Method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device

• US 8,831,675 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2007
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wang, Huai Y., Merchant, Zaffer S., Simpson, Floyd D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERRERA, DIEGO D
• Application Number:
  US11/772,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20090004972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,628 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile communication device (102) contains both a WAN modem (122) and a PAN modem (134) which operate on interfering radio frequencies. To mitigate interference, and still permit real-time communication operation, the PAN is prevented from transmitting while the WAN is receiving (714). The PAN carries the real-time data via an active link (144) between the PAN modem and a remote device (142). The active link uses a retransmission protocol, which allows recovery of suppressed packets within a given period. The PAN modem is disabled for periods shorter than a maximum time which guarantees success transmission or retransmission of the PAN data. To further aid successful operation of the PAN retransmission operation, the WAN base station aggregates data into a single downlink burst.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device, comprising:

detecting the presence of an active link between the personal area network modem and a remote device, wherein the active link carries real-time data to the remote device and uses an in-frame retransmission protocol;

commencing a real-time data stream over the wide area network modem, the real-time data stream being received from a wide area network base station in a framed format;

informing the wide area base station that the mobile communication device is presently supporting the active link over the personal area network modem;

disabling transmission by the personal area network modem when the wide area network modem is due to receive information from the wide area network base station, wherein the personal area network modem transmissions are disabled for periods of time not exceeding a retransmission time of the in-frame retransmission protocol, and otherwise enabling transmission by the personal area network; and

transmitting information over the wide area network modem to the wide area base station during a transmission time and wherein the transmission time has a duration not exceeding the retransmission time of the in-frame retransmission protocol.

2. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device as defined in claim 1, wherein, upon detecting the present of the active link and informing the wide area network base station that the mobile communication device is presently supporting the active link, the framed format of the real-time data stream is reconfigured to permit successful operation of the retransmission protocol of the personal area network.

3. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device as defined in claim 2, wherein, upon informing the wide area network base station of the active link, the wide area network base station aggregates data of the real-time data stream with non real-time data to be transmitted to the mobile communication device to provide an aggregated data burst, and wherein the aggregated data burst is given priority of occurrence in a downlink frame.

4. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device as defined in claim 2, wherein the framed format comprises a first frame for receiving control information and downlink information, a second frame for transmitting uplink information from the mobile communication device to the wide area base station over the wide area network modem, followed by two frames where the wide area network modem is set to a sleep mode.

5. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device as defined in claim 4, wherein the retransmission protocol operates with a frame timing with two subframes where a subframe has a length of 3.75 milliseconds, disabling transmission by the personal area network modem and transmission by the wide area network modem does not exceed 2.12 milliseconds with at least 1.63 milliseconds between disabling the personal area network and transmission by the wide area network.

6. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device as defined in claim 1, wherein the retransmission protocol of the personal area network comprises a frame structure providing multiple transmission periods and receive periods in a frame, and wherein the personal area network modem is not disabled, and the wide area network modem does not transmit for a time period longer than a duration which allows the occurrence of a full transmission period and a full receive period in a frame.

7. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device as defined in claim 1, wherein the real-time data stream is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) stream.

8. A method for operating a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem in a mobile communication device as defined in claim 7, wherein the remote device is an audio headset, the active link carries the VoIP stream to the audio headset.

9. A method of operating a wide area network to support mobile data communication between a wide area network base station and a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device having a wide area network modem and a personal area network modem, the personal area network modem providing a wireless connection to a remote device, the method comprising:

establishing an active link between the personal area network modem and the remote device, the active link for carrying real-time data to the remote device and operating according to an in-frame retransmission protocol;

commencing a wide area network communication link between the mobile communication device and the wide area network base station via the wide area network modem, the wide area network communication link operated according to a framed format and carrying real-time data;

informing the wide area base station of the presence of the active link;

disabling transmission by the personal area network modem when the wide area network modem is due to receive data from the wide area network base station over the wide area network communication link; and

configuring the wide area network communication link to allow successful retransmission operation of the active link.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, upon informing the wide area network base station of the active link, the wide area network base station aggregates data of the real-time data stream with non real-time data to be transmitted to the mobile communication device to provide an aggregated data burst, and wherein the aggregated data burst is given priority of occurrence in a downlink frame to occur near or adjacent a header portion of the downlink frame.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the framed format comprises a first frame for receiving control information and downlink information, a second frame for transmitting uplink information from the mobile communication device to the wide area base station over the wide area network modem, followed by two frames where the wide area network modem is set to a sleep mode.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the retransmission protocol of the personal area network comprises a frame structure providing multiple transmission periods and receive periods in a frame, and wherein the personal area network modem is not disabled, and the wide area network modem does not transmit for a time period longer than a duration which allows the occurrence of a full transmission period and a full receive period in a frame.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the retransmission protocol operates with a frame timing with two subframes where a subframe has a length of 3.75 milliseconds, disabling transmission by the personal area network modem and transmission by the wide area network modem does not exceed 2.12 milliseconds with at least 1.63 milliseconds between disabling the personal area network and transmission by the wide area network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the real-time data stream is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) stream.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the remote device is an audio headset, the active link carries the VoIP stream to the audio headset.