Patent ID: 7729696

Claim:
A method for controlling access of a mobile station to a wireless communication network comprising: determining, by a mobile station, to convey an access message to a network; receiving, by the mobile station, an overhead message; waiting, by the mobile station and for a time period based on a wait for the overhead message, to convey the access message; determining, by the mobile station, one of more of whether to convey the access message subsequent to the waiting time period and when to convey the access message subsequent to the waiting time period, wherein determining whether to convey the access message based on the scaled random number comprises: comparing a value associated with the time period corresponding to a wait for an overhead message to a time threshold; when the value associated with the time period is less than the time threshold, determining whether to convey the access message based on the random number; and when the value associated with the time period is greater than the time threshold, determining whether to convey the access message based on the scaled random number.