Coded reverse link messages for closed-loop power control of forward link control messages

Abstract

A field unit includes circuitry configured to receive a signal and determine whether the received signal has a predetermined quality; circuitry configured to select a signal from a plurality of signals including a first signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and the received signal was received with the predetermined quality, a second signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and the received signal was not received with the predetermined quality, a third signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and the received signal was received with the predetermined quality, and a fourth signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and the received signal was not received with the predetermined quality; and circuitry configured to transmit the selected signal over a control channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method implemented in a wireless network device comprising:
 transmitting wireless signals via a wireless transmitter to a field unit;   detecting wireless signals over a channel from the field unit via a wireless receiver over time intervals that include at least one time slot;   wherein the detected wireless signals comprise:   a first signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was received by the field unit with a predetermined quality;   a second signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was not received by the field unit with the predetermined quality;   a third signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was received by the field unit with the predetermined quality;   a fourth signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was not received by the field unit with the predetermined quality; and   a fifth signal comprising traffic data.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the detected wireless signals comprise comparing a received energy level of the detected signals with a threshold to detect the detected signals. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detected signals are is derived from a pseudonoise (PN) sequence. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the first, second, third, and fourth signals are associated with different PN sequences. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the different PN sequences are orthogonal sequences. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein on a condition that the detected signals are a first, second, third, or fourth signal, the detected signals do not comprise message data and do not comprise payload data. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting an assignment of resources to the field unit on a condition that the detected signals are the first or second signal and receiving packet data transmitted in a second time interval from the field unit in response to the assignment of resources. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein on a condition that the detected signals are the fifth signal, the first, second, third, or fourth signal are not received in a same time interval. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined quality is a power level. 
     
     
         11 . A wireless network device comprising:
 a wireless transmitter configured to transmit wireless signals to a field unit;   a wireless receiver configured to detect wireless signals over a channel from the field unit over time intervals that include at least one time slot;   wherein the detected wireless signals comprise:   a first signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was received by the field unit with a predetermined quality;   a second signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was not received by the field unit with the predetermined quality;   a third signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was received by the field unit with the predetermined quality;   a fourth signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that one of the transmitted signals was not received by the field unit with the predetermined quality; and   a fifth signal comprising traffic data.   
     
     
         12 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , wherein the detection of the detected wireless signals comprise comparing a received energy level of the detected signals with a threshold to detect the detected signals. 
     
     
         13 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , wherein the detected signals are derived from a pseudonoise (PN) sequence. 
     
     
         14 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , wherein at least two of the first, second, third, and fourth signals are associated with different PN sequences. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , wherein on a condition that the detected signals are a first, second, third, or fourth signal, the detected signals do not comprise message data and do not comprise payload data. 
     
     
         18 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , further configured to transmit an assignment of resources to the field unit on a condition that the detected signals are the first or second signal and to receive packet data transmitted in a second time interval from the field unit in response to the assignment of resources. 
     
     
         19 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , wherein on a condition that the detected signals are the fifth signal, the first, second, third, or fourth signal are not received in a same time interval. 
     
     
         20 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , wherein the predetermined quality is a power level. 
     
     
         21 . A method implemented in a field unit, comprising:
 receiving a wireless signal via a wireless receiver;   transmitting a wireless signal over a channel via a wireless receiver over a time interval that includes at least one time slot;   wherein the transmitted wireless signal is selected from the group comprising:   a first signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with a predetermined quality;   a second signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was not received by the field unit with the predetermined quality;   a third signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with the predetermined quality;   a fourth signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was not received by the field unit with the predetermined quality; and   a fifth signal comprising traffic data.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the transmitted signal is derived from a pseudonoise (PN) sequence. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein at least two of the first, second, third, and fourth signals are associated with different PN sequences. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein on a condition that the transmitted signal comprises a first, second, third, or fourth signal, the transmitted signal does not comprise message or payload data. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising receiving an assignment of resources on a condition that the transmitted signal is the first or second signal and transmitting packet data transmitted in a second time interval in response to the assignment of resources. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein on a condition that the transmitted signal is the fifth signal, the transmitted signal is not transmitted in the same time interval as the first, second, third, or fourth signal. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the predetermined quality is a power level. 
     
     
         29 . A field unit, comprising:
 a wireless receiver configured to receive a wireless signal;   a wireless transmitter configured to transmit a wireless signal over a channel over a time interval that includes at least one time slot;   wherein the transmitted wireless signal is selected from the group comprising:   a first signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with a quality;   a second signal indicating that the field unit is requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was not received by the field unit with the quality;   a third signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with the quality;   a fourth signal indicating that the field unit is not requesting an assignment of resources and that the transmitted signal was not received by the field unit with the quality; and   a fifth signal comprising traffic.   
     
     
         30 . The field unit of  claim 29 , wherein the fifth signal further comprises an indication of whether the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with the predetermined quality. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fifth signal further comprises an indication of whether the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with the predetermined quality. 
     
     
         32 . The wireless network device of  claim 11 , wherein the fifth signal further comprises an indication of whether the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with the predetermined quality. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the fifth signal further comprises an indication of whether the transmitted signal was received by the field unit with the predetermined quality.