METHOD FOR PROVIDING GROUP PAGING AND MESSAGING

• US 20080232293A1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Zou, Jialin, Yang, Yang, Mooney, Christopher F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/025 Indirect paging

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of providing a group paging message. One embodiment of the method includes providing a first message during a first portion of a predetermined time period. The first message includes information indicating a second portion of the predetermined time period during which at least one idle first mobile unit is to wake up and attempt to receive a second message from the base station(s). The embodiment of the method also includes providing a third message during a third portion of the predetermined time period. The third message includes information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period during which at least one idle second mobile unit is to wake up and attempt to receive the second message. The third portion of the predetermined time period is different than the first portion.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing, from at least one base station and over an air interface, a first message during a first portion of a predetermined time period, the first message comprising information indicating a second portion of the predetermined time period during which at least one idle first mobile unit is to wake up and attempt to receive a second message from said at least one base station; and

providing, from said at least one base station and over the air interface, a third message during a third portion of the predetermined time period, the third message comprising information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period during which at least one idle second mobile unit is to wake up and attempt to receive the second message, the third portion of the predetermined time period being different than the first portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first message comprises providing the first message during a portion of a first control cycle of a wake-up cycle associated with said at least one first and at least one idle second mobile units.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the first message comprising information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period comprises providing a first message comprising information indicating that said at least one idle first mobile unit is to wake up for the control cycles in the wake-up cycle subsequent to the first control cycle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the first message comprising information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period comprises providing a first message comprising information indicating that said at least one idle first mobile unit is to wake up during at least one second control cycle of the wake-up cycle.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the third message comprises providing the third message during a portion of a third control cycle of the wake-up cycle associated with said at least one first and at least one idle second mobile units.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing the third message comprising information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period comprises providing a third message comprising information indicating that said at least one idle second mobile unit is to wake up for the control cycles in the wake-up cycle subsequent to the third control cycle.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein providing the third message comprising information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period comprises providing a third message comprising information indicating that said at least one idle second mobile unit is to wake up during at least one second control cycle of the wake-up cycle.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising multicasting the second message to said at least one first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit during the second portion of the predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein multicasting the second message comprises multicasting at least one of a paging message, a multicast signaling message for signaling and configuration of a group of access terminals, or a multicast data message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein multicasting the second message comprises selecting a multicast data message type for transmitting data contents for selecting a multicast signaling message type for transmitting signaling contents.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein multicasting the second message comprises:

receiving a flow identifier associated with the second message from a content provider;

determining that said at least one first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit are eligible to receive the second message based on the flow identifier; and

multicasting the second message including an identifier associated with a group including said at least one first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining that said at least one first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit are eligible to receive the second message comprises:

providing the flow identifier to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server; and

receiving an indication from the AAA server that said at least one first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit are eligible, the AAA server determining eligibility based upon user profiles associated with said at least one first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein multicasting the second message comprises:

mapping the flow identifier to the identifier associated with the group; and

providing information indicating the identifier to the group so that mobile units in the group can access the multicast messages using the identifier.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein multicasting the second message comprises multicasting a second message including an associated media access control identifier.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first mobile unit, a first message transmitted by at least one base station during a first portion of a predetermined time period, the first message comprising information indicating a second portion of the predetermined time period during which the first mobile unit is to wake up and attempt to receive a second message from said at least one base station, the second portion of the predetermined time period also being indicated in a third message transmitted to at least one second mobile unit during at least one third portion of the predetermined time period, the third message comprising information indicating that said at least one second mobile unit is to wake up and attempt to receive the second message during the second portion of the predetermined time period, the third portion of the predetermined time period being different than the first portion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the first message comprises receiving the first message during a portion of a first control cycle of a wake-up cycle associated with the first and at least one second mobile units.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the first message comprising information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period comprises receiving a first message comprising information indicating that the first mobile unit is to wake up for the control cycles in the wake-up cycle subsequent to the first control cycle.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the first message comprising information indicating the second portion of the predetermined time period comprises receiving a first message comprising information indicating that the first mobile unit is to wake up during at least one second control cycle of the wake-up cycle.

19. The method of claim 15, comprising:

waking up the first mobile unit during the second portion of the predetermined time period; and

receiving at least one message that is multicast to the first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit during the second portion of the predetermined time period.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving said at least one multicast message comprises receiving at least one of a multicast paging message, a multicast data message, or a multicast signaling message.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving said at least one multicast message comprises identifying said at least one multicast message based on an identifier associated with a group including the first mobile unit and said at least one second mobile unit, the identifier being included in said at least one multicast message.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising receiving information indicative of the identifier associated with the group, the identifier having been mapped to a flow identifier associated with said at least one multicast message.