Patent ID: 8031654

Claim:
Apparatus for use in allocating resource in a wireless communication system employing transfer communication protocol (TCP) based data transfer between a network and a wireless subscriber communication unit, the apparatus comprising: a scheduler located in the network, wherein the scheduler buffers a TCP data segment for downlink (DL) transmission to user equipment (UE); counting logic operably coupled to the scheduler and arranged to count a number of data segments transmitted to the UE, wherein the scheduler is arranged to allocate uplink (UL) resources for supporting a transmission of a stand-alone acknowledgement (ACK) data segment from the UE in response to the counting logic counting a predetermined number of data segments; and a transmitter arranged to transmit to the user equipment (UE) an allocation message that indicates an allocation of DL resources and then to transmit to the user equipment the buffered TCP data segment on the allocated DL resources, wherein when the counting logic has counted the predetermined number of data segments the allocation message indicates an allocation of uplink resources sufficient to transfer the stand-alone ACK data segment.