METHOD AND APPARATUS TO INCREASE SERVICE CAPACITY IN RADIO COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS USING IDLE WORKING CHANNELS AS FLEXIBLE CONTROL CHANNELS

摘要

A subscriber unit-based method and a subscriber unit include locally maintaining a status of each working channel of a plurality of working channels in a wireless communication system; responsive to an inbound request, selecting one of a plurality of idle working channels of the plurality of working channels and a dedicated control channel; and sending the inbound request on the selected channel. An infrastructure-based method is also provided. Variously, the methods and systems increase service capacity in radio communication systems using idle working channels as flexible control channels. An infrastructure-based method is also described.

主权项

1. A subscriber unit-based method using idle working channels as flexible control channels, the method comprising:
locally maintaining, by a requesting subscriber unit, a status indication of each working channel of a plurality of working channels in a wireless communication system; responsive to detecting a request for transmission of control information on an inbound control channel:
determining, via the status indications, which working channels are currently idle;selecting a channel out of a plurality of available channels comprising (i) the determined idle working channels and (ii) a dedicated control channel; andsending, by the requesting subscriber unit, the request on the selected channel.