Paging access terminals in a wireless communications system

Abstract

An embodiment is directed to an access network that configures set of paging indicator (PI) bits within a quick paging channel (QPCH) cycle to page a group of access terminals. An access terminal within the group receives the QPCH cycle, and evaluates the PI bits to determine whether a unicast page and/or group page is present. Another embodiment is directed to selecting less than all timeslots in one or more control channel cycles of a downlink control channel, and configuring a page message to convey the selected timeslots to an access terminal. The access terminal receives the configured page message and decodes information only within the selected timeslots. Another embodiment is directed to generating a transport-layer message for transmission to at least one access terminal, and configuring the transport-layer message by modifying an application-layer portion of the transport-layer message. An access terminal receives the message and extracts the application-layer portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of paging an access terminal within a wireless communications system, comprising:
 selecting less than all timeslots from a set of timeslots in one or more control channel cycles of a downlink control channel;   configuring a page message to convey the selected less than all timeslots to a given access terminal;   transmitting the configured page message to the given access terminal within a given timeslot on the downlink control channel; and   transmitting information to the given access terminal within at least one of the selected less than all timeslots on the downlink control channel.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected less than all timeslots correspond to one or more consecutive timeslots following the transmission of the configured page message. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more consecutive timeslots begin at a timeslot directly following the given timeslot, or at a fixed time offset from an end of the given timeslot. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the configured page message corresponds to a transport layer message that has been modified from an application layer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the configured page message corresponds to a QuickConfig message in accordance with 1xEV-DO Rev. A, a StorageBlobAssignment message, a data over signaling (DOS) message that includes an application layer message, or a proprietary message that instructs the given access terminal to monitor the downlink control channel. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the transmitting information transmits information to the given access terminal within each of the selected less than all timeslots, or   wherein the transmitting information does not transmit information to the given access terminal within each of the selected less than all control channel capsules.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the downlink control channel corresponds to one of a Forward Link Paging Channel (F-PCH) or a Forward Link—Common Control Channel (F-CCCH) in a 1× network or the Control Channel in a 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 Revision A or Revision B network. 
     
     
         8 . A method of decoding information within a wireless communications system, comprising:
 receiving a page message at a given access terminal within a given timeslot of a downlink control channel;   determining that the received page message is configured to indicate less than all timeslots from a set of timeslots in one or more control channel cycles of the downlink control channel;   decoding the less than all timeslots on the downlink control channel; and   refraining from decoding timeslots within the set of timeslots that are omitted from the less than all timeslots.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the selected less than all timeslots correspond to one or more consecutive timeslots following the transmission of the received page message. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more consecutive timeslots begin at a timeslot directly following the given timeslot, or at a fixed time offset from an end of the given timeslot. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the configured page message corresponds to a transport layer message that has been modified from an application layer. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the configured page message corresponds to a QuickConfig message in accordance with 1xEV-DO Rev. A, a StorageBlobAssignment message, a data over signaling (DOS) message that includes an application layer message, or a proprietary message that instructs the given access terminal to monitor the downlink control channel. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 ,
 wherein the decoding decodes information within each of the selected less than all timeslots, or   wherein the decoding does not decode information within each of the selected less than all timeslots.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the downlink control channel corresponds to one of a Forward Link Paging Channel (F-PCH) or a Forward Link—Common Control Channel (F-CCCH) in a 1× network or the Control Channel in a 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 Revision A or Revision B network. 
     
     
         15 . A method of transmitting a message within a wireless communications system, comprising:
 generating, at an access network, a transport-layer message for transmission to at least one access terminal;   configuring, at the access network, the transport-layer message by modifying an application-layer portion of the transport-layer message; and   transmitting the configured transport-layer message from the access network to the at least one access terminal over a downlink control channel.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the transport-layer message is a paging message. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the configuring modifies the paging message from being addressed to a single access terminal to being addressed to multiple access terminals. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the configuring replaces a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI) portion of the paging message with a multicast access terminal identifier (MATI) or a broadcast access terminal identifier (BATI). 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the paging message is addressed to a single access terminal. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the downlink control channel corresponds to one of a Forward Link Paging Channel (F-PCH) or a Forward Link—Common Control Channel (F-CCCH) in a 1× network or the Control Channel in a 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 Revision A or Revision B network. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the configuring modifies the transport layer message by packaging an application layer message within the transport-layer message. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the configuring extracts information from a given field of the application layer message and inserts the extracted information into the transport layer message, the portion of the transport layer message into which the extracted information is inserted corresponding to the application-layer portion of the transport layer message. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 15 ,
 wherein the application layer message corresponds to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call message and the given field corresponds to a caller identity field, or   wherein the application layer message corresponds to a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) SYN message, and the given field corresponds to source and destination port numbers of a TCP connection.   
     
     
         24 . A method of receiving a message within a wireless communications system, comprising:
 receiving, at an access terminal over a downlink control channel, a transport-layer message including an application-layer portion that has been modified at an access network; and   extracting the application-layer portion from the transport layer message at the access terminal.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the transport-layer message is a paging message. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 ,
 wherein the paging message is addressed to multiple access terminals, or   wherein the paging message is intended for a single access terminal.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the configuring modifies the transport layer message by packaging an application layer message within the transport-layer message. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the transport layer message includes information that is extracted from a given field of an application layer message at the access network and then inserted by the access network into the transport layer message, the portion of the transport layer message into which the extracted information is inserted corresponding to the application-layer portion of the transport layer message. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 24 ,
 wherein the application layer message corresponds to a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call message and the given field corresponds to a caller identity field, or   wherein the application layer message corresponds to a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) SYN message, and the given field corresponds to source and destination port numbers of a TCP connection.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the transport layer message corresponds to a paging message, the application layer message portion corresponds to a portion of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call message or a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) SYN message.