State apparatus, and associated methods, for controlling packet data communications in a radio communication system

• US 6,473,419 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Mark, Gray, Steven D., Parantainen, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Chi ho A
• Application Number:
  US09/152,366
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/332, 370/333, 370/335, 370/338, 370/342, 370/349, 370/508, 370/410, 370/519, 370/389, 370/392, 370/320, 370/252, 455/450, 455/522, 455/466, 455/509
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

State apparatus, and an associated method, controls a packet data service in a radio communication system in which a mobile station is operable. Control architecture is represented by operational states in which the mobile station is caused to be operated includes a control hold power save substate and a virtual traffic substate. Subsequent to a selected period of communication inactivity, the operational state of the mobile station in caused to be transitioned into a control hold power save substate in which a dedicated control channel remains allocated to the mobile station. If packet data is subsequently to be communicated by the mobile station, the channel is readily available to the mobile station to communicate the packet data thereon. When, conversely, subsequent to a period of communication inactivity, operation of the mobile station is caused to be transitioned into the virtual traffic channel substate, a communication channel is released from its allocation to the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a packet data service for a mobile station operating in a telecommunications system, said method comprising the steps of:

operating the packet data service in an active state;

switching the packet data service to a control hold state;

determining whether or not the packet data service has a quality of service requirement within a predetermined range;

and, in response to a positive determination, switching the packet data service to a control hold power save substate;

else, if it is determined that said quality of service requirement is not less than a predetermined value, switching the packet data service to a virtual traffic substate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step of switching the packet data service to a control hold power save substate comprises discontinuously transmitting on a reverse dedicated control channel from the mobile station the system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said quality of service requirement comprises a threshold delay to returning said packet data service to said active state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of determining comprises determining whether or not said threshold delay is less than a predetermined value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of switching the packet data service to a control hold state comprises releasing a dedicated traffic channel.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said step of switching the mobile station to a virtual traffic substate comprises releasing a dedicated control channel.

7. In a method of communicating packet data in a communication system having network infrastructure and a mobile station between which packet data communications pursuant to at least one packet service-type are selectively permitted by way of a communication channel, a QoS (quality of service) parameter associated with each of the at least one packet service-type, the QoS parameter defining a communication channel access-time delay-period within which access to the communication channel is to be provided to effectuate the packet data communications, an improvement of a method for operating the mobile station, said method comprising:

operating the mobile station in an active state when packet data is to be communicated between the mobile station and the network infrastructure, a dedicated traffic channel assigned to form the communication channel to communicate the packet data thereon when the mobile station is operated in the active state;

transitioning operation of the mobile station from the active state into a control hold state responsive to a first selected period of communication inactivity;

a transitioning operation of the mobile station from said control hold state into a virtual traffic substate when the QoS parameter associated with the packet data service-type is beyond a selected level, the dedicated traffic channel releasable out of assignation to form the communication channel subsequent to transition of operation of the mobile station into the virtual traffic substate; and

transitioning operation of the mobile station from the control hold state into a control-hold power save substate when the QoS parameter associated with the mobile station is within the selected level.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the operation of a suspended transitioning operation of the mobile station from the virtual traffic substate into a suspended state responsive to a second selected period of communication inactivity.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the operation, responsive to transitioning of operation of the mobile station into the virtual traffic state, of timing a timing period corresponding to the second selected period, that corresponds to operation of the mobile station transitioning to the suspended state subsequent to timing-out of said virtual-traffic timer.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the suspended state comprises a slotted suspended state.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein, when the mobile station is in the active state, a reverse-link dedicated control channel is further assigned to form the communication channel between the mobile station and the network infrastructure.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, when the mobile station is operated in the control-hold power save substate, the reverse-link dedicated control channel is operated in a discontinuous transmission mode.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein, when the mobile station is operated in said control hold state, the dedicated control channel remains assigned to form the communication channel between the mobile station and the network infrastructure.

14. The method of claim 7 further comprising the operation of timing an activity timer responsive to operation of the mobile station in the active mode, the activity timer resettable during communication of packet data on the dedicated traffic channel, the activity timer for timing a timing period corresponding to the first selected period of communication inactivity, operation of the mobile station transitioning to said control hold state subsequent to timing-out of said activity timer.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the communication system comprises a CDMA-cellular communication system, wherein the network infrastructure comprises a cellular base station, and wherein said steps of transitioning are performed at the cellular base station.

16. A method for operating a mobile station in a selected operational state, the mobile station forming a portion of a communication system and selectively permitted to communicate packet data pursuant to at least one packet service-type with network infrastructure of the communication system, a QoS (quality of service) parameter associated with each of the at least one packet service-type, the QoS parameter defining a communication channel access-time delay period within which access to the commuciation channel is to be provided to effectuate the packet data communications, said method comprising:

transitioning operation of the mobile station into an active state when the packet data it to be communicated between the mobile station and the network infrastructure, a dedicated traffic channel assigned to form the communication channel to communicate the packet data thereon when the mobile station is operated in the active state;

transitioning operation of the mobile station into a control hold state from the active state responsive to a first selected period of communication inactivity; and

transitioning operation of the mobile station into a virtual traffic substate from the control hold state when the QoS parameter associated with the packet data service-type is beyond a selected level, the dedicated control channel released from assignation to form the communication channel.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising the additional operation, alternate to said operation of transitioning operation of the mobile station into the substate virtual traffic substate, of transitioning operation of the mobile station to a control-hold power-save substate within the control hold state when the QoS parameter associated with the packet data service-type is within the selected level.

18. The method of claim 17 comprising the additional operation, subsequent to said operation of transitioning operation of the mobile station into the virtual traffic-substate, when the mobile station is to access the communication channel, of transitioning operation of the mobile station back to the control hold state, and, thereafter back to the active state.

19. The method of claim 17 comprising the additional operation, subsequent to said operation of transitioning operation of the mobile station into the virtual traffic substate, when the mobile station is to access the communication channel, of transitioning operation of the mobile station back to the control hold state and, thereafter, back to the active state.