Patent ID: 9031024
Filing Date: 2015-05-12
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for scheduling communication links between user devices and signal nodes in a network, the method comprising: i) identifying one or more active signal node/user device pairs, wherein each active pair comprises a signal node that is presently communicating with a respective active user device over a signal channel, ii) identifying one or more inactive signal node/user device pairs, wherein each inactive pair comprises an inactive signal node that is not presently communicating over the signal channel and a potential user device that is capable of communicating with the inactive signal node over the signal channel, and iii) identifying one of the inactive pairs that, when made into an active pair, will achieve the greatest total fairness criterion, wherein the total fairness criterion is a sum of a fairness criterion for the potential user device in the inactive pair in question and a fairness criterion for each of the active user devices in the event that the identified one of the inactive pairs becomes an active pair, wherein the fairness criterion for each user device is dependent on the transmission rate achievable between the user device and the signal node in its respective pair.