Patent ID: 8023459

Claim:
A method for staggered zone resource allocation in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system having a cluster, comprising: dividing a frequency resource of the OFDMA system into a plurality of time zones along a time axis; dividing the frequency resource into a plurality of sub-frequency bands along a frequency axis; determining at least two resource allocation start zones among the plurality of time zones in at least two cells of the cluster, respectively; arranging users in each of the at least two cell according to a path loss in a descending order; and sequentially allocating the frequency resource to the arranged users from the at least two resource allocation start zones in the at least two cells, respectively, by allocating the frequency resource corresponding to a first sub frequency band of the plurality of sub-frequency bands that a present user of the arranged users selects as a preferable band in a present time zone of the plurality of time zones; allocating the frequency resource corresponding to a second sub-frequency band of the plurality of sub-frequency bands that the present user selects as a next preferable band in the present time zone when there exists no residual allocable frequency resource corresponding to the first sub-frequency band; and allocating the frequency resource corresponding to a third sub-frequency band of the plurality of sub-frequency bands that the present user selects as the preferable band in a next time zone of the plurality of time zones when there exists no residual allocable frequency resource corresponding to the present time zone.