Method and apparatus for interrupting a transmission of a multicast signal

• US 7,817,534 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2003
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Burbidge, Richard C., Putcha, Padmaja, Stewart, Kenneth A., Kuchibhotla, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao; Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngo; Nguyen
• Application Number:
  US10/704,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20050100037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,535 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/252, 370/235, 370/236, 370/432
• US Class Current: 370/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus for interrupting a transmission of a multicast signal includes a common channel selector (106) coupled to a receiver (102) to receive common channel information (116) therefrom. A repetition value calculator (108) receives measurement occasion information (118) from the common channel selector (106) to calculate a repetition factor (120). A system frame number comparator (110) determines if a channel measurement occasion (128) should be performed based on the repetition factor (120), a common identifier (124) and a largest common channel transmission time interval (122). The method and apparatus further includes a measurement occasion generator (112) coupled to the system frame number comparator (110), wherein if a measurement occasion is to be performed, a measurement occasion command signal (126) is provided to the measurement occasion generator (112) and the measurement occasion generator generates the channel measurement occasion (128).

Claims

1. A method for interrupting a transmission of a multicast signal, the method comprising:

determining a common identifier for a plurality of mobile devices on a common channel;

sending the common identifier to the plurality of mobile devices;

transmitting the multicast signal on the common channel;

interrupting transmission of the multicast signal during a time interval determined by the common identifier;

identifying a subgroup of mobile devices from the plurality of mobile devices using at least one mobile specific identifier;

selectively transmitting at least one conventional common data channel signal to the subgroup of mobile devices during the time interval; and

assigning a transmission interruption time interval repetition factor to one of the plurality of mobile devices based on the mobile specific identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the conventional common data channel signal and the multicast signal are mapped onto a common physical channel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the conventional common data channel signal and the multicast signal are mapped onto different physical channels.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying a subgroup includes:

using a mobile specific identifier to identify one of the plurality of mobile devices in a cell.

5. The method of claim 1 where the step of identifying a subgroup includes:

using a mobile specific identifier to identify one of the plurality of mobile devices in a radio coverage area.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the radio coverage area is a UTRAN registration area.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the transmission interruption time interval repetition factor to the one of the plurality of mobile devices.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting further includes:

transmitting the multicast signal on at least one of a plurality of common channels monitored by the plurality of mobile communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending the common identifier includes:

providing the common identifier to the plurality of mobile devices through a system broadcast.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending the common identifier includes:

providing the common identifier to a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices through a dedicated message addressed to the first mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the common identifier is a multicast radio network temporary identifier.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining includes:

assigning a single common identifier for a plurality of multicast services.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining includes:

assigning a different common identifier for each multicast service.