Acknowledging missed messages broadcast on a control channel

In a wireless communication system, an infrastructure element for controlling a broadcast of a control message, comprising:

• a memory element;
• and
• a processing element configured to execute a set of instructions stored in the memory element, the set of instructions for:
• transmitting the control message to a remote station, herein the control message contains a set of transmission parameters by which a data packet is to be transmitted;
• monitoring a reverse link channel for a re-transmission request;
• if a re-transmission request arrives on the reverse link channel, then re-transmitting the control message;
• and
• if a re-transmission request does not arrive on the reverse link channel, then transmitting the data packet.

A method for triggering a re-broadcast of a control channel message, comprising:

• determining whether a set of transmission parameters stored at a remote station is current;
• if the stored set of transmission parameters is not current, then transmitting a re-transmission request on a reverse link channel to a base station;
• and
• if the stored set of transmission parameters is current, then decoding a data packet at the remote station using the stored set of transmission parameters.

A method for controlling a re-broadcast of a control message, comprising:

• transmitting the control message to a remote station, herein the control message contains a set of transmission parameters by which a data packet is to be transmitted;
• monitoring a reverse link channel for a re-transmission request;
• if a re-transmission request arrives on the reverse link channel, then re-transmitting the control message;
• and
• if a re-transmission request does not arrive on the reverse link channel, then transmitting the data packet.

In a wireless communication system, a method for acknowledging missed control messages that are broadcast from a base station to a remote station, comprising:

• transmitting a control message from the base station to the remote station, wherein the control message contains a set of transmission parameters for a data packet to be subsequently transmitted to the remote station;
• monitoring a reverse link channel at the base station for a re-transmission request from the remote station;
• determining whether a set of transmission parameters stored at a remote station is current;
• if the stored set of transmission parameters is not current, then transmitting a re-transmission request on the reverse link channel to the base station, whereupon the base station re-transmits the control message;
• and
• if the stored set of transmission parameters is current, then not transmitting a re-transmission request on the reverse link channel to the base station, whereupon the base station transmits the data packet, which the remote station will subsequently receive and decode using the stored set of transmission parameters from the control message.

In a wireless communication system, apparatus for controlling the transmission of control messages from a base station, comprising:

• means for transmitting a control message from the base station to the remote station, wherein the control message contains a set of transmission parameters for a data packet to be subsequently transmitted to the remote station;
• means for monitoring a reverse link channel at the base station for a re-transmission request from the remote station;
• and
• means for determining whether a set of transmission parameters stored at a remote station is current;
• means for transmitting a re-transmission request on the reverse link channel to the base station if the stored set of transmission parameters is not current, whereupon the base station re-transmits the control message using the means for transmitting the control message.