Uplink scheduling and resource allocation with fast indication

• US 8,064,390 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi, Womack, James Earl, Cai, Zhijun
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin; Jean
• Application Number:
  US11/741,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/328, 370/310, 370/310.2, 370/314, 370/318, 370/319, 370/320, 370/321, 370/324, 370/330, 370/335, 370/336, 370/352
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0031 Multiple signaling transmission H04L1/1664, F15 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1858 Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of acknowledgement message
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]

Abstract

Systems and methods for signalling transitions between talk-spurt state and silence state for wireless terminals having semi-persistently allocated uplink resources are employed. A layer ½ indication of the state transitions may be transmitted using a resource that is specifically allocated for that purpose. Alternatively, ACK/NACK signalling may be employed. Layer 1 indications may be employed for both state transition types. Alternatively, in-band MAC layer signalling may be used to signal state transition from talk-spurt state to silence, or the network may deduce this state transition on its own. A different uplink wireless transition resource is allocated for the talk-spurt state vs. the silence state.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless terminal in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, comprising:

sending a layer 1 indication using an uplink transmission resource, wherein the uplink transmission resource is pre-allocated for a particular wireless terminal; and

repeating the layer 1 indication for at least one time, using the pre-allocated uplink transmission resource,

wherein transmissions occur on the pre-allocated uplink transmission resource only when the particular wireless terminal is sending a layer 1 indication on the uplink transmission resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the layer 1 indication is an indication that the particular wireless terminal has transitioned from an inactive state to an active state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the active state is a talk-spurt state for a voice over Internet Protocol ‘

VoIP’

session, and the inactive state is a silence state for the VoIP session.

4. A wireless terminal configured to implement the method of claim 1.

5. A wireless terminal configured to implement the method of claim 2.

6. A wireless terminal configured to implement the method of claim 3.

7. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon for execution by a wireless terminal which, when executed control the execution of the method of claim 1.

8. A method in a wireless base station, the method comprising:

receiving repeated layer 1 indications from a particular wireless terminal through an uplink transmission resource, wherein the uplink transmission resource is pre-allocated for the particular wireless terminal, and wherein transmissions occur on the uplink transmission resource only when the particular wireless terminal is sending a layer 1 indication on the uplink transmission resource.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the repeated layer 1 indications indicate that the particular wireless terminal has transitioned from an inactive state to an active state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the active state is a talk-spurt state for a voice over Internet Protocol ‘

VoIP’

session, and the inactive state is a silence state for the VoIP session.

11. A base station configured to implement the method of claim 8.

12. A base station configured to implement the method of claim 9.

13. A base station configured to implement the method of claim 10.

14. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon for execution by a base station which, when executed control the execution of the method of claim 8.