Patent ID: 6931256

Claim:
Apparatus for a radio communication system in which data is communicated between a first communication station and a second communication station upon a communication channel pursuant to a first communication service, said apparatus for selectably permitting communication of at least a first burst of data by the first communication station to the second communication station pursuant to a second communication service, said apparatus comprising: a detector positioned at the first communication station, said detector for detecting closed-loop power control commands generated during the effectuation of the communication of the data pursuant to the first communication service and detected by said detector; a measurer coupled to said detector, said measurer for measuring indications of the power control commands, during at least a selected time period generated during effectuation of the first communication service; and a decision maker coupled to said measurer to receive values representative of measured indications, measured by said measurer of the indications of the power control commands, said decision maker for comparing the values of the measured indications with a threshold value, and for selectably generating a data communication permission command responsive to comparisons made thereat that indicate communication conditions to be at least as great as a selected level of favorability, the data communication permission command, when generated, granting permission to the first communication station to communicate the at least the first burst of the data pursuant to the second communication service, and otherwise, responsive to comparisons made thereat that indicate communication conditions to be less than the selected level of favorability, the data communication permission command is not generated, thereby denying permission to the first communication station to communicate the at least the first burst of the data pursuant to the second communication service.