Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-02
2001-04-03
Bost, Dwayne (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at separate stations
C370S230000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212361
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to telecommunications in general, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for ordering a plurality of message signals that are queued pending transmission over a telecommunications channel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1
depicts a schematic diagram of a portion of a typical wireless telecommunications system in the prior art, which system provides wireless telecommunications service to a number of wireless terminals (e.g., wireless terminals
101
-
1
through
101
-
3
) that are situated within a geographic region. The heart of a typical wireless telecommunications system is a wireless switching center (“WSC”), which may also be known as a mobile switching center (“MSC”) or mobile telephone switching office (“MTSO”). Typically, a wireless switching center (e.g, WSC
120
) is connected to a plurality of base stations (e.g., base stations
103
-
1
through
103
-
5
) that are dispersed throughout the geographic area serviced by the system and to the local and long-distance telephone and data networks (e.g., local-office
130
, local-office
138
and toll-office
140
). A wireless switching center is responsible for, among other things, establishing and maintaining a call between a first wireless terminal and a second wireless terminal or, alternatively, between the first wireless terminal and a wireline terminal (e.g., wireline terminal
150
), which is connected to the system via the local and/or long-distance networks.
The geographic area serviced by a wireless telecommunications system is partitioned into a number of spatially distinct areas called “cells.” As depicted in
FIG. 1
, each cell is schematically represented by one hexagon and the cells are tessellated in a honeycomb pattern. In practice, however, each cell has an irregular shape that depends on the topography of the terrain surrounding the cell. Typically, each cell contains a base station, which comprises the radios and antennas that the base station uses to communicate with the wireless terminals in that cell and also comprises the transmission equipment that the base station uses to communicate with the wireless switching center.
For example, when a user of wireless terminal
101
-
1
desires to transmit information to a user of wireless terminal
101
-
2
, wireless terminal
101
-
1
transmits a data message bearing the user's information to base station
103
-
1
. The data message is then relayed by base station
103
-
1
to wireless switching center
120
via wireline
102
-
1
. Because wireless terminal
101
-
2
is in the cell serviced by base station
103
-
1
, wireless switching center
120
returns the data message back to base station
103
-
1
, which relays it to wireless terminal
101
-
2
.
Not only does a base station transmit data messages to the wireless terminals within its cell, but it also transmits control messages as well. In general, the control messages are the means by which a base station coordinates its operation with a wireless terminal. Although a wireless terminal typically receives dozens of control messages every second, it is unlikely that a user of the wireless terminal is aware of that fact, or of the fact that the wireless terminal also acts on and replies to some of those control messages.
FIG. 2
depicts a block diagram of the salient components of base station
103
-
1
for the generation, accumulation, and transmission of control messages. Base station
103
-
1
comprises base station controller
201
and forward paging subsystem
202
, which accumulates the control messages and transmits them over forward paging channel
203
.
Some control messages are generated by wireless switching center
120
and are received by forward paging subsystem
202
via wireline
102
-
1
. Other control messages are generated by base station controller
201
and are received by forward paging subsystem
202
via connection
204
. As the control messages are received by forward paging subsystem
202
, they are queued pending transmission.
When there is only one control message queued, it is transmitted as soon as possible. In contrast, when there is more than one control message queued, forward paging subsystem
202
must transmit one of the control messages before the others. At first, it may appear that the messages must be transmitted in the same order in which they arrive, but that is not the case. When there are H control messages in a queue, there are H! different orders in which they can be transmitted. Furthermore, each of the H! different orders can have a significantly different effect. Therefore, the process for selecting an order by which forward paging subsystem
202
transmits control messages should carefully consider the ramifications of the selected order.
The same is true for any situation in which there are more people, objects, tasks, messages, etc. in a queue for processing, shipping, completion, transmission, etc. given finite resources for doing so. For example, if 2500 people on a sinking ship are queued to board lifeboats with a total capacity of only 800, then the process for selecting the order by which the people enter the lifeboats has dire ramifications.
For the purposes of this specification, the term “queue discipline” refers to the process for determining how people, objects, tasks, messages, etc. in a queue are ordered for processing, shipping, completion, transmission, etc. given finite resources for doing so. Although some queue disciplines are intentionally established and enforced in society (e.g., at a supermarket check-out, in a hospital emergency room, on a sinking ship, etc.), others follow naturally from cultural norms (e.g., woman and children first, age before beauty, etc.) or logistics (e.g., the last people into a crowded elevator should be the first ones out, etc.). For example:
first-in, first-out (“FIFO”)-A first-in, first-out queue discipline processes people, objects, tasks, messages, etc. strictly in the order in which they arrive. A supermarket check-out line is a typical example of a first-in, first-out queue discipline.
triage-A triage queue discipline processes people, objects, tasks, messages, etc. based on the need for or likely benefit from processing. Triage is typically used on a battlefield, at disaster sites, and in hospital emergency rooms when limited medical resources must be allocated. Strictly, there is no single triage queue discipline. Instead, there are a number of triage queue disciplines that are distinguishable based on the specific criteria used to define the need for or likely benefit from processing. Furthermore, the differences between one triage queue discipline and another can be subtle.
last-in, first-out (“LIFO”)-A last-in, first-out queue discipline processes people, objects, tasks, messages, etc. strictly in the reverse order in which they arrive. A typical last-in, first-out queue discipline can be observed at crowded elevators where the last people into the elevator are the first ones out.
random-A random queue discipline processes people, objects, tasks, messages, etc. randomly, regardless of the order in which they arrive or any other factor. A typical random queue discipline is a lottery system, because the likelihood of winning is based on a random drawing and not on the order in which the lottery tickets are sold or any other demonstrable factor.
The selection of a queue discipline for forward paging subsystem
202
has a significant effect on the economic viability of the entire telecommunications system. Furthermore, there are six factors that must be considered in choosing a queue discipline for forward paging subsystem
202
.
First, the bandwidth of forward paging channel
203
is finite, and, therefore, the mean rate at which control messages can be transmitted, &mgr;, over forward paging channel
203
is also finite. If the mean rate at which control messages arrive, &lgr;, at forward paging subsystem
202
is greater than the mean rate at which they can be transmitted (i.e., if &lgr;>&mgr;), then not all of the
Bost Dwayne
Breyer Wayne S.
DeMont Jason Paul
DeMont & Breyer LLC
Gary Erika A.
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