Patent ID: 6411612
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: H01Q,H04B,H04W

Abstract:
For use with a time division multiple access (TDMA) cellular communication system having a plurality of cells, that are dispersed relative to a cell in which a desired user conducts communications with a base station in said cell, and wherein said dispersed cells contain users which may transmit during time slots that overlap a user time slot used for communications between said user and said base station, a method of reducing interference, as a result of transmissions from said users in said dispersed cells during said time slots, with communications between said user and said base station, said method comprising, at said base station, the steps of:(a) communicating with said user by way of an antenna having a directivity pattern the gain of which may be selectively reduced in directions of said users in said dispersed cells; (b) receiving transmissions from said users in said dispersed cells and processing contents of received transmissions to determine offsets of said time slots relative to said user time slot; and (c) adjusting said directivity pattern in accordance with said relative offsets determined in step (b), so as to selectively reduce the gain of said directivity pattern in said directions of said users in said dispersed cells during said users' time slots.