Apparatus, and associated method, for maintaining a selected quality of service level in a radio communication system

• US 6,169,898 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hsu, Liangchi, Purnadi, Rene W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEAMER, TEMICA M
• Application Number:
  US09/116,351
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/433, 455/436, 455/450, 455/452, 455/456, 370/322, 370/329, 370/328, 370/330, 370/348, 370/335, 370/443, 370/444
• US Class Current: 455/432.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for maintaining a selected QoS (quality of service) level of communications by a mobile station as the mobile station travels throughout an area encompassed by a radio communication system. Subscriber QoS classes are defined. One of the QoS classes is selected pursuant to a service subscription permitting the mobile station to communicate in the radio communication system. The selected QoS class is stored at a service subscription register. During communications with the mobile station, resources are reserved for use by the mobile station at a level corresponding to the selected QoS class.

Claims

1. In a multi-user, radio communication system having a fixed network including a plurality of spaced-apart, fixed-site transceivers positioned throughout a geographic area, each fixed-site transceiver defining a coverage area in which communications with a mobile station are permitted pursuant to a service subscription, a combination with the fixed network of apparatus for maintaining a selected QoS (quality of service) of the communications of the mobile station as the mobile station travels throughout the geographic area encompassed by the radio communication system, said apparatus comprising:

a service subscription register associated with the mobile station, said service subscription register for storing an indication of a selected QoS level of which communications with the mobile station are to be maintained, the indication of the selected QoS level indexed together with an identifier which identifies the mobile station;

a resource reserver coupled to receive information representative of the indication of the selected QoS level stored at said service subscription register and to the plurality of spaced-apart, fixed-site transceivers, said resource reserver for selectively reserving resources at a selected at least one of the fixed-site transceivers for communications by the mobile station, said selected at least one of the fixed-site transceivers defining at least one coverage area other than the coverage area in which the mobile station is currently operating, the resources caused to be selectively reserved, and time periods during which the resources are caused to be selectively reserved, responsive to the QoS level associated with the mobile station, the resources reserved by said resource reserver for assuring that the selected QoS level of the communications by the mobile station is available to the mobile station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of spaced-apart, fixed-site transceivers include a first set of transceivers, each transceiver of the first set of transceivers having a traffic channel assigned for communications with the mobile station, wherein the selected QoS level, of which the indication thereof is stored at said service subscription register, comprises a first QoS level, and wherein said resource reserver reserves resources at each transceiver of the first set of transceivers for communications with the mobile station.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said resource reserver reserves resources at each transceiver of the first set until a communication session by the mobile terminal is terminated.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the radio communication system comprises a cellular CDMA (code division multiple access) communication system and wherein the first set of fixed-site transceivers comprises an active set of transceivers defined therein and associated with the mobile station.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plurality of spaced-apart, fixed-site transceivers includes a second set of transceivers wherein the selected QoS level, of which the indication thereof is stored at said service subscription register, selectively comprises a second QoS level, and wherein said resource reserver reserves resources of at least a selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers for communications with the mobile station.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said resource reserver reserves the resources at the selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers at a first selected time delay relative to reservation of the resources at each transceiver of the first set of transceivers.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first selected time delay is dynamically selected responsive to a characteristic of the mobile station.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said resource reserver reserves the resources at the selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers for a first selected duration subsequent to the first selected time delay.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the radio communication system comprises a cellular CDMA (code division multiple access) communication system and wherein the second set of fixed-site transceivers comprises a candidate set of transceivers defined therein and associated with the mobile station.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the selected QoS level, of which the indication thereof is stored at said service subscription register, selectively comprises a third QoS level, and wherein said resource reserver reserves resources of at least a selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers for communications with the mobile station, the resources reserved at the selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers starting at a selected start time until a communication session by the mobile terminal is terminated.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the selected start time at which said resource reserver reserves the resources at the selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers occurs subsequent to a first selected time delay relative to reservation of the resources at each transceiver of the first set of transceivers.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the plurality of spaced-apart, fixed-site transceivers includes a third set of transceivers, wherein the selected QoS level, of which the indication thereof is stored at said service subscription register, selectively comprises a fourth QoS level, and wherein said resource reserver further reserves resources of at least a selected transceiver of the third set of transceivers for communication with the mobile station.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said resource reserver reserves the resources at the selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers at a first selected time delay relative to reservation of the resources at each transceiver of the first set of transceivers and reserves the resources at the selected transceiver of the third set of transceivers at a second selected time delay relative to the reservation of the resources at each transceiver of the first set of transceivers.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the second selected time delay is greater than the first selected time delay.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said resource reserver reserves the resources at the selected transceiver of the second set of transceivers for a first selected duration subsequent to the first selected time delay and reserves the resources at the selected transceiver of the third set of transceivers for a second selected duration subsequent to the second selected time delay.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first selected duration is of a time period greater than the second selected duration.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said resource reserver reserves resources at the selected transceiver of the second set until the communication session by the mobile terminal is terminated.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said resources reserver reserves resources at the selected transceiver of the third set until the communication session by the mobile terminal is terminated.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the radio communication system comprises a cellular CDMA (code division multiple access) communication system and wherein the third set of transceivers comprises a neighbor set of transceivers defined therein and associated with the mobile station.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the radio communication system comprises a cellular communication system having an HLR (home location register) associated with the mobile station and wherein said service subscription register is embodied at the HLR.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the radio communication system comprises a cellular communication system having at least one BSC (base station controller) coupled to the plurality of fixed-site transceivers and wherein said resource reserver is embodied at the BSC.

22. A method for maintaining a selected QoS (quality of service) level of communications between a mobile station and a fixed network having a plurality of spaced-apart, fixed-site transceivers positioned throughout a geographic area of a radio communication system as the mobile station travels throughout the geographic area encompassed by the radio communication system, said method comprising the steps of:

storing an indication of a selected QoS level of which communications with the mobile station are to be maintained; and

selectively reserving resources at a selected at least one of the fixed-site transceivers for communications by the mobile station, said selected at least one of the fixed-site transceivers defining at least one coverage area other than the coverage area in which the mobile station is currently operating, the resources caused to be selectively reserved, and time periods during which the resources are caused to be selectively reserved, responsive to the QoS level associated with the mobile station, the resources reserved for assuring that the selected QoS level of the communications by the mobile stations is available to the mobile station.