Method and system for efficiently optimizing throughput and minimizing delay for a channel in a communication system

A method for providing stability and efficiently optimizing throughput and minimizing delay for transmission of data by a subscriber unit on a channel in a communication system utilizing a contention-based access scheme, comprising the steps of:

• 7A) transmitting, by each of a plurality of subscriber units, a retry count in a packet,
• 7B) detecting, by the subscriber units, whether a collision between the subscriber unit's transmitted packet and another packet has occurred,
• 7C) determining, by the subscriber unit, where the packet was unsuccessfully transmitted, a random period of time between zero and N, N a positive integer, and waiting, by the subscriber unit, the random period of time and returning to transmitting, by each of the plurality of subscriber units, the retry unit in the packet,
• 7D) returning immediately, by the subscriber unit, where the packet was successfully transmitted, to transmitting, by each of the plurality of subscriber units, the retry count in the packet, and in parallel with the steps performed by the subscriber units,
• 7E) using, by a base site, where the packet was transmitted successfully, the retry counts from the plurality of subscriber units in a novel scheme to determine a spreading factor N, and
• 7F) broadcasting, by the base site, the spreading factor N to a plurality of subscriber units.

A system for providing stability and efficiently optimizing throughput and minimizing delay for transmission of data by a subscriber unit on a channel in a communication system utilizing a contention-based access scheme, comprising:

• 13A) a plurality of subscriber units having a packet processor that includes a retry count inserter and a collision detector, wherein the collision detector coupled to receive an output of the retry count inserter, for transmitting a retry count in each packet of data, detecting whether a collision between the subscriber unit's transmitted packet and another packet has occurred, determining, where the packet was unsuccessfully transmitted, a random period of time between zero and N, N a positive integer, and waiting the random period of time and returning to transmitting a retry count in each packet of data, and
• 13B) a base site having a packet processor with a novel spreader factor determiner for, where the packet was transmitted successfully, utilizing the retry counts from the plurality of subscriber units in a novel scheme to determine a spreading factor N, and broadcasting the spreading factor N to a plurality of subscriber units,
• wherein the base site spreader factor determiner utilizes a novel scheme to determine the spreading factor N that includes:
• storing, by each subscriber unit, in a packet for transmission, the retry count, determining by the base site, the spreading factor N, wherein the spreading factor N is a maximum number of packet time slots which a subscriber unit is to wait before retrying transmission, broadcasting, by the base site, a packet having the spreading factor N in a superframe header together with a channel bitmap that indicates which time slots in a frame are packet timeslots, and randomly selecting, by each subscriber unit, an integer number between 1 and N and converting it to a number of physical timeslots to skid before sending another packet, and retaining to the beginning of this scheme.