This application is based on and hereby claims priority to United Kingdom Patent Application No. 0502473.2 filed on Feb. 8, 2005, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Described below is a method of determining successful receipt at a mobile terminal in a communication system, in particular for second and third generation mobile phone systems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (LITRAN), offering multicast broadcast multimedia services (MBMS) or other broadcast services.
Broadcast services, such as MBMS which is standardized in radio access network (RAN), are becoming more and more important for mobile communication networks. However, a UE receiving messages on an MBMS control channel has no way of determining whether it has received safely all the messages in a transmission that it needs.
The method of determining successful receipt at a mobile terminal of transmissions sent on a multicast broadcast multimedia service (MBMS) control channel (MCCH) described below includes signalling the expected number of messages within the transmission; and terminating receipt of the MCCH only when the number of messages received is equal to the number of messages signalled.
Preferably, the expected number of messages signalled is the total number of neighbor cell messages.
Preferably, the total number of neighbor cell messages is signalled in an MBMS modified services information message.
The total number of neighbor cell messages may be the number of neighbor cells in the transmission or the number of neighbor cells in the transmission associated with each service.
These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of an example of a method of determining successful receipt at a mobile terminal of transmissions sent on an MBMS control channel (MCCH), taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
In order to ensure that a mobile terminal or UE knows that it has received all messages due to it, specifically the number of MBMS neighbor cell point to multipoint (p-t-m) radio bearer (RB) information messages, the number of neighbor cells is signalled in the 3 GPP MBMS control signalling.
Transmissions on the 3GPP MBMS control channel (MCCH) consist of a number of messages. An MCCH transmission will contain an MBMS modified services information message and an MBMS unmodified services information message. It may also contain an MBMS general information message, an MBMS common p-t-m RB message, an MBMS current cell p-t-m RB message and one or more MBMS neighbor cell p-t-m RB messages (one message per neighbor cell).
A UE that is required to receive an MBMS p-t-m bearer for an MBMS service must continue to receive the MCCH transmissions until it has received the MBMS common p-t-m RB message, the MBMS current cell p-t-m RB message and all MBMS neighbor cell p-t-m RB messages that contain information relating to the service. Messages are received from the transmissions sequentially. It is not possible for the UE to detect that it has failed to receive a message, so a mechanism is needed in order that the UE knows that it has received all of the neighbor cell messages that it requires.
In one embodiment the total number of neighbor cells (equivalent to one message each) in the transmission is signalled in an MCCH message. For example, the number may be signalled in the MBMS modified services information message or the MBMS common p-t-m RB message, or the MBMS current cell p-t-m RB message.
In another embodiment, the total number of neighbor cells (equivalent to one message each) is signalled in the transmission associated with each service in an MCCH message. An example of this is signalling in the MBMS current cell p-t-m RB message.
A UE that has received one of these parameters (only one would be signalled) would be able to compare the number of neighbor cell messages that it has received with the total number indicated in the signalling and identify if it has received all of the information that it requires. It can then stop receiving the MCCH.
A description has been provided with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 358 F3d 870, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
0502473.2 | Feb 2005 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB2006/000421 | 2/6/2006 | WO | 00 | 6/5/2009 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2006/085059 | 8/17/2006 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
7058407 | Chi et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7366124 | Lee et al. | Apr 2008 | B2 |
7636331 | Lee et al. | Dec 2009 | B2 |
7773517 | Abdel-Kader et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
7894381 | Cho et al. | Feb 2011 | B2 |
20010034788 | McTernan et al. | Oct 2001 | A1 |
20090201854 | Roger | Aug 2009 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1 392 074 | Feb 2004 | EP |
1 420 551 | May 2004 | EP |
1 524 800 | Apr 2005 | EP |
03017701 | Feb 2003 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Introduction of Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) in the Radio Access Network (RAN); Stage 2 (3GPP TS 25.346 Version 6.3.0 Release 6); Dec. 2004; pp. 1-59. |
International Search Report dated Feb. 5, 2006 and issued in corresponding International Patent Application PCT/GB2006/000421. |
United Kingdom Search Report dated Nov. 8, 2005 and issued in corresponding United Kingdom Patent Application GB0502473.2. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20090252074 A1 | Oct 2009 | US |