Abstract: In a network utilizing a transmitting peer channel and a receiving peer channel, each channel having a channel gatekeeper, to transport a plurality of types of data packets each having a different priority and requesting an acknowledgment following the transmission of the data packets, a method for dynamically setting the retransmission timer value is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of waiting for the end of a channel burst for a user on the second channel, determining whether the user is requesting an acknowledgment, and determining the retransmission timer value using previous channel request statistics combined with current known gatekeeper information.

Abstract: A first communication device (107) transmits user data (102), divided into a plurality of data blocks, at a first modulation rate. The first communication device (107) then receives an acknowledgment (104) from the second communication device (101) indicating a quantity of the data blocks that were not received and compares this quantity to a threshold. When the quantity is less than the threshold, the data blocks that were not received are retransmitted (106) at a second, usually lower, modulation rate. Otherwise, they are retransmitted at the first modulation rate. A comparison between the quantity of data blocks to be retransmitted and a threshold is being introduced to known communication techniques by the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fair and efficient method (1000), device/microprocessor (500, 600) and computer software for utilizing the downlink channel in a TDMA packet-switched communication system supporting both single slot subscriber units and multiple slot subscriber units which both use the same air-interface protocol.

Abstract: The present invention provides a unique access control scheme for assigning a plurality of time slots in a fair manner among subscriber units using a single time slot in a frame and subscriber units using multiple time slots in a frame in a communication system.

Abstract: Collision avoidance is maximized by placing collision avoidance scheduling in a central access manager. The central access manager coordinates downlink transmissions of a base site with the uplink transmissions by subscriber units, virtually avoiding collisions of the two types of transmissions. The subscriber units utilize a waiting period prior to transmission of packets to permit the central access manager to maintain the scheduling.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system of statistical estimation of uplink traffic using a retry count. A unique spread factor is used for spreading retransmission evenly among backlogged subscriber units, thereby providing dynamic control of the retransmission spread based on the estimated uplink traffic.

Abstract: The method reduces transmission delay by using a selective-repeat automatic repeat request, ARQ, error detection scheme in a packet-switched data communication system. The invention provides a method for a subscriber unit to transmit acknowledgment information using a contention-free channel access scheme in addition to providing for a base site control unit to interrupt a packet currently being transmitted in order to retransmit segments of the packet when the segments have errors.