Patent ID: 8358643

Claim:
A communication method, comprising: communicating data between a Radio Resource Control (RRC) and a Medium Access Control (MAC) using at least one Signalling Radio Bearer, wherein the communicating comprises using at least one inclusive Signalling Radio Bearer (iSRB) serving a function of a plurality of individual Signalling Radio Bearers (indSRBs); and identifying, upon arrival at the MAC, respective indSRBs based on the iSRB, wherein the communicating further comprises communicating, as part of the iSRB, a Protocol Discriminator (PD) for identifying, at any one time, which one of the indSRBs the iSRB is being used in place of, wherein the PD comprises binary digits that are additional to binary digits normally comprised in an indSRB, wherein the PD comprises additional binary digits on one of ends of the iSRB, wherein the additional binary digits are on a right end of the iSRB, wherein the additional binary digits comprise two binary digits, and wherein respective PDs to identify which one of the indSRBs is being represented by the iSRB at any one time comprise: PD=00 for indSRB representing an SRB 1 or an SRB 2 , wherein the SRB 1 is RRC message signals in an Unacknowledged Mode and the SRB 2 is RRC message signals in an Acknowledged Mode; PD=01 for indSRB representing SRB 3 , wherein the SRB 3 is High-Priority Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message signals in the Acknowledged Mode; and PD=10 for indSRB representing SRB 4 , wherein the SRB 4 is Low-Priority NAS message signals in the Acknowledged Mode.