Reducing collision probability for VoIP packets

• US 7,852,801 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jain, Nikhil, Stamoulis, Anastasios
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US11/238,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 370/335, 370/336, 370/337, 370/338, 370/352, 370/466, 370/347, 370/321, 370/280, 370328-329, 455450-4522, 455/41.2, 455/574
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]

Abstract

A mobile communications device is described that includes a processor configured to establish a network connection with a server in a network and a data generator under the control of the processor that is configured to periodically generate a data unit at a rate having a fixed period. The mobile communications device also includes a transceiver configured to transmit, via the network connection, the data unit during one of the plurality of slots, each slot being an adjacent fractional portion of the fixed period.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device for reducing packet collision in a random access wireless communication network the mobile communication device capable of supporting communications in both a cellular network and the random access wireless communication network during a call session, comprising:

a processor configured to establish a connection with a server in the random access wireless communication network, and configured to update a registration with the cellular network to route the call session through the random access wireless communication network based on information from the server;

a data generator under the control of the processor and configured to generate a data unit during the call session, the data unit generated at a rate having a fixed period, wherein the time required to transmit the data unit is shorter than the total fixed period; and

a transceiver under control of the processor, wherein the transceiver receives a message that identifies the mobile communications device'"'"'s assigned slot index, wherein the message also informs the device of the maximum number of slots, and configured to transmit the data unit to the server during a particular time slot, wherein the particular time slot is based upon the slot index assigned to the mobile communications device by the server, wherein the slot index identifies at least one of a plurality of transmission periods during which the data unit is to be transmitted.

2. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the particular slot is one of a plurality of adjacent slots.

3. The mobile communications device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of slots are equal in size.

4. The mobile communications device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of slots, in aggregate are substantially equal to the fixed period.

5. The mobile communications device of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of slots is of sufficient length to permit the data unit to be transmitted before a beginning of an adjacent slot.

6. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the data unit comprises a voice over IP packet.

7. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the random access wireless communication network comprises a wireless LAN.

8. A mobile communications device for reducing packet collision in a random access wireless communication network, the mobile communication device capable of supporting communications in both a cellular network and the random access wireless communication network during a call session, comprising:

a processor configured to establish a connection with a server in the random access wireless communication network, and configured to update a registration with the cellular network to route the call session through the random access wireless communication network based on information from the server;

a vocoder controlled by the processor and configured to generate a voice packet, the vocoder configured to generate voice packets at a rate having a fixed period, wherein the time required to transmit the voice packet is shorter than the total fixed period;

the processor further configured to buffer the voice packet until a transmit time; and

a transceiver, in communication with the buffer and controlled by the processor, wherein the transceiver receives a message that identifies the mobile communications device'"'"'s assigned slot index, wherein the message also informs the device of the maximum number of slots, said transceiver configured to transmit the voice packet at the transmit time, wherein the transmit time corresponds to a particular time slot based upon the slot index assigned by the server, wherein the slot index identifies at least one of a plurality of transmission periods within the fixed period and indicates when the data unit is to be transmitted.

9. The mobile communications device of claim 8, wherein the particular slot is one of a plurality of slots.

10. The mobile communications device of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of slots is of sufficient length to permit the voice packet to be transmitted before a beginning of an adjacent slot.

11. The mobile communications device of claim 8, wherein the random access wireless communication network comprises at least a wireless LAN.

12. A mobile communications device for reducing packet collision in a random access wireless communication network, the mobile communication device capable of supporting communications in both a cellular network and the random access wireless communication network during a call session, comprising:

a processor configured to establish a connection with a server in the random access wireless communication network, and configured to update a registration with the cellular network to route the call session through the random access wireless communication network based on information from the server, wherein the processor receives a message that identifies the mobile communications device'"'"'s assigned slot index, wherein the message also informs the device of the maximum number of slots, the processor being further configured to generate a data unit, the processor configured to generate ones of the data unit at a substantially fixed period the processor further configured to identify a particular transmission slot in the fixed period, wherein the time required to transmit the data unit is shorter than the total fixed period; and

a transceiver configured to transmit, to the server, the data unit during the particular transmission slot, wherein the particular transmission slot is based upon the slot index assigned by the server, wherein the slot index identifies at least one of a plurality of transmission periods.

13. The mobile communications device of claim 12, wherein the network comprises at least a wireless LAN connection.

14. A mobile communications device for reducing packet collision in a random access wireless communication network, the mobile communication device capable of supporting communications in both a cellular network and the random access wireless communication network during a call session, comprising:

means for establishing a network connection with a server over the random access wireless communication network, updating a registration with the cellular network to route the call session through the random access wireless communication network based on information from the server, wherein the information from the server comprises a message that identifies the mobile communications device'"'"'s assigned slot index, wherein the message also informs the device of the maximum number of slots, and generating a data unit, ones of the data unit generated at a rate having a fixed period, wherein the time required to transmit the data unit is shorter than the total fixed period; and

means for transmitting the data unit during a particular transmission slot, based upon the slot index assigned by the server, wherein the slot index identifies at least one of a plurality of transmission periods within the fixed period and indicates when the data unit is to be transmitted within the fixed period.

15. A method for reducing packet collision in a random access wireless communication network, a mobile communication device capable of supporting communications in both a cellular network and the random access wireless communication network during a call session, the method comprising:

establishing a network connection with a server over the random access wireless communication network and updating a registration with the cellular network to route the call session through the random access wireless communication network based on information from the server;

receiving a message from the server that identifies the mobile communications device'"'"'s assigned slot index, wherein the message also informs the device of the maximum number of slots;

periodically generating a data unit at a fixed time interval, wherein the time required to transmit the data unit is shorter than the fixed time interval; and

transmitting the data unit on at least one of a plurality of transmission slots within the fixed period, the at least one of the plurality of transmission slots specified by the slot index assigned by the server, wherein the slot index identifies at least one of a plurality of transmission periods within the fixed period and indicates when the data unit is to be transmitted.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of transmission slots are equal in size.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of transmission slots, in aggregate are substantially equal to the fixed period.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the data unit comprises a voice over IP (VoIP) packet.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the random access wireless communication network comprises a wireless LAN.

20. An integrated circuit comprising storage memory having software instructions stored thereon, the software instructions being executable by a processor for reducing packet collisions in a random access wireless communication network, a mobile communication device capable of supporting communications in both a cellular network and the random access wireless communication network during a call session, the software instructions comprising:

instructions for establishing a network connection with a server associated with the random access wireless communication network and updating a registration with the cellular network to route the call session through the random access wireless communication network based on information from the server, for receiving a message from the server that identifies the mobile communications device'"'"'s assigned slot index, wherein the message also informs the device of the maximum number of slots, and periodically generating a plurality of data units at a rate having a fixed period, wherein the time required to transmit one of the plurality of data units is shorter than the fixed period; and

instructions for transmitting the data unit during a particular transmission slot based upon the slot index assigned by the server, wherein the slot index identifies at least one of a transmission periods within the fixed period and indicates when the data unit is to be transmitted within the fixed period in order to transmit the periodical data units with fixed periods in the wireless communication network at potentially different times.