Information downloading apparatus and mobile terminal

• US 8,054,795 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tajima, Yoshiharu, Kawabata, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moutaouakil; Mounir
• Application Number:
  US11/020,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20050243776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 370/438, 370/395.4, 370/337, 370/347, 370/330, 370/432, 370/436, 455/60, 455/62
• US Class Current: 370/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2653 for logical channel control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

A technique for improving the efficiency of downloading transmission data is disclosed. An information downloading apparatus downloads differing sets of information to predetermined groups to which a mobile terminal may belong. This apparatus includes a channel selecting unit for selecting from plural information channels an information channel for transmitting transmission data and a transmitting unit for transmitting transmission data using the selected information channel. The channel selecting unit selects an information channel so that sets of transmission data with differing destination addresses may be transmitted through differing information channels. The transmitting unit transmits to each group, through a control channel, information pertaining to whether a set of transmission data exists, the information channel to be used if the set of transmission data exists, and the data length of the set of transmission data. The control channel includes time slots that are associated with the groups.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a generating unit that generates frequency information for transmitting data to a multicast group and offset information indicating an offset amount of a timing at which the data is to be transmitted with respect to a predetermined periodic reference timing; and

a transmission unit that transmits the frequency information and the offset information generated by the generating unit and transmits the data to the multicast group using a frequency determined by the frequency information at a transmission timing determined by the offset information; and

wherein a time interval between the predetermined periodic reference timing and the transmission timing of the data is set to differing time lengths depending on the offset amount indicated by the offset information; and

the frequency information and the offset information are transmitted prior to transmission of the data when data transmission is to be performed.

2. The wireless communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data transmitted by the transmission unit includes a portion that temporally overlaps with another set of data being transmitted using a different frequency.

3. The wireless communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data corresponds to variable length data.

4. A multicast data transmitting method for a wireless communication apparatus, the method comprising:

generating frequency information for transmitting data to a multicast group and offset information indicating an offset amount of a timing at which the data is to be transmitted with respect to a predetermined periodic reference timing; and

transmitting the generated frequency information and the generated offset information and transmitting the data to the multicast group using a frequency determined by the frequency information at a transmission timing determined by the offset information; and

wherein a time interval between the predetermined periodic reference timing and the transmission timing of the data is set to differing time lengths depending on the offset amount indicated by the offset information; and

the frequency information and the offset information are transmitted prior to transmission of the data when data transmission is to be performed.

5. The multicast data transmitting method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the data being transmitted includes a portion that temporally overlaps with another set of data being transmitted using a different frequency.

6. The multicast data transmitting method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the data corresponds to variable length data.

7. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a transmitter that transmits frequency information for transmitting data to a multicast group and offset information indicating an offset amount of a timing at which the data is to be transmitted with respect to a predetermined periodic reference timing, and transmits the data to the multicast group using a frequency determined by the frequency information at a transmission timing determined by the offset information; and

a receiver that receives the frequency information and the offset information transmitted by the transmitter, and receives data being transmitted to the multicast group based on the frequency information and the offset information,

wherein a time interval between the predetermined periodic reference timing and the transmission timing of the data is set to differing time lengths depending on the offset amount indicated by the offset information; and

the frequency information and the offset information are transmitted prior to transmission of the data when data transmission is to be performed.