Patent ID: 8504087

Claim:
A method of controlling access to a spectrum resource by radio devices that are grouped into a first class and a second class, the first class having higher priority to the spectrum resource than the second class, comprising: setting a weight value for each radio device in the first class of radio devices; setting a weight value for each radio device in the second class of radio devices, the weight values of at least some of the radio devices in the second class being less than the weight values of at least some of the radio devices in the first class; setting a first threshold for the first class of radio devices; setting a second threshold for the second class of radio device; aggregating the weight values of radio devices that use the spectrum resource, the resulting aggregate being a channel usage value and the first threshold corresponding to a larger channel usage value than the second threshold; and determining if the channel usage value crosses the second threshold for the second class of radio devices and, if so, denying access to the spectrum resource for additional radio devices belonging to the second class of radio devices; and determining if the channel usage value crosses the first threshold for the first class of radio devices and, if so, denying access to the spectrum resource for additional radio devices belonging to the first class of radio devices.