Selection of radio resources in a wireless communication device

• US 7,599,665 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sinivaara, Hasse
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US10/583,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/426.1, 455/435.1, 455/450, 455/522, 455/550.1, 455/67.16, 455/419, 455/436, 455/452.2, 370/230, 370/328, 370/330, 370/331, 370/395.21, 370/419, 370/466, 370/310, 370/514, 370/352, 370/389, 370/398, 370/410, 370/456, 709/227, 709/219, 375/141, 375/295, 713/324, 703/203, 703/224, 703/236
• US Class Current: 455/67.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for selecting radio resources for a communication session in a wireless communication terminal. In order to facilitate the selection of quality of service between diversified terminals, terminal capabilities are described by a set of capability parameters, the set including at least one parameter indicative of the terminal'"'"'s capabilities. Based on the set of capability parameters, a dedicated quality class set is defined for an application instance residing in the terminal, the quality class set including at least one quality class for the application instance. When a session is to be established between at least two application instances residing respectively in at least two terminals, at least one quality class is negotiated for the session, the at least one quality class being determined based on the dedicated quality class sets of the at least two application instances. Based on the negotiation, radio resources are then allocated for the session.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

describing device capabilities by a set of capability parameters, the set including at least one parameter indicative of capabilities of a wireless communication device;

based on the set of capability parameters, defining a dedicated quality class set for an instance of an application, the dedicated quality class set including at least one quality class for the instance,

wherein the describing and the defining are performed for at least two instances of the application, the at least two instances of the application residing respectively in at least two wireless communication devices;

negotiating at least one common quality class for a communication session between the at least two instances of the application, the at least one common quality class being determined based on the dedicated quality class sets of the at least two instances of the application, wherein the negotiating is performed between at least two of the at least two wireless communication devices; and

allocating, based on the negotiating, radio resources for the communication session, the allocating being performed in the at least two wireless communication devices.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the negotiating further comprises transferring a quality of service set from a first wireless communication device to at least one second wireless communication device, wherein the quality of service set indicates at least one quality class of the dedicated quality class set of an instance of the application in the first wireless communication device and wherein the first and the at least one second communication device belong to the at least two wireless communication devices.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the transferring is performed via a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface of the first wireless communication device.

4. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

mapping the dedicated quality class set to a group of quality modes;

querying a user of the first wireless communication device to select one of the quality modes; and

deducing the quality of service set from the quality mode selected by the user.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the defining is performed when the application is installed in the wireless communication device.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, in one of the at least two wireless communication devices, the presence of at least one other of the at least two wireless communication devices; and

initiating the negotiating in response to the detecting.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating further comprises selecting the radio resources based on the at least one common quality class.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the negotiating further comprises negotiating the radio resources for the communication session.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring whether a predetermined indication is received by at least one of the at least two wireless communication devices, and

repeating the negotiating and the allocating when the predetermined indication is received.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined indication indicates that an external application instance with a quality class set incompatible with the at least one common quality class set wishes to join the communication session.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined indication indicates that one of the at least two instances of the application requires a change in the at least one common quality class.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one short-range radio interface;

an interface configured to define, based on a set of capability parameters, a quality class set for an application instance, wherein the set of capability parameters includes at least one parameter indicative of capabilities of the apparatus and the quality class set includes at least one quality class;

a negotiation unit configured to select at least one common quality class for a communication session to be established between the application instance and at least one external application instance having respectively at least one external quality class set, the negotiation unit configured to select the at least one common quality class based on the quality class set and the at least one external quality class set; and

an allocating unit, responsive to the negotiation unit, configured to allocate radio resources for the communication session.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein an application to be installed in the apparatus is configured to read the set of capability parameters from a memory unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the allocation unit is operably connected to the at least one short-range radio interface to activate a short-range radio interface corresponding to the radio resources allocated for the communication session.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the negotiation unit is configured to

query a user of the apparatus to select a quality mode, the quality mode determining at least one of the at least one quality class, and

indicate the at least one of the at least one quality class to the at least one external application instance.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the negotiation unit comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface configured to indicate at least one of the at least one quality class to an external RFID device.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the negotiation unit is further configured to negotiate the radio resources with at least one other apparatus containing, respectively, the at least one external application instance.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the allocation unit is further configured to select the radio resources based on the at least one common quality class.

19. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program being configured to control a processor to perform:

reading a set of capability parameters from a wireless communication device, the set including at least one parameter indicative of capabilities of the wireless communication device; and

defining, based on the set of capability parameters, a dedicated quality class set including at least one quality class.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one short-range radio interface;

interface means for defining, based on a set of capability parameters, a quality class set for an application instance, wherein the set of capability parameters includes at least one parameter indicative of capabilities of the apparatus and the quality class set includes at least one quality class;

negotiation means for selecting at least one common quality class for a communication session to be established between the application instance and at least one external application instance having respectively at least one external quality class set, and for selecting the at least one common quality class based on the quality class set and the at least one external quality class set; and

allocating means, responsive to the negotiation means, for allocating radio resources for the communication session.

21. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program being configured to control a processor to perform:

describing device capabilities by a set of capability parameters, the set including at least one parameter indicative of capabilities of a wireless communication device;

based on the set of capability parameters, defining a dedicated quality class set for an instance of an application, the dedicated quality class set including at least one quality class for the instance, wherein the describing and the defining are performed for at least two instances of the application, the at least two instances of the application residing respectively in at least two wireless communication devices;

negotiating at least one common quality class for a communication session between the at least two instances of the application, the at least one common quality class being determined based on the dedicated quality class sets of the at least two instances of the application, wherein the negotiating is performed between at least two of the at least two wireless communication devices; and

allocating, based on the negotiating, radio resources for the communication session, the allocating being performed in the at least two wireless communication devices.