract

A system and method for pausing communications from a transmitting radio for a certain period of time in order to allow transmission of other messages. When a first radio determines that a message needs to be transmitted either to a second radio or the transmitting radio, the first radio determines whether there are any available forward channels to transmit the call. If no forward channel is available, the first radio determines a period of time required to transmit the message and sends, on a reverse channel, a “request to pause” signal to the transmitting radio identifying that period of time. Upon receiving the “request to pause” signal, the transmitting radio ceases transmission on the forward channel for the specified period of time, during which time the first radio transmits the message.

Claims

1. A method for pausing a transmitting radio in a communication system comprising:

transmitting, by the transmitting radio, a communication on a forward channel of a communication system while listening to a reverse channel;

receiving, at the transmitting radio, a request to pause signal on the reverse channel from a second radio;

ceasing transmission of the communication on the forward channel for a period of time in response to the request to pause signal; and

automatically resuming transmission of the communication on the forward channel after the period of time has elapsed.

2. The method of claim 1 further including determining the period of time to cease transmission based on information provided in the request to pause signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication system is a time division multiple access (TDMA) system, and wherein the forward channel is comprised of a first TDMA time slot and the reverse channel is comprised of a second TDMA time slot.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein ceasing transmission of the communication on the forward channel for a period of time in response to the received reverse channel signaling includes ceasing transmission of the communication on the forward channel for a number of TDMA bursts in response to the received reverse channel signaling.

5. The method of claim 4 further including determining the number of TDMA bursts to cease transmission based on information provided in the request to pause signal.

6. The method of claim 1 further including receiving a message on the forward channel during the period of time that transmission of the communication on the forward channel has ceased.

7. A method for pausing a transmitting radio in a communication system comprising:

determining, at a first radio, that a message is to be sent to a second radio;

identifying that a forward channel used for transmitting communications in the communication system is busy;

determining a period of time required to transmit the message;

transmitting a request to pause signal on a reverse channel, the request to pause signal including information indicating the period of time required to transmit the message; and

transmitting the message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the second radio is the transmitting radio.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein determining the period of time includes determining that the second radio is the transmitting radio;

and increasing the period of time by a predetermined amount upon determining that the second radio is the transmitting radio.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the communication system is a time division multiple access (TDMA) system, and wherein the forward channel is comprised of a first TDMA time slot and the reverse channel is comprised of a second TDMA time slot, and the period of time comprises a number of TDMA bursts required to transmit the message.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting the message includes transmitting the message a predetermined amount of time after transmitting the request to pause signal.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the message is transmitted either directly from the first radio to the second radio or through at lease one base station.

13. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of radios, the plurality of radios including;

a transmitting radio that transmits a communication on a forward channel of the communication system while listening to a reverse channel; and

a first radio configured to determine that a message is to be sent to a second radio;

identify that the forward channel is being used by the transmitting radio busy;

determine a period of time required to transmit the message; and

transmit a request to pause signal on the reverse channel, the request to pause signal including information indicating the period of time required to transmit the message,

wherein upon receiving the request to pause signal on the reverse channel from the first radio, the transmitting radio ceases transmission of the communication on the forward channel for the period of time indicated in the request to pause signal.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a base station for wireless communication with the plurality of radios and to retransmit communications received on an inbound channel over an outbound channel.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the base station is configured to retransmit the request to pause signal multiple times.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the second radio is the transmitting radio.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the first radio is further configured to transmit the message during the period of time when transmission of the communication on the first channel is ceased.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the second radio is configured to, upon receiving the message, transmit an acknowledgment message to the first radio.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein, prior to transmitting the acknowledgment message, the second radio transmits a request to pause signal indicating a period of time required to transmit the acknowledgement signal.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the second radio is configured to, upon receiving the message, transmit an acknowledgment message to the first radio, and wherein the second radio does not transmit a request to pause message prior to transmitting the acknowledgement message.