Communication control for a user of a central communication center

• US 6,256,492 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omnipoint Corp. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bilgic, Izzet M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/354,926
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/433, 455/435, 455/426, 455/414, 455/434, 455/461, 455/450, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/332, 370/333, 370/346, 379/114, 379/67.1, 379/116, 379/246
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A computer program for a user in a wireless communication system to communicate on the system. The communication protocol embodied in the computer program enables the user to acquire a channel on a base station in the system and register with a base station on the system. The communication protocol embodied in the computer program also enables the user to place and receive calls on the communication system. The computer program is comprised of a main controller task and various other tasks, also called subtasks, which are activated by the main controller task. These subtasks are each designed to perform a protocol function for the user on the communication system.

Claims

1. A remote station for use in a wireless communication system comprising at least one base station, the remote station comprising:

a computer program;

wherein the computer program causes the remote station to register with a base station in the wireless communication system;

periodically re-register, with a first period, with the base station in the wireless communication system;

initiate a call on an over-the-air interface in response to user demand; and

periodically poll, with a second period, the over-the-air-interface to determine if there is a call directed to the remote station;

wherein the remote station does not poll the over-the-air interface to determine if there is a call directed to the remote station except on a periodic time basis; and

wherein the second period is shorter than the first period.

2. The remote station of claim 1, wherein the computer program further causes the remote station to periodically wait a first time to poll the over-the-air interface, and then poll the over-the-air interface for a maximum second time, unless the remote station determines there is a call directed to it before the maximum second time expires.

3. The remote station of claim 1, wherein an over-the-air interface comprises a plurality of time slots, and when the remote station initiates a call on the over-the-air interface, the remote station waits a maximum time x to receive a message indicating the remote station can acquire one or more time slots on the over-the-air interface.

4. The remote station of claim 3, in which the remote station waits a maximum of n number of y time periods, in which the n number of y time periods equals the time x, to receive a message indicating the remote station can acquire one or more time slots on the over-the-air interface.

5. The remote station of claim 1 wherein the first period is a regular period and the second period is a regular period.

6. A method for a remote station to establish a communication connection between the remote station and a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from the base station in a non-dedicated time slot;

transmitting a second message from the remote station to the base station;

waiting a maximum first time to receive a third message from the base station;

if the first time expires, waiting a second time, and, after the second time expires, polling an over-the-air interface for a first message from the base station in a non-dedicated time slot; and

if the third message is received from the base station before the first time expires, transmitting a fourth message from the remote station to the base station, the fourth message transmitted in one or more dedicated time slots between the base station and the remote station.

7. The method for a remote station to establish a communication connection of claim 6, wherein the remote station is tuned to the transmission code/frequency of one base station in the wireless communication system at a time.

8. A method for a base station to establish a communication connection between the base station and a remote station in a wireless communication system, comprising:

designating one or more time slots for the remote station as dedicated;

periodically transmitting a first message from the base station in one or more dedicated time slots;

waiting a maximum first time to receive a second message from the remote station, the second message transmitted in one or more dedicated time slots for the remote station;

redesignating the one or more dedicated time slots for the remote station as non-dedicated if the first time expires before the second message is received from the remote station;

transmitting a third message from the base station to the remote station in the one or more dedicated time slots if the second message is received from the remote station.

9. The method for a base station to establish a communication connection of claim 8, in which the first message from the base station and the second message from the remote station are transmitted with the same code/frequency.

10. A method for a remote station to seek base stations in a multi-channel wireless communication system, in which the remote station comprises a remote station receiver, the method comprising:

establishing a database of base stations, the database comprising metrics on each represented base station;

tuning the remote station receiver to a base-station channel associated with a represented base station;

polling the over-the-air interface for a transmission of a first message from the represented base station;

determining metrics on the represented base station if the remote station receiver receives a first message from the represented base station; and

storing the metrics of the represented base station in the database.

11. The method for a remote station to seek base stations in a multi-channel wireless communication system of claim 10, in which a metric for a represented base station comprises the received signal quality of a first message received by the remote station from the represented base station.

12. The method for a remote station to seek base stations in a multi-channel wireless communication of claim 10, in which the channels are defined at least in part by frequency.

13. The method for a remote station to seek base stations in a multi-channel wireless communication system of claim 10, in which the channels are defined at least in part by a spread-spectrum code.

14. A method for remote station communication in a multi-channel wireless communication system, in which the remote station comprises a remote station receiver, the method comprising;

transmitting bearer data in a first base-station channel between a remote station and a first base station in the wireless communication system;

determining metrics for the first base station based on the received bearer data transmitted from the first base station to the remote station; and

if a metric for the first base station is lower than a first threshold value, ceasing transmitting bearer data from the remote station to the first base station, tuning the remote station receiver to a second base-station channel of a second base station, determining metrics on the second base station if a first message is received by the remote station receiver from the second base station;

storing the metrics of the second base station in a database, re-tuning the remote station receiver to the first base-station channel, and resuming transmitting bearer data between the remote station and the first base station.

15. The method for remote station communication of claim 14, further comprising,

if a metric for the first base station is lower than a second threshold value, ceasing transmitting bearer data in a first base-station channel from the remote station to the first base station, tuning the remote station receiver to a third base-station channel of a third base station, acquiring a communication channel with the third base station, transmitting a second message to the third base station, wherein the second message requests the third base station take over the transmission of bearer data to the remote station and the reception of bearer data from the remote station, and transmitting bearer data between the remote station and the third base station.

16. The method for remote station communication of claim 14, in which the channels are defined at least in part by frequency.

17. The method for remote station communication of claim 14, in which the channels are defined at least in part by a spread-spectrum code.

18. A method for managing a remote station in a wireless communication system, comprising:

activating each of a plurality of subtasks resident on the remote station by a main task resident on the remote station;

using the main task or one of the plurality of subtasks to notify a user interface of the remote station of information;

receiving information from the user interface of the remote station at the main task or one of the plurality of subtasks; and

modifying the functionality of a subtask of the plurality of subtasks resident on the remote station at a time t without having to modify any other of the plurality of subtasks resident on the remote station at the time t.

19. The method for managing a remote station of claim 18, in which said activating each of a plurality of subtasks resident on the remote station by a main task further comprises activating only one of each of a plurality of subtasks resident on the remote station by a main task resident on the remote station at a time.

20. The method for managing a remote station of claim 18, further comprising

loading a main task on the remote station; and

loading each of the plurality of subtasks on the remote station.

21. The method for managing a remote station of claim 20, further comprising loading one of the plurality of subtasks on the remote station without re-loading any other of the plurality of subtasks or the main task on the remote station.

22. A method of operation for a remote station in a wireless communication system, comprising:

attempting to register the remote station with a base station of the wireless communication system;

transitioning the remote station to a first operating state if the remote station successfully registers with the base station;

setting a first timer on the remote station in the first operating state;

setting a second timer on the remote station in the first operating state;

attempting to re-register the remote station with the base station if the first timer expires; and

if the second timer expires

transitioning the remote station to a second operating state,

setting a third timer on the remote station in the second operating state,

looking for a message directed to the remote station as long as the third timer is not expired, and

transitioning the remote station to the first operating state if the third timer expires.

23. The method of operation for a remote station of claim 22, further comprising transitioning the remote station to a third operating state if the remote station does not successfully register with a base station, wherein in the third operating state the remote station initiates only emergency calls in the wireless communication system.

24. A remote station for use in a wireless communication system, comprising:

a first timer for determining when the remote station should register in the wireless communication system;

a second timer for determining when the remote station should look for a message directed to the remote station; and

a third timer for determining the maximum time the remote station should continue to look for a message directed to the remote station, wherein the remote station disables said third timer and re-enables said second timer at the expiration of said third timer.

25. The remote station of claim 24, further comprising a computer program executing on the remote station, said computer program comprising a main task and a plurality of subtasks in which said first timer is activated by said main task, and said first timer is re-activated after each time the remote station successfully registers in the wireless communication system.

26. A remote station for use in a wireless communication system comprising at least one base station, the remote station comprising:

registration means to register with a base station in the wireless communication system;

re-registration means to periodically re-register, with a first period, with a base station in the wireless communication system;

call initiating means to initiate a call on an over-the-air interface; and

polling means to periodically poll, with a second period, the over-the-air interface to determine if there is a call directed to the remote station, wherein the polling means do not poll the over-the-air interface to determine if there is a call directed to the remote station except on a periodic time basis, and wherein the second period is shorter than the first period.

27. The remote station of claim 26, in which the remote station polls the over-the-air interface for a maximum amount of time, unless the remote station determines that there is a call directed to it before the maximum time expires.

28. The remote station of claim 26, in which the first period is a regular period and the second period is a regular period.