Fast acquisition of traffic channels for a highly variable data rate reverse link of a CDMA wireless communication system

A subscriber access unit comprising:

• a transceiver for providing wireless communication of digital signals, the digital signals being communicated to a base station using at least one radio frequency (RF) channel via Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modulated radio signals, with a plurality of subchannels being made available by the base station within each CDMA RF channel;
• a bandwidth manager connected to said transceiver, and being allocated available subchannels by the base station on an as-needed basis, with the number of allocated subchannels changing during a given session;
• and
• said transceiver, when powered on but not actively sending data, providing an idling mode connection on a reverse link to the base station, the idling mode connection enabling subchannels to be reallocated without reestablishing a bit synchronization with the base station, and sending an idle mode signal during the idle mode connection at a data rate that maintains the bit synchronization with the base station.

A subscriber unit comprising:

• a wireless transceiver for providing wireless communications of digital signals over a digital communications path, the digital signals having a nominal data rate and being communicated using at least one radio frequency channel via Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modulated radio signals, and with one or more subchannels within each CDMA radio channel being available, with a data rate of each subchannel being less than the nominal data rate of the digital signals;
• a modem for establishing a communications session over the digital communications path;
• a bandwidth manager coupled between said wireless transceiver and said modem for allocating available subchannels on an as-needed basis, with the number of allocated subchannels being variable during duration of a given communications session;
• and
• said wireless transceiver, when powered on but not actively sending data, providing an idling mode connection on a reverse link over the digital communications path, the idling mode connection being operable to enable subchannels to be reallocated without reestablishing code phase lock over the digital communications path.

A subscriber unit comprising:

• a wireless transceiver for providing wireless communications of digital signals over a digital communications path, the digital signals having a nominal data rate and being communicated using at least one radio frequency channel via Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modulated radio signals, and with one or more subchannels within each CDMA radio channel being available, with a data rate of each subchannel being less than the nominal data rate of the digital signals;
• a bandwidth manager coupled to said wireless transceiver for allocating available subchannels on an as-needed basis, with the number of subchannels allocated thereby changing during a given session;
• and
• said wireless transceiver providing an idling mode connection on a reverse link when not presently actively sending data, and ramping-up to a higher data service rate by first receiving a message assigning a fundamental channel from over the digital communications path for a lower available rate channel prior to receiving a message assigning additional code phase channels for a full rate channel.

A method for operating a subscriber unit comprising:

• providing wireless communications of digital signals over a digital communications path using a wireless transceiver, the digital signals having a nominal data rate and being communicated using at least one radio frequency channel via Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modulated radio signals, and with one or more subchannels within each CDMA radio channel being available, with a data rate of each subchannel being less than the nominal data rate of the digital signals;
• establishing a communications session over the digital communications path;
• allocating available subchannels on an asneeded basis, with the number of allocated subchannels being variable during duration of a given communications session;
• and
• providing an idling mode connection on a reverse link over the digital communications path when the wireless transceiver is powered on but not actively sending data, the idling mode connection being operable to enable subchannels to be reallocated without reestablishing code phase lock over the digital communications path.

A method for operating a subscriber unit comprising:

• providing wireless communications of digital signals over a digital communications path using a wireless transceiver, the digital signals having a nominal data rate and being communicated using at least one radio frequency channel via Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modulated radio signals, and with one or more subchannels within each CDMA radio channel being available, with a data rate of each subchannel being less than the nominal data rate of the digital signals;
• allocating available subchannels on an as-needed basis, with the number of subchannels allocated thereby changing during a given session;
• and
• providing an idling mode connection on a reverse link when the wireless transceiver is not presently actively sending data, and ramping-up to a higher data service rate by first receiving a message assigning a fundamental channel from over the digital communications path for a lower available rate channel prior to receiving a message assigning additional code phase channels for a full rate channel.