Abstract: A communication system environment estimation apparatus and method. In one embodiment, an environment estimation apparatus according to the teachings of the present invention includes a plurality of antenna elements and a receiver coupled to receive uplink signals from the plurality of antenna elements. The apparatus also includes a signal processor coupled to receive the uplink signals to select an estimation of an environment responsive to the uplink signals received from the plurality of antenna elements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided to enhance the efficiency of reuse of a broadcast channel. In one embodiment, the invention includes sending a first burst of a broadcast channel from a broadcast channel radio subject to a first reuse factor, and sending a second burst of the broadcast channel from the broadcast channel radio subject to a second reuse factor. In another embodiment, the invention includes broadcast channel structure with a primary segment having a first reuse factor, a plurality of secondary segments having a second reuse factor greater than the first reuse factor.

Abstract: Some embodiments store a training sequence in a communications system. The stored training sequence exhibits certain desirable characteristics when used by a peak to average power constrained modulation format. In one embodiment, a set of original ordered sequences is selected to have at least one desired property. A set of extended sequences is created from the original sequences by beginning with an element of an original sequence and cyclically appending elements of the original sequence in order to obtain a desired extended sequence length. Each extended sequence is modified using a corresponding modifying sequence, such that a training sequence can be generated from any one of the modified extended sequences. Each modifying sequence is selected so that the generated training sequence when modulated by a selected modulation format has the at least one desired property of the corresponding original ordered sequence.

Abstract: In one embodiment the present invention comprises transmitting a first broadcast message in a broadcast channel at a first specific time within a first assigned slot of a predetermined frame from a first base station of a radio communications system. The first broadcast message includes a broadcast information sequence. The invention further comprises transmitting a second broadcast message in the broadcast channel at a second specific time within a second assigned slot of the predetermined frame from a second base station of a radio communications system, the second broadcast message including a broadcast information sequence, receiving a message from a user terminal having a timing relationship with the predetermined frame and determining the base station to which the message is directed based on the timing relationship.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided that allows a single spatially directed broadcast burst to serve users throughout a base station sector. In one embodiment, the invention includes sending a first segment of a broadcast channel burst using a first set of unchanging spatial parameters from an array of antenna elements, and sending a second segment of the broadcast channel burst using a second set of different unchanging spatial parameters from the array of antenna elements.

Abstract: The certificate revocation lists at access points of a wireless access network can be reduced. In one embodiment, an Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) connected to the wireless access network can receive a subscription request from a user terminal capable of accessing the ISP using the wireless access network. When the ISP assigns a subscription identifier to the user terminal, it also provides a service certificate signed by a certificate authority including the subscription identifier. In addition, the ISP also provides the user terminal one or more session certificates to be used to access the wireless access network, where the session certificates having a shorter validity period than the service certificate.

Abstract: A data stream is transmitted between a base station and user terminal. A first resource that is available to transmit a page is selected at the base station and the page transmitted from the base station via the first resource. The page is received at the user terminal via the first resource and a second resource that is available to transmit a page response is selected at the user terminal. A page response is transmitted from the user terminal via the second resource in response to the page. A data stream is then transmitted between the base station and user terminal via a third resource. In one embodiment, the first, second and third resources utilize the same sequence of radio frequency resources that follow a hopping sequence among a set of available radio frequency resources. In one embodiment, at least two of the first, second and third resources utilize the same sequence of radio frequency resources. In yet another embodiment, the resources utilize different sequences of radio frequency resources.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses associated with multi-phase wireless handshaking. A user terminal enters handshaking with an access point. The access point may respond to an access request of the user terminal with an access assignment, and alternatively, with a message indicating an assignment will not be presently given. The handshaking process could then be completed at a later time.

Abstract: A wireless communication device monitors a radio frequency (RF) resource for a signal from a remote terminal. The wireless communications device detects the absence of the signal in the monitored RF resource. If the signal is not present in the RF resource, the wireless communications device reallocates processing resources reserved to process the signal to process data from another remote terminal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for delaying or hastening the “lifespan” of a session in response to detecting (or causing) a session renewal. A “session,” refers to a particular user terminal's right of access to one or more communication channels to exchange data with the base station (and other devices/networks coupled thereto). A session renewal refers to an event or condition that delays the lapse/expiration of the session lifespan (i.e., extends the lifespan) or conversely, an event or condition that causes hastens the lapse of the session lifespan (i.e., causes an earlier lapse of the session). In one embodiment, a session represents the period of time in which a user terminal is registered with a base station and can thus access or attempt to access one or more wireless communication channels to exchange data with the base station.

Abstract: The present invention provides method and apparatus for facilitating base station selection/handover by a user terminal in a distributed (e.g., cellular-type) wireless communication system. In accordance with one aspect, hysteresis is adaptively determined as a function of the variance of receive signal strength fluctuations. In turn, an adaptive hysteresis factor can be obtained and used for a subsequent handover decision, for example, based on a cost function that takes into account the hysteresis. In accordance with another aspect, base station selection depends on a number of criteria, such as received signal strength, base station load, and estimated distance between a receiving user terminal and one or more base stations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for increasing the spectral efficiency of communications systems by employing portions of the spectrum, which portions might otherwise be reserved as all or part of guard bands and not utilized (i.e., effectively wasted), for communicating at reduced power levels between devices that are determined to experience relatively high performance (e.g., relatively little path loss, etc.). In a communication system having a first predefined maximum system transmission power level for in-band transmissions, a method is provided for determining that communication performance between a first communication device and a second communication device exceeds a performance threshold. Based on the determination, a first band-edge channel for communication between the first communication device and the second communication device (i.e., transmission from the first device to the second device and/or visa versa) is assigned.

Abstract: A method is presented comprising identifying a weak component in a wireless communication link, instructing a transmitter of the weak component to invoke repetition coding, and selectively combining signals received via multiple antennae on multiple channels to recover information contained in the transmitted signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for selecting transmission parameters for multiple transmit antenna arrays. In one embodiment, the invention includes receiving a signal from a remote radio, measuring the transmit coherency of the received signal, selecting, based on the transmit coherency, whether to apply coherent combining to signals transmitted to the remote radio using each of two transmit antenna arrays to each form a beam to coherently combine with each other beam upon receipt by the remote radio, selecting, based on the transmit coherency, whether to apply transmit diversity to signals transmitted to the remote radio using each of the two transmit antenna arrays as diversity antennas.

Abstract: The present invention can be used to modify hopping sequences and families of hopping sequences. In one embodiment the present invention includes modifying a family of hopping sequences by eliminating a resource from a plurality of resources used by the family of hopping sequences, eliminating a hopping sequence from the family of hopping sequences, and creating a new family of hopping sequences by replacing the eliminated resource in each remaining hopping sequence using the eliminated hopping sequence. Embodiments of the present invention may further include repeating eliminating a resource, eliminating a hopping sequence, and creating a new family of hopping sequences, until the new family of hopping sequences uses a desired number of resources.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for generating an identifier to facilitate delivery of enhanced data services in a wireless computing environment is presented. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method is presented comprising receiving a request to establish a communication session between a subscriber unit in a wireless communication system and a data network access server through a basestation, and selectively generating a communication session identifier to uniquely identify the communication session from a plurality of communication sessions supported by the network access server to enable mobility management within the point-to-point communication session between the basestation and the network access server.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses for determining a parameter value for each of a plurality of communication signals received concurrently as a composite signal. The parameter value of each communication signal is within a corresponding parameter value set. Each parameter value set is disjoint from every other parameter value set. The parameter value for a particular communication signal is estimated by searching over the parameter value set corresponding to the particular communication signal. For one embodiment, the composite signal is received at a base station receiver of a SMDA/TMDA system that includes an array of spatially distributed antenna elements. To recover multiple communication signals at once, an embodiment of the invention segments the timing search window into disjoint intervals and invokes an instance of a basic receiver module for each timing search window.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, a method and apparatus are described for data bit sequences. According to an embodiment of the invention, a header is inserted in a data burst. One or more high priority messages of a first type are optionally inserted in the data burst starting after the header. One or more messages of a second type are optionally inserted into the data burst starting at an end of the data burst. One or more low priority messages of the first type are optionally inserted in the data.

Abstract: Embodiment of the present invention can be used to select random access channels to be assigned to user terminals. In one embodiment, the invention includes a base station receiving a signal from a second radio, the received signal containing information about the second radio, and selecting one or more channels to be used by the second radio for random access to the base station using the information about the second radio. Then the base station sends a signal to the second radio, the sent signal containing information about the selected one or more channels.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided that optimizes a transmitted user-specific signal. In one embodiment, the invention includes receiving signals from a remote radio, deriving estimates of receive channels corresponding to the received signals using the received signals, deriving a model of an expected transmit channel to the remote radio based on the receive channel estimates, deriving a set of transmit parameters to be applied to an array of transmit antennas to transmit a signal to the remote radio by optimizing a transmit power criteria using the model of the expected transmit channel and constraints on the estimated quality of a signal transmitted over the expected transmit channel, and transmitting to the remote radio by applying the derived set of transmit parameters to the transmit antenna array.