Patent ID: 9654270
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A method for operating a network node in a Global System for Mobile Communications/Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (GSM/EDGE) network, the method comprising: establishing a Temporary Block Flow (TBF) to another node in the GSM/EDGE network; entering a transmit state in which data blocks are transmitted via said TBF to said other node and ACK/NACKs are received from said other node for transmitted data blocks; leaving the transmit state if there are no data blocks to transmit to said other node and positive ACK/NACKs have been received from the other node for all transmitted data blocks; upon leaving said transmit state, starting a timer for the release of said TBF and entering a predefined TBF mode, in which predefined TBF mode the TBF is regarded as being released if the TBF release timer expires before additional data blocks are received by the network node to transmit to said other node; and if, while in said predefined TBF mode, additional data blocks are received by the network node to transmit to said other node via said TBF before the timer has expired, exiting the predefined TBF mode, stopping and resetting the timer, and entering the transmit state; wherein the network node is a Mobile Station (MS), the ACK/NACK messages are Packet Uplink ACK/NACKs (PUANs) and the data blocks are Radio Link Control (RLC) data blocks; and wherein, if the MS gets data blocks to transmit while it is in the extended uplink TBF mode, the MS indicates that it has data blocks to transmit by means of including an indication of this in a Packet Downlink ACK/NACK (PDAN) for another TBF on which the MS receives data blocks, the PDAN being sent on the Packet Data Channel (PDCH).