Method and apparatus for HS-DPCCH signalling with activity information in HSDPA

A method, comprising:

• a feedback-signal-transmitting entity receiving a packet transmission from a feedback-signal-receiving entity;
• and
• the feedback-signal-transmitting entity signalling in a current time interval, in the response to the packet transmission, an indication symbol selected from a set of possible indication symbols, and providing preamble and postamble signalling in order to indicate whether a payload message providing feedback to the packet transmission is being or was transmitted in a predefined positive or negative offset of one or more time intervals from the current time interval;
• wherein the payload message includes one or another of various possible payload message symbols and the indication symbol differs from each of the possible payload message symbols, and is sent either in advance of or after the payload message.

A feedback-signal-transmitting apparatus, comprising:

• means for receiving a packet transmission from a packet-transmitting appratus;
• and
• means responsive to the packet transmission. for signalling in a current time interval an indication symbol selected from a set of possible indication symbols, and providing preamble or postamble signalling in order to indicate whether a payload message providing feedback to the packet transmission is being or was transmitted in a predefined positive or negative offset of one or more time intervals from the current time interval;
• wherein the payload message is configured to include one or another of various possible payload message symbols all differing from the indication symbol, and wherein the apparatus is configured to send the indication symbol either in advance of or after the payload message.

A feedback-signal-transmitting apparatus, comprising:

• a receiver for receiving a packet transmission from a packet-transmitting apparatus;
• and
• a physical layer, responsive to the packet transmission, for signaling in a current time interval an indication symbol selected from a set of possible indication symbols, wherein the indication symbol provides preamble or postamble signalling in order to indicate whether a payload message providing feedback to the packet transmission is being or was transmitted in a predefined positive or negative offset of one or more time intervals from the current time interval;
• wherein the payload message is configured to include one or another of various possible payload message symbols all differing from the indication symbol, and wherein the apparatus is configured to send the indication symbol either in advance of or after the payload message.

A feedback-signal-transmitting apparatus, comprising:

• a receiver, for receiving a packet from a feedback-signal-receiving entity;
• and
• a physical layer, responsive to the packet, for signaling all or part of a payload message to the feedback-signal-receiving entity, wherein the payload message conveys feedback indicating whether the packet was successfully received and is transmitted in a predefined offset of one or more time intervals from a current time interval and comprises a sequence of payload message symbols selected from a set of possible payload message symbols;
• and
• wherein, in order to indicate whether the payload message is being or was transmitted in a predefined positive or negative offset of one or more time intervals from the current time interval, the physical layer is configured to signal in the current time interval an indication symbol selected from a set of possible indication symbol providing preamble or postamble signaling, wherein the indication symbol differs from each of the plurality of possible payload message symbols.