Time-slotted data packets with a preamble

• US 8,467,353 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Proctor, James A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCELO, MELVIN C
• Application Number:
  US13/026,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20110194537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 370/335, 370/342
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames

Abstract

A method and apparatus are used to support the transmission of data to a user over multiple allocated data channels. Data packets are transmitted in time-slots of the allocated data channels to corresponding target receivers without the need for explicitly assigning particular time-slots to a target user well in advance of transmitting any data packets in the time-slots. Instead, each data packet transmitted in a time-slot includes a header label or preamble indicating to which of multiple possible receivers a data packet is directed. The preamble also preferably includes decoding information indicating how a corresponding data payload of the data packet is to be processed for recapturing transmitted raw data.

Claims

1. A subscriber unit comprising:

circuitry configured to receive a first shared Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) channel having a first spreading factor, wherein the first shared CDMA channel includes modulation information for a second shared CDMA channel having a second spreading factor, wherein the first spreading factor differs from the second spreading factor;

wherein the circuitry is further configured, on a condition that the first shared CDMA channel is for the subscriber unit, to demodulate the second shared CDMA channel;

wherein the second shared CDMA channel includes packet data and the second shared CDMA channel is received in at least one time slot; and

wherein a portion of the first shared CDMA channel occurs in time prior to the second shared CDMA channel.

2. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein the first shared CDMA channel is received in an unassigned timeslot.

3. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein packet data is received using at least one additional shared CDMA channel.

4. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein a cover sequence associated with the subscriber unit indicates the first shared CDMA channel is for the subscriber unit.

5. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein the first shared CDMA channel and the second shared CDMA channels have different forward error correction (FEC) codings.

6. The subscriber unit of claim 5, wherein one of the different codings is turbo coding.

7. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein the first shared CDMA channel and the second shared CDMA channel have different modulation types.

8. The subscriber unit of claim 7, wherein one of the different modulation types is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK).

9. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured, on a condition that the first shared CDMA channel is not for the subscriber unit, to not demodulate the second shared CDMA channel.

10. The subscriber unit of claim 5, wherein the packet data includes a packet that is Internet Protocol (IP) data.

11. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein the second transmission has a duration of 2 milliseconds (ms).

12. The subscriber unit of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive power control information on a third channel at a same time as receiving at least the second shared CDMA channel.

13. The subscriber unit of claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive synchronization information on the third channel at a same time as receiving at least the second shared CDMA channel.

14. A base station comprising:

circuitry configured to transmit a first shared Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) channel, having a first spreading factor, for a particular subscriber unit, wherein the first shared CDMA channel includes modulation information for a second shared CDMA channel, having a second spreading factor, for the particular subscriber unit, wherein the first spreading factor differs from the second spreading factor;

wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit the second shared CDMA channel for the particular subscriber unit, wherein the second shared CDMA channel includes packet data and a modulation associated with the modulation information and is transmitted in at least one time slot; and

wherein a portion of the first shared CDMA channel occurs in time prior to the second shared CDMA channel.

15. The base station of claim 14, wherein the first shared CDMA channel is transmitted in an unassigned timeslot.

16. A method for use in a subscriber unit, the method comprising:

receiving a first shared Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) channel having a first spreading factor, wherein the first shared CDMA channel includes modulation information for a second shared CDMA channel having a second spreading factor, wherein the first spreading factor differs from the second spreading factor;

demodulating the second shared CDMA channel on a condition that the first shared CDMA channel is for the subscriber unit;

wherein the second shared CDMA channel includes packet data and the second shared CDMA channel is received in at least one time slot; and

wherein a portion of the first shared CDMA channel occurs in time prior to the second shared CDMA channel.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first shared CDMA channel is received in an unassigned timeslot.

18. A method for use in a base station, the method comprising:

transmitting a first shared Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) channel, having a first spreading factor, for a particular subscriber unit, wherein the first shared CDMA channel includes modulation information for a second shared CDMA channel, having a second spreading factor, for the particular subscriber unit, wherein the first spreading factor differs from the second spreading factor;

transmitting the second shared CDMA channel for the particular subscriber unit, wherein the second shared CDMA channel includes packet data and a modulation associated with the modulation information and is transmitted in at least one time slot; and

wherein a portion of the first shared CDMA channel occurs in time prior to the second shared CDMA channel.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first shared CDMA channel is transmitted in an unassigned timeslot.