Methods of communicating over time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication systems with distinct non-time-critical and time-critical network management information transmission rates
First Claim
1. A method of communicating over a channel group of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication system, the channel group having a time-division multiplexed forward channel, wherein a central station transmits over said forward channel to a plurality of terminals, and transmissions by any one of the terminals to the central station occur over a return channel of said channel group, the method comprising:
- periodically formatting at the central station login frames of N-type network control data, R-type network control data, protocol data and message data;
periodically formatting message frames of data exclusive of N-type network control data and including R-type network control data, protocol data and message data;
arranging in periodic repetition one of the login frames and a plurality of the message frames into a sequential grouping of frames forming a superframe, the superframes formed in each such periodic repetition being of identical length;
transmitting the superframes at a predetermined rate over said forward channel, whereby the transmission rate of the superframes is less than the transmission rate of the sequential grouping of the frames within each superframe.
16 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Data transfer efficiencies of a frequency division and/or time division multiple access (FDMA/TDMA) communication systems are improved over prior art systems by distributing signalling and messaging activities over all return channels of a channel group, by varying forward to return channel data rate ratios, and by reducing message transport delays with respect to prior art communication systems, based on message traffic over such channel group. Return channels of a defined channel group are time division controlled and are generic to operate either in a signalling mode or in a messaging mode. Data rates for the forward channel and the return channels may be selected from predefined combinations of forward and return channel data rates. Message transport delays are reduced over prior art delay periods by reducing the frame lengths of data frames transmitted at a specified frame rate over the forward channel and by transmitting network management data other than time-critical data reception results and time slot allocations periodically at a superframe rate which is less than the frame rate.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A method of communicating over a channel group of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication system, the channel group having a time-division multiplexed forward channel, wherein a central station transmits over said forward channel to a plurality of terminals, and transmissions by any one of the terminals to the central station occur over a return channel of said channel group, the method comprising:
-
periodically formatting at the central station login frames of N-type network control data, R-type network control data, protocol data and message data; periodically formatting message frames of data exclusive of N-type network control data and including R-type network control data, protocol data and message data; arranging in periodic repetition one of the login frames and a plurality of the message frames into a sequential grouping of frames forming a superframe, the superframes formed in each such periodic repetition being of identical length; transmitting the superframes at a predetermined rate over said forward channel, whereby the transmission rate of the superframes is less than the transmission rate of the sequential grouping of the frames within each superframe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A method of communicating over a channel group of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication system wherein a central station transmits to a plurality of terminals over a time-division multiplexed forward channel, and transmissions by any one of the terminals to the central station occur over a return channel of the channel group, the method comprising:
-
classifying network management data into a plurality of classes according to different degrees of time-criticality; and transmitting the network management data of each of the plurality of classes at a distinct transmission rate, wherein the network management data are transmitted periodically at a transmission rate which directly relates to the degree of time-criticality of the respective network management data, comprising transmitting a first set of network management data of a higher degree of time-criticality, relative to a second set of network management data of a relatively lower degree of time-criticality, in periodic transmissions of a relatively shorter period of recurrence relative to the period of recurrence of periodic transmissions of the second set of network management data.
-
-
21. A method of communicating over a channel group of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication system wherein a central station transmits to a plurality of terminals over a time-division multiplexed forward channel, and transmissions by any one of the terminals to the central station occur over a return channel of the channel group, the method comprising:
-
classifying network management data into a plurality of classes according to different degree of time-criticality; and transmitting the network management data of each of the plurality of classes at a distinct transmission rate on the forward channel responsive to the different degrees of time-criticality, wherein said classifying step further comprises the step of classifying the network management data in the plurality of classes according to the different degrees of time-criticality, including time-critical and non-time-critical network management data, the non-critical network management data comprising first and second non-critical network management data, wherein said transmitting step further comprises the step of transmitting the network management data over the forward channel, the first non-time-critical network management data being transmitted in a long bulletin board packet formatted into a first type of frame, and the second non-time-critical network management data being deleted from the long bulletin board packet to form a short bulletin board packet for a second type of frame.
-
-
22. A method of communicating over a channel group of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication system wherein a central station transmits to a plurality of terminals over a time-division multiplexed forward channel, and transmissions by any one of the terminals to the central station occur over a return channel of the channel group the method comprising:
-
classifying network management data into a plurality of classes according to different degree of time-criticality; and transmitting the network management data of each of the plurality of classes at a distinct transmission rate on the forward channel responsive to the different degrees of time-criticality, wherein said classifying step further comprises the step of classifying the network management data in the plurality of classes according to the different degrees of time-criticality, including time critical and non-time critical network management data, the non-critical network management data comprising lower and high order non-critical network management data, wherein said transmitting step further comprises the step of transmitting the time critical network management data over the forward channel at a frame rate, and transmitting the lower order non-time critical network management data over the forward channel at a superframe rate, and transmitting the higher order non-time critical network management data over the forward channel at a rate less than the superframe rate, the higher order non-time critical network management data comprising one or more categories of a lower transmission priority than lower order non-time critical network management data.
-
-
23. A method of communicating over a channel group of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication system wherein a central station transmits to a plurality of terminals over a time-division multiplexed forward channel, and transmissions by any one of the terminals to the central station occur over a return channel of the channel group, the method comprising:
-
classifying network management data into a plurality of classes according to different degree of time-criticality; and transmitting the network management data of each of the plurality of classes at a distinct transmission rate on the forward channel responsive to the different degrees of time-criticality, wherein said classifying step further comprises the step of classifying the network management data in the plurality of classes according to the different degrees of time-criticality, including at least three different levels of time critical information each having a corresponding frame for transmission, a first level of time critical information having a first type of frame containing at least first time critical information, a second level of time critical information having a second type of frame containing at least second time critical information with relatively more time-criticality than the at least first time-critical information, and a third level of time critical information having a third type of frame containing at least third time critical information with relatively more time-criticality than the at least first and second time-critical information, and wherein said transmitting step further comprises the step of transmitting the at least first time critical network management data over the forward channel at a first frame rate, and transmitting the at least second time critical network management data over the forward channel at a second frame rate, the at least the third time critical network management data over the forward channel at a third frame rate.
-
-
24. A method of communicating over a channel group of a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) communication system wherein a central station transmits to a plurality of terminals over a time-division multiplexed forward channel, and transmissions by any one of the terminals to the central station occur over a return channel of the channel group, the method comprising:
-
classifying network management data into at least two classes according to different degrees of time-criticality comprising existing message traffic and login message traffic; providing communication priority to the existing message traffic over the login message traffic; processing the existing message traffic prior to the login message traffic; and transmitting by the at least one of the plurality of terminals data to the central station at one of a plurality of data rates over at least one of a plurality of return channels in a channel group, wherein the login message traffic includes a login bulletin board, and wherein as the at least one of the plurality of return channels vary based on message volume carried by the channel group, a length of the login bulletin board is also varied.
-
Specification