US 8457145

Concise Summary of US Patent 8457145

Title: Method and apparatus for bandwidth request/grant protocols in a wireless communication system

Assignee: Quarterhill Inc. (Current Assignee); WiLAN Inc. (Original Assignee)

Inventors: Ofer Zimmerman, Kenneth L. Stanwood, Brian Spinar, Yair Bourlas, Amir Serok

Filing Date: June 1, 2012

Issue Date: June 4, 2013

Abstract: A method and apparatus for allocating bandwidth in a broadband wireless communication system is disclosed. One embodiment uses a self-correcting bandwidth request/grant protocol. The self-correcting bandwidth request/grant protocol utilizes a combination of incremental and aggregate bandwidth requests. CPEs primarily transmit incremental bandwidth requests to their associated base stations, followed by periodic transmissions of aggregate bandwidth requests. The use of periodic aggregate bandwidth requests (that express the current state of their respective connection queues) allows the bandwidth allocation method and apparatus to be “self-correcting”. Another embodiment utilizes an abridged bandwidth request/grant protocol to allocate bandwidth. The abridged bandwidth request/grant protocol system utilizes padding packets to request a reduction in bandwidth allocation to a CPE. A base station modem alerts a base station CPU when the BS modem receives a padding packet from a CPE. After alerting the BS CPU the method can reduce the associated CPE's bandwidth allocation.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

US Patent 8457145 includes 35 claims. Claims 1, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 are independent claims.

• Claim 1: This claim describes a method for a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) to manage bandwidth requests in a wireless communication system. It involves the CPE periodically transmitting an aggregate bandwidth request, which communicates the total bandwidth needed for a connection. In between these aggregate requests, the CPE transmits incremental bandwidth requests, which specify only the changes (increases or decreases) in bandwidth required since the last request. The timing of these requests is controlled by dynamic timers that can adjust based on factors like data flow and connection priority. The purpose of this combination is to reduce the chance of the base station allocating duplicate bandwidth and to allow the system to self-correct for any lost incremental requests when an aggregate request is received.
• Claim 10: This claim focuses on a method for a base station to allocate bandwidth in a wireless communication system. It involves receiving both incremental and aggregate bandwidth requests from a CPE. The base station uses the incremental requests to adjust the CPE's bandwidth allocation and, importantly, uses the periodically received aggregate requests to reset its internal records of the CPE's total bandwidth needs. This resetting action helps correct any errors caused by lost incremental requests, providing a "self-correcting" mechanism for bandwidth allocation.
• Claim 15: This claim describes a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) designed to perform the bandwidth request methods of Claim 1. It includes a timer that controls the periodic transmission of aggregate bandwidth requests and a module for generating both incremental and aggregate requests. The CPE's design allows it to adapt the timing of its requests based on system conditions.
• Claim 20: This claim describes a base station configured to perform the bandwidth allocation methods of Claim 10. It includes a receiver to get bandwidth requests from CPEs and a controller that processes both incremental and aggregate requests. The controller is designed to use aggregate requests to re-synchronize its understanding of a CPE's total bandwidth needs, ensuring accurate allocation even if some incremental requests are missed.
• Claim 25: This claim outlines a method for a CPE to request a reduction in bandwidth in a wireless communication system without needing to send an explicit "zero bandwidth request" message. Instead, if the CPE has been allocated more bandwidth than it needs, it transmits "padding packets" to fill its allocated uplink bandwidth. The transmission of these padding packets implicitly signals to the base station that the CPE requires less bandwidth.
• Claim 30: This claim describes a method for a base station to manage bandwidth allocation reductions based on the implicit signals from a CPE described in Claim 25. The base station receives packets from a CPE and identifies if any of these are padding packets. Upon detecting padding packets, the base station determines that the CPE has excess bandwidth and can then reduce the CPE's allocation accordingly.
• Claim 35: This claim describes a base station apparatus designed to implement the method of Claim 30. It includes a modem that can detect padding packets transmitted by a CPE and a processor (CPU) that is alerted by the modem when padding packets are received. The processor then uses this information to reduce the CPE's bandwidth allocation.

Uncertainty Note: The provided context from the patent document and prior generated sections indicates that all claims of US8457145 have been invalidated by the PTAB and affirmed by the Federal Circuit as of May 21, 2026. This means that while these claims are described here, they are no longer legally patentable. However, the request was to describe the claims as if providing a concise summary, so the descriptions reflect the content of the claims as written in the patent.