Patent ID: 6324172
Filing Date: 2001-11-27
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
A method for allocating a capacity of a common channel among a plurality of producers, comprising:allocating a first portion of the capacity of the common channel to each of the plurality of producers; andallocating a second portion of the capacity of the common channel to each of the plurality of producers,wherein the second portion of the capacity of the common channel allocated to each of the plurality of producers is based at least in part on the extent to which a corresponding producer is determined to have used a corresponding first portion of the capacity of the common channel,wherein each of the first and second portions of the capacity of the common channel is at least a basic rate,wherein frames of equal duration in time are divided into a number N of slots of equal duration, each slot of a frame being numbered in order of time from 1 to N, and each of the plurality of producers is assigned to a number from 1 to N, wherein for each one of the plurality of producers, a moment at which a producer commences producing has a fixed relation in time to the start of a slot that is assigned to the producer,wherein the common channel is the reverse link of a code division multiple access system for wireless communications,wherein each of said plurality of producers uses no more than a subportion of the corresponding second portion of the capacity of the common channel, said subportion not exceeding a corresponding used portion of the capacity of the common channel multiplied by an allowable rate increase factor, said corresponding used portion of the capacity of the common channel being a part of the corresponding first portion of the capacity of the common channel used by the corresponding one of said plurality of producers.