Wireless network using hybrid of licensed and unlicensed spectrum

• US 8,126,473 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Byoung-Jo, Shankaranarayanan, Nemmara K.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US11/289,995
• Time in Patent Office: 2,281 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/552.1, 455/454, 455/452.1, 455/421, 455/453, 455/403, 455/567, 455/406, 455/67.14, 370/329, 370/238, 370/352, 370/536, 370/338, 370/252, 370/328, 375/261
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40045 Details regarding the feeding of energy to the node from the bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management

Abstract

A system and method to dynamically allocate licensed transmission spectrum in conjunction with unlicensed transmission spectrum as a communication channel to meet quality of service requirements for cost efficient, high speed and high data capacity communications. The invention uses licensed spectrum to provide a guaranteed level of performance and can dynamically add unlicensed spectrum to enhance performance. Local high speed access can be achieved at low cost using unlicensed spectrum while maintaining a service level guarantees using licensed spectrum.

Claims

1. A method for providing hybrid telecommunications comprising:

determining, from communications content to be transmitted, baseline content associated with a defined level of performance for data transmission and enhanced content, wherein the baseline content provides a pre-defined level of information to facilitate an understanding of the communication content and the enhanced content provides a supplemental level of information beyond the pre-defined level of information that supplements the understanding of the communication content;

transmitting the baseline content over at least a portion of a licensed spectrum that provides the defined level of performance; and

selectively supplementing, based on availability of at least a portion of an unlicensed spectrum, the baseline content with additional enhanced content over at least the portion of an unlicensed spectrum while maintaining transmission of the baseline content on the licensed spectrum, wherein apportioning of the licensed and unlicensed spectrum is perform simultaneously and at least portion of the unlicensed is added dynamically.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising adapting the communications content into the baseline communications content for communications over at least the portion of the licensed spectrum and into the enhanced communications content for communications over at least the portion of the unlicensed spectrum.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein transmitting the baseline communications content comprises transmitting at a low data rate.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein transmitting the enhanced communications content comprises transmitting at a high data rate.

5. A telecommunications service method comprising:

separating a communications data stream into a first portion comprising a baseline content and a second portion comprising an enhanced content, the baseline content providing a basic understanding of the communications content and the enhanced content supplementing the basic understanding;

establishing a pre-defined level of performance for the baseline content;

associating the baseline content with a licensed spectrum range;

associating the enhanced content with an unlicensed spectrum range; and

transmitting the baseline content over the licensed spectrum range and selectively transmitting the enhanced content over the unlicensed spectrum range in a manner which maintains the pre-defined level of performance for the baseline content,

wherein apportioning of the licensed and unlicensed spectrum is performed concurrently and the unlicensed spectrum rang is added dynamically.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that, in response to execution by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations, comprising:

separating communications content into a first portion comprising baseline information and a second portion comprising enhanced information, wherein the baseline information is associated with a defined Quality of Service and provides a basic understanding of the communications content, and the enhanced information supplements the basic understanding;

transmitting the baseline information over at least a portion of a licensed spectrum, wherein the licensed spectrum can support the baseline information defined Quality of Service; and

selectively supplementing transmission of the baseline information with the enhanced information over at least a portion of an unlicensed spectrum while the baseline information defined Quality of Service on the licensed spectrum is maintained, wherein the apportioning of the licensed and unlicensed spectrum is perform simultaneously and at least portion of the unlicensed is added dynamically.

7. The system according to claim 6 further comprising adapting the communications content into the baseline information for communications over the at least the portion of the licensed spectrum and into enhanced information for communications over the at least the portion of the unlicensed spectrum.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the baseline information comprises a minimum amount of data facilitating comprehension of the communications content.

9. A hybrid telecommunications system comprising:

a lookup table mapping available licensed spectrum and available unlicensed spectrum;

a data stream comprising at least one of voice data, information data, video data, or combination thereof;

wherein a first portion of the at least one of voice data, information data, video data, or combination thereof is designated as baseline communications content, wherein the baseline communications content has a defined Quality of Service the baseline communications content provides a basic understanding of information conveyed in the data stream; and

second portion of the at least one of voice data, information data, video data, or combination thereof is designated as enhanced communications content and the enhanced content supplements the basic understanding of information conveyed in the data stream; and

a transmitter for configured to provide communications in accordance with the defined Quality of Service over at least a portion of the licensed spectrum;

the transmitter further comprising;

a Quality of Service analyzer configured to select, from the lookup table, at least a portion of the available licensed spectrum to transmit any part of the baseline communications content in accordance with the defined Quality of Service, and at least a portion of the unlicensed spectrum to transmit any part of the enhanced communications content, wherein the transmitter transmits the baseline communications content and the enhanced communications content to maintain the defined Quality of Service, the selection of at least a portion of the available licensed spectrum and the at least a portion of the unlicensed spectrum is perform concurrently, and the at least a portion of the unlicensed spectrum is added dynamically.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the baseline communications content comprise low data rate communications services.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the enhanced communications content comprise high data rate communications services.

12. The system of claim 9, the transmitter further comprises a first frequency agile modulator configured to transmit baseline communications content via the licensed spectrum.

13. The system of claim 9, the transmitter further comprises a second frequency agile modulator configured to transmit enhanced communications content via the unlicensed spectrum.