Abstract: A method, template, protocol, apparatus, system, and computer software for implementing a binary protocol for session initiation in a wireless communications system. The method for creating, modifying or terminating an IP multimedia session among one or more binary session initiation protocol (B-SIP) entities includes providing a flexible template with at least one mandatory field and at least one optional field, wherein the flexible template has fixed and variable length fields, representing a message type with a template id, and maintaining session specific information in a cache.

Abstract: New Attribute Value Pairs (AVP)s are defined for use in the L2TP control messages for setting up a call. In particular, an L2TP Incoming-Call-Request (ICRQ) or Outgoing-Call-Request (OCRQ) message includes a QoS_Request AVP, which includes a field for defining the number of classes of service within the call. In another embodiment, a new QoS_Request extension and a new QoS_Reply extension are defined for use in Mobile IP networks.

Abstract: Two-way resource reservation techniques for use in UMTS and other telecommunication systems. A determination is made as to whether a user requires resource reservations in both an uplink direction and a downlink direction within the system, and if the user requires such two-way resource reservations, a two-way protocol is implemented to establish the required resource reservations. The two-way protocol integrates resource negotiation procedures for both the uplink direction and the downlink direction so as to ensure that the required resource reservations are provided for both directions. The two-way protocol may be a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) based on a Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) resource negotiation procedure. The determination may be based on one or more flag bits which identify whether the user requires resource reservations for both the uplink and downlink directions.

Abstract: A method for access control in a wireless network having a base station and a plurality of remote hosts includes the optional abilities of making dynamic adjustments of the uplink/downlink transmission ratio, making dynamic adjustments of the total number of reservation minislots, and assigning access priorities by message content type within a single user message stream. The method of the invention further provides for remote wireless host paging and for delayed release of active channels by certain high priority users in order to provide low latency of real-time packets by avoiding the need for repeated channel setup signaling messages. In the preferred embodiment, there are N minislots available for contention in the next uplink frame organized into a plurality of access priority classes. The base station allows m access priority classes.

Abstract: A rate control system is provided for a link between a first node, such as an RNC and a second node, such as a Node B, within a wireless communications system where at least one user is provided a rate over the link as a function of link load. For example, the rate control system sets at least one user to a reduced rate on the link as a function of the rates of a plurality of users on the link. In certain embodiments, the rate control system controls the rate by selecting the size of a transport format block used to transport data for a user over the link during a transmission interval. The size of the transport format block can be selected by changing the number of transport blocks used to form the transport format block as a function of the total user data to be transported over the link at that time. The rate of data offered to the link can be controlled by the way user data is mapped into the transport format blocks used to send user data over the link.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for providing access priority in a MAC protocol of a communications system such as, for example, with respect to UMTS RACH. Particularly, the invention introduces several access priority methodologies including: (i) random chip delay access priority (RCDAP); (ii) random backoff based access priority (RBBAP); (iii) variable logical channel based access priority (VLCAP); (iv) UMTS-specific variable logical channel based access priority (VLCAP′); (v) probability based access priority (PBAP); and (vi) retransmission based access priority (REBAP). Each methodology associates some parameter or parameters to access priority classes in order to influence the likelihood of a remote terminal completing a successful access request to a base station.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for use in a UMTS receiver of detecting a signal transmitted by a UMTS transmitter which includes determining whether the signal is greater than or equal to at least a first power threshold value when the signal is below an initial detection threshold value, and informing the transmitter when the signal is greater than or equal to the first power threshold value such that the transmitter can increase a signal strength of the signal by a first predetermined amount and re-transmit. In another aspect of the invention, a method for use in a UMTS transmitter of power ramping a signal transmitted by the transmitter and received by a UMTS receiver includes increasing a signal strength of the signal by a first predetermined amount when informed by the receiver that the signal is greater than or equal to a first power threshold value but below an initial detection threshold value, and re-transmitting the signal.

Abstract: Multilink PPP is enhanced to provide for a more flexible quality of service (QoS) support in a wireless environment. In particular, multilink PPP is enhanced to enable a packet interface, or packet endpoint, to transmit a message to an opposite PPP peer, where the message identifies the number, and type, of classes on a particular PPP link. Two new messages are defined for use in the IP control protocol (IPCP) phase of a multilink PPP connection: a “non-Sharing QoS Negotiation” option message, and a “QoS-Enhanced Multilink Header Format” option message.

Abstract: A method for access control in a wireless network having a base station and a plurality of remote hosts includes the optional abilities of making dynamic adjustments of the uplink/downlink transmission ratio, making dynamic adjustments of the total number of reservation minislots, and assigning access priorities by message content type within a single user message stream. The method of the invention further provides for remote wireless host paging and for delayed release of active channels by certain high priority users in order to provide low latency of real-time packets by avoiding the need for repeated channel setup signaling messages. In the preferred embodiment, there are N minislots available for contention in the next uplink frame organized into a plurality of access priority classes. The base station allows m access priority classes.

Abstract: A reconfigurable radio access network architecture can connect a base station with different base station controllers. For example, a connection network can enable direct connection between the base station and a plurality of base station controllers. By enabling direct connections between the base station and a plurality of base station controllers, a serving base station controller can be directly connected to base stations in soft handoff with a wireless unit, thereby reducing the differential delays between signals received by the base stations. The reconfigurable access system reduces the need for having additional base station controllers beyond the serving base station controller involved in communications with a wireless unit. As such, the complexity of complicated serving base station controller relocation procedures is reduced since serving base stations can communicate directly with the serving base station controller as the wireless unit is serviced by different base stations.

Abstract: A base station switching system includes a wireless unit that waits before switching from a previous base station to a new base station after the wireless unit has indicated to the wireless communications system the identity of the new base station. Thus, the wireless unit continues to receive data from the previous base station, and the data forwarded to the previous base station will not be lost. For example, whenever a wireless unit decides to switch to a new base station, the wireless unit sends an indication to the wireless communications system of the identity of the selected base station. Before the wireless communications system can forward the data to the new base station, the wireless communications system continues to forward data to the previous base station. To avoid losing such data, the wireless unit continues receiving data from the previous base station.

Abstract: A method for reducing the amount of overhead information being added to a data packet by multiplexing IP (Internet Protocol) data packets within a MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) frame, thereby reducing the amount of overhead information associated with subsequent protocol layers being added to the data packet. In one embodiment, the method utilizes a target size to limit the number of IP data packets which may be multiplexed within a MPLS frame and a timer to limit the delay in transmission of IP data packets.

Abstract: A new RSVP-based tunnel protocol establishes packet tunnels between a tunnel source point (TSP) and a tunnel destination point (TDP) such that guaranteed services to aggregated packet flows is provided. In particular, an end-to-end RSVP session is mapped using a receiver-oriented RSVP type of signaling such that the TDP determines tunnel mapping. As such, this new RSVP-type of protocol is compatible with the receiver-driven nature of RSVP. Subsequent to admitting RSVP sessions, a tunnel tuning procedure dynamically adapts existing RSVP tunnels to traffic conditions in order to improve bandwidth efficiency. This tunnel tuning procedure may result in RSVP tunnel re-assignment of some of the admitted end-to-end sessions.

Abstract: A method of communication in a communications network permitting efficient asynchronous file transfer from a server to a multiplicity of clients. The method is adaptable to future multicasting, telecommunications and file transfer protocols and provides the benefit of decreased communications network traffic relative to prior art methods with a corresponding savings of server, transmission link, router and router network resources. The method provides for sequential transmission of a dataset in discrete blocks over a single data connection spanning the router network. The method includes subsequent joining of destinations to a transmission already in progress. Each subsequently joined destination begins reception of blocks with the next sequentially transmitted block and continues to receive blocks until all blocks in the dataset have been received.

Abstract: Apparatus for transferring packet data incorporates a “hand-off” feature that allows the transfer of an existing PPP connection from one packet server to another packet server. Such a hand-off control message or call continue transaction can be initiated by any of the servers involved in the transactions. For instance, assume an initial arrangement where a point-to-point call is set up and in progress between a user and a private network via a first packet server (e.g., a first Serving LAC) and a second packet server (e.g., an Anchor LAC). If, for example, the user moves out of the region served by the first packet server into a region served by a third packet server (e.g., a second Serving LAC), then a hand-off control message transaction, according to the invention, is initiated. Either the second Serving LAC or the Anchor LAC may initiate the call continue transaction.

Abstract: A Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) receiver performs a receiver initiated recovery algorithm (RIRA) when the number of lost or out-of-order payload packets exceed a predetermined value. In particular, the receiver maintains a number of variables: the “next sequence number expected to be received” (Sr) value, and Snl, which stores the value of the currently received “next sent” (Ns) sequence number from the latest received packet. When the value of Snl>Sr+adjustment, the receiver portion resets the value of Sr to the value of Snl and passes all packets to the upper layer of the protocol stack. The value of the adjustment variable represents the number of packets that may be dropped or out-of-order at the receiver before the receiver initiates recovery. The receiver also sends (either via piggybacking or a zero-length message) an ACK packet to inform the sender of the new Sr value at the receiver.

Abstract: In the method for overload control in a wireless communications network employing On-Demand Multiple Access Fair Queuing, if the downlink/uplink buffer occupancy of the network has exceeded a high threshold, the base station determines if this is caused by a specific remote host or by a group of remote hosts. If caused by a specific remote host, the base station normally sends a flow control signal to the remote host to prevent it from sending more data, but may alternatively elect to disconnect other remotes if the remote experiencing bad performance is of a higher priority. The base station may additionally reduce the bandwidth shares allocated to any remote that have indicated tolerance for a variable allocated bandwidth. If the measured frame error rates for many remote hosts are increasing, then the base station may elect to disconnect those remote hosts that permit service interruption in order that more bandwidth may be allocated to the remaining users.

Abstract: A new algorithm for clock offset estimation for resources distributed across a network (such as the Internet). By exchanging a sequence of time-stamped messages between pairs of network nodes and separately estimating variable delays for each message direction, present inventive embodiments provide estimates for clock offset between node pairs and the bias of such estimates, thereby to permit more accurate correction. Present inventive algorithms operate in a variety of peer and server network configurations while providing significant improvement in convergence speed and accuracy.

Abstract: A virtual dial-up service is provided via multiple Internet Service Provides (ISPs). In particular, a remote user accesses the virtual dial-up service by establishing a connection to a serving ISP. The Serving ISP establishes a first tunnel to an anchor ISP. The latter establishes a tunnel to, e.g., a private intranet. As a result, a virtual private network (VPN) service is provided that enables remote access, via multiple tunnels, to a private network.

Abstract: In the UMTS, resource reservation is provided by sending either the data object contents or the entire contents, of a QoS request in RSVP messages. The QoS request is piggybacked in PDP Context messages, and is passed transparently between MT 30 and GGSN 24 or SGSN 26.