Method and system for connection establishment

• US 9,197,333 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Vargantwar, Sachin R., Oroskar, Siddharth S., Shetty, Manoj, Shah, Maulik K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao G
• Application Number:
  US13/113,742
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/00 Monitoring; Testing of line transmission systems H04B3/46; arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves H04B10/07
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

During connection establishment, an access network and/or an access terminal may decide whether to transmit bearer-traffic data rather than null-traffic data based on a channel quality of a wireless link. For example, if the access network has forward bearer-traffic data ready for transmission to the access terminal during connection establishment, the access network may decide to transmit that forward bearer-traffic data rather than forward null-traffic data in response to determining that a forward-channel quality of the wireless link is sufficient to carry such data. As another example, if the access terminal has reverse bearer-traffic data ready for transmission to the access network during connection establishment, the access terminal may decide to transmit that reverse bearer-traffic data rather than reverse null-traffic data in response to determining that a reverse-channel quality of the wireless link is sufficient to carry such data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an access probe from a given access terminal on a given wireless link;

responsive to receiving the access probe, (a) assigning a forward-traffic channel of the given wireless link to the given access terminal and (b) based at least in part on a forward-channel quality of the given wireless link, making a decision between (i) transmitting a default amount of forward null-traffic data before beginning to transmit forward bearer-traffic data on the assigned forward-traffic channel and (ii) transmitting a reduced amount of forward null-traffic data before beginning to transmit forward bearer-traffic data on the assigned forward-traffic channel; and

transmitting on the assigned forward-traffic channel in accordance with the decision.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein making the decision based on the forward-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises determining whether a forward-channel quality of the given wireless link exceeds a threshold quality.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the access probe contains an indicator of forward-channel quality of the given wireless link.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein making the decision based on the forward-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises making the decision based on the indicator of forward-channel quality of the given wireless link.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicator comprises a value for the forward-channel quality of the given wireless link as measured by the given access terminal, and wherein making the decision based on the indicator of forward-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises comparing the value to a threshold quality value to determine whether the value exceeds the threshold quality value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicator comprises a data bit specifying that the forward-channel quality of the given wireless link as measured by the given access terminal is above a threshold quality value, and wherein making the decision based on the indicator of forward-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises determining a value of the data bit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced amount of forward null-traffic data comprises no forward null-traffic data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced amount of forward null-traffic data comprises a non-zero amount of forward null-traffic data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the access probe comprises a page-response message.

10. A method comprising:

transmitting an access probe to an access network on a given wireless link;

as a result of transmitting the access probe, receiving from the access network a channel-assignment message identifying an assigned reverse-traffic channel of the given wireless link;

responsive to receiving the channel-assignment message, making a decision, based at least in part on a reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link, between (i) transmitting a default amount of reverse null-traffic data before beginning to transmit reverse bearer-traffic data on the assigned reverse-traffic channel and (ii) transmitting a reduced amount of reverse null-traffic data before beginning to transmit reverse bearer-traffic data on the assigned reverse-traffic channel; and

transmitting on the assigned reverse-traffic channel in accordance with the decision.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein making the decision based on the reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises determining whether a reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link exceeds a threshold quality.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the channel-assignment message contains an indicator of reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein making the decision based on the reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises making the decision based on the indicator of reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the indicator comprises a value for the reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link as measured by the access network, and wherein making the decision based on the indicator of reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises comparing the value to a threshold quality value to determine whether the value exceeds the threshold quality value.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the indicator comprises a data bit specifying that the reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link as measured by the access network is above a threshold quality value, and wherein making the decision based on the indicator of reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link comprises determining a value of the data bit.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the reduced amount of reverse null-traffic data comprises no reverse null-traffic data.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the reduced amount of reverse null-traffic data comprises a non-zero amount of reverse null-traffic data.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the access probe comprises an origination message.

19. A base station comprising:

an access-terminal communication interface configured to facilitate communication with one or more access terminals via one or more wireless links;

an access-network communication interface configured to facilitate communication with one or more access-network entities;

a processor;

data storage; and

program instructions stored in data storage and executable by the processor to;

receive an access probe from a given access terminal on a given wireless link;

responsive to receiving the access probe, (a) assign a forward-traffic channel of the given wireless link to the given access terminal and (b) based at least in part on a forward-channel quality of the given wireless link, make a decision between (i) transmitting a default amount of forward null-traffic data before beginning to transmit forward bearer-traffic data on the assigned forward-traffic channel or (ii) transmitting a reduced amount of forward null-traffic data before beginning to transmit forward bearer-traffic data on the assigned forward-traffic channel; and

transmit on the assigned forward-traffic channel in accordance with the decision.

20. An access terminal comprising:

an wireless-communication interface configured to facilitate wireless communication with an access network via one or more wireless links;

a processor;

data storage; and

program instructions stored in data storage and executable by the processor to;

transmit an access probe to an access network on a given wireless link;

as a result of transmitting the access probe, receive from the access network a channel-assignment message identifying an assigned reverse-traffic channel of the given wireless link;

responsive to receiving the channel-assignment message, make a decision, based at least in part on a reverse-channel quality of the given wireless link, between (i) transmitting a default amount of reverse null-traffic data before beginning to transmit reverse bearer-traffic data on the assigned reverse-traffic channel or (ii) transmitting a reduced amount of reverse null-traffic data before beginning to transmit reverse bearer-traffic data on the assigned reverse-traffic channel; and

transmit on the assigned reverse-traffic channel in accordance with the decision.