USER EQUIPMENT

Abstract

The invention describes user equipment for communicating data in a communications system comprising a set of user equipment; comprising a transceiver arranged to receive a first data packet over a communications data channel and an associated second data packet over a communications control channel. The second data packet comprises a first identifier arranged to identify a subset of the set of user equipment and the first data packet comprises a second identifier arranged to identify at least one of the subset of user equipment. The user equipment further comprising a processor arranged to determine from the second data packet first identifier if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and from the second identifier if the said user equipment is said the at least one of the subset of user equipment. Wherein the processor is further arranged to decode the first data packet if the processor determines the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention is described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying figures in which

FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram showing the steps performed as a UE establishes a RRC connection and moves to a dedicated channel (CELL_DCH) state;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a communications system within which embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; and

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram showing the steps performed in a first embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. User equipment; comprising: a transceiver arranged to receive a first data packet over a communications data channel and an associated second data packet over a communications control channel, wherein the second data packet comprises a first identifier arranged to identify a subset of a set of user equipment in a communications system and the first data packet comprises a second identifier arranged to identify at least one of the subset of user equipment; and a processor arranged to determine from the second data packet first identifier if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and from the second identifier if the said user equipment is said the at least one of the subset of user equipment;wherein the processor is further arranged to decode the first data packet if the processor determines the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment.

2. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further arranged to receive in a further data packet a first identifier value arranged to identify the subset of user equipment as not being in a dedicated channel state.

3. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transceiver is further arranged to receive in the further data packet a second identifier value to identify each of the user equipment within the same subset.

4. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transceiver is arranged to transmit from the user equipment a feedback message.

5. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications data channel is a high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH).

6. The user equipment as claimed in claim 5, wherein the communications data channel comprises at least one of: a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH);a dedicated control channel (DCCH) and a common control channel (CCCH).

7. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications control channel is a high speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH).

8. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first data packet comprises radio resource communication data.

9. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second identifier is located in a medium access control (MAC) header of the first data packet.

10. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first identifier is located in the CRC of the second data packet.

11. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second identifier is in a RRC level message on top of the MAC layer.

12. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein first identifier value is equal to the second identifier value.

13. The user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second data packet comprises the first identifier, and the first identifier is located in the CRC of the second data packet header.

14. A communications system comprising a set of user equipment as claimed in claim 4, anda communications node, the communications node being arranged to transmit the first and second data packets over the communication data and control channels respectively to the set of user equipment,wherein the communications node is further arranged to receive the feedback message.

15. A communications system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the communications node is further arranged to modify at least one transmission parameter for subsequent transmission of the first or second data packets.

16. A communications system as claimed in claim 14 further arranged to retransmit the first and second packets in dependence of the feedback message.

17. The communications system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the communications node is a radio base station.

18. A method comprising: transmitting a first data packet over a communications control channel, the first data packet comprising a first identifier arranged to identify a subset of a set of user equipment;transmitting a second data packet over the communications data channel, the second data packet comprising a second identifier arranged to identify at least one user equipment of the subset of user equipment;receiving the first and second data packets at the at least one of the plurality of user equipment;determining from the first data packet first identifier if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and from the second identifier if the said user equipment is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment; anddecoding the second data packet if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and the said user equipment is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising supplying each of the user equipment with a first identifier value arranged to identify the subset of user equipment as not being in a dedicated channel state.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising supplying each of the user equipment with a first identifier value a second identifier value to identify each of the user equipment within the subset.

21. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising transmitting from the user equipment a feedback message.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising receiving at a communications node the feedback message at a communications node

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, further comprising modifying at least one transmission parameter of the communications node for subsequent transmission of the first or second data packets.

24. A method as claimed in claim 22, further comprising retransmitting the first and second packets from the communications node in dependence of the feedback message.

25. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the communications data channel is a high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH).

26. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the communications data channel comprises at least one of: a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH);a dedicated control channel (DCCH); anda common control channel (CCCH).

27. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the communications control channel is a high speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH).

28. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the second data packet comprises radio resource communication data.

29. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer-readable code, which, when executed by a computer arranged to carry out a method of communicating a first data packet over a communications data channel to at least one user equipment, causes said computer to: receive a first and second data packets at the at least one of the set of user equipment; the second data packet having been transmitted over a communications control channel, the second data packet comprising a first identifier arranged to identify a subset of a set of user equipment and the first data packet comprising a second identifier arranged to identify at least one of the said subset of user equipment;determine from the second data packet first identifier if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and from the second identifier if the said user equipment is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment; anddecode the first data packet if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and the said user equipment is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment.

30. A user equipment comprising a transceiver arranged to receive and decode data from a channel within a shared communications channel with a capacity greater than 64 kbps, wherein the channel is a free channel.

31. User equipment as claimed in claim 30, wherein the free channel is an unreserved or undedicated channel.

32. User equipment as claimed in claim 30, wherein the user equipment is arranged to receive and decode the data when the user equipment operates in at least one of: a idle state;a forward access state anda paging state.

33. User equipment as claimed in claim 30, wherein the channel is a high speed downlink shared communications channel within a high speed downlink packet access system.

34. A user equipment comprising a transceiver arranged to receive and decode radio resource connection data from a single unreserved channel within a shared communications channel.

35. A communications node comprising a transceiver arranged to transmit radio resource connection data into a single unreserved channel within a shared communications channel.

36. User equipment; comprising: a transceiver arranged to receive a first data packet over a communications data channel and an associated second data packet over a communications control channel, wherein the second data packet comprises a first identifier arranged to identify a subset of a set of user equipment in a communications system and either of the first data packet or the second data packet comprise a second identifier arranged to identify at least one of the subset of user equipment; anda processor arranged to determine from the second data packet first identifier if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and from the second identifier if the said user equipment is said the at least one of the subset of user equipment,wherein the processor is further arranged to decode the first data packet if the processor determines the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment.