Abstract: Various aspects of the disclosure relate to handoff (e.g., idle mode handoff or other types of handoff) for a user terminal. In some aspects, a user terminal (UT) may request idle mode handoff information from a ground network (GN). Idle mode handoff information may include, for example, start times for a set of satellites, whereby each particular start time indicates when the UT may handoff to the corresponding satellite. The UT may send the request for idle mode handoff information to the GN when the UT has a defined number of valid entries (e.g., one unexpired entry) remaining in an idle mode handoff table. In some aspects, the idle UT may send the request for idle mode handoff information to the GN based on a time associated with a particular entry in an idle mode handoff table or based on a time of validity of an idle mode handoff table.

Abstract: Various aspects of the disclosure relate to handoff (e.g., idle mode handoff or other types of handoff) for a user terminal. In some aspects, a user terminal (UT) may request idle mode handoff information from a ground network (GN). Idle mode handoff information may include, for example, start times for a set of satellites, whereby each particular start time indicates when the UT may handoff to the corresponding satellite. The UT may send the request for idle mode handoff information to the GN when the UT has a defined number of valid entries (e.g., one unexpired entry) remaining in an idle mode handoff table. In some aspects, the idle UT may send the request for idle mode handoff information to the GN based on a time associated with a particular entry in an idle mode handoff table or based on a time of validity of an idle mode handoff table.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for estimating wireless local area network (WLAN) capacity. In accordance with the present disclosure, one or more applications associated with a mobile device may request WLAN capacity estimation in order to maximize the use of available network resources. In some examples, the mobile device may obtain WLAN information from a WLAN modem driver associated with a WLAN modem via an application program interface (API) to calculate the WLAN capacity. The WLAN capacity may include capacity of an access point (AP) associated with the mobile device to support additional users or data over one or more downlink and/or uplink channels. Accordingly, the mobile device may optimize data download or upload times by efficiently managing the available resources.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a method and apparatus is presented for registering a mobile IP node with a home agent. A self-selection method is implemented in a home agent. When a home agent receives a registration request from the mobile node, the self-selection method enables each home agent to independently and randomly generate a value that falls within a range of numbers. Each range of numbers is referred to as a bin. In addition, each home agent is associated with at least one of bin. If the value falls within the bin, the home agent associated with the bin responds to the registration request. In addition, home agents are uniformly selected relative to other home agent on the network; therefore, implementing the self-selection method performs load balancing in the network.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein relate to providing dynamic assignment of home agent and home address in wireless communications, such that a mobile node away from home may receive local access services from a visited network. In an embodiment, a mobile node accesses a visited network. The visited network authenticates the mobile node with its home network. The visited network then assigns a visited home agent and a home address for the mobile node. The mobile node subsequently performs secure binding with the visitor home agent. The mobile node proceeds with communications using the visitor home agent and home address.

Abstract: A wireless network and serviced mobile station manages VOIP telephony calls by incorporating control information into VOIP datagrams. The control information includes an indication of the data rate of the VOIP payload of the VOIP datagram, the quality of the VOIP payload, requested data rates for subsequent VOIP datagrams, and whether the VOIP payload contains a “silent” VOIP payload. To avoid conflicting with particular datagram requirements, the control information is inserted into the VOIP datagram between the VOIP datagram and the VOIP payload. A base station servicing the wireless link may override the requested data rate and/or the commanded data rate in order to manage its available wireless bandwidth among a plurality of mobile stations. The frame quality indicator may be set by the servicing physical/mac/link layer(s) of the base station or mobile station to indicate that the VOIP payload was not correctly received.

Abstract: The invention is a novel slot structure and method of transmitting data at a controllable power level. The slot comprises a header, a DATA field adjacent the header and a ramp interval adjacent the DATA field. The method consists of transmitting the entire slot at a sufficiently high power when the DATA field is occupied by data traffic or control information but to lower the power during transmission of the DATA field when the slot is a null slot. In the latter case, a gradual decrease of the transmitted power is effected during the first few symbols of the DATA field, whereas the power is brought back to a higher level during the ramp interval. The new power level may be higher or lower than the initial power level, depending on the destination mobile unit associated with the following slot.

Abstract: A method for phase encoding DPSK and N-PSK which maintains phase continuity and which does not require any reference symbols when using N-PSK. A sequence of known DPSK phases are encoded with respect to an initial phase. The N-PSK phases are then all offset by this same initial phase. The known DPSK phases can be used at a receiver to determine a sum consisting of the initial phase and any further phase shift introduced by the channel, and this sum is used to decode the unknown N-PSK phases. The method is more generally applicable to any case where a switch between a phase encoding method which requires an absolute phase reference and a phase encoding method which does not have an absolute phase reference is to be implemented on a single carrier or channel.

Abstract: The SS7 interface of a conventional GPRS-136 or GPRS-136HS network is replaced with an IP interface. An IP interface is placed between the ANSI TIA/EIA-41 circuit-switched network and the GPRS-136 packet-switched network. This interface can handle both signaling and bearer traffic and thereby overcomes the limitations imposed by the current SS7 interface, which can handle only signaling.

Abstract: A wireless network and serviced mobile station manages VOIP telephony calls by incorporating control information into VOIP datagrams. The control information includes an indication of the data rate of the VOIP payload of the VOIP datagram, the quality of the VOIP payload, requested data rates for subsequent VOIP datagrams, and whether the VOIP payload contains a “silent” VOIP payload. To avoid conflicting with particular datagram requirements, the control information is inserted into the VOIP datagram between the VOIP datagram and the VOIP payload. A base station servicing the wireless link may override the requested data rate and/or the commanded data rate in order to manage its available wireless bandwidth among a plurality of mobile stations. The frame quality indicator may be set by the servicing physical/mac/link layer(s) of the base station or mobile station to indicate that the VOIP payload was not correctly received.