Radio network system

• US 7,532,914 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2004
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kurokawa, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/815,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 455572-574, 4553431-3436, 455/41.2, 455/509, 455/561, 455/464, 455/522, 455/525, 370/311, 370/338, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A radio base station 1 is connected together with a multi-media server 3 and a multi-media terminal unit 4 to a LAN or WAN line 100 for radio communication with radio mobile terminals 2-1 to 2-N. The radio mobile terminals 2-1 to 2-N can be switched between a power-saving mode of their part-time duty service and a normal mode of their full-time duty service. The radio base station 1 manages the radio mobile terminals 2-1 to 2-N by executing discrimination as to whether they are in the power-saving mode of the part-time duty service operation or in the normal mode of the full-time duty service operation. and when the radio mobile terminals 2-1 to 2-N are in the power-saving mode of the part-time duty service operation, it acts as an agent to execute part of the processes to be executed in the radio mobile terminals 2-1 to 2-N.

Claims

1. A radio network system having a radio base station connected to a communication line and utilizing radio as a data transfer medium and a plurality of radio mobile terminals connected via the radio base station to the communication line, the radio base station comprising:

means for managing a radio mobile terminal of the plurality of radio mobile terminals as to whether the radio mobile terminal is in a power-saving mode for saving power by intermittent power reception or a normal mode with power received at all times on the basis of a predetermined protocol;

means for receiving and discriminating by an apparatus at a first node of the radio network system broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode and, when a broadcast packet concerning a physical address inquiry is found among the broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal, responding to the broadcast packet by the apparatus as an agent for the radio mobile terminal to solve the physical address inquiry; and

means for reporting the reception of the physical address inquiry to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode to urge the radio mobile terminal to switch to the normal mode.

4. The radio network system according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the receiving apparatus responds to the broadcast packet as an agent for the radio mobile terminal without sending out the same broadcast packet via the radio transfer medium.

2. A radio network system having a radio base station connected via an external control unit to a communication line and utilizing radio as a data transfer medium and a plurality of radio mobile terminals connected via the radio base station to the communication line;

the external control unit includes a managing apparatus operable to manage a radio mobile terminal of the plurality of radio mobile terminals as to whether the radio mobile terminal is in a power-saving mode for saving power by intermittent power reception or a normal mode with power received at all times on the basis of a predetermined protocol;

a receiving apparatus operable for receiving and discriminating broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode and, when a broadcast packet concerning a physical address inquiry is found among the broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal, responding to the broadcast packet as an agent for the radio mobile terminal to solve the physical address inquiry; and

a reporting apparatus operable for reporting the reception of the physical address inquiry to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode to urge the radio mobile terminal to switch to the normal mode.

3. The radio network system according to claim 2, wherein the receiving apparatus responds to the broadcast packet as an agent for the radio mobile terminal without causing the same broadcast packet to be held at the base station.

5. A radio base station connecting a plurality of radio mobile terminals to a communication line by utilizing radio as a data transfer medium, the radio base station comprising:

means for managing a radio mobile terminal of the plurality of radio mobile terminals as to whether the radio mobile terminal is in a power-saving mode for saving power by intermittent power reception or a normal mode with power received at all times on the basis of a predetermined protocol;

means for receiving and discriminating broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode and, when a broadcast packet concerning a physical address inquiry is found among the broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal, responding to the broadcast packet as an agent for the radio mobile terminal to solve the physical address inquiry; and

means for reporting the reception of the physical address inquiry to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode to urge the radio mobile terminal to switch to the normal mode.

6. The radio base station according to claim 5, wherein the solving means for the physical address inquiry responds to the broadcast packet as an agent for the pertinent radio mobile terminal without causing the same broadcast packet to be held at the base station.

7. The radio base station according to claim 5, wherein the solving means for the physical address inquiry responds to the broadcast packet as an agent for the radio mobile terminal without sending out the same broadcast packet via the radio transfer medium.

8. A radio mobile terminal agent processing method for a radio network system having a radio base station connected to a communication line and utilizing radio as a data transfer medium and a plurality of radio mobile terminals connected via the radio base station to the communication line and utilizing the radio, wherein the radio base station executes:

a process of managing a radio mobile terminal of the plurality of radio mobile terminals as to whether the radio mobile terminal is in a power-saving mode for saving power by intermittent power reception or a normal mode with power received at all times on the basis of a predetermined protocol;

a process of receiving and discriminating broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode and, when a broadcast packet concerning a physical address inquiry is found among the broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal, responding to the broadcast packet as an agent for the radio mobile terminal to solve the physical address inquiry; and

a process of reporting the reception of the physical address inquiry to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode to urge the radio mobile terminal to switch to the normal mode.

10. The radio mobile terminal agent processing method according to one of claims 8 and 9, wherein the solving process of the physical address inquiry responds to the broadcast packet as an agent for the pertinent radio mobile terminal without causing the same broadcast packet to be held at the base station.

11. The radio mobile terminal agent processing method according to one of claims 8 and 9, wherein the solving process of the physical address inquiry responds to the broadcast packet as an agent for the pertinent radio mobile terminal without sending out the same broadcast packet via the radio transfer medium.

9. A radio mobile terminal agent processing method for a radio network system having a radio base station connected via an external control unit to a communication line and utilizing radio as a data transfer medium and a plurality of radio mobile terminals connected via the radio base station to the communication line, wherein the external control unit executes:

a process of managing a radio mobile terminal of the plurality of radio mobile terminals as to whether the radio mobile terminal is in a power-saving mode for saving power by intermittent power reception or a normal mode with power received at all times on the basis of a predetermined protocol;

a process of receiving and discriminating broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode and, when a broadcast packet concerning a physical address inquiry is found among the broadcast packets traveling over the communication line addressed to the radio mobile terminal, responding to the broadcast packet as an agent for the radio mobile terminal to solve the physical address inquiry; and

a process of reporting the reception of the physical address inquiry to the radio mobile terminal operating in the power-saving mode to urge the radio mobile terminal to switch to the normal mode.