System and method for prioritizing traffic channel messages

• US 6,781,971 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2000
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yegani, Parviz, Davis, Roy, Quick, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Sam, Phirin
• Application Number:
  US09/538,384
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 370/341, 370/331, 370/342, 370/395.21, 370/395.4, 370/395.42, 370/461, 370/462, 370/532, 370/537, 370/310, 370/316, 370/325, 370/329, 370/437, 370/493, 370/494, 370/495
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1635 Cumulative acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message applying to all previous messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1841 Resequencing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A system and method places signaling message frames in a traffic channel carrying voice frames so that the signaling message transmission does not seriously impact voice quality. This is accomplished by producing a first stream of voice encoded packets and a second stream of signaling message packets. The signaling message packets are prioritized in the second stream relative to the voice encoded packets in the first stream. An arbitration element arbitrates between the voice encoded and prioritized signaling message packets, which are multiplexed as a function of this arbitration. The multiplexed voice encoded and prioritized signaling message packets are then transmitted.

Claims

1. A system for wireless communication comprising:

means for producing a first stream of voice encoded packets;

means for producing a second stream of signaling message packets;

means for prioritizing the signaling message packets in said second stream relative to the voice encoded packets in said first stream;

means for arbitrating between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

means for multiplexing the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets; and

means for transmitting the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the prioritized signaling message packets.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for prioritizing the signaling message packets into high priority and low priority packets;

wherein said means for arbitrating comprises means for scheduling the transmission of the multiplexed voice encoded packets and signaling message packets as a function of the assigned priority of the signaling message packets.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for producing a first stream of voice encoded packets;

means for producing a second stream of signaling message packets;

means for prioritizing the signaling message packets in said second stream relative to the voice encoded packets in said first stream into high priority and low priority packets;

means for arbitrating between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

means for multiplexing the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

means for transmitting the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the prioritized signaling message packets; and

means for prioritizing the high priority signaling message packets into preemptive high priority and non-preemptive high priority packets.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for prioritizing said signaling message packets includes means for assigning a priority delivery time to each signaling message packet.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for producing a third stream of non-voice user information packets.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising means for transmitting the multiplexed non-voice user information packets and the prioritized signaling message packets.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising means for prioritizing the signaling message packets relative to the non-voice user information packets.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said non-voice user information packets comprise secondary traffic.

3. A system for wireless communication comprising:

means for producing a first stream of voice encoded packets;

means for producing a second stream of signaling message packets;

means for prioritizing the signaling message packets in said second stream relative to the voice encoded packets in said first stream into high priority and low priority packets;

means for arbitrating between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

means for multiplexing the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

means for transmitting the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the prioritized signaling message packets;

said means for arbitrating comprising means for scheduling the transmission of the multiplexed voice encoded packets and signaling message packets as a function of the assigned priority of the signaling message packets; and

means for changing the priority of the prioritized signaling message packets as a function of assigned maximum latency for transmitting signaling message packets.

10. A method for prioritizing traffic channel messages, comprising the steps of:

producing a first stream of voice encoded packets;

producing a second stream of signaling message packets;

prioritizing the signaling message packets in said second stream relative to the voice encoded packets in said first stream;

arbitrating between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

multiplexing the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets; and

transmitting the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the multiplexed prioritized signaling message packets.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

prioritizing the signaling message packets into high priority and low priority packets;

wherein said step of arbitrating comprises the step of scheduling the transmission of the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the signaling message packets as a function of the assigned priority of the signaling message packets.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of prioritizing said signaling message packets comprises the step of assigning a priority delivery time to each signaling message packet.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of producing a third stream of non-voice user information packets.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of transmitting the multiplexed non-voice user information packets and the prioritized signaling message packets.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of prioritizing the signaling message packets relative to the non-voice user information packets.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said non-voice user information packets comprise secondary traffic.

12. A method for prioritizing traffic channel messages comprising the steps of:

producing a first stream of voice encoded packets;

producing a second stream of signaling message packets;

prioritizing the signaling message packets in said second stream relative to the voice encoded packets in said first stream into high priority and low priority packets;

arbitrating between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

multiplexing the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

transmitting the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the multiplexed prioritized signaling message packets;

said step of arbitrating comprises the step of scheduling the transmission of the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the signaling message packets as a function of the assigned priority of the signaling message packets; and

changing the priority of the prioritized signaling message packets as a function of assigned maximum latency for transmitting signaling message packets.

13. A method for prioritizing traffic channel messages comprising the steps of:

producing a first stream of voice encoded packets;

producing a second stream of signaling message packets;

prioritizing the signaling message packets in said second stream relative to the voice encoded packets in said first stream into high priority and low priority packets and prioritizing the high priority signaling message packets into preemptive high priority and non-preemptive high priority packets;

arbitrating between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

multiplexing the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets;

transmitting the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the multiplexed prioritized signaling message packets.

19. An apparatus for prioritizing traffic channel messages, comprising:

a first stream of voice encoded packets;

a second stream of signaling message packets, said signaling message packets being prioritized in said second stream;

an arbitrator, coupled to said first stream, and said second stream, for arbitrating between said voice encoded packets and said prioritized signaling message packets;

a multiplexer, coupled to said first stream, said second stream, and said arbitrator, for multiplexing said voice encoded packets and said prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets; and

a transmitter, coupled to said multiplexer, for transmitting said multiplexed voice encoded packets and multiplexed prioritized signaling message packets.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said signaling message packets are prioritized into high priority and low priority packets, and wherein said arbitrator comprises a scheduler for scheduling the transmission of the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the multiplexed signaling message packets as a function of the assigned priority of the voice encoded packets and the signaling message packets.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said signaling message packets are assigned a priority delivery time.

21. An apparatus for prioritizing traffic channel messages comprising:

a first stream of voice encoded packets;

a second stream of signaling message packets, said signaling message packets being prioritized in said second stream into high priority and low priority packets;

an arbitrator, coupled to said first stream, and said second stream, for arbitrating between said voice encoded packets and said prioritized signaling message packets;

a multiplexer, coupled to said first stream, said second stream, and said arbitrator, for multiplexing said voice encoded packets and said prioritized signaling message packets as a function of the arbitration between the voice encoded packets and prioritized signaling message packets; and

a transmitter, coupled to said multiplexer, for transmitting said multiplexed voice encoded packets and multiplexed prioritized signaling message packets;

said arbitrator comprisings a scheduler for scheduling the transmission of the multiplexed voice encoded packets and the multiplexed signaling message packets as a function of the assigned priority of the voice encoded packets and the signaling message packets; and

means for changing the priority of the prioritized signaling message packets as a function of assigned maximum latency for transmitting signaling message packets.