Method and apparatus for accessing a shared channel in a wireless network using a time slot allocation technique based on detecting the usage of the channel during a round trip interval

A process for managing network resources in a wireless communication network that includes a base unit, a plurality of remote units, a reverse channel for communicating to the base unit and a forward channel for communicating to the remote units, the process comprising the steps of:

• at a first remote unit,
• attempting to seize control of the reverse channel by transmitting a first portion of a first data package in a time slot on the reverse channel;
• after the attempt, monitoring the forward channel to detect the number of remote units that successfully transmitted a time slot of data to the base unit before the attempt, the monitoring including determining that a round trip time interval has transpired, the round trip time interval including a plurality of time slots, said number corresponding to a queuing position, the queuing position decreasing in relation to the number of other remote units that successfully transmitted to the base unit before the first remote unit as monitored during the round trip interval associated with the first remote unit transmitting said first portion of the first data package, for seizing the reverse channel;
• and
• updating said queuing position as other remote units in the queue complete their respective transmissions to the base unit.

A process for managing network resources in a wireless communication network that includes a base unit, a plurality of remote units, a reverse channel for communicating to the base unit and a forward channel for communicating to the remote units, the process comprising the steps of:

• at the base unit, receiving a time slot of data including a first portion of a first data package on the reverse channel from a first remote unit;
• transmitting, on the forward channel, a time slot of data that indicates successful receipt of said first portion of a first data package;
• prior to receiving an additional portion of said first data package from said first remote unit, receiving a time slot of data on the reverse channel from a second remote unit;
• transmitting, on the forward channel, a time slot of data that indicates successful receipt of the time slot of data from said second remote unit;
• after receiving the time slot of data from said second remote unit, receiving a plurality of consecutive time slots on said reverse channel, said plurality of consecutive time slots containing the additional portion of said first data package from said first remote unit based on a queuing position determined by said first remote unit, the queuing position decreasing in relation to the number of other remote units that successfully transmitted to the base unit before the first remote unit as detected during a round trip interval associated with the first remote unit's said portion of first data package, a time slot of said plurality of time slots including an end of data transmission indicator based at least in part on the round trip time interval, the round trip time interval including a plurality of time slots;
• detecting the end of data transmission indicator;
• and
• transmitting on the forward channel an indicator that reflects the detection of the end of data transmission indicator.

A process for managing network resources in a wireless communication network that includes a base unit, a plurality of remote units, a reverse channel for communicating to the base unit and a forward channel for communicating to the remote units, the process comprising the steps of:

• at a base unit receiving multiple time slots of information on the reverse channel, said multiple time slots including a plurality of attempts to seize said reverse channel from a plurality of remote units by transmitting a first portion of a first data package in a time slot on the reverse channel;
• and
• generating time slots of information for said forward channel including information indicating whether one of said plurality of attempts were successful;
• and
• at one remote unit of the plurality of remote units,
• tracking a transmission queuing position determined by said one remote unit, the queuing position decreasing in relation to the number of other remote units that successfully seized the reverse channel to the base unit before the one remote unit as detected during the round trip interval associated with the one remote unit transmitting said first portion of the first data package, and associated with said one remote unit using the generated time slots on said forward channel, the tracking including determining that the round trip time interval has transpired, the round trip time interval including a plurality of time slots.

A process for managing network resources in a wireless communication network that includes a base unit, a plurality of remote units, a reverse channel for communicating to the base unit and a forward channel for communicating to the remote units, the process comprising the steps of:

• at a first remote unit,
• transmitting a first portion of a data package in a time slot on the reverse channel;
• after the step of transmitting, receiving a plurality of time slots on the forward
• channel, the receiving including determining that a round trip time interval has transpired, the round trip time interval including a plurality of time slots;
• examining a plurality of flags in each of the plurality of received time slots wherein one of said flags indicates that a reverse channel time slot was successfully received by the base unit and another one of said flags indicates that a reverse channel time slot was the last data portion of a data package from a remote unit;
• and
• determining from the flags in said time slots on the forward channel a queuing position, the queuing position decreasing in relation to the number of other remote units that successfully transmitted to the base unit before the first remote unit as detected during the round trip interval associated with the first remote unit's said portion of first data package, for transmitting a remainder of said data package in a plurality of consecutive time slots on the reverse channel.

A process for managing network resources in a wireless communication network that includes a base unit, a plurality of remote units, a reverse channel for communicating to the base unit and a forward channel for communicating to the remote units, the process comprising:

• transmitting a first portion of a data package in a time slot on the reverse channel;
• after the step of transmitting, receiving a plurality of time slots on the forward channel, the receiving including determining that a round trip time interval has transpired, the round trip time interval corresponding to a plurality of time slots;
• examining a plurality of indicators in each of the plurality of received time slots where in one of said indicators indicates that a reverse channel time slot was successfully received by the base unit and an other one of said indicators indicates that a reverse channel time slot was the last data portion of a data package from a remote unit;
• and
• determining from the indicators in said time slots on the forward channel a queuing position, the queuing position decreasing in relation to the number of other remote units that successfully transmitted to the base unit before the remote unit as detected during the round trip interval associated with the first remote unit's said portion of first data package, for transmitting a remain der of said data package in a plurality of consecutive time slots on the reverse channel.