Apparatus and method for use in paging mode in wireless communications systems

• US 6,823,191 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2001
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Uppala, Sathyadev Venkata, Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US09/756,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20020090960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 455/458, 455/434, 455/524, 455/160.1, 455/343.2, 455/343.5, 455/343.6, 455/353, 455/343.1, 320/336
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel

Abstract

Latency in receiving and detecting paging messages at a wireless terminal is reduced by employing a unique “super” paging time slot format. A paging super time slot includes a plurality of prescribed time slots. Each wireless terminal is associated with cyclically recurring super time slots. A super slot is associated with one or more wireless terminals. A base station always selects the first available time slot in a super time slot to transmit a paging message to a wireless terminal that is associated with the super time slot. Each wireless terminal monitors every time slot in the associated super time slot until either detecting reception of its associated paging message or detecting an empty time slot. In another embodiment of the invention, a unique partially overlapping super time slot format is employed in which a super time slot has at least one time slot common to its adjacent super time slots. This allows wireless terminals associated with adjacent super time slots to share the common at least one time slot. In turn, this results in balanced traffic loads, smoothed traffic fluctuation and reduced congestion.

Claims

1. A method for use in a base station of a wireless communications system to transmit paging messages comprising the step of:

generating paging messages;

generating a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport said paging messages to one or more of said remote wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message;

selecting a first available time slot in a super time slot to transmit a paging message to a wireless terminal associated with said super time slot;

resolving contention among a plurality of paging messages contending for the same time slot of a super time slot; and

transmitting paging messages being transported in super time slots to one or more remote wireless terminals,

wherein power consumption is reduced and latency in transmission of paging messages is reduced.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein one or more of said wireless terminals are associated with a particular super time slot.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein said plurality of super time slots are non-overlapping.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 further including steps of generating a paging message for a current intended wireless terminal, and waiting for a next super time slot associated with the current intended wireless terminal.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 further including a step of transmitting said generated paging message in said selected time slot to said current intended wireless terminal.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein prescribed ones of said super time slots have a plurality of time slots in common.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein a paging message is to be transmitted to a wireless terminal in a time slot of a super time slot associated with the current wireless terminal intended to be paged.

8. The method as defined in claim 6 further including a step of determining whether there is a paging message for a wireless terminal whose super time slot is earlier than a super time slot of the current wireless terminal intended to be paged.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 further including a step of transmitting a paging message in a time slot of the super time slot associated with the wireless terminal determined to have the earliest super time slot.

10. Apparatus for use in a base station of a wireless communications system comprising:

a generator for generating paging messages;

a formatter for generating a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport paging messages to one or more wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message;

a selector to select a first available time slot in a super time slot to transport a paging message to a wireless terminal associated with said super time slot;

a contention resolver to resolve contention among a plurality of paging messages contending for the same time slot of a super time slot; and

a transmitter for transmitting paging messages being transported in said plurality super time slots to one or more remote wireless terminals,

wherein power consumption is reduced and latency in transmission of paging messages is reduced.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein one or more of said wireless terminals are associated with a particular super time slot.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said plurality of super time slots are non-overlapping.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said generator generates a paging message for a current intended wireless terminal, and generates a super time slot timer for detecting the occurrence of a next super time slot.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said transmitter transmits said generated paging message in said selected time slot to said current intended wireless terminal.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein adjacent ones of said super time slots have a plurality of time slots in common.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein a paging message is intended to be transmitted by said transmitter to a wireless terminal in a time slot of a super time slot associated with the current wireless terminal intended to be paged.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 15 further including a detector for determining whether there is a paging message for a wireless terminal whose super time slot is earlier than the super time slot of the current wireless terminal intended to be paged.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein said transmitter transmits a paging message in a time slot of the super time slot associated with the wireless terminal determined to have the earliest super time slot.

19. A method for use in a wireless communications system including at least one base station and one or more wireless terminals comprising the steps of:

in a base station to transmit paging messages

generating paging messages,

generating a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport said paging messages to one or more of said remote wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message,

selecting a first available time slot in a super time slot to transmit a paging message to a wireless terminal associated with said super time slot,

resolving contention among a plurality of paging messages contending for the same time slot of a super time slot, and

transmitting paging messages being transported in super time slots to one or more remote wireless terminals; and

in each of said one or more wireless terminals

maintaining said wireless terminal in a standby mode of operation,

receiving a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport paging messages to one or more wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message, and

monitoring only the interval of a received super time slot associated with said wireless terminal for a paging message intended for said wireless terminal and otherwise returning to said standby mode of operation,

wherein power consumption is reduced and latency in transmission of paging messages is reduced.

20. Apparatus for use in a wireless communications system including at least one base station and one or more wireless terminals comprising:

in a base station to transmit paging messages

a generator for generating paging messages,

a formatter for generating a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport paging messages to one or more wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message,

a selector to select a first available time slot in a super time slot to transport a paging message to a wireless terminal associated with said super time slot,

a contention resolver to resolve contention among a plurality of paging messages contending for the same time slot of a super time slot, and

a transmitter for transmitting paging messages being transported in said plurality super time slots to one or more remote wireless terminals; and

in each of said one or more wireless terminals

a controller for controllably maintaining said wireless terminal in a standby mode of operation;

a receiver for receiving a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport paging messages to one or more wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message; and

wherein said controller controllably causes said wireless terminal to enter into a monitor mode for monitoring only the interval of a received super time slot associated with said wireless terminal for a paging message intended for said wireless terminal,

wherein power consumption is reduced and latency in transmission of paging messages is reduced.

21. Apparatus for use in a base station of a wireless communications system comprising:

means for generating paging messages;

means for generating a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport paging messages to one or more wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message;

means for selecting a first available time slot in a super time slot to transmit a paging message to a wireless terminal associated with said super time slot;

means for resolving contention among a plurality of paging messages contending for the same time slot of a super time slot; and

means for transmitting paging messages being transported in said plurality super time slots to one or more remote wireless terminals,

wherein power consumption is reduced and latency in transmission of paging messages is reduced.

22. Apparatus for use in a wireless communications system including at least one base station and one or more wireless terminals comprising:

in a base station to transmit paging messages

means for generating paging messages,

means for generating a super time slot format including a plurality of cyclically recurring super time slots to transport paging messages to one or more wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality of super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message,

means for selecting a first available time slot in a super time slot to transmit a paging message to a wireless terminal associated with said super time slot,

means for resolving contention among a plurality of paging messages contending for the same time slot of a super time slot, and

means for transmitting paging messages being transported in said plurality super time slots to one or more remote wireless terminals; and

in each of said one or more wireless terminals

means for controllably maintaining said wireless terminal in a standby mode of operation,

means for receiving a super time slot format including a plurality cyclically recurring super time slots to transport paging messages to one or more wireless terminals, wherein each of said plurality super time slots includes a plurality of time slots, each time slot intended to transport a wireless terminal paging message, and

means for monitoring only the interval of a received super time slot associated with said wireless terminal for a paging message intended for said wireless terminal,

wherein power consumption is reduced and latency in transmission of paging messages is reduced.