Communication system having implemented point-to-multipoint-multicast function

• US 6,697,651 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2001
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Zhu
• Primary Examiner(s): VUONG, QUOCHIEN B
• Application Number:
  US09/982,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412, 455/414, 455/458, 455/558, 455/466, 455/572, 455/573, 455/574, 455/343, 340/7.32, 340/7.33, 340/7.34, 340/7.35, 340/7.45, 340/7.46, 370/311, 370/312, 370/320, 370/335
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication system having a network (1) and a plurality of user terminals (2,3,4) that are coupled to the network via a communication channel using wireless radio frequency transmission and having a downlink channel for transmitting messages in the direction from the network to the user terminals. The downlink channel comprises a paging channel for transmission of paging messages in paging frames for initiating communication with a user terminal allocated to a paging group of a plurality of user terminals. A paging indicator channel transmitter of a paging indicator belonging to the paging group when there is a paging message for the user terminal belonging to the paging group. The user terminal processes a next paging frame transmitted on the paging channel to determine whether there is a paging message intended for the user terminal when the paging indicator has been transmitted on the paging indicator channel. The paging message on the paging channel comprises a point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group.

Claims

1. A communication on system comprising a network and a plurality of user terminals that are coupled to the network via a communication channel using wireless radio frequency transmission and having a downlink channel for transmitting messages in the direction from the network to the user terminals, wherein the downlink channel comprises:

a paging channel for transmission of paging messages in paging frames for initiating communication with a user terminal allocated to a paging group of a plurality of user terminals; and

a paging indicator channel for transmission of a paging indicator belonging to said paging group, in case there is a paging message for the user terminal belonging to said paging group, wherein the user terminal processes a next paging frame transmitted on the paging channel to determine whether there is a paging message intended for the user when the paging indicator has been transmitted on the paging indicator channel; and

wherein

the paging message on the paging channel comprises a point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group.

2. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the paging message on the paging channel comprises one or a plurality of PTM-M messages intended for the PTM-M group and identified by means of the PTM-M group identifier.

3. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the downlink channel comprises in addition a downlink transport channel shared by user terminals and which transports PTM-M messages, wherein the user terminal accesses the PTM-M messages of the downlink transport channel when, in the paging channel, the user terminal has detected a PTM-M identifier of a PTM-M group to which the user terminal is allocated.

4. A communication system according to claim 3, wherein:

the communication system is the UMTS and the downlink transport channel is the forward access channel (FACH) of the UMTS.

5. A communication system according to claim 3, wherein:

the communication system is the UMTS and the downlink transport channel is the downlink shared channel (DSCH) of the UMTS.

6. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

an area is allocated to at least one cell, wherein the user terminal is located in the area and the network transmitting the paging indicator channel and the paging channel comprising at least one PTM-M identifier to the at least one cell of the area.

7. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one PTM-M identifier terminal is stored in a data memory of the user terminal.

8. A communication system according to claim 7, wherein:

the data memory is a memory in a SIM card of the user terminal.

9. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication system is the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), wherein the network is the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access network and wherein the user terminal is an UMTS terminal or an UMTS mobile phone.

10. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication system is the UMTS and the paging channel is the secondary common control physical channel (S-CCPCH) of the UMTS.

11. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the PTM-M group identifier is the international mobile group identifier used in the general packet radio system (GPRS).

12. A network, which communicates with a plurality of user terminals that are coupled to the network via a communication channel using radio frequency transmission and having a downlink channel for transmitting messages in a direction from the network to the user terminals, wherein the downlink channel comprises:

a paging channel which transmits paging messages in paging frames for initiating communication with a user terminal allocated to a paging group of a plurality of user terminals; and

a paging indicator channel which transmits a paging indicator belonging to staid paging group, in case there is a paging message for the user terminal belonging to the paging group; and

wherein

the paging message on the paging channel comprises a point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group.

13. A user terminal, which communicates with a network, comprising a mobile station including a receiver which receives messages from the network in a downlink channel;

wherein said downlink channel comprises;

a paging channel for reception of paging messages in paging frames or initiating communication with said network, the user terminal being allocated to a paging group comprising a plurality of user terminals; and

a paging indicator channel for reception of a paging indicator belonging to said paging group, in case there is a paging message for the user terminal belonging to said paging group; and

wherein

the user terminal processes a next paging frame received on the paging channel to determine whether there is a paging message intended for the user when the paging indicator has been transmitted on the paging indicator channel and the paging message on the paging channel comprises a point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group.

14. A method in a communication system comprising a network and a plurality of user terminals that are coupled to the network via a communication channel using radio frequency transmission and having a downlink channel for transmitting messages in direction from the network to the user terminals, wherein the method comprises:

in a paging channel of the downlink channel, transmitting paging messages in paging frames for initiating communication with a user terminal allocated to a paging group of a plurality of user terminals;

in a paging indicator channel of the downlink channel, transmitting of a paging indicator allocated to the paging group, in case there is a paging message for the user terminal belonging to the paging group;

processing of a next paging frame transmitted on the paging channel by the user terminal to determine whether there is a paging message intended for the user when the paging indicator has been transmitted on the paging indicator channel; and

in the paging message of the paging channel, transmitting at least one point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group by the network.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein:

the paging message or the paging channel comprises a PTM-M message being intended for the PTM-M group which is identified by the PTM-M group identifier.

16. A method according to claim 15, comprising:

in the downlink channel, providing a downlink transport channel shared by user terminals and which transports PTM-M messages, the user terminal accessing the PTM-M messages of the downlink transport channel when, in the paging channel, the user terminal has detected a PTM-M identifier of a PTM-M group to which the user terminal is allocated.

17. A method according to claim 14, comprising:

allocating an area to at least one cell by the network, wherein the user terminal is in the area, and provides the paging indicator channel and the paging channel comprises the at least one PTM-M group identifier or to the at least one cell of the area.

18. A method according to claim 14, comprising:

storing of the at least one PTM-M group identifier allocated to the user terminal in a data memory of the user terminal.

19. A method according to claim 14, comprising:

in an area serviced,by the network and divided into a plurality of cells, entering one of said cells by the mobile user terminal and registering of the user terminal to be in the one cell by the network of the communication system;

providing the PTM-M identifier on a downlink transport channel of the downlink channel, the information indicating the PTM-M group supported in the one cell by the network;

reading the at least one PTM-M group identifiers on the downlink transport channel by the user terminal; and

comparing the at least one PTM-M group identifier read from the downlink transport channel with the at least one PTM-M group identifier being stored in a memory of the user terminal and indicating the PTM-M group to which the user terminal subscribes in order to determine the PTM-M group serviced in the cell for the user terminal.

20. A method according to claim 14, comprising:

periodically detecting and reading the paging indicators on the paging indicator channel by the user terminal.

21. A method according to claim 20, comprising:

when a paging indicator is detected on the paging channel, reading the paging message on the paging channel which is allocated to the paging indicator.

22. A method according to claim 20, comprising:

when a PTM-M identifier is detected by the user terminal in the paging message on the paging channel, comparing the detected PTM-M group identifier to the at least one PTM-M group identifier stored in the user terminal.

23. A method according to claim 22, comprising:

when the detected PTM-M identifier corresponds to one of the at least one PTM-M group identifier stored in the user terminal, reading of PTM-M messages belonging to the PTM-M group identified by the PTM-M group identifier on a downlink transport channel of the downlink channel.

24. A method according to claim 20, wherein:

the user terminal is in a sleep-mode between steps of periodically detecting and reading of the paging indicators.

25. A communication system comprising a network and a plurality of user terminals that are coupled to the network via a communication channel using wireless radio frequency transmission and having a downlink channel for transmitting messages in the direction from the network to the user terminals, wherein the downlink channel comprises:

a paging channel for transmission of paging frames for initiating communication with a user terminal allocated to a paging group of a plurality of user terminals; and

a paging indicator channel for transmission of a paging indicator belonging to the paging group, when there is a paging message for a user terminal belongin to the paging group, wherein the user terminal processes the next paging frame transmitted on the paging channel to determine whether there is a paging message intended for the user when the paging indicator has been transmitted on the paging indicator channel; and

wherein

the paging message on the paging channel comprises a point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group, and at least one, PTM-M identifier allocated to the user terminal is stored in a data memory of said user terminal.

26. A communication system according to claim 25, wherein the paging message on the paging channel comprises at least one PTM-M message intended for the PTM-M group and identified by means of the PTM-M group identifier.

27. A communication system according to claim 25, wherein the downlink channel comprises in addition a downlink transport channel shared by user terminals and which transports the PTM-M messages, wherein a user terminal accesses the PTM-M messages of the downlink transport channel when, in the paging channel, the user terminal has detected a PTM-M identifier of a PTM-M group to which the user terminal is allocated to.

28. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein the communication system is Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) and the downlink transport channel is the forward access channel (FACH) of the UMTS.

29. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein the communication system is Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) and the downlink transport channel is the downlink shared channel (DSCH) of the UMTS.

30. A communication system according to claim 25, wherein an area is allocated to at least one cell, wherein the user terminal is located in the area, the network transmitting the paging indicator channel and the paging channel comprising the at least one PTM-M identifier to the at least one cell of the area.

31. A communication system according to claim 25, wherein the data memory is a memory in a SIM card of the user terminal.

32. A communication system according to claim 25, wherein the communication system is the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), wherein the network is the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access network and wherein the user terminal is an UMTS terminal or an UMTS mobile phone.

33. A communicatiion system according to claim 25, wherein the communication system is Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) and the paging channel is the secondary common control physical channel (S-CCPCH) of the UMTS.

34. A communication system according to claim 25, wherein the PTM-M group identifier is the international mobile group identifier used in the general packet radio system (GPRS).

35. A Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) network, which communicates with a plurality of user terminals that are coupled to the network via a communication channel using wireless radio frequency transmission and having a downlink channel for transmitting messages in the direction from the network to the user terminals, wherein the downlink channel comprises:

a paging channel for transmission of paging messages in paging frames for initiating communication with a user terminal allocated to a paging group of a plurality of user terminals;

a paging indicator channel for transmission of a paging indicator belonging to the paging group, when there is a paging message for a user terminal belonging to the paging group; and

wherein

the paging message on the paging channel comprises a point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM) group identifier a PTM-M group, and the paging channel is the secondary common control physical channel (S-ccpch) of the UTMS.

36. A user terminal, which communicates with a network having a mobile station, including reception means which receives messages from the networl in a downlink channel;

wherein the downlink channel comprises;

a paging channel for reception of paging messages in paging frames for initiating communication with the network, the user terminal being allocated to a paging group comprising a plurality of user terminals; and

a paging indicator channel for reception of a paging indicator belonging to the paging group, when there is a paging message for the user terminal belonging to the paging group, wherein the user terminal processes the next paging frame received on the paging channel to determine whether there is a pageing message intended for the user when the paging indicator has been transmitted on the paging indicator channel; and

wherein

the paging message on the paging channel comprises a point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group, and the user terminal comprises a data memory for storing at least one PTM-M identifier allocated to the user.

37. A method for operation of a communication system comprising a network and a plurality of user terminals that are coupled to the network via a communication channel using wireless radio frequency transmission and having a downlink, channel for transmitting messages in the direction from the network to the user terminals, wherein the method comprises:

in a paging channel of the downlink channel, transmitting of pagin messages in paging frames for initiating communication with a user terminal allocated to a paging group of a plurality of said terminals;

in a paging indicator channel of the downlink channel, transmitting of a paging indicator allocated to the paging group, when there is a paging message for a user terminal belonging to the paging group;

processing a next paging frame transmitted on the paging channel by the user terminal to determine whether there is a paging message intended for the user when the paging indicator has been transmitted on the paging indicator channel; and

wherein

transmitting at least one point-to-multipoint-multicast (PTM-M) group identifier to identify a PTM-M group by the network in the paging message of the paging channel, detecting the at least one PTM-M group identifier by the user terminal in the pagin message on the paging channel, and comparing the detected PTM-M identifier with at least one PTM-M identifier stored in the user terminal.

38. A method according to claim 37, comprising:

next, when the detected PTM-M identifier corresponds to one of the at least one PTM-M identifiers being stored in the user terminal, reading of PTM-M messages belonging to the PTM-M group identified by the PTM-M identifier on a downlink transport channel of the downlink channel.

39. A method according to claim 37, wherein the paging message on the paging channel comprises a PTM-M message intended for the PTM-M group which is identified by means of a PTM-M group identifier.

40. A method according to claim 39, comprising:

in the downlink channel, providing a downlink transport channel shared by user terminals and for transporting PTM-M messages, the user terminal accessing the PTM-M messages of the downlink transport channel when, in the paging channel, the user terminal has detected a PTM-M identifier of a PTM-M group to which the user terminal is allocated.

41. A method according to claim 37, comprising:

allocating an area to at least one cell by the network, wherein the user terminal is in that area, and providing the paging indicator channel and the paging channel comprising the at least one PTM-M identifier to the at least one cell of the area.

42. A method according to claim 37, comprising:

storing of the least one PTM-M identifier allocaed to the user terminal in a data memory of the user terminal.

43. A method according to claim 37, comprising:

in an area serviced by the network and divided into a plurality of cells, entering one of the cells by the mobile user terminal;

restoring the user terminal to be in the cell by the network of the communication system;

providing PTM-M identifiers on the downlink transport channel of the downlink channel, the information indicating the PTM-M groups being supported in the cell by the network; and

reading the PTM-M identifiers on the downlink transport channel by the user terminal, and comparing the PTM-M identifiers being read from the downlink transport channel with PTM-M identifiers stored in a memory of the user terminal and indicating the PTM-M groups to which the user terminal is subscribed-in order to determine the PTM-M groups being serviced in the cell for the user terminal.

44. A method according to claim 37, comprising:

periodically detecting and reading the paging indicators on the paging indicator channel by the user terminal.

45. A method according to claim 44, comprising:

next, when a paging indicator is detected on the paging channel, reading of the paging message on the paging channel which is allocated to the paging indicator.

46. A method according to claim 44, wherein the user terminal is in a sleep-mode between, the periodically detecting and reading of the paging indicators.