Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index for network nodes

• US 7,844,244 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Tu, Fangqiu
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang; Weibin
• Application Number:
  US11/678,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20080205327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/328, 455/73, 455/550.1, 455/572, 455/574, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/458, 455/130, 455/334, 455/343.1, 455/343.2, 455/343.3
• US Class Current: 455/343.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index includes a processing element. The processing element may be configured to send a registration message to a server for registering a network node to a service associated with the server, to receive a response to the registration message from the server in which the response identifies slot cycle index information, and to apply a slot cycle value at the network node based on stored information defining the slot cycle value corresponding to the identified slot cycle index information.

Claims

1. A method for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index comprising:

receiving a registration message from a network node for registering the network node to a service;

based on the registration message, acquiring slot cycle index information associated with the network node, the acquired slot cycle index information including an index identifier; and

communicating the slot cycle index information to the network node to apply applicable slot cycle index parameters based on the communicated slot cycle index information, the slot cycle index parameters stored in the network node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the slot cycle index information comprises querying a subscriber database for the slot cycle index information and receiving at least an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining a slot cycle value for the network node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the registration message comprises receiving a message for registering the network node to a push-to-talk service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the slot cycle index information comprises transmitting a response to the registration message in which the response includes a slot cycle index field identifying an index identifier corresponding to setting

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for receiving a registration message from a network node for registering the network node to a service;

a second executable portion for acquiring, based on the registration message, slot cycle index information associated with the network node, the acquired slot cycle index information including an index identifier; and

a third executable portion for communicating the slot cycle index information to the network node to apply applicable slot cycle index parameters based on the communicated slot cycle index information, the slot cycle index parameters stored in the network node.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the second executable portion includes instructions for querying a subscriber database for the slot cycle index information and receiving at least an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining a slot cycle value for the network node.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the first executable portion includes instructions for receiving a message for registering the network node to a push-to-talk service.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the third executable portion includes instructions for transmitting a response to the registration message in which the response includes a slot cycle index field identifying an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining a slot cycle value for the network node.

9. An apparatus for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index comprising a processing element configured to:

receive a registration message from a network node for registering the network node to a service;

based on the registration message, acquire slot cycle index information associated with the network node, the acquired slot cycle index information including an index identifier; and

communicate the slot cycle index information to the network node to apply applicable slot cycle index parameters based on the communicated slot cycle index information, the slot cycle index parameters stored in the network node.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing element is further configured to query a subscriber database for the slot cycle index information and receive at least an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining a slot cycle value for the network node.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing element is further configured to receive a message for registering the network node to a push-to-talk service.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing element is further configured to transmit a response to the registration message in which the response includes a slot cycle index field identifying an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining a slot cycle value for the network node.

13. A method for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index comprising:

sending from a network node a registration message to a server for registering the network node to a service associated with the server;

receiving a response to the registration message from the server, the response identifying slot cycle index information and including an index identifier; and

applying a slot cycle value at the network node based on stored information in the network node defining the slot cycle value corresponding to the identified slot cycle index information and the index identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the registration message comprises sending a message for registering the network node to a push-to-talk service.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the response to the registration message comprises receiving at least an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining the slot cycle value.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising accessing the index identifier in a memory of the network node to determine the corresponding setting information.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein applying the slot cycle value.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for sending from a network node a registration message to a server for registering the network node to a service associated with the server;

a second executable portion for receiving a response to the registration message from the server, the response identifying slot cycle index information and including an index identifier; and

a third executable portion for applying a slot cycle value at the network node based on stored information in the network node defining the slot cycle value corresponding to the identified slot cycle index information and the index identifier.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the first executable portion includes instructions for sending a message for registering the network node to a push-to-talk service.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the second executable portion includes instructions for receiving at least an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining the slot cycle value.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising a fourth executable portion for accessing the index identifier in a memory of the network node to determine the corresponding setting information.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the third executable portion includes instructions for altering the sleep period of the network node according to the slot cycle value.

23. An apparatus for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index comprising:

a communication interface element configured to send from a network node a registration message to a server for registering a the network node to a service associated with the server;

receive, by the communication interface element, a response to the registration message from the server, the response identifying slot cycle index information and including an index identifier; and

a processing element configured to apply a slot cycle value at the network node based on stored information in the network node defining the slot cycle value corresponding to the identified slot cycle index information and the index identifier.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processing element is further configured to send a message for registering the network node to a push-to-talk service.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processing element is further configured to receive at least an index identifier corresponding to setting information defining the slot cycle value.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the processing element is further configured to access the index identifier in a memory of the network node to determine the corresponding setting information.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processing element is further configured to alter the sleep period of the network node according to the slot cycle value.

28. A system for providing dynamic assignment of slot cycle index, the system comprising a provisioning sub-system configured to modify slot cycle index information at a subscriber database based on grade of service requests associated with at least one subscriber on a per subscriber basis, the slot cycle index information including an index identifier corresponding to slot cycle index parameters stored in a network node of the at least one subscriber, the parameters to be applied to the network node in response to a registration message from the network node, and

the provisioning sub-system comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable code portions stored therein to implement said modification.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising a server configured to:

receive a registration message from a network node, the registration message being for registering the network node to a service;

acquire slot cycle index information associated with the network node from the subscriber database; and

communicate the slot cycle index information to the network node.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the subscriber database includes slot cycle information for a plurality of subscribers on a per subscriber basis and wherein the slot cycle information is capable of modification in response to instructions from the provisioning sub-system,

the subscriber database comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable code portions stored therein to store said information and modifications.