Apparatus, and associated method, for communicating packet data in a radio communication system

• US 6,327,256 B1
• Filed: 05/28/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Paatelma, Risto, Paivike, Heikki
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, DANG T
• Application Number:
  US09/322,476
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 370/441, 370/442, 370/337, 370/461, 370/462, 370/480, 370/395, 370/389, 370/351, 370/465, 370/444, 370/445, 370/249, 370/347, 370/350, 370/458, 370/459, 455/421, 455/422, 455/509, 455/510, 455/516, 455/520
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2659 for data rate control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, by which to transmit packet data from a mobile station to network infrastructure of a TDMA, cellular communication system at an increased rate. The increased rate is provided while still operating the mobile station in half-duplex mode of operation. In one implementation, the mobile station is operable to effectuate triple-rate communication of packet data at a multi-rate defined in the GPRS-136 standard.

Claims

1. In a communication system in which a first communication station is operable at least to communicate packet data to a second communication station, an improvement of apparatus for the first communication station for facilitating communication of the packet data upon time-slots defined upon a communication channel formed between the first communication station and the second communication station, said apparatus comprising:

a fixed allocation requester coupled to receive indications of when the packet data is to be communicated to the second communication system, said fixed allocation requester for indicating the first communication station to be fixed allocation capable and for requesting allocation of a fixed sequence of successive time-slots defined upon the communication channel, the successive time-slots of the fixed sequence of which the allocation is requested defining a transmission rate at which the packets of data are to be communicated upon the communication channel to the second communication station;

an allocation grant detector coupled to receive indications of a grant of the fixed sequence of the successive time-slots received at the first communication station, the fixed sequence of the successive time-slots, and the grant encompassing the plurality of the successive time-slots said allocation grant detector for detecting when the fixed sequence of the successive time-slots are allocated to the first communication station to communicate the packet data thereon; and

a formatter operable responsive to detection by said allocation grant detector of the allocation of the fixed sequence of the successive time-slots to communicate the packet data thereon, said formatter for formatting the packet data within the time-slots of the fixed sequence of the successive time-slots allocated to the first communication station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first communication station is selectively operable to communicate the packet data at a more-than-full rate and wherein the fixed sequence of successive time-slots requested by said fixed allocation requester is of a number to permit effectuation of communication of the packet data at the more-than-full rate.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said fixed allocation requester further requests permission to transmit packet data of an unbounded transaction size.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said fixed allocation requester further generates an indication of capability of the first communication station to communicate the packet data at the more-than-full rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the grant detected by said allocation grant detector comprises a fixed allocation indicating a number of time-slots allocated to the first communication station to communicate the packet data.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said formatter formats the packet data to be communicated within individual ones of the number of time-slots indicated in the grant detected by said allocation grant detector.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said formatter further formats the packet data formatted to be communicated within the time-slots of the fixed sequence to include an indication of noncompletion of communication of the packet data when additional packets of data remain to be communicated by the first communication station.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the indication of the noncompletion is inserted to be communicated within each time-slot in which a subsequent time-slot is to include packet data to be communicated by the first communication station to the second communication station.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said formatter further formats the packet data formatted to be communicated within the time-slots of the fixed sequence to include an indication of at least selection of completion of communication of the packet data.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication system comprises a TDMA (time-division multiple access), cellular communication system, wherever the first communication station comprises a mobile station, and wherein said fixed allocation requester generates a request for communication upon a RPCH (reverse packet channel) for requesting allocation of the fixed sequence of time-slots.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein a begin packet data unit having a bandwidth preference field is defined upon the RPCH (reverse packet channel) and wherein the request for requesting the allocation of the fixed sequence of time-slots comprises a portion of the bandwidth preference field of the begin packet data unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said fixed allocation requester further inserts an indication in the bandwidth preference field of operability of the mobile station to communicate the packet data at a more-than-normal rate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the indication inserted by said fixed allocation requester in the bandwidth preference field of the operability of the mobile station indicates operability of the mobile station at a half-duplex triple-full rate.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the TDMA (time-division multiple access) cellular communication system includes network infrastructure, wherein the second communication station forms a portion of the network infrastructure, and wherein the grant detected by said allocation grant detector is communicated by the network infrastructure to the mobile station upon a FPCH (forward packet channel).

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein an arq status packet data unit is defined to be communicated by the network infrastructure to the mobile station, the arq status packet data unit containing a field containing values indicative of a number of time-slots and fixed allocation allocated to the mobile station to communicate the packet data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said formatter further formats the packet data formatted to be communicated within the time-slots of the fixed sequence to include a continue packet data unit, the continue packet data unit included to indicate noncompletion of communication of the packet data when additional packets of data remain to be communicated by the mobile station.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said formatter further formats the packet data formatted to be communicated within the time-slots of the fixed sequence to include an end block to indicate completion of communication of the packet data.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein an arq status packet data unit is defined to be communicated by the network infrastructure to the mobile station, the arq status packet data unit indicating a new fixed allocation subsequent to a previously allotted fixed allocation.

19. In the communication system of claim 1, a further improvement of apparatus for the second communication station, said further apparatus comprising:

a fixed allocation request detector coupled to receive indications of a request generated by said fixed allocation requester of the first communication station for allocation thereto of the fixed sequence of successive time-slots defined upon the communication channel within which to communicate the packet data; and

a grantor operable responsive to detection by said fixed allocation request detector of the indications of the request, said grantor for granting allocation of the successive time-slots to the first communication station to communicate the packet data therein, the grant encompassing all of the successive time-slots.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the communication system comprises a TDMA (time-division multiple access), cellular communication system, wherein the first communication station comprises a mobile station, wherein the second communication station comprises a portion of network infrastructure of the cellular communication system, and wherein the fixed sequence of the successive time-slots of which the request for the allocation thereof is detected by said fixed allocation request detector is defined upon an RPCH (reverse paging channel).

21. A method for facilitating communication of packet data upon time-slots defined upon a communication channel formed to extend between a first communication station and a second communication station, said method comprising:

generating a request, at the first communication station and responsive to detection thereat of an indication of when the packet data is to be communicated to the second communication station, the request for requesting grant, by the second communication station, of allocation of a fixed sequence of successive time-slots to communicate the packet data from the first communication station to the second communication station, the successive time-slots of the fixed sequence defining a transmission rate at which the packets of data are to be communicated upon the communication channel;

detecting, at the first communication station, when the request requested during said operation of generating the request for the allocation of the fixed sequence is granted; and

formatting the packet data within the time-slots of the fixed sequence of the successive time-slots detected during said operation of detecting allocated to the first communication station.