Patent ID: 7852875

Claim:
A method of controlling data transmission rate in a terminal used in a wireless communication system comprising a network, the method comprising: providing data to the network at a first data transmission rate, wherein the first data transmission rate is associated with a first traffic-to-pilot power ratio; receiving a rate control parameter from at least one of a serving base station and a non-serving base station, wherein if the rate control parameter is received from the serving base station, the rate control parameter comprises a first, second, or third control state, the first control state indicating increasing the first traffic-to-pilot power ratio, the second control state indicating decreasing the first traffic-to-pilot power ratio, and the third control state indicating maintaining the first traffic-to-pilot power ratio, and wherein if the rate control parameter is received from the non-serving base station, the rate control parameter comprises a fourth control state, the fourth control state indicating decreasing the first traffic-to-pilot power ratio; updating a second traffic-to-pilot power ratio of the terminal by decreasing the first traffic-to-pilot power ratio when the rate control parameter received from the non-serving base station includes the fourth control state indicating decreasing the first traffic-to-pilot power ratio; updating the second traffic-to-pilot power ratio for the terminal using the rate control parameter received from the serving base station as long as any rate control parameter that is received from the non-serving base station does not include the fourth control state indicating decreasing the first traffic-to-pilot power ratio; and determining a second data transmission rate for the terminal based upon the second traffic-to-pilot power ratio.