US 2014/0177444 A1Published application

Protocol for allocating upstream slots over a link in a point-to-multipoint communication system

AssigneeWi-LAN, Inc.

InventorSubir Varma

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system for controlling a contention state for a communication link between a base station controller and customer premises equipment in point-to-multipoint communication. The contention state is controlled using a state machine, which includes a grant pending absent state in which a unicast request slot is maintained open for use by the customer premises equipment. During the grant pending absent state, the customer premises equipment sends no upstream data to the base station controller but can use the unicast request slot to request a data slot for sending upstream data to the base station controller. In the grant pending state, the customer premises equipment preferably uses piggybacking to request grant of a next data slot while sending upstream data to the base station controller.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of operating a customer premises equipment (CPE) unit, comprising:

transmitting a first type bandwidth request to a base station controller (BSC) unit in a contention slot;
receiving a bandwidth grant from the BSC unit;
transmitting data to the BSC unit within a data slot specified by the bandwidth grant;
transmitting a second type bandwidth request to the BSC unit within the data slot, the second bandwidth request requesting a subsequent data slot for accommodating transmission of additional pending data;
receiving at least one subsequent bandwidth grant from the BSC unit, transmitting additional pending data to the BSC unit in a subsequent data slot specified by the at least one subsequent bandwidth grant, and transmitting an additional second type bandwidth request to the BSC unit within the subsequent data slot if there is additional pending data available for transmission;
and
upon no further additional pending data being available for transmission to the BSC unit within the respective subsequent data slot:
if new data is available for transmission prior to expiry of a timeout, transmitting a third type bandwidth request to the BSC unit in a contention free bandwidth request opportunity, the third type bandwidth request requesting a second subsequent data slot for accommodating transmission of the new data;
and
if no new data is available for transmission prior to expiry of the timeout, transitioning the CPE unit to an idle state.

7 more elements

A method of operating a customer premises equipment (CPE) unit, comprising:

transmitting a first bandwidth request to a base station controller (BSC) unit in a contention slot;
receiving a bandwidth grant from the BSC unit;
transmitting data to the BSC unit within a transmission resource specified by the bandwidth grant;
if additional pending data is available for transmission to the BSC unit within the transmission resource:
transmitting a second bandwidth request to the BSC unit within the transmission resource, the second bandwidth request requesting a subsequent transmission resource for accommodating transmission of the additional pending data;
receiving a subsequent bandwidth grant from the BSC unit;
transmitting the additional pending data to the BSC unit in a subsequent transmission resource specified by the subsequent bandwidth grant;
if no additional pending data is available for transmission to the BSC unit within the transmission resource:
if new data becomes available for transmission prior to expiry of a timeout, transmitting a third bandwidth request to the BSC unit in a contention free bandwidth request opportunity, the third bandwidth request requesting a second subsequent transmission resource for accommodating transmission of the new data;
if no new data becomes available for transmission prior to expiry of the timeout, transitioning the CPE unit to an idle state.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/059,220Filed 21 Oct 2013
Priority: 11 Oct 2000
Published: 26 Jun 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H04W 16/04
Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning: traffic adaptive resource partitioning
H04L 12/18
Arrangements for providing special services to substations: for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
H04W 72/0446
Based on the type of the allocated resource: resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
H04W 72/21
Control channels or signalling for resource management: in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network

Family

Application09/689,243Continuation · filed 11 Oct 2000
Application11/703,065Continuation · filed 6 Feb 2007
Application13/360,334Continuation · filed 27 Jan 2012
Application14/059,220Continuation
US 2007/0206544 A1Published application
US 2012/0127967 A1Published application
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US 2014/0177444 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.