Method and apparatus for packet data call re-establishment in a telecommunications system

• US 6,249,681 B1
• Filed: 04/01/1997
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Virtanen, Sami
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US08/834,708
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/405, 455/407, 455/408, 370/477, 370/328, 370/349, 370/338, 370/401, 379/190, 379/191, 379/192, 379/193
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus for re-establishing an interrupted data packet call on a channel between two transceiving devices in a telecommunications system. In an embodiment of the invention, when packet data has not been sent or received in the call for a predetermined time period, the call is released and call configuration information is saved in at least one of the transceiving devices. If it is then necessary to transmit further packet data for the call, either one of the transceiving devices may initiate, within a predetermined time period, the sending of a call re-establishment message to re-establish the call. The call re-establishment message includes only necessary information to re-establish the call. Information that is saved upon call release is not sent in the re-establishment message. Information in the re-establishment message is used to retrieve the call configuration information that was saved upon call release. The call is then re-established using the information in the re-establishment message and the retrieved information.

Claims

1. A method for re-establishing a packet data call ona channel between a first transceiving device and a second transceiving device, comprising the steps of:

sending a first message from the second transceiving device to the first transceiving device, said first message indicating that a packet data call is to be released, the message including an identifier value;

saving at least the identifier value in the first transceiving device;

saving a set of call configuration data and the identifier value in the second transceiving device, the set of call configuration data usable to re-establish a channel between the first transceiving device and the second transceiving device;

releasing the packet data call from the channel at the first and second transceiving devices, thereby disabling the packet data call;

starting a re-establish timer, the re-establish timer being set to run for a predetermined time period;

detecting, at the second transceiving device, additional packet data for the packet data call within the predetermined time period during which the re-establish timer is set to run during said step of starting;

sending, in response to detection of the additional packet data during said step of detecting the additional packet data, a second message from the second transceiving device to the first transceiving device, the second message comprising a page message;

sending, in response to receiving a page message, a third message from said first transceiving device to said second transceiving device, said third message comprising a call re-establishment message indicating that the packet data call is to be re-established, and including at least the identifier value;

retrieving, in response to receiving said third message, the set of saved call configuration data in the second transceiving device based on the identifier value; and

re-establishing the packet data call on the channel using the call configuration data retrieved in the step of retrieving to re-establish the packet data call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second transceiving devices comprise a mobile station and a base station, respectively, and wherein the set of call configuration data includes mobile station data and called number data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, before the step of sending a first message, the step of randomly generating the identifier value, and wherein the step of sending the first message comprises sending a first message including the randomly generated identifier value.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said predetermined time period comprises a first predetermined time period and wherein said method further comprises the step of starting an inactivity timer the inactivity timer being set to run a second predetermined time period, and wherein the method further comprises, before the step of sending a first message, the step of detecting an expiration of the inactivity timer, the expiration of the inactivity timer indicating that packet data has not been transmitted or received on the channel within said second predetermined time period, and wherein the step of sending a first message comprises sending a first message in response to detecting an expiration of the inactivity timer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before the step of sending a first message, the step of randomly generating an identifier value, and wherein the step of sending the first message comprises sending the first message including the randomly generated identifier value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined time period comprises a first predetermined time period and wherein said method further comprises an initial step of starting an inactivity timer, the inactivity timer being set to run a second predetermined time period, and wherein the method further comprises, before the step of sending the massage, the step of detecting an expiration of the inactivity timer, the expiration of the inactivity timer indicating that packet data has not been transmitted or received on the channel within the second predetermined time period, and wherein the step of sending a first message comprises sending the first message in response to detecting an expiration of the inactivity timer.

7. An apparatus for re-establishing a packet data call on a radio channel between a first transceiving device and a second transceiving device, said apparatus comprising:

means for sending a first message from the second transceiving device to the first transceiving device, said message indicating that a packet data call is to be released, said first message including an identifier value;

means for saving at least said identifier value in the first transceiving device;

means for saving a set of call configuration data and said identifier value in the second transceiving device, the set of call configuration data usable to re-establish a channel between the first transceiving device and the second transceiving device;

means for releasing the call from the channel at said first and said second transceiving devices, thereby disabling the packet data call;

means for starting a re-establish timer, said re-establish timer being set to run for a predetermined time period;

means for detecting, at the second transceiving device, additional packet data for the call within said predetermined time period and for generating a signal in response to detecting said additional packet data, during which the re-establish timer is set to run by said means for starting;

means for sending, in response to detection by said means for detecting of the additional packet data to said signal generated in said means for detecting, a second message from the second transceiving device to the first transceiving device, said second message comprising a page message;

means for sending, in response to receiving said page message, a third message from said first transceiving device to said second transceiving device, said third message comprising a call re-establishment message indicating that the packet data call is to be re-established, and including at least the identifier value; and

means for retrieving, in response to receiving said third message, the saved set of call configuration data in the second transceiving device based on the identifier value.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first and said second transceiving devices comprise a mobile station and a base station, respectively, and wherein said set of call configuration data includes mobile station data and called number data.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising, means for randomly generating said identifier value.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said predetermined time period comprises a first predetermined time period and wherein said method further comprises means for starting an inactivity timer, said inactivity timer being set to run a second predetermined time period, and wherein said apparatus further comprises means for detecting an expiration of said inactivity timer, the expiration of said inactivity timer indicating that packet data has not been transmitted or received on the channel within the second predetermined time period, and wherein said means for sending a message comprises means for sending said message in response to detecting an expiration of said inactivity timer.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for starting a timer comprises means for starting a timer in said second transceiving device, and said means for detecting additional packet data comprises means for detecting, within said predetermined first time period, additional packet data to be sent from said second transceiving device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said first and said second transceiving devices comprise a mobile station and a base station, respectively, and wherein said set of call configuration data includes mobile station data and called number data.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said apparatus further comprises means for randomly generating said identifier value, and wherein said means for sending said first message comprises means for sending the first message to include said identifier value generated by said means for randomly generating.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said predetermined time period comprises a first predetermined time period and wherein said method further comprises means for starting an inactivity timer, said inactivity timer being set to run a second predetermined time period, and wherein aid apparatus further comprises means for detecting an expiration of said inactivity timer, the expiration of said inactivity timer indicating that packet data has not been transmitted or received on the channel within said second predetermined time period, and wherein said means for sending the first message comprises means for sending a first message in response to detecting an expiration of said inactivity timer.

15. A method for transmitting packet data between a mobile station and a base station in a digital telecommunications network, comprising the steps of:

establishing a packet data call on an assigned radio channel between the mobile station and base station;

transmitting packet data on the assigned radio channel;

transmitting a first message on the assigned radio channel for indicating that the packet data call is to be suspended, the first message including an identifier;

storing, at the mobile station, the identifier;

storing at the base station information required to re-establish the packet data call, the information required to re-establish the packet data call including the identifier and call configuration data related to the assigned radio channel;

suspending the packet data call and relinquishing the assigned radio channel;

within a predetermined time period, transmitting a second message from the base station to the mobile station to re-establish the packet data call, the second message comprising a page message;

sending, in response to receiving said page message, a third message from the mobile station to the base station, said third message comprising a call re-establishment message indication that the packet data call is to be re-established and the identifier; and

re-establishing, in response to receiving said third message at base station, the packet data call on a same or different assigned radio channel based at least in part on the stored information that is retrieved using the received identifier.