METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SIGNALING IN BROADCAST COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20110170470A1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Athalye, Sanjeev Arvind, Wang, Jun, Sinnarajah, Ragulan
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

A method and a system for providing signaling in cellular telephone system providing broadcast services to fully integrate broadcast services with the services provided by the cellular telephone systems. The signaling method coordinate interaction between an access network and the subscriber station to allowing the subscriber station to decode the broadcast service, to receive paging messages while receiving the broadcast service, to properly transition between operation states, and other functions known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. An apparatus operable in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, on each of at least one paging channel on each of at least one frequency, first information indicating broadcast/multicast service in a sector; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the transmitter and configured to generate the first information and a broadcast service parameters message;

wherein the first information is not included in the broadcast service parameters message; and

wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a list of available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector and points to a frequency and paging channel having information for obtaining an identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first information indicates at least one of:

broadcast/multicast service is not available in the sector;

broadcast/multicast service is available in the sector and a mobile station is to go to a broadcast/multicast frequency in a broadcast/multicast paging channel for information about available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector;

or

broadcast/multicast service is available in the sector and a broadcast service parameters message is being transmitted on the respective paging channel of the respective frequency.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a list of available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector and information that enables the mobile station to monitor a specific identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises second information for indicating whether the broadcast service parameters message lists all identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows available in the sector.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second information comprises a one-bit indicator.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second information comprises a BSPM_BCMCS_IND.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a two-bit indicator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a BCMCS_IND.

9. An apparatus for signaling in a broadcast communication system, the apparatus comprising:

processor means for generating a first indicator for indicating availability of broadcast/multicast service in a sector and a broadcast service parameters message; and

communication means, communicatively coupled to the processor means, for transmitting the first indicator on each of at least one paging channel on each of at least one frequency;

wherein the first indicator is not included in the broadcast service parameters message; and

wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a list of available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector and points to a frequency and paging channel having information for obtaining an identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first indicator indicates at least one of:

broadcast/multicast service is not available in the sector;

broadcast/multicast service is available in the sector and a mobile station is to go to a broadcast/multicast frequency in a broadcast/multicast paging channel for information about available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector;

or

broadcast/multicast service is available in the sector and a broadcast service parameters message is being transmitted on the respective paging channel of the respective frequency.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a list of available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector and information that enables the mobile station to monitor a specific identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a second indicator for indicating whether the broadcast service parameters message lists all identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows available in the sector.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second indicator comprises one bit.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second indicator is a BSPM_BCMCS_IND.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first indicator comprises two bits.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first indicator is a BCMCS_IND.

17. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory processor-readable medium and comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to:

generate a first indicator for indicating availability of broadcast/multicast service in a sector;

generate a broadcast service parameters message; and

transmit the first indicator on each of at least one paging channel on each of at least one frequency;

wherein the first indicator is not included in the broadcast service parameters message; and

wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a list of available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector and points to a frequency and paging channel having information for obtaining an identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first indicator indicates at least one of:

broadcast/multicast service is not available in the sector;

broadcast/multicast service is available in the sector and a mobile station is to go to a broadcast/multicast frequency in a broadcast/multicast paging channel for information about available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector;

or

broadcast/multicast service is available in the sector and a broadcast service parameters message is being transmitted on the respective paging channel of the respective frequency.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a list of available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector and information that enables the mobile station to monitor a specific identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises a second indicator for indicating whether the broadcast service parameters message lists all identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows available in the sector.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the second indicator is a one-bit indicator.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the second indicator is a BSPM_BCMCS_IND.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first indicator is a two-bit indicator.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first indicator is a BCMCS_IND.

25. An apparatus operable in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

processor means for generating first information relating to broadcast/multicast service availability in a sector selected from alternatives including at least;

an available identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow in the sector and pointing to another frequency and paging channel where second information about the identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow is obtained; and

an available identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow in the sector and providing the second information that enables a mobile station to monitor the identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow; and

communication means, communicatively coupled to the processor means, for transmitting the first information on each of at least one paging channel on each of at least one frequency.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first information about broadcast/multicast service availability in a sector comprises an indicator for indicating whether the broadcast/multicast service is available in the communication system, and wherein the indicator is not included in a broadcast service parameters message.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the indicator comprises two bits.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the indicator is a BCMCS_IND.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the list of available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows is included in a broadcast service parameter message.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the broadcast service parameters message comprises an indicator for indicating whether the broadcast service parameter message lists all the identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows available in the sector.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the indicator comprises one bit.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the indicator is a BSPM_BCMCS_IND.

33. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the alternatives further comprise:

broadcast/multicast service is available in the sector and pointing to a frequency and paging channel where a mobile station determines the second information about available identifiers of broadcast/multicast flows in the sector.

34. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the alternatives further comprise:

broadcast/multicast service is not available in the sector.

35. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the identifier of a broadcast/multicast flow is a BCMCS_FLOW_ID.