Abstract: The present invention is a novel and improved method and apparatus for performing closed loop power control. A method of implementing reverse link outer loop using only pilot signal is described. Such a method is especially useful when the data signals are only present in short burst such that packet or frame error rates (PER or FER) cannot be estimated accurately. Moreover, since this method provides a mechanism for accurate set point adjustment even without a PER (FER) estimate, it can also be used to improve the accuracy of outer loop performance when such estimate becomes available. The present invention estimates a “pilot bit error rate” (PBER), where each pilot “bit” consists of a number pilot chips distributed over a frame. In addition, it estimates the normalized variance of the signal energy (or C/I) for each packet. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the average number of fingers in lock is also used to determine the power control set point.

Abstract: Multipath RAKE receiver structure that allows for the concurrent demodulation of multipath signals that arrive at the receiver at arbitrarily low arrival time differences. The fingers are set to be a fixed offset from one another. One finger tracks the shift in the peak of the multipath component and the additional fixed offset fingers follow the tracking.

Abstract: Collisions between messages simultaneously transmitted by multiple spread-spectrum transmitters are reduced by distributing the transmissions over the available resources of the receiver. The transmitters may be mobile stations and the receiver may be a base station in a CDMA cellular telephone system. Each mobile station uses one or more randomization methods to distribute its transmissions. In the first randomization, the mobile station time-delays its transmissions by a number of chips of the PN code with which it spreads the transmitted signal. A hash function produces the number from an identification number uniquely associated with that mobile station. In a second randomization, the mobile station randomly selects the PN code. In a third randomization, the mobile station inserts a random delay between successive message transmissions or probes if it does not receive an acknowledgement after a predetermined timeout period. A predetermined number of such transmissions is called a probe sequence.

Abstract: A system and method for selectively muting a call of a wireless communication system. A first predetermined signal is received by the wireless communication system. The phone signal has a user signal associated with it. In response to the first predetermined signal, the wireless communication system pauses communication of the user signal to the end user while still maintaining the phone call between the wireless communication system and the conference bridge. In response to a second predetermined signal, the wireless communication system reiates communication of the user signal to the end user.

Abstract: A mobile station transmits a plurality of channels including a pilot channel and at least one information channel. In the exemplary embodiment, the base station determines the adequacy of the transmission energy of the reverse link signal in accordance with the received energy of the reverse link pilot signal. In the present invention, the pilot channel transmission power is retained at the level it was prior to the frequency search excursion, while increasing the transmission energy of at least one other channel transmitted by the mobile station. In addition, when the mobile station is not capable of increasing the transmission energy of all of the information channels, the mobile station generates a ranking of the importance of the different information channels and selectively increases the transmission power of those channels.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for performing transmission data rate allocation in a high speed wireless communications network. A macro control loop with the network of base stations on one side and all the subscriber stations on the other side. Subscriber station selects a rate based on the amount of data queued for transmission (100). Adjusts this rate based on the available power headroom of the subscriber station (102). This adjusted transmission rate is then adjusted again to account for protection of base stations in the candidate set of the subscriber station (104). This rate is then adjusted in accordance with busy tone signals indicative of the loading conditions of active set base stations of the subscriber station (108). The base stations react to these action by refreshing measurements of their instantaneous traffic load and providing feedback in the form of soft busy tones. The algorithm is named Closed Loop Resource Allocation.

Abstract: Reverse link busy bits are independently generated by each base station and indicative of whether the transmitting base station has reached a reverse link capacity limit. In a first exemplary embodiment, the remote station combines the multipath components of the reverse link busy bits from each of the transmitting base stations in its Active Set and in response transmits a reverse link signal only when all of the reverse link busy bits indicate that the base stations in the remote stations Active Set have reverse link capacity. In a first alternative embodiment, the remote station weights the reverse link busy signals in accordance with the signal strength of the base station transmitting the busy signal and determines whether to transmit based on the weighted sum of the busy signals.

Abstract: In a system including a resource which is shared among a number of users, it is difficult to distribute the available capacity of the resources fairly among the users and still maximize resource utilization. Additionally, it is desirable to allow at least some of the control over usage rates to remain with the users, while at the same time avoiding situations where the resource is overloaded. A system and method are disclosed wherein usage rates are selected from among a set of available rates according to a set of persistence vectors.

Abstract: The present invention is a novel and improved method and system for communicating a frame of information according to a discontinuous transmit format. In particular, the present invention describes a method of transmitting eighth rate speech or data frames employing transmit gating and energy scaling which simultaneously reduces the battery usage of a variable rate wireless communication device, increases the capacity of the reverse link and provides reliable communication of the eighth rate frames. In the present invention, four methods are presented for transmitting an eighth rate data frame in which half of the frame is gated out and the remaining data is transmitted at nominal transmission energy to accomplish the aforementioned goals. In addition, a power control system in which identifies forward link power control bits that .1have been gated out by the remote station and inhibits adjustment of the transmission energy in response to that identification is disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing co-channel interference in a CDMA radio telephone system wherein a traffic channel signal is transmitted from a first station (e.g., a base station) 100 in the system to a second station in the system (e.g., a mobile station) 200. The traffic channel signal contains information representative of a plurality of CDMA data signals each of which is modulated with a different Walsh code prior to transmission of the traffic channel signal from the first station 100 to the second station 200. A reduced interference signal is formed at the second station 200 by subtracting an interference signal from the traffic channel signal. A decoded signal is formed at the second station 200 by decoding information representative of the reduced interference signal using a decoder 260 that outputs a plurality of metric values.

Abstract: In a CDMA system in which the base stations are not each time aligned with one another, the handoff process accommodates the handoff by allowing for frame alignment. For example, frame alignment may be accomplished through the use of a selected set or may be remote unit aligned without reference to external sources. In addition, the neighbor list may included additional entries.

Abstract: A transmitter directed, distributed receiver using path diversity provided by the distribution of the receiver. Advantage is taken of the uncorrelated variations over time in the condition of channels between a common transmitter and several users. The greater the variation in the channel condition of a particular channel over time, the greater the increase in total system throughput provided. An access metric represents the instantaneous channel condition of the communication system between each user and the transmitter with respect to the average channel condition of each channel. Alternatively, the access metric represent the instantaneous channel condition with respect to the average data throughput over that channel. The common transmitting station uses the access metric to directly compare the desirability of granting each channel access with the desirability of granting each other channel access. The user that has the greatest access metric is provided access to the channel.

Abstract: A communications network and method for over the air service programming a mobile station (2), where the mobile station transmits a service programming request to a communications network, which results in the mobile station (2) being connected to a customer service center (26). Customer service center (26) queries the user of mobile station (2) for information in response to which the customer service center (26) selects a home location register (18) and authentication center (22) within the communication network with which the mobile station (2) is to be associated. Service programming information associated with the mobile station (2) is transferred from the home location register (18) and/or the authentication center (22) into mobile station (2).

Abstract: The character of the noise in a series of incoming symbols received over a wireless link is determined. A series of corresponding bits are recovered based upon the series of incoming symbols. The series of corresponding bits are encoded to determine a series of recovered symbols. A vector product of the series of incoming symbols and the series of recovered symbols is determined. A difference between two symbols within the vector product is determined, wherein the two symbols were transmitted over the wireless link in close temporal proximity to one another. The expected value of a non-orthogonal noise portion of the series of incoming symbols is determined based upon an expected value of the difference between the two symbols.

Abstract: A mobile station accesses a base station by randomly selecting a first reverse link common control channel from a set of random access channels. The mobile station transmits a request portion of an access probe over the first reverse link common control channel. The request portion is subject to collision with other signals. The request portion comprises a hash identification which is derived from a uniquely identifying number using a hash function. The hash identification quasi-uniquely identifies the mobile station. The mobile station receives a channel assignment message from the base station designating the hash identification and a reserved access channel. The reserved access channel provides communication with a low probability of contention. The mobile station transmits a message portion of the access probe over the reserved access channel.

Abstract: It is an objective of the present invention to provide an optimized method of selection of the encoding mode that provides rate efficient coding of the input speech. It is a second objective of the present invention to identify and provide a means for generating a set of parameters ideally suited for this operational mode selection. Third, it is an objective of the present invention to provide identification of two separate conditions that allow low rate coding with minimal sacrifice to quality. The two conditions are the coding of unvoiced speech and the coding of temporally masked speech. It is a fourth objective of the present invention to provide a method for dynamically adjusting the average output data rate of the speech coder with minimal impact on speech quality.

Abstract: In the present invention, high speed data is provided by transmitting data on multiple carrier frequencies, multiple code channels and/or from multiple base stations. In a first embodiment of the present invention, multiplexed code symbols are transmitted on a plurality of carrier frequencies from the same base station. In second embodiment, code symbols are transmitted on multiple carrier frequencies with at least one corner frequency providing the code symbols is a multiple code channels. In a third embodiment, a subset of the multiplexed code symbols are redundantly provided on a different carrier from at least one additional base station. In a fourth embodiment, multiplexed symbols as transmitted on different carriers from the same base station and are redundantly transmitted on another set of carriers from a different base station. In a fifth embodiment, code symbols are multiplexed onto carriers from a plurality of base stations for increased throughput.

Abstract: The mobile telephone detects bad data packets by decoding speech parameters represented by the packets and comparing those speech parameters against acceptable ranges of speech parameters. If the speech parameters do not lie within the acceptable ranges, the packets are discarded. This speech parameter-based detection of bad data packets is particularly useful in mobile telephones receiving variable rate data packets wherein an error in determining the rate of a packet results in the entire packet being decoded at an incorrect rate, thereby likely causing an annoying audible artifact in the decode speech signal. Such rate detection errors can occur even though a CRC or other conventional error detection check fails to detect the bad packet. In an exemplary implementation, the mobile telephone receives signals encoded with TIA/EIA/IS-95-A standards.

Abstract: A base station timing analyzer measures the timing performance of a base station from within the base station coverage area without interruption or degradation of the system performance. The timing analyzer has a dummy signal generation mechanism that produces a dummy signal output based on a universal time input. An antenna couples a signal from an operating base station from a wireless link. A summer sums together the dummy signal and signal from the wireless link. A demodulation element receives the summed signal and searches for and demodulates each of the signals. A comparison unit compares the output of the demodulation element to determine the timing performance of the base station to provide an indication of the absolute time offset of the base station signal.

Abstract: In a wireless communication system, in order to determine a level of loading, the system enters a period of silence during which a designated remote unit continues to transmit but other remote unit transmissions are interrupted. The base station and designated remote unit perform closed loop power control on a reverse link signal received from the designated remote. A first series of power control commands accumulated and a first corresponding transmit gain adjustment value is stored. Normal operation is resumed. Once again, the base station and designated remote unit perform closed loop power control on the reverse link signal received from the designated remote unit. A second series of power control commands are accumulated and a second corresponding transmit gain adjustment value is stored. A level of loading is determined based upon the first and second transmit gain adjustment values.