Patent ID: 8724579

Claim:
A method in a wireless communication system for reporting buffer information, comprising: selecting a format for a buffer report based on a number of radio bearer groups k for which data is available for transmission by a user equipment, wherein the buffer report indicates a respective buffer fill level for one or more radio bearer groups associated with the user equipment; encoding a buffer fill level for the one or more radio bearer groups in the buffer report in accordance with the selected format; and transmitting the buffer report; wherein selecting the format for the buffer report comprises selecting between at least a first format and a second format, wherein the first format indicates a buffer fill level associated with a single group of radio bearers and the second format indicates a plurality of buffer fill levels each associated with a respective group of radio bearers; wherein selecting between at least the first format and the second format comprises: selecting the first format if only a single group of radio bearers has data available for transmission; and selecting the second format if more than one group of radio bearers has data available for transmission; wherein selecting the format for the buffer report comprises the user equipment autonomously selecting the format.