Methods and apparatus for efficient paging in a wireless communication system

• US 7,940,710 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Parekh, Nileshkumar J., Ulupinar, Fatih, Prakash, Rajat, Jain, Nikhil
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe; Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAILE, AWET A
• Application Number:
  US11/020,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20060133269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,330 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/345, 370/329, 370/332, 370/333, 455/458, 455/502, 455/522, 455/434, 455/241, 455/515, 455/426.1, 455/426, 455/525, 455/574, 455/343.1, 455/432.1, 455/437, 455/435.1, 455/442, 340/7.38, 340/7.35, 714/760
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide for methods and systems for monitoring a paging channel. In one aspect, a method for monitoring a paging channel includes monitoring a paging channel for a page message at scheduled paging slots, determining that an error has occurred at a given paging slot, and monitoring the paging channel for a re-page message at least one scheduled re-paging slot, where the re-paging slots occur after the given paging slot but before the next scheduled paging slot. In another aspect, a method for monitoring a paging channel includes monitoring a first one of a plurality of paging channels for a page message at scheduled paging slots, determining that an error has occurred at a given paging slot, and monitoring at least a second one of the plurality of paging channels for the page message.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a paging channel, the method comprising:

monitoring, by an access terminal, a first paging channel for a page message at scheduled paging slots having a page period, wherein the first paging channel corresponds to a first access point in an active set of the access terminal;

monitoring a second paging channel for a second page message at second scheduled paging slots having a second page period;

determining that an error has occurred by identifying a failure to monitor both the page message at a given paging slot in the first paging channel and the second page message at a second given paging slot in the second paging channel; and

monitoring one of the first paging channel and the second paging channel, based on determining the error has occurred and while in a first mode, for a re-page message at least one scheduled re-paging slot having a fast page period different from the page period and the second page period, the at least one re-paging slot occurring after the given paging slot and the given second paging slot but before the next scheduled paging slot and second paging slot according to the page period, wherein the second paging channel corresponds to at least one other access point in the active set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring for the re-page message at the fast page period further comprises monitoring at a predetermined time after the page period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the error has occurred further comprises failing to demodulate the first paging channel and the second paging channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein failing to demodulate the first paging channel and second paging channel further comprises determining a CRC error on the first paging channel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the second paging channel at the fast page period for the repage message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second page period is different from the page period of the first paging channel, and further comprising:

monitoring, based on determining the error has occurred, for the re-page message at least one scheduled second re-paging slot on the second channel having a second fast page period different from the fast page period of the first paging channel, the at least one second re-paging slot occurring after the given second paging slot but before the next scheduled second paging slot according to the page period.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising restricting the active set to access points in a paging zone within which the access terminal is currently located.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising including in the active set all access points within a registration distance of a previous registration location.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for implementing a method for monitoring a paging channel, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

code for causing a computer to monitor, at an access terminal, a first paging channel for a page message at scheduled paging slots in the first paging channel, wherein the first paging channel corresponds to a first access point in an active set of the access terminal;

code for causing the computer to monitor, by the access terminal, a second paging channel for a second page message at second scheduled paging slots having a second page period;

code for causing the computer to determine that an error has occurred by identifying a failure to monitor both the page message at a given paging slot in the first paging channel and the second page message at a second given paging slot in the second paging channel; and

code for causing the computer to monitor one of the first paging channel and the second paging channel, based on determining the error has occurred and while in a first mode, for a re-page message at least one scheduled re-paging slot having a fast page period different from the page period and the second page period, the at least one re-paging slot occurring after the given paging slot and the given second paging slot but before the next scheduled paging slot and second paging slot according to the page period, wherein the second paging channel corresponds to at least one other access point in the active set.

10. An apparatus for monitoring a paging channel, comprising:

an access terminal monitoring a first paging channel for a page message at scheduled paging slots having a page period, wherein the first paging channel corresponds to a first access point in an active set of the apparatus, monitoring a second paging channel for a second page message at second scheduled paging slots having a second page period, etermining that an error has occurred by identifying a failure to monitor both the page message at a given paging slot in the first paging channel and the second page message at a second given paging slot in the second paging channel, and monitoring one of the first paging channel and the second paging channel, based on determining the error has occurred and while in a first mode, for a re-page message at least one scheduled re-paging slot having a fast page period different from the page period and the second page period, the at least one re-paging slot occurring after the given paging slot and the given second paging slot but before the next scheduled paging slot and second paging slot according to the page period, wherein the second paging channel corresponds to at least one other access point in the active set.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the access terminal monitors at a predetermined time after the page period.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the determining the error has occurred comprises failing to demodulate the first paging channel and the second paging channel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein failing to demodulate the first paging channel and the second paging channel further comprises determining a CRC error on the first paging channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the access terminal further monitors the second paging channel at the fast page period for the repage message.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second page period is different from the page period of the first paging channel, wherein the access terminal further monitors, based on determining the error has occurred, for the re-page message at least one scheduled second re-paging slot having a second fast page period different from the fast page period of the first paging channel, the at least one second re-paging slot occurring after the given second paging slot but before the next scheduled second paging slot according to the page period.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the access terminal restricts the active set to access points in a paging zone within which the access terminal is currently located.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the access terminal includes in the active set all access points within a registration distance of a previous registration location.

18. At least one processor configured to implement a method for monitoring a paging channel, the method comprising:

monitoring by an access terminal a first paging channel for a page message at scheduled paging slots having a page period, wherein the first paging channel corresponds to a first access point in an active set of the access terminal;

monitoring, by the access terminal, a second paging channel for a second page message at second scheduled paging slots having a second page period;

determining that an error has occurred by identifying a failure to monitor both the page message at a given paging slot in the first paging channel and the second page message at a second given paging slot in the second paging channel; and

monitoring one of the first paging channel and the second paging channel, based on determining the error has occurred and while in a first mode, for a re-page message at least one scheduled re-paging slot having a fast page period different from the page period and the second page period, the at least one re-paging slot occurring after the given paging slot and the given second paging slot but before the next scheduled paging slot and second paging slot according to the page period, wherein the second paging channel corresponds to at least one other access point in the active set.