Patent ID: 7924871

Claim:
A method for accessing a control channel, the method comprising the acts of: transmitting, from a mobile station, an access request to a base station; determining that the access request has not been granted; receiving an access request retry parameter indicating a first maximum number of access request retries; comparing a user priority value of the mobile station with a predetermined user priority value, wherein when the user priority value of the mobile station is less than the predetermined user priority value, updating a stored value in the mobile station for a maximum number of access request retries according to the received access request retry parameter and performing access requests based on the updated maximum number of access request retries, and wherein when the user priority value associated with the mobile station is greater than or equal to the predetermined user priority value, ignoring the access request retry parameter, determining based on a stored algorithm a second maximum number of access request retries which is greater than the first maximum number of access request retries, and performing access requests based on the second maximum number of access request retries.