Method and devices for implementing a continued packet-switched radio connection

• US 6,718,179 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Forssell, Mika, Grönberg, Petri
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US09/480,071
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/447, 455/450-452, 455/458, 455/464, 455/509, 370/252, 370/319, 370/320, 370/321, 370/322, 370/329, 370/330, 370/328, 370/338, 370/335, 370/351, 370/352, 370/357, 370/400, 370/348
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

A method is presented for establishing a continued communication connection after a terminating communication connection between a transmitting station and a receiving station in a communication system where communication connections take place on dedicated communication resources temporarily associated to them. The termination of the terminating communication connection is indicated through a communication resource associated to the terminating communication connection (304, 404, 405, 504). The need for a continued communication connection is also indicated through a dedicated communication resource (305, 408, 408′, 509).

Claims

1. A method for establishing a continued communication connection after a terminating communication connection between a transmitting station and a receiving station in a communication system where communication connections take place on communication resources temporarily associated to said communication connections, comprising, in the following order, the steps of:

indicating the termination of a packet-switched uplink communication connection between a mobile station and a network in a mobile telecommunication system on a communication resource which is an unlink packet channel; and

indicating the need for a continued communication connection within an uplink transmission instant assigned to the mobile station for use after a certain final data transmission through the terminating communication connection.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein in a mobile telecommunication system where the terminating procedures of a packet-switched uplink communication connection without a subsequent continued communication connection comprise the steps of

transmitting from the mobile station to the network a final data block containing an indication of its finality,

transmitting from the network to the mobile station a final acknowledgement indicating the successful reception of the final data block, and

transmitting from the mobile station to the network a control acknowledgement indicating the successful reception of the final acknowledgement, wherein

said uplink transmission instant assigned to the mobile station for use after a certain final data transmission through the terminating communication connection is the uplink transmission instant for transmitting said control acknowledgement.

3. A method according to claim 2, comprising the step of transmitting, during said uplink transmission instant for transmitting said control acknowledgement, a modified control acknowledgement indicating the need for a continued communication connection.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of transmitting, through a certain further dedicated communication resource, a detailed request for dedicated resources for the continued communication connection.

5. A method according to claim 2, comprising the step of transmitting, during said uplink transmission instant for transmitting said control acknowledgement, a detailed request for dedicated resources for the continued communication connection.

6. A method for establishing a continued communication connection after a terminating communication connection between a transmitting station and a receiving station in a communication system where communication connections take place on communication resources temporarily associated to said communication connections, comprising, in the following order, the steps of:

indicating the termination of a packet-switched downlink communication connection between a network and a mobile station in a mobile telecommunication system on a downlink packet channel, and

indicating the need for a continued communication connection within a downlink transmission instant on a downlink channel that was associated with data transmission through the terminating communication connection.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein in a mobile telecommunication system where the assignment of downlink communication resources takes place through downlink resource assignment messages from a network to mobile stations, it comprises the step of transmitting, at a downlink transmission instant on a downlink channel that was associated with data transmission through the terminating communication connection, a modified downlink resource assignment message indicating the need for a continued communication connection.

8. A method for establishing a continued communication connection after a terminating communication connection between a transmitting station and a receiving station in a communication system where communication connections take place on communication resources temporarily associated to said communication connections, comprising, in the following order, the steps of:

indicating the termination of a packet-switched unlink communication connection between a mobile station and a network in a mobile telecommunication system on a communication resource which is an uplink packet channel,

indicating, within an uplink transmission instant assigned to the mobile station for use after a certain final data transmission through the terminating communication connection, the need for a continued communication connection with at least one characteristic that is different from the corresponding characteristic of the terminating communication connection.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of indicating the need for a continued communication connection comprises the step of indicating the need for a communication connection with different priority, class than that of the terminating communication connection.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of indicating the need for a continued communication connection comprises the step of indicating the need for a communication connection with different required throughput than that of the terminating communication connection.

11. A mobile station of a mobile telecommunication system, comprising:

means for setting up and maintaining uplink communication connections with a network,

means for indicating the termination of a packet-switched uplink communication connection between the mobile station and the network on a communication resource which is an uplink packet channel, and

means for indicating the need for a continued uplink communication connection within an uplink transmission instant assigned to the mobile station for use after a certain final data transmission through the terminating communication connection.

12. A mobile station according to claim 11, wherein

said means for indicating the termination of a terminating packet-switched uplink communication connection comprise means for transmitting to the network a final data block containing an indication of its finality, and

said means for indicating the need for a continued uplink communication connection comprise means for responding to a final acknowledgement indicating the successful reception of the final data block with a control acknowledgement indicating additionally the successful reception of the final acknowledgement.

13. A mobile station according to claim 11, wherein

said means for indicating the termination of a terminating packet-switched uplink communication connection comprise means for transmitting to the network a final data block containing an indication of its finality, and

said means for indicating the need for a continued uplink communication connection comprise means for responding to a final acknowledgement indicating the successful reception of the final data block with a detailed request for dedicated resources for the continued communication connection.

14. A mobile station according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for setting up and maintaining downlink communication connections with the network,

means for monitoring, after the termination of a downlink communication connection, a set of downlink channels which were associated with the terminated downlink communication connection, and

means for interpreting a certain predefined downlink message on one of the monitored downlink channels as an indication of a continued downlink communication connection.

15. A base station subsystem of a mobile telecommunication system, comprising:

means for setting up and maintaining downlink communication connections with mobile stations,

means for indicating the termination of a packet-switched downlink communication connection between a network and a mobile station on a downlink packet channel, and

means for indicating the need for a continued downlink communication connection within a downlink transmission instant on a downlink channel that was associated with data transmission through the terminating communication connection.

16. A base station subsystem according to claim 15, wherein

said means for indicating the termination of a terminating downlink communication connection comprise means for transmitting to the mobile station a final data block containing an indication of its finality, and

said means for indicating the need for a continued downlink communication connection comprise means for responding to a final acknowledgement indicating the successful reception of the final data block with a resource assignment message indicating an assignment of resources for a continued downlink communication connection.

17. A base station subsystem according to claim 15, further comprising:

means for setting up and maintaining uplink communication connections with mobile stations,

means for responding to the transmission of an indicated final data block in an uplink communication connection with a final acknowledgement comprising an assignment for the transmission of a control acknowledgement, and

means for interpreting a certain predetermined message, received as a control acknowledgement after the transmission of said final acknowledgement, as an indication of a need for a continued uplink communication connection.

18. A method for establishing a continued communication connection after a terminating of a communication connection between a transmitting station and a receiving station in a communication system wherein communication connections take place on communication resources temporarily assigned to said communication connections, comprising the steps of

terminating the communication connection,

indicating the termination of a packet-switched uplink communication connection between a mobile station and a network in a mobile telecommunication system on a communication resource which is an uplink packet channel,

indicating the need for a continued communication connection within an uplink transmission instant assigned to the mobile station for use after a certain final data transmission through the terminating communication connection, and

resuming the communication.