Cisco Technology, Inc.

Malcolm M Smith

Billy Gayle Moon

Tmima Koren

Manjari Asawa

Walter Leslie Robinson

Timothy Peter Stammers

Jagdish Venkata Sonti

Mohammad Amir Ahmed-Khan

David A McGrew

Jayaraman R Iyer

David R Oran

Dana Lynn Blair

Gregory Pelton

Rong Wang

Alain Charles Brainos, Ii

Alain Brainos

A floating call anchor is used to improve the efficiency of utilization of wireless and backhaul resources in cellular communication systems. For conditions under which soft handoff can be effectively used to conserve wireless resources, data transmitted from a first mobile unit (MU) via a wireless signal are received by one or more base transceiver stations (BTSs) and sent to a base station controller (BSC) or other device remote from the BTSs. The data are then sent from the remote device to the BTS(s) transmitting data to a second MU. If the two MUs engaged in communication are within the same cell or adjacent cells, and the savings of backhaul resources outweighs the additional wireless resource costs associated with performing the call anchor function at a BTS, then a single BTS is used to communicate with both MUs. This single BTS performs the call anchor function.

Communication system with floating call anchor

Data is encrypted by receiving a plurality of bits associated with a communications flow and compressing at least a portion of the bits in order to produce a plurality of sub-frames. The sub-frames may be assembled into a superframe and a stream cipher may be applied to the superframe in order to generate an encrypted packet.

System and method for encrypting data using a cipher text in a communications environment

Portion-by-portion selection and/or combination of signals received from multiple base transceiver stations (BTSs) is used to improve the quality of reception in cellular communication systems. For any particular frame, bit, symbol, or chip, the highest-quality copy can be selected and concatenated onto the end of a sequence of data being generated by the system. In addition, the energies and/or voltages of multiple copies of bits or symbols received by multiple BTSs can be added and/or averaged in order to improve signal quality (e.g., increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and/or signal-to-interference ratio (SIR)). In addition, a single communication system can utilize both selection and combination procedures. The resulting communication system reduces error rate and improves the quality of reception.

Wireless communication system with signal selection and combination

A method for suppressing data is provided that includes receiving a first packet communicated by an end user and identifying a difference in a comfort noise level associated with a second packet received as compared to the first packet. The second packet may be communicated without a data payload in cases where the difference in comfort noise level associated with the second packet as compared to the first packet is below a predetermined threshold.

System and method for suppressing silence data in a network environment

A wireless communications system includes a mobile unit having a home network and a home agent in the home network. The system also includes foreign networks with foreign agents that provide wireless services to the mobile unit when the mobile unit travels outside of the service area of the home network. Foreign agents providing or likely to provide services for the mobile unit receive information for communication to the mobile unit by registering for a multicast group associated with the mobile unit. The home agent distributes information for communication to the mobile unit by encapsulating the information in multicast packets and communicating these packets for reception by the foreign agents registered for the multicast group.

Distribution of packets to foreign agents using multicast protocols

A first router receives an original IS-634 standard frame formatted message over an A-bis interface from a base transceiver station. The first router identifies header information bits in the message for compression. The first router suppresses selected ones of the identified header information bits and encapsulates the message into a packet. A second router receives the packet from the first router and extracts the message from the packet. The second router reconstructs the selected ones of the header information bits that were suppressed by the first router. The second router regenerates the original IS-634 standard frame formatted message and transports the message to a base station controller over the A-bis interface.

System and method for optimizing data transport in a communications system

A method for compressing information is provided that includes receiving a plurality of bits associated with a communications flow and electing whether to perform compression and multiplexing operations based on a level of traffic propagating in a network.

System and method for discretionary multiplexing and compressing in a communications environment

A method for compressing data is provided that includes receiving a packet communicated by a mobile station and extracting a high-level data link control (HDLC) payload from the packet. A compression operation may then be performed on the HDLC payload in order to reduce a number of bytes associated with the packet. A key may be built that maps the HDLC payload associated with the packet to the key, the key being broken into segments that are positioned into a selected one or more of a source internet protocol (IP) address field, a user datagram protocol (UDP) source port field, and a UDP destination port field of a UDP packet. Remaining fields of the HDLC payload may be copied and positioned into a payload field of the UDP packet. The UDP packet may then be communicated to a routing functionality such that it may be directed to a next destination.

System and method for compressing communication flows in a network environment

A method for compressing information is provided that includes receiving a plurality of bits associated with a communications flow and tracking a state of a channel associated with the communications flow. A payload may be determined for a portion of the communications flow based on the state of the channel. The payload may then be communicated to a next destination.

System and method for compressing information in a communications environment

A method for compressing data is provided that includes receiving a communications flow communicated by a mobile station and communicating with a proxy element in order to determine if an incoming packet is associated with an internet protocol (IP). The method also includes performing a mapping between a non-IP based protocol associated with the incoming packet and an IP protocol in cases where the incoming packet is non-IP based in order to generate an IP compatible packet to be processed by a forwarding path element and communicated to a next destination.

System and method for compressing information flows in a network environment

An apparatus for providing fault and error tolerance in a network environment is provided that includes an aggregation node associated with a base station controller and operable to receive a packet that includes an error. A portion of the packet is discarded, the packet being associated with a communications flow. The aggregation node being further operable to perform a selected one of injecting a subframe into the communications flow and playing one or more previous frame bits from a frame memory in response to the error.

System and method for providing fault and error tolerant communications in a network environment

A method for routing communications at a mobile station includes determining, at a mobile station, one or more routing metrics that are associated with each of a number of communication paths that couple the mobile station and a destination device. At least one of the routing metrics includes the link quality of at least one wireless communication link included in each of the communication paths. The method also includes receiving, at the mobile station, routing information from one or more routers that couple the mobile station and the destination device. The method further includes routing a communication to the destination device based on the determined routing metrics and the received routing information.

System and method for routing communications based on wireless communication link quality

Transmitting packets in a frame includes receiving the packets. Delay constraints are established, where each delay constraint is associated with a packet. Frame departure times of the frames are predicted, where the frames include the packets. A packet departure time is determined for each packet in accordance with the frame departure time of the frame that includes the packet. An order of the packets is determined using the delay constraints and the packet departure times. The packets are placed in the order, and the frames are formed from the ordered packets.

Transmitting multiple packets in a frame

A communications system includes an internet protocol (IP) enabled mobile unit having a home network. The system also includes a foreign network that can provide the mobile unit access to IP data services. To allow the mobile unit to receive IP services in the foreign network without an awareness of network mobility, the foreign network registers with the home network to receive redirected packets for communication to the mobile unit.

Separation of packet registration from mobile devices

A gateway provides a multicast packet of information to a plurality of transceiver stations. The plurality of transceiver stations belong to a soft handoff group associated with a mobile unit. The multicast packet of information includes a common traffic section and a plurality of unique control sections. A particular transceiver station receives the multicast packet of information from the gateway and identifies its associated unique control section. The particular transceiver station then sends the common traffic section to the mobile unit according to its associated unique control section.

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Calgary, Canada

Malcolm M Smith