METHODS OF ANNOUNCING A CALL AND TRANSMITTING APPLICATION DATA TO AN ACCESS TERMINAL IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

• US 20100080179A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: SANTHANAM, Arvind Vardarajan
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/025 Indirect paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/04 multi-step notification using statistical or historical mobility data

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for announcing a call to an access terminal in a wireless communications system. Receiving, at an access network, a request to call a given access terminal and determining whether a cluster to which the given access terminal belongs is known at the access network by querying a location database. The location database includes a list of access terminals and clusters, which themselves include sectors of the wireless communications system. Thereafter, transmitting an announce message announcing the requested call to the given access terminal based on the determiniation of whether the cluster is known to the access network.

Claims

1. A method of announcing a call to an access terminal in a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving, at an access network, a request to call a given access terminal;

determining whether a cluster to which the given access terminal belongs is known at the access network by querying a location database, the location database including a list of access terminals with each listed access terminal stored in association with one of a plurality of clusters, each of the plurality of clusters including a plurality of sectors of the wireless communications system; and

transmitting an announce message announcing the requested call to the given access terminal based on the determining step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the determining step determines the cluster of the given access terminal is known, the transmitting step transmits the announce message over a control channel within the determined cluster.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the announce message transmitted over the control channel within the determined cluster is configured as a data over signaling (DOS) message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the determining step determines the cluster of the given access terminal is known, the transmitting step pages the given access terminal over a paging channel in sectors outside of the determined cluster.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the determining step determines the cluster of the given access terminal is known, the transmitting step transmits the announce message over a control channel within the determined cluster, and the transmitting step pages the given access terminal over a paging channel in sectors outside of the determined cluster.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the determining step determines the cluster of the given access terminal is not known, the transmitting step transmits the announce message over a control channel within each sector of the wireless communications system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the announce message transmitted over the control channel within the determined cluster is configured as a data over signaling (DOS) message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the determining step determines the cluster of the given access terminal is not known, the transmitting step pages the given access terminal over a paging channel in each sector of the wireless communications system, waits for the given access terminal to establish a traffic channel with the access network and transmits the announce message to the given access terminal over the established channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location database is based upon one or more route update messages received from access terminals within the wireless communications system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more route update messages are received from the access terminals in accordance with a location update rule of each access terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the location update rule is based upon at least one of time, current serving sector, geographic location and distance traveled.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein access terminals configured to decode announce messages over a downlink control channel transmit the route update messages more frequently than access terminals that are not configured to decode announce messages over the downlink control channel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the access network maintains, in the location database, location estimates of access terminals configured to decode announce messages over a downlink control channel with more precision than access terminals that are not configured to decode announce messages over the downlink control channel.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the location database includes a location estimate of the given access terminal, and the number of sectors in the cluster is based on a confidence level associated with the location estimate.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sectors in the cluster are in physical proximity to the location estimate of the given access terminal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested call is a unicast call for the given access terminal.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested call is a multicast call for a plurality of access terminals including the given access terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining step determines the clusters for each of the plurality of access terminals, and wherein the transmitting step (i) transmits the announce message over a control channel within each determined cluster and (ii) pages the given access terminal over a paging channel in sectors outside of each determined cluster.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step transmits the announce message as a data over signaling (DOS) message on a downlink control channel in at least one sector and less than all sectors in which the announce message is transmitted.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting step transmits the announce message in a synchronous or sub-synchronous control channel capsule of a downlink control channel.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an announce message indicator that indicates the presence of the transmitted announce message to the given access terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the announce message is transmitted in an asynchronous control channel capsule of a downlink control channel.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the announce message is transmitted after a first MAC packet of the control channel capule.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the announce message indicator is one of a QuickConfig message, a quick paging bit on a quick paging channel and a proprietary message that is not defined by EV-DO standards.

25. A method of announcing a call to an access terminal in a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving, at an access network, a request to call a given access terminal;

scheduling an announce message announcing the requested call to the given access terminal on a downlink control channel in at least one sector of the wireless communications system, the scheduling including inserting an announce message indicator that indicates the presence of the announce message and positioning the announce message on the downlink control channel in a manner indicated by the announce message indicator;

transmitting the announce message indicator to the given access terminal; and

transmitting the announce message announcing the requested call to the given access terminal on the downlink control channel based on the scheduling.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

delaying one or more pages on the downlink control channel for access terminals other than the given access terminal until after the transmitting step transmits the announce message.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the announce message indicator is inserted within a first media access control (MAC) packet on a given control channel capsule of the downlink control channel.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the announce message indicator indicates that the announce message is included within an asynchronous control channel capsule subsequent to the given control channel capsule.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the announce message indicator is included within a QuickConfig message, and the given control channel capsule is a synchronous control channel capsule.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the announce message indicator is a proprietary message, and the given control channel capsule is one of a synchronous control channel capsule and a sub-synchronous control channel capsule.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the announce message is positioned within an asynchronous control channel capsule, and the announce message indicator is one or more bits within a quick paging message.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the announce message is configured as a data over signaling (DOS) message.

33. A method of receiving a call announcement at an access terminal in a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving an announce message indicator that indicates the presence of an announce message on a downlink control channel and a manner in which the announce message is positioned on the downlink control channel; and

receiving the announce message on the downlink control channel, the announce message announcing a given call for the access terminal; and

monitoring the announce message based on the announce message indicator.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein announce message indicator is inserted within a first media access control (MAC) packet on a given control channel capsule of the downlink control channel.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the announce message indicator indicates that the announce message is included within an asynchronous control channel capsule subsequent to the given control channel capsule.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the announce message indicator is included within a QuickConfig message, and the given control channel capsule is a synchronous control channel capsule.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the announce message indicator is a proprietary message, and the given control channel capsule is one of a synchronous control channel capsule and a sub-synchronous control channel capsule.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the announce message is positioned within an asynchronous control channel capsule, and the announce message indicator is one or more bits within a quick paging message.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the announce message is configured as a data over signaling (DOS) message.

40. A method of notifying an access terminal of a message contained within a downlink control channel, comprising:

inserting a message indicator within a medium access control (MAC) packet of a given control channel capsule of the downlink control channel that indicates the presence of a given message and a manner in which the given message is positioned on the downlink control channel;

scheduling the given message on the downlink control channel in accordance with the message indicator; and

transmitting the message indicator and the given message to the access terminal.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the message indicator is a proprietary message included in a first MAC packet of the given control channel capsule.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the given control channel capsule is a synchronous or sub-synchronous control channel capsule.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the message indicator indicates that the given message is positioned in an asynchronous control channel capsule that follows the given control channel capsule.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the given message is a data over signaling (DOS) message.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the DOS message is a DOS-announce message that announces a call for the access terminal.