Scheduling requests for wireless communication devices running background applications

An apparatus to be employed by a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising:

• communications circuitry configured to communicate with an evolved Node B (eNB) over a wireless communication network;
• and
• applications circuitry coupled with the communications circuitry and configured to:
• transmit, to the eNB, an indicator that the UE is in a background mode in which the applications circuitry runs one or more background applications and no active applications, wherein the one or more background applications are run without active user interaction;
• and
• receive a message from the eNB to update a scheduling request (SR) allocation assigned to the UE, wherein a resource element of the assigned SR allocation for the apparatus is included in a resource block of a channel designated for SR allocations of UEs in the background mode.

A method comprising:

• receiving, by an evolved Node B (eNB) from a plurality of user equipments (UEs), an indicator that the plurality of UEs are in a background mode, wherein the plurality of UEs are not engaged in active interaction with respective users of the plurality of UEs during the background mode;
• designating one or more resource blocks of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for scheduling requests (SRs) from UEs that are in the background mode;
• and
• assigning an SR allocation in the one or more designated resource blocks to individual UEs of the plurality of UEs based on the receiving the indicator.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions, stored thereon, that, when executed, cause a user equipment (UE) to:

• transmit, to an evolved Node B (eNB) over a wireless communication network, an indicator that the UE is in a background mode in which the UE runs one or more background applications and no active applications, wherein the one or more background applications do not interact with a user of the UE while the UE is in the background mode;
• and
• receive a message from the eNB updating a scheduling request (SR) allocation assigned to the UE based on the indicator, wherein a resource element of the assigned SR allocation for the UE is included in a resource block of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) designated for SR allocations of UEs in the background mode;
• wherein the UE is configured to use the assigned SR allocation instead of a random access channel to indicate to the eNB that the UE has data to send to the eNB.