Method and apparatus for providing communication over a white space channel without causing interference to digital television systems

• US 8,644,230 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henry, Paul Shala
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): LINDENBAUM, ALAN LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US12/623,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for determining an availability of at least one space channel are disclosed. For example, the method generates a first request to identify at least one available white space channel, and encodes the first request to obtain a second request, wherein the second request comprises one or more bursts of data, wherein each of said bursts of data has a duration less than or equal to a pre-determined maximum signal duration that is based on one or more error tolerance standards associated with a digital television receiver. The method then transmits the second request wirelessly to other devices to solicit a response as to the availability of at least one space channel.

Claims

1. A method for determining an availability of a white space channel, comprising:

generating, by a processor, a first request to identify an available white space channel;

encoding, by the processor, the first request to create a burst of data, wherein the burst of data has a duration less than or equal to a signal duration that is based on an error tolerance standard associated with a digital television receiver, wherein the duration of the burst of data is selected based on the signal duration;

transmitting, by the processor, the burst of data wirelessly to other devices to solicit a response as to the availability of the white space channel;

receiving, by the processor, a response to the burst of data from one of the other devices; and

selecting, by the processor, the white space channel in accordance with the response.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the white space channel that is selected for communicating with the one of the other devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the white space channel that is selected for use in a local area network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is a processor of a gateway device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a decoding is performed by the gateway device in processing the response.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal duration is configured by a network service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the burst of data is one of a plurality of bursts of data, wherein the bursts of data are separated from each other by a time interval.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the time interval is selected based on the error tolerance standard for the digital television receiver.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the time interval is selected based on an error-correcting capability of the digital television receiver.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the time interval is configured by a network service provider.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for determining an availability of a white space channel, the operations comprising:

generating a first request to identify an available white space channel;

encoding the first request to create a burst of data, wherein the burst of data has a duration less than or equal to a signal duration that is based on an error tolerance standard associated with a digital television receiver, wherein the duration of the burst of data is selected based on the signal duration;

transmitting the burst of data wirelessly to other devices to solicit a response as to the availability of the white space channel;

receiving a response to the burst of data from one of the other devices; and

selecting the white space channel in accordance with the response.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

using the white space channel that is selected for communicating with the one of the other devices.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

using the white space channel that is selected for use in a local area network.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the burst of data is one of a plurality of bursts of data, wherein the bursts of data are separated from each other by a time interval.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the time interval is selected based on the error tolerance standard for the digital television receiver.

16. A method for processing a request, comprising:

receiving the request wirelessly by a processor, wherein the request comprises a request for an availability of a white space channel, wherein the request comprises a burst of data, wherein the burst of data has a duration less than or equal to a signal duration that is based on an error tolerance standard associated with a digital television receiver, wherein the duration of the burst of data is selected based on the signal duration;

decoding, by the processor, the request to generate a decoded request; and

processing, by the processor, the decoded request to determine the availability of the white space channel;

generating, by the processor, a response to the request, wherein the response comprises information on the availability of the white space channel;

encoding the response into a burst of data; and

transmitting the response wirelessly to a source of the request.