Method and apparatus for multiplexing a plurality of data connections onto one temporary block flow

• US 6,901,060 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2000
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Lintulampi, Raino
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US09/573,105
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/338, 370/348, 370/352, 370/465, 370/469, 370/314, 370/332, 370/331, 370/349, 370/335, 370/341, 370/353, 370/392, 370/401, 370/466, 370/470, 370/471, 370/474, 370/395.1, 455/452.2, 455/426, 455/448, 455/450, 455/452, 455/509, 455/511, 455/517
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are described for sending packet data over a wireless link. The method includes sequentially multiplexing a plurality of radio bearers onto one Temporary Block Flow (TBF) by performing, for a first radio bearer, transmitting the first radio bearer identity to a receiver in at least one first Radio Link Control (RLC) block of a Temporary Block Flow (TBF); upon an occurrence of a change from the first radio bearer to a second radio bearer, transmitting the second radio bearer identity to the receiver in at least one subsequent Radio Link Control (RLC) block of the same TBF; and, at the receiver, sequentially demultiplexing the plurality of radio bearers from the one Temporary Block Flow (TBF) by first detecting the presence of the radio bearer identities in received RLC blocks.

Claims

1. Apparatus to transmit packet data, comprising a multiplexer for multiplexing a plurality of radio bearers onto one Temporary Block Flow (TBF), and further comprising, for a first radio bearer, a unit for transmitting an identity of the first radio bearer to a receiver of the packet data in at least one Radio Link Control (RLC) block of a Temporary Block Flow (TBF), said unit being responsive to an occurrence of a change from the first radio bearer to a second radio bearer, for transmitting an identity of the second radio bearer to the receiver in at least one subsequent Radio Link Control (RLC) block of the TBF, wherein said receiver comprises a demultiplexer that is responsive to a receipt of radio bearer identities for demultiplexing RLC blocks from the TBF, and further comprising a unit, responsive to a receipt of the second radio bearer identity, and if quality of service parameters of the second radio bearer do not require a new channel allocation, for sending to the unit for transmitting an acknowledgment of a receipt of a first received RLC block from the second radio bearer.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein a Network Service Access Point Identifier (NSAPI), and quality of service parameters, are mapped to radio bearer identities.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a unit, responsive to a receipt of the second radio bearer identity, and if quality of service parameters of the second radio bearer require a new channel allocation, for sending a channel assignment message to the transmitter.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the channel assignment message comprises a Packet Uplink Assignment message.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein a radio bearer identity is contained within packet flow identifier (PFI) bits in the RLC data block, and wherein the presence of the bearer identity within the PFI bits is signalled by using a PFI Indicator (PI) bit.