Control-hold mode

• US 7,613,140 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Saiyiu D. (Duncan), Wei, Yongbin
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/689,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20070242631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are presented for implementing an improved Control-Hold Mode that reduces the load of the reverse link and reduces the battery consumption of remote stations. While a remote station is in the improved Control-Hold Mode, the circuitry that monitors the forward packet data channels and the associated control channels are turned off. Since the forward packet data channels and their associated control channels are not monitored, the operations of the reverse channels can be gated off to predetermined duty cycles, or set on intermittent transmission modes, or shut down completely. Transitions from the Control-Hold Mode to the Active Mode can be initiated by the remote station or by a base station. When a transition is initiated by a remote station, the remote station transmits a signaling message to a serving base station and then starts operating the feedback channels before actually receiving forward link signals.

Claims

1. An apparatus for updating an active set when a remote station is in an improved Control-Hold Mode, comprising:

means for receiving a signaling message;

means for transitioning from the improved Control-Hold Mode to an Active Mode, the transitioning triggered by the signaling message;

means for receiving an acknowledgment message with update information;

means for updating the active set with the update information; and

means for transitioning from the Active Mode to the Control-Hold Mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the means for receiving a signaling message further comprising:

means for receiving a signaling message from a base station.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the means for receiving an acknowledgment message further comprising:

means for receiving an acknowledgment message with update information from a base station.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the means for updating the active set further comprising:

means for updating the active set with the update information from a base station.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for transmitting a pilot strength measurement to a base station.

6. An apparatus for a remote station to switch sectors in a base station while the remote station is in a Control-Hold Mode, comprising:

means for determining whether a channel quality indicator channel is presently gated off;

means for transmitting a message on the channel quality indicator channel to a different sector if the channel quality indicator channel is not completely gated off;

processing means, operative when the channel quality indicator channel is completely gated off, comprising;

means for transmitting a signaling message on a data control channel;

means for receiving a forward link acknowledgment message on a common assignment channel;

means for switching to a different sector; and

means for transmitting a reverse link acknowledgment message on the data control channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the means for transmitting a signaling message on a data control channel further comprising:

means for transmitting a signaling message on a data control channel to the base station.

8. An apparatus for transitioning from an improved Control-Hold Mode to an Active Mode, wherein the transitioning is initiated by a remote station, the apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting a signaling message over a reverse data control channel while in the improved Control-Hold Mode;

means for starting continuous transmissions over a channel quality indicator channel to the base station;

means for starting the monitoring of a forward packet data channel and an associated control channel;

means for receiving an acknowledgment signal over the forward packet data channel; and

means for starting reverse link transmissions in accordance with the Active Mode.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the means for transmitting a signaling message over a reverse data control channel further comprising:

means for transmitting a signaling message over a reverse data control channel to a base station.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, the means for starting continuous transmissions over a channel quality indicator channel further comprising:

means for starting continuous transmissions over a channel quality indicator channel to a base station.

11. At least one computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for updating an active set when a remote station is in a Control-Hold Mode, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving a signaling message;

instructions for transitioning from the improved Control-Hold Mode to an Active Mode, the transitioning triggered by the signaling message;

instructions for receiving an acknowledgment message with update information;

instructions for updating the active set with the update information; and

instructions for transitioning from the Active Mode to the Control-Hold Mode.

12. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for receiving the signaling message comprises instructions for receiving a signaling message from a base station.

13. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for receiving the acknowledgment message comprises instructions for receiving an acknowledgment message with update information from a base station.

14. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for updating the active set comprises instructions for updating the active set with the update information from a base station.

15. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for transmitting a pilot strength measurement to a base station.

16. At least one computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for a remote station to switch sectors in a base station while the remote station is in a Control-Hold Mode, the instructions comprising:

instructions for determining whether a channel quality indicator channel is presently gated off;

instructions for transmitting a message on the channel quality indicator channel to a different sector if the channel quality indicator channel is not completely gated off;

instructions, operative when the channel quality indicator channel is completely gated off, comprising;

instructions for transmitting a signaling message on a data control channel;

instructions for receiving a forward link acknowledgment message on a common assignment channel;

instructions for switching to a different sector; and

instructions for transmitting a reverse link acknowledgment message on the data control channel.

17. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for transmitting the signaling message on the data control channel comprise means for transmitting a signaling message on a data control channel to the base station.

18. At least one computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for transitioning from an improved Control-Hold Mode to an Active Mode, wherein the transitioning is initiated by a remote station, the instructions comprising:

instructions for transmitting a signaling message over a reverse data control channel while in the improved Control-Hold Mode;

instructions for starting continuous transmissions over a channel quality indicator channel to the base station;

instructions for starting the monitoring of a forward packet data channel and an associated control channel;

instructions for receiving an acknowledgment signal over the forward packet data channel; and

instructions for starting reverse link transmissions in accordance with the Active Mode.

19. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions for transmitting the signaling message over the reverse data control channel comprise instructions for transmitting a signaling message over a reverse data control channel to a base station.

20. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions for starting continuous transmissions over the channel quality indicator channel comprise instructions for starting continuous transmissions over a channel quality indicator channel to a base station.