Method and apparatus for dynamically adjusting a battery saving interval in a messaging system

• US 6,138,032 A
• Filed: 05/28/1997
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Briancon, Alain Charles Louis, Lin, Jyh-Han, Wang, Zhonghe, Sawaya, Samir, Goldberg, Steven Jeffrey, Hill, Thomas Casey, Sumner, Terence Edward, Dorenbosch, Jheroen Pieter, D'Amico, Thomas Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Pablo N.
• Application Number:
  US08/864,518
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 455/38.3, 455/393, 455/522, 455/69, 370/95.1, 370/95.2, 370/95.3, 370/311, 340/825.44, 340/825.06, 340/825.22, 340/825.26, 340/825.27
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/022 Selective call receivers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A battery saving interval utilized for communicating with a portable subscriber unit (122) in a radio communication system is dynamically adjusted. An occurrence of a predetermined triggering event associated with the portable subscriber unit is observed (504), and the battery saving interval utilized for communicating with the portable subscriber unit is adjusted (506) in response to the predetermined triggering event, while battery saving intervals of other portable subscriber units in the system are left unchanged.

Claims

1. A method of applying a dynamic adjustment to a battery saving interval utilized for communicating with a portable subscriber unit in a radio communication system which employs a protocol having a transmission cycle comprising a plurality of frames, the method comprising the steps of:

observing an occurrence of a predetermined triggering event associated with the portable subscriber unit; and

adjusting a number of frames during which the portable subscriber unit will battery save when next operating in a battery saving mode in response to the predetermined triggering event, while leaving battery saving intervals of other portable subscriber units in the system unchanged, wherein said number of frames during which the portable subscriber unit will battery save when next operating in a battery saving mode is adjusted in response to at least one of;

whether a message type to be sent to the portable subscriber unit is voice, as opposed to data;

an elapsed time being less than a predetermined amount, said elapsed time being that between a prior message received by the portable subscriber unit and a message currently queued for the portable subscriber unit;

a priority level associated with the message;

detecting a transmission of a negative acknowledgement (NAK) from the portable subscriber unit; and

communication requirements for running an application program in the portable subscriber unit when the application program is started and stopped.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the predetermined triggering event comprises a presence of a message in queue for the portable subscriber unit, said message being of a type selected from one of voice and data, and

wherein the adjusting step comprises the step of adjusting said number of frames according to said type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting step comprises the step of

adjusting said number of frames in response to an elapsed time being less than a predetermined amount, said elapsed time being that between a prior message received by the portable subscriber unit and a message currently queued for the portable subscriber unit.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the predetermined triggering event occurs in response to an attempt to send a message to the portable subscriber unit, the message having a priority, and

wherein the adjusting step comprises the step of

adjusting said number of frames in response to a priority level associated with the message.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the radio communication system comprises a fixed portion and the portable subscriber unit, and

wherein the observing and adjusting steps occur independently in both the fixed portion and the portable subscriber unit based upon similar information present in the fixed portion and in the portable subscriber unit and without requiring a communication between the fixed portion and the portable subscriber unit.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the predetermined triggering event is a starting or stopping of an application program in the portable subscriber unit;

and

wherein the adjusting step comprises the step of adjusting said number of frames in accordance with the communication requirements for running the application program.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the battery saving interval has a nominal value before applying the dynamic adjustment, and

wherein the observing step comprises the step of detecting a transmission of a negative acknowledgment (NAK) from the portable subscriber unit, and

wherein the adjusting step comprises the step of

shortening the battery saving interval in response to the NAK, and

wherein the method further comprises the step of queuing a retry message in response to the NAK, such that the retry message is given transmission priority over non-retry messages in the system.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the battery saving interval has a nominal value before applying the dynamic adjustment, and

wherein the observing step comprises the step of detecting a transmission of a negative acknowledgment (NAK) from the portable subscriber unit, and

wherein the adjusting step comprises the step of

reducing the battery saving interval to a minimum possible value in response to the NAK, and

wherein the method further comprises the step of transmitting a Where aRe You (WRU) command to the portable subscriber unit in a next available transmission frame.

9. A controller in a radio communication system for applying a dynamic adjustment to a battery saving interval utilized for communicating with a portable subscriber unit, the radio communication system employing a protocol having a transmission cycle comprising a plurality of frames, the controller comprising:

a network interface for accepting messages from message originators;

a processing system coupled to the network interface for processing the messages; and

a transceiver interface coupled to the processing system for transmitting the messages and for receiving acknowledgments to the messages,

wherein the processing system is programmed to;

observe an occurrence of a predetermined triggering event associated with the portable subscriber unit, and

adjust a number of frames during which the portable subscriber unit will battery save when next operating in a battery saving mode in response to the predetermined triggering event, while leaving battery saving intervals of other portable subscriber units in the system unchanged, wherein said number of frames during which the portable subscriber unit will battery save when next operating in a battery saving mode is adjusted in response to at least one of;

whether a message type to be sent to the portable subscriber unit is voice, as opposed to data;

an elapsed time being less than a predetermined amount, said elapsed time being that between a prior message received by the portable subscriber unit and a message currently queued for the portable subscriber unit;

a priority level associated with the message;

detecting a transmission of a negative acknowledgment (NAK) from the portable subscriber unit; and

communication requirements for running an application program in the portable subscriber unit when the application program is started and stopped.

10. A portable subscriber unit in a radio communication system for applying a dynamic adjustment to a battery saving interval utilized for communicating with a fixed portion of the system, the radio communication system employing a protocol having a transmission cycle comprising a plurality of frames, the portable subscriber unit comprising:

a receiver for receiving messages from the fixed portion;

a processing system coupled to the receiver for processing the messages; and

a transmitter coupled to the processing system for acknowledging the messages,

wherein the processing system is programmed to;

observe an occurrence of a predetermined triggering event associated with the portable subscriber unit; and

adjust a number of frames during which the portable subscriber unit will battery save when next operating in a battery saving mode in response to the predetermined triggering event, while leaving battery saving intervals of other portable subscriber units in the system unchanged, wherein said number of frames during which the portable subscriber unit will battery save when next operating in a battery saving mode is adjusted in response to at least one of;

whether a message type to be sent to the portable subscriber unit is voice, as opposed to data;

an elapsed time being less than a predetermined amount, said elapsed time being that between a prior message received by the portable subscriber unit and a message currently queued for the portable subscriber unit;

a priority level associated with the message;

detecting a transmission of a negative acknowledgment (NAK) from the portable subscriber unit; and

communication requirements for running an application program in the portable subscriber unit when the application program is started and stopped.