Patent · US Expired

Wireless communication method and system

US6112080A · kind A · utility

183Cited by
185References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 31, 1996
Grant dateAug 29, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 31, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W92/12
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A simple and flexible over-air protocol for use with a mobile telephone system, having hand-held telephones in a microcell or other type of cellular communication system. A method in which user stations communicate with one or more base stations to place and receive telephone calls, in which the user stations are provided a secure voice or data link and have the ability to handoff calls between base stations while such calls are in progress. Each base station has a set of "air channels" to which it transmits in sequence. The air channels supported by each base station are called that base station's "polling loop". A user station receives general polling information on an unoccupied air channel, transmits responsive information to the base station, and awaits acknowledgment from the base station. Each base station may therefore simultaneously maintain communication with as many user stations as there are air channels in its polling loop. The ability of a user station to communicate on any unoccupied air channel makes the protocol air-channel agile, while the stability of user station and base station clocks may define air channels, gaps, and minor frames.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.