Patent ID: 6987753

Claim:
In a time division multiplex access (“TDMA”) wireless network wherein network interface units communicate with a base transceiver station by way of transmission of data in a plurality of time slots grouped into a plurality of frames, said time slots including one or more guaranteed bandwidth allocation (“GBA”) time slots assigned to respective network interface units and dynamic bandwidth allocation (“DBA”) time slots assignable to any of said network interface units, a method for allocating said DBA time slots to said network interface units comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting data from a queue in each of a plurality of said network interface units to said base transceiver station in said one or more GBA time slots assigned to each respective network interface unit; (b) determining a measure of status of the queue in one of said plurality of network interface units; (c) transmitting, if said measure of status exceeds a threshold, from said one network interface unit to said base transceiver station a request for allocation of DBA time slots including queue occupancy information; (d) determining at said base transceiver station the availability of DBA time slots; (e) assigning, in response to receipt of said request for allocation, to said one network interface unit DBA time slots based on the queue occupancy; (f) transmitting a message from the base transceiver station to said one network interface unit indicating the assigned DBA timeslots; and (g) transmitting queued data from said one network interface unit to said base transceiver station in said assigned GBA and DBA time slots.