US 8,897,818 B2Granted

System and method for reducing energy consumption of mobile devices using early paging indicator

AssigneeBlackBerry Limited

InventorsJianfeng Weng, Mark Earnshaw, Xin Jin, Phat Hong Tran

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Abstract

A method for reducing energy consumption of mobile devices using a phase-continuous early paging indicator (EPI) is provided. For each of at least one paging occasion either A) an EPI indicative that a page is present in the paging occasion is transmitted during an EPI occasion in advance of the paging occasion, the EPI comprising at least one phase-continuous tone for the EPI occasion, and a page is transmitted during the paging occasion, or B) an EPI indicative that a page is not present in the paging occasion is transmitted during an EPI occasion in advance of the paging occasion, the EPI comprising at least one phase-continuous tone for the EPI occasion. A mobile device is configured to monitor for an EPI that comprises at least one phase-continuous tone for an EPI occasion in advance of its paging occasion in order to determine if a page is potentially present.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method in a network component, the method comprising:

performing at least one of:
A) for each of at least one paging occasion:
transmitting, during an early paging indicator occasion in advance of the paging occasion, an early paging indicator indicative that a page is present in the paging occasion, the early paging indicator comprising at least one phase-continuous tone over the early paging indicator occasion;
transmitting a page during the paging occasion;
or
B) for each of at least one paging occasion:
transmitting, during an early paging indicator occasion in advance of the paging occasion, an early paging indicator indicative that a page is not present in the paging occasion, the early paging indicator comprising at least one phase-continuous tone over the early paging indicator occasion,
wherein:
a given paging occasion is associated with a group of mobile devices, the group of mobile devices comprising a plurality of subgroups of mobile devices within the group;
the transmitted page is for at least one mobile device of at least one subgroup;
for each subgroup for which a page is to be transmitted during the paging occasion, transmitting, during the early paging indicator occasion in advance of the paging occasion, an early paging indicator indicative that a page is present in the paging occasion comprises transmitting an early paging indicator specific to the subgroup that comprises at least one phase-continuous tone over the early paging indicator occasion and that is indicative that a page is present in the paging occasion for the subgroup;
and
for each subgroup for which no page is to be transmitted during the paging occasion, transmitting, during the early paging indicator occasion in advance of the paging occasion, an early paging indicator indicative that a page is not present in the paging occasion comprises transmitting an early paging indicator specific to the subgroup that comprises at least one phase-continuous tone over the early paging indicator occasion and that is indicative that a page is not present in the paging occasion for the subgroup.

10 more elements

A method in a mobile device, the mobile device belonging to a subgroup of a plurality of subgroups of mobile devices associated with a given paging occasion, each subgroup having a respective early paging indicator specific to the subgroup, the method comprising:

for each of at least one paging occasion:
during an early paging indicator occasion in advance of the paging occasion, monitoring for an early paging indicator that comprises at least one phase-continuous tone over the early paging indicator occasion for the respective early paging indicator specific to the subgroup of mobile devices to which the mobile device belongs;
and
performing either:
A) upon detecting an early paging indicator that is indicative that a page is present in the paging occasion for the subgroup, attempting to receive a page during the paging occasion;
or
B) upon detecting an early paging indicator that is indicative that a page is not present in the paging occasion for the subgroup, entering an energy saving mode,
wherein monitoring for an early paging indicator that comprises at least one phase-continuous tone over the early paging indicator occasion comprises:
calculating, over at least a portion of the early paging indicator occasion, received energy of an early paging indicator that comprises at least one phase-continuous tone;
and
determining that the early paging indicator has been detected if the received energy that has been calculated exceeds a first threshold value.

8 more elements

A mobile device, the mobile device belonging to a subgroup of a plurality of subgroups of mobile devices associated with a given paging occasion, each subgroup having a respective early paging indicator specific to the subgroup, the mobile device comprising:

at least one antenna;
a wireless access radio, functionally connected to the at least one antenna, configured to communicate with at least one wireless access network;
a processor, functionally connected to the wireless access radio, configured to process wireless communications communicated via the wireless access radio;
an early paging indicator detector function configured to,
for each of at least one paging occasion assigned to the mobile device:
for an early paging indicator occasion in advance of and associated with the paging occasion, monitor via the wireless access radio for an early paging indicator that comprises at least one phase-continuous tone over the early paging indicator occasion;
and
either:
A) upon detecting an early paging indicator that is indicative that a page is present in the paging occasion for the subgroup, prompt the processor to attempt during the paging occasion to receive a page via the wireless access radio;
or
B) upon detecting an the early paging indicator that is indicative that a page is not present in the paging occasion for the subgroup, prompt the processor to enter an energy saving mode,
wherein the early paging indicator detector function is further configured to:
receive via the wireless access radio a reference tone within a subcarrier frequency space;
and
monitor for the respective early paging indicator specific to the subgroup to which the mobile device belongs by monitoring for a tone having an offset from the frequency of the reference tone corresponding to the subgroup to which the mobile device belongs.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/944,309Filed 11 Nov 2010
Published: US 2012/0122495 A117 May 2012
Granted: 25 Nov 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H04W 68/025
Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel: indirect paging
Y02D 30/70
Reducing energy consumption in communication networks: in wireless communication networks
H04W
Wireless communication networks
Y02D
Climate change mitigation technologies in information and communication technologies [ict], i.e. information