Apparatus, and an associated method, for facilitating communication transition in a radio communication system

• US 8,116,774 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Faccin, Stefano, Edney, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/227,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,343 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/442, 455/443, 455/444, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00692 using simultaneous multiple data streams, e.g. cooperative multipoint [CoMP], carrier aggregation [CA] or multiple input multiple output [MIMO] allocation of physical resources in CoMP or in CA H04L5/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for requesting, and allocating communication resources at a new fixed-site transceiver of a radio communication system, such as a new access point of a wireless local area network. A resource information container is formed that is structured to include information elements that identify, amongst other things, resource requirements of a mobile unit. The information elements of a resource information container include a root node, one or more leaf nodes, and, selectably, one or more group nodes. The resource information container is communicated prior to commencement of transition procedures to early-reserve or determine availability of resources at a new access point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

discovering at an apparatus a second access point while the apparatus is configured for communication with a first access point;

generating at the apparatus a data structure that specifies a resource having a requested quality of service at the second access point to be available to the apparatus for transitioning from the first access point to the second access point;

transmitting the data structure from the apparatus directly to the second access point before said transitioning from the first access point to the second access point;

receiving a response to the data structure from the second access point;

determining from the response to the data structure that the second access point has the resource having the requested quality of service available; and

invoking at the apparatus the transitioning from the first access point to the second access point by transmitting from the apparatus directly to the second access point a reassociation request that indicates a commitment to use the resource having the requested quality of service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein discovering the second access point comprises receiving a beacon signal from the second access point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure comprises a plurality of information elements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of information elements comprise a root information element and at least one data information element and associated resource information element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the resource information element specifies the resource having the requested quality of service.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data information element specifies whether the resource having the requested quality of service is mandatory.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of information elements comprises resource information elements which are hierarchically arranged and each of the resource information elements specifies a respective quality of service of the resource.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the transition procedure comprises a reassociation procedure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a resource information container, the resource information container comprises at least one resource request, and each resource request comprises a resource information container data information element and at least one resource descriptor associated with the resource information container data information element.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the resource descriptor comprises a traffic specifier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure transmitted from the apparatus directly to the second access point is not transmitted to the first access point.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for execution by a processing system, the execution of said instructions comprising:

discovering at an apparatus a second access point while the apparatus is configured for communication with a first access point;

generating a data structure at the apparatus, the data structure comprising;

a root information element that includes a field having an identifier of the second access point,

a data information element that includes a control options field, and

a resource information element associated with the data information element that specifies resource having a requested quality of service to be available to the apparatus at the second access point for transitioning from the first access point to the second access point, wherein the data structure includes an indicator of whether said resource is mandatory; and

sending the generated data structure from the apparatus directly to the second access point before transitioning from the first access point to the second access point,

wherein the transitioning from the first access point to the second access point is invoked by the apparatus using a reassociation request only if the second access point comprises said resource having the requested quality of service or a portion of said resource.

13. A method comprising:

receiving directly from a mobile apparatus in communication with a first access point, at a second access point to which the mobile apparatus is not associated, a data structure that specifies a resource having a requested quality of service to be available at the second access point to the mobile apparatus for transitioning from the first access point to the second access point;

performing an evaluation of whether the resource having the requested quality of service is available to be allocated;

determining, at the second access point, whether to allocate the resource having the requested quality of service based on the evaluation; and

transmitting a response from the second access point directly to the mobile apparatus before the mobile apparatus transitions from the first access point to the second access point, wherein the response comprises an indication of whether the resource having the requested quality of service was allocated,

wherein said transitioning from the first access point to the second access point is invoked by a receipt of a reassociation request if the resource or a portion of the resource having the requested quality of service was allocated.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising allocating the resource in response to determining the resource is available to be allocated.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

Receiving the reassociation request from the apparatus subsequent to transmitting the response that includes an index to the data structure; and

returning a reassociation response to the apparatus.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the data structure comprises a quality of service level of the resource.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a message generator configured to generate a data structure that specifies a resource having a requested quality of service at a second access point to be available to the apparatus for transitioning from a first access point to the second access point;

a transmitter configured to transmit the data structure from the apparatus directly to the second access point before transitioning from the first access point to the second access point;

a receiver configured to receive a response to the data structure from the second access point; and

a module configured to determine from the response to the data structure that the second access point comprises said resource having the requested quality of service or a portion of said resource and further to invoke the transitioning from the first access point to the second access point by sending a reassociation request to the second access point.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the data structure comprises a plurality of resource information elements.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the data structure further comprises a root information element and at least one data information element and associated resource information element.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the resource information element specifies the requested resource and the data information element specifies whether the resource having the requested quality of service is mandatory.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of resource information elements are hierarchically arranged and each of the plurality of resource information elements specifies a respective quality of service of the resource.

22. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein the transitioning comprises a reassociation procedure that is invoked by sending the reassociation request to the second access point.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a processing unit configured to receive a data structure directly from a mobile station that specifies at least one resource having a requested quality of service at a second access point to be available to the mobile station for transitioning from the first access point to the second access point;

the apparatus further configured to perform an evaluation of whether the at least one resource having the requested quality of service is available to be allocated, to determine whether to allocate the at least one resource based on the evaluation, and to directly convey a response to the mobile station, wherein the response comprises an indication of whether the at least one resource having the requested the quality of service was allocated,

wherein transitioning from the first access point to the second access point is invoked in response to receiving a reassociation request if the at least one resource or a portion of the at least one resource having the requested quality of service was allocated.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processing unit is configured to allocate the at least one resource in response to determining the at least one resource is available to be allocated.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a receiver configured to receive the reassociation request from the mobile station subsequent to the processing unit conveying the response, and wherein the processing unit is configured to generate a reassociation response addressed to the mobile station in response to receiving the reassociation request.

26. The apparatus as in claim 23, wherein the transitioning comprises a reassociation procedure comprising the reassociation request received by the second access point from the mobile station.