Method for accessing and providing access to a packet channel

• US 6,094,429 A
• Filed: 03/02/1998
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stanaway, J. Chris, Wilson, Timothy J., Blanchette, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US09/032,885
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 455/515, 455/38.3, 455/573, 455/574, 455/343, 370/348, 370/337, 370/321, 370/347, 370/322, 370/311, 370/314, 370/329, 370/280, 370/294, 370/470
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence

Abstract

A communications system (100) has a TDMA signal (110) accessed by one or more mobile stations (104). The TDMA signal carries both circuit switched and packet data service. A packet channel is defined within a packet data frame (208) by assigning time slots not used by other services during the packet data frame to the packet channel. A packet data seed channel (204) is used to anchor the packet channel and steer a mobile station to the packet channel. In the packet data seed channel a dynamic allocation protocol (DCAP) slot (206) appears and carries the packet channel slot assignments for the next occurring packet data frame.

Claims

1. A method of accessing a packet channel, by a receiver, in a TDMA signal between a transmitter and the receiver, the TDMA signal having a plurality of interleaves. the method comprising the steps of:

reading a packet seed channel information from a control channel, the packet seed channel information specifying a packet data seed channel in the TDMA signal, including reading an interleave and an offset of the packet seed channel;

monitoring the packet data seed channel until a dynamic channel allocation protocol (DCAP) slot occurs in the packet data seed channel, the DCAP slot defining a beginning of a next occurring packet data frame and a bitmap definition of the packet channel in the next occurring packet data frame, performed after performing the step of reading the packet seed channel information;

reading the bitmap definition of the packet channel from the DCAP slot, performed after performing the step of monitoring; and

reading the packet channel, performed after the step of reading the bitmap definition of the packet channel.

2. A method of providing access to a packet channel, in a wireless communication system, between a base station and a mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of interleave levels in a TDMA signal between the base station and the mobile station;

requesting a packet data seed channel information, performed by the mobile station;

transmitting the packet data seed channel information to the mobile station from the base station in response to the requesting, and wherein the packet data seed channel information comprises an interleave and an offset of a packet data seed channel;

receiving the packet data seed channel information at the mobile station;

monitoring the packet data seed channel, performed by the mobile station;

transmitting a dynamic channel allocation protocol (DCAP) slot in the packet data seed channel, performed by the base station, the DCAP slot defining the beginning of a next occurring packet data frame and a definition of the packet channel for the next occurring packet data frame, the definition of the packet channel specifying which time slots of the next occurring packet data frame are assigned to the packet channel; and

reading the DCAP slot in the packet data seed channel, performed by the mobile station, to acquire the definition of the packet channel.

3. A method of providing access to a packet channel as defined in claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting a DCAP slot comprises transmitting a DCAP slot at regular intervals.

4. A method of providing access to a packet channel as defined in claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting a DCAP slot comprises transmitting a DCAP slot in response to a change in the definition of the packet channel.

5. A method of providing access to a packet channel as defined in claim 2, wherein the definition of a the packet channel is a bitmap definition of the packet channel.

6. A method of providing access to a packet channel in a TDMA signal in a wireless communication system, between a base station and a mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

paging the mobile station over a control channel, performed by the base station;

responding to the paging over a random access channel, and requesting a packet data seed channel information, performed by the mobile station in response to the paging;

transmitting the packet data seed channel information over the control channel to the mobile station in response to the responding to the paging, including transmitting an interleave and an offset of the packet seed channel, the interleave of the packet seed channel being the least common multiple of a plurality of interleaves in the TDMA signal; and

monitoring the packet data seed channel, performed by the mobile station after receiving the packed data seed channel information until an occurrence of a dynamic channel allocation protocol (DCAP) slot, the DCAP slot containing a definition of the packet channel for a next occurring packet data frame.