Patent ID: 7177648
Filing Date: 2007-02-13
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for directing communication between a remote station and a plurality of sectors in a data communication system, the remote station including a list of eligible sectors, the apparatus comprising: means for determining at the remote station a quality metric of a forward link for each sector in the remote station's list; means for determining a quality metric of a reverse link to each sector in the remote station's list, said means for determining the quality metric of the reverse link to each sector in the remote station's list comprising means for processing at the remote station the forward link from each sector in the remote station's list, said means for processing at the remote station the forward link from each sector in the remote station's list comprising: means for ascertaining a first signal value at a position in a first channel of the forward link for at least one sector in the remote station's list; means for determining the quality metric in accordance with said ascertained first signal value for the at least one sector in the remote station's list; means for ascertaining a second signal value at a position in a second channel of the forward link for remaining sectors in the remote station's list; and means for determining a second quality metric in accordance with said ascertained second signal value for the remaining sectors in the remote station's list; and means for directing communication between the remote station and one sector from the sectors in the remote station's list in accordance with said determined quality metric of a forward link and said determined quality metric of a reverse link, said means for directing communication between the remote station and one sector from the sectors in the remote station's list comprising: means for assigning credits to each sector in the remote station's list except the sector currently serving the remote station in accordance with said determined quality metric of a forward link, said determined quality metric of the reverse link, and said determined second quality metric of the reverse link; means for directing communication between the remote station and one sector from the sectors in the remote station's list in accordance with said assigned credits; means for decreasing credits of a sector if said determined second quality metric of the reverse link for the sector and said determined second quality metric of the reverse link for a sector currently serving the remote station are greater than a second threshold; and means for decreasing a first type of credits of a sector if said determined quality metric of the reverse link for the sector is insufficient, or if said quality metric of a forward link of the sector is less than the quality metric of the forward link of the sector currently serving the remote station, and said first quality metric of the reverse link for a sector was not determined.