Method of forwarding channel assignments for one or more traffic channels

• US 6,628,953 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2000
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dillon, Matthew James, Nedelcu, Bogdan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/612,794
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/519, 455/520, 455/436, 455/437, 455/440, 455/443, 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/509, 455/512, 455/513, 455/62, 370/331-333
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

A remote unit (101) monitors a control channel for a base station (103) and sends a probe message (301) to the base station (103). The base station (103) forwards the probe message with location information (305) to a controller (115). The controller (115) determines an approximate distance for the remote unit (101). Based on the approximate distance, the controller (115) determines at least one additional site. A channel assignment message (309 or 401) is forwarded to the remote unit (101), which message includes one or more traffic channels associated with at least one of the base station (103) and the at least one additional site.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

sending, by a remote unit, a probe message to a base station;

forwarding the probe message with location information to a controller;

based on the location information, determining at least one additional site;

forwarding, to the remote unit, a channel assignment message including one or more traffic channels associated with at least one of the base station and the at least one additional site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a list of the at least one additional site is found in a table for each sector of the base station'"'"'s coverage area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base station and a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site is sent in a handoff message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the handoff message is sent immediately after the remote unit is acquired on the traffic channel for the base station.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the handoff message is sent immediately after the remote unit is acquired on the traffic channel for the base station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe message is one of an origination message and a termination message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises distance information from the remote unit to the base station.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining, by the controller, an approximate location for the remote unit, which approximate location is based on the location information, and wherein the approximate location comprises a sector of the base station'"'"'s coverage area.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base station and a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site is sent in a handoff message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the handoff message is sent immediately after the remote unit is acquired on the traffic channel for the base station.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base station and a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site.

15. A method comprising the steps of:

monitoring, by a remote unit, a control channel for a base station;

sending, by the remote unit, a probe message to the base station;

forwarding, by the base station, the probe message with at least one of distance and location information to a controller;

determining, by the controller, an approximate distance for the remote unit;

based on the approximate distance, determining, by the controller, at least one additional site;

forwarding, to the remote unit, a channel assignment message including one or more traffic channels associated with at least one of the base station and the at least one additional site.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base station.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site is sent in a handoff message.

19. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a base site, a probe message with location information;

based on the location information, determining at least one additional site;

forwarding a channel assignment message including one or more traffic channels associated with at least one of the base site and the at least one additional site.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of building a list of the at least one additional site in a table for each sector of a base station'"'"'s coverage area.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base station and a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more traffic channels comprises a traffic channel for the base site.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein a traffic channel for each of the at least one additional site is sent in a handoff message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the handoff message is sent immediately after the remote unit is acquired on the traffic channel for the base site.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the location information comprises distance information from a remote unit to a base station.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of determining, an approximate location for the remote unit, which approximate location is based on the location information, and wherein the approximate location comprises a sector of the base station'"'"'s coverage area, and determining the at least one additional site from the approximate location.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of determining the location information based on a distance from the remote unit to the base station.

27. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a remote unit, a probe message;

forwarding the probe message with location information to a controller;

forwarding, to the remote unit, a channel assignment message including one or more traffic channels associated with at least one of the base station and at least one additional site.