EP0483546A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Methods for polling mobile users in a multiple cell wireless network
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1991-10-07
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2011-10-07
Abstract
Abstract A method for communicating information bidirectionally between a wired network (1) and a wireless network. The wireless network is of the type that includes header stations (12) each having a communication cell (2) associated therewith and one or more mobile communication units (10) disposed within the communication cell. The method includes a first step of, during a first portion of a wireless communication cycle, transmitting information over an uplink wireless communication channel from one or more of the mobile communication units to the header station. A second step of the method, accomplished during a second portion of the wireless communication cycle, transmits information over a downlink wireless communication channel from the header station to one or more of the mobile communication units. The information transmitted downlink includes frames of data received by the header station from the wired network. The first portion may be accomplished in part or in total by a CSMA protocol where the mobile units contend for access to the uplink communication channel. In one embodiment the header station initiates the first portion by transmitting to the header stations information for scheduling the sequence of the uplink transmissions.
Inventors
- 👤 Siddhartha Ray Chaudhuri
- 👤 Peter Dirk Hortensius
- 👤 Kadathur Subramanya Natarjan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 00:18
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04W; H04W74/00; H04W74/02; H04W74/04; H04W74/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
A method for communicating information bidirectionally between a wired network and a wireless network, the wireless network including a header station having a communication cell associated therewith and one or more mobile communication units disposed within the communication cell, the method comprising the steps of: partitioning a wireless communication cycle into an uplink portion and into a downlink portion; during the uplink portion of the wireless communication cycle, transmitting information over an uplink wireless communication channel from one or more of the mobile communication units to the header station; and during the downlink portion of the wireless communication cycle, transmitting information over a downlink wireless communication channel from the header station to one or more of the mobile communication units, the information transmitted downlink including data received by the header station from the wired network.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
58 words
Method as set forth in Claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting uplink information includes an initial step of: transmitting scheduling information from the header station to one or more of the mobile communication units having identities known to the header station, the scheduling information assigning to the known mobile communication units at least an order of transmission.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
Method as set forth in Claim 2 wherein the scheduling information further assigns a number of message units that are to be transmitted from each of the known mobile communication units in the assigned order.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
75 words
Method as set forth in Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the step of transmitting information on the uplink wireless communication channel includes a step of transmitting request information from one or more mobile communication units having an identity that is not known to the header station, the request information requesting the header station to include the unknown header station within a group of known mobile communication units that are associated with the header station.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
66 words
Method as set forth in anyone of Claims 1 to 4 wherein during the uplink portion of the wireless communication cycle the uplink information is transmitted in accordance with a Carrier Sense-Multiple Access method wherein mobile communication units that are known to the header station and also mobile communication units that are unknown to the header station contend for access to the uplink wireless communication channel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
Method as set forth in Claim 5 wherein the step of transmitting information on the uplink wireless communication channel includes a step of simultaneously rebroadcasting on the downlink wireless communication channel any received uplink information.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
153 words
Method as set forth in Claim 1 or anyone of Claims 2 to 6 wherein the step of transmitting information on the uplink wireless communication channel includes an initial step of: transmitting scheduling information from the header station to one or more of the mobile communication units having identities known to the header station, the scheduling information assigning to the known mobile communication units at least a predetermined order of transmission; and wherein the initial step is followed by a step of transmitting information on the uplink wireless communication channel from scheduled mobile communication units in accordance with the predetermined order of transmission; followed by a step of for mobile communication units having an identity that is unknown to the header station, transmitting information on the uplink wireless communication channel in accordance with a Carrier Sense-Multiple Access method wherein the unknown mobile communication units contend for access to the uplink wireless communication channel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
62 words
Method as set forth in Claim 1 or anyone of the Claims 2 to 7 wherein the step of transmitting on the uplink channel includes an initial step of transmitting on the downlink wireless communication channel a wireless communication cycle start signal, and wherein the header station transmits the start signal in response to an enabling signal received from the wired network.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
Method as set forth in Claim 8 wherein the step of transmitting information on the downlink wireless communication channel includes a terminal step of transmitting the enabling signal from the header station to the wired network.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
100 words
Method as set forth in anyone of the preceding Claims and including a step of periodically interrogating a selected one or ones of the mobile communication units to determine if the selected one or ones are actively disposed within the communication cell, the step of interrogating including the steps of transmitting a message on the downlink wireless communication channel, the message being addressed to the selected one or ones; and waiting for a predetermined interval of time for a response to be transmitted by the selected one or ones of the mobile communication units on the uplink wireless communication channel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
65 words
Method as set forth in Claim 10 wherein, if during the step of waiting a response is not received from the selected one or ones of the mobile communication units, the method includes a step of transmitting information, associated with the non-responding mobile communication unit, from the header station to the wired network for storage within an archival unit also coupled to the wired network.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
139 words
Method as set forth in Claim 1 or anyone of the Claims 2 to 11 wherein the step of transmitting information on the uplink wireless communication channel includes an initial step of: transmitting downlink information from the header station for polling specific ones of the mobile communication units to determine if the mobile communications units require an uplink transmission slot; and, for a mobile unit so requiring an uplink transmission slot transmitting information in response to the reception of the downlink information, on the uplink wireless communication channel; and, for a mobile unit not requiring an uplink transmission slot inhibiting an uplink transmission for a period of time at least equal to a predetermined header station time out period, or transmitting a message to the header station indicating that the mobile unit does not require an uplink transmission slot.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
Method as set forth in Claim 3 or anyone of Claims 4 to 12 wherein the message units are expressed in frames, bytes, slots, or time.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
Method as set forth in anyone of the preceding Claims wherein the uplink portion precedes the downlink portion or wherein the downlink portion precedes the uplink portion.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
57 words
Method as set forth in Claim 1 or anyone of the Claims 2 to 14 wherein the step of transmitting information over the uplink wireless communication channel includes a further step of receiving a positive acknowledgement from the header station; and if the positive acknowledgement is not received, retransmitting the information over the uplink wireless communication channel.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
58 words
Method as set forth in Claim 1 or anyone of the Claims 2 to 15 wherein the step of transmitting information over the downlink wireless communication channel includes a further step of receiving a positive acknowledgement from a mobile communication unit; and if the positive acknowledgement is not received, retransmitting the information over the downlink wireless communication channel.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4402090A
Cited
US4456793A
Cited
US4597105A
Cited
US4639914A
Cited
US4730310A
Cited
US4655519A
Cited
US4807222A
Cited
US4926495A
Cited
US4881271A
Cited
US4792946A
Cited
US4837858A
Cited
US4777633A
Cited
US4852122A
Cited
US5212806A
Cited
US5239673A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.