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Increasing wireless network capabilities via broadcast control-signaling channel usageIncreasing wireless network capabilities via broadcast control-signaling channel usage description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080026691, Increasing wireless network capabilities via broadcast control-signaling channel usage. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11/496,942 filed Jul. 31, 2006 by M. Gao entitled, "ACCESS NETWORK BROADCAST CONTROL-SIGNALING CHANNEL". TECHNICAL FIELD [0002]The invention relates generally to wireless signaling in an access network and more particularly to signaling using a broadcast control-signaling channel to improve network performance in communicating with access terminals (mobiles). BACKGROUND [0003]Wireless service providers that offer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and push-to-talk (PTT) services are starting to move these and other real-time applications and services to a converged evolution-data optimized (EV-DO) based radio access network (RAN) from their current 1.times. based radio access network. All the signaling messages for an idle access terminal (AT) in an EV-DO based RAN go through a ControlChannel (CC) and are transmitted across many sectors. For example, a RouteUpdateRequest message sent by the access network (AN) to the entire radio network controller's ( ) coverage area for finding an AT's current location which may be followed by the AN sending another message such a DOS (data over signaling) message to several sectors in which the AT has good pilot signal strength. The DOS message may carry call-setup related information or an instance short message, once the access terminal returns the requested RouteUpdate message. Traditional paging strategy sends a page message to a last seen active-set in a first attempt to contact the access terminal, escalates to an entire RNC's coverage area in the next attempt, and is followed with a page to an RNC group that combines a few adjacent RNCs. For RNCs with about 50-cells/150-sectors, nearly 50 sectors on average may be involved in transmitting page messages for each call, assuming a 70%-75% success rate for the first attempt and 24%-29% for the second attempt within RNC, and just 1% for the third attempt to the RNC group. The success rate of the attempts to page the access terminal is a good indication of overall average response time for call setup within the RAN. One way to improve the success rate for the first page (it is only about 60%-80% for this traditional page strategy) is to page the entire 150 sectors in the RNC in the first attempt. However, this may use too large of an amount of network resources during a busy hour for an EVDO based RAN since it does not have a dedicated paging channel which is the case for the 1.times. based RAN. [0004]It is desirable to reduce a response time for real-time applications (e.g., using data over signaling, DOS). However, in the EVDO RAN, the CC can transmit no more than 16 bytes of physical layer data in each time-slots at its highest rate of 76.8 kbps. Accordingly, a 100 byte general `compressed SIP invite` (call-setup message) will take 7 times-slots for the CC to transmit. Since an EVDO based RAN delivers high-speed service based on its high-speed traffic/broadcast channels, time-slots used by the slower control channels will degrade the overall system performance. [0005]At 1.2 K busy hour call attempts (BHCA) per sector (35 Erlang with 100 seconds hold time) for EVDO based RAN, a RNC with 50-cells/150-sectors will transmit more than 5 page messages per ControlChannelCycle (CCcycle) from every sector, assuming the traditional paging strategy is performed. It will be approximately 20-25 page messages per CCcycle if the entire RNC coverage area is paged at the first attempt for better result as it is often the customary way for 1.times. based RAN. With this rate, the system simply cannot afford to convert some of the page messages to DOS messages (data over signaling) for passing the call-setup information directly to the users as the real-time applications (such as PTT services) would like to do. [0006]Using a zone base method for tracking users (e.g., using the RouteUpdateTriggerCode for zones as small as one or a few sectors) will limit the number of sectors participating for transmitting signaling messages so that some CC cycles can be saved from air interface resources. But for small zones, access terminals that are approximately stationary near the zone boundaries could often "ping-pong" between the zones as they are toggling between sectors that belong to different zones. In this case, while some CC cycles have been saved, it places an additional load on the Access Channels (AC), which could be very heavy such that the overall system's accessing ability will be impacted. [0007](A1) Multiple carriers in one access network. Currently, an EV-DO access network will typically utilize only a single carrier. As used in this context, a carrier in an EVDO deployment means a CDMA channel with band class and channel number. However, there will be more carriers in a service provider's access network as its usage grows, especially when new versions of VoIP and other real-time applications become available. In the current practice, the AT's will be hashed, i.e. assigned, to one of the carriers. Utilizing the current standard, a signaling message is sent to an idle AT through the control channel in the carrier to which the AT is assigned. The assignment may be made by hashing, i.e. a forced distribution that could be pseudo-random. However such signaling messages will be transmitted at a relatively low data rate over the normal control channel. With multiple carrier configurations, each individual carrier would have to waste the valuable air interface bandwidth for this type of signaling to ATs. This gives rise to a need for improved signaling efficiency and bandwidth utilization. [0008](A2) Need for flexible configuration for signaling zones with high-performance signaling channels. Transmitting signaling messages to the ATs can be accomplished using conventional techniques over the normal control channel. However, it is desirable to minimize the use of system resources and to speed up signaling performance. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/496,942 has proposed the use of broadcast signaling zones with high-performance channels. However, it is desirable to have more flexible ways of configuring the signaling zones and channels in achieving better performance for the AN. [0009](A3) Additional signaling channel selection method. In systems in which an AT can receive signaling messages from more than one channel, questions arise as to how to determine the channel to be utilized and how to coordinate the selection of the signaling channel between the AT and system infrastructure. Although U.S. application Ser. No. 11/496,942 discloses a method for channel selection and coordination between the AT and AN, there exists a need for additional methods for resolving these issues in a way that further enhances system performance. [0010](A4) Informing an AT on availability of signaling channels and configuration of signaling zones. In systems in which an AT can receive signaling messages from more than one channel in a plurality of communication zones, coordination between the system infrastructure and the AT is required so that both agree on the same signaling channel and communication zone. Improvements in communications between the infrastructure and AT with regard to achieving synchronization of the signaling channel and zone to be utilized for the AT can result an improved system efficiencies. [0011]Thus, a need exists for improved system performance and efficient use of air interface resources. SUMMARY [0012]The invention in one implementation encompasses a method that supports wireless communication services, including broadcast multicast system (BCMCS), by an access network configured to provide coverage for a plurality of access terminals. Access terminals are capable of being served by two or more carriers of the access network. The access terminals are assigned among the two or more carriers for wireless communication service. The access network transmits only a single broadcast control-signaling channel (BCC) on only one of the two or more carriers to all of the access terminals. Each of the access terminals receives the single BCC regardless of which of the two or more carriers each access terminal is assigned. The BCC carries control and signaling messages that are received by all of the access terminals. This saves bandwidth for other carriers since the other carriers do not have to employ individual BCCs and do not have to use extra bandwidth for its normal Control Channel to carry signaling messages for ATs. [0013]In another implementation, a method provides wireless communication service over a coverage area by an access network that supports BCMCS. The access network broadcasts at least one BCC over the coverage area via at least one BCMCS flow. Each of the at least one BCMCS flow is identified by a flow identifier. First and second coverage areas associated with first and second radio network controllers, respectively, are used to provide wireless service to access terminals. The first and second coverage areas share an adjacent boundary. First and second wireless transmission sectors are disposed in the first coverage area. The first sector serves access terminals in a location that includes the adjacent boundary and the second sector serves access terminals in a location that does not include the adjacent boundary. The first sector transmits control messages to access terminals using both the BCC and another control channel so that access terminals in the area served by the first sector can receive control messages via either the BCC or the another control channel, and transmitting control messages to access terminals in the area served by the second sector using only the BCC. [0014]In a further implementation, a method provides a wireless communication service by an access network over a coverage area to a plurality of access terminals, where the access network supports BCMCS. The access network is divided into a plurality of sectors that support communications with access terminals within the respective sectors. At least one BCC is transmitted by the access network for reception by the access terminals in each sector. An access terminal could perform BCMCS flow registration to all the BCCs for the sector in which the access terminal is located at the time of the registration. The access network identifies the sector in which the access terminal is located and the access network transmits to the access terminal a response message that defines one BCC to which the access terminal is to monitor for the receipt of control messages. [0015]In another implementation, a method a wireless communication service is provided by an access network over a coverage area to a plurality of access terminals, where the access network supports BCMCS. The access network transmits a broadcast overhead message (BOM) on a carrier directed to the access terminals, wherein the BOM includes at least one bit that serves as a flag indicating whether an associated portion of the BOM identifies a corresponding BCC. In one embodiment, the listed order of BCCs could be used to identify the preferred or destined BCC for the signaling zone that serves the sector. The access terminals select the identified BCC in response to receiving the BOM that includes the at least one bit indicating an associated portion of the BOM identifies the BCC. The access terminals monitor the identified BCC for receipt of control messages transmitted over the identified BCC from the access network. [0016]Embodiments of the present invention also include apparatus that performs the methods described above in this section. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0017]Features of example implementations of the invention will become apparent from the description, the claims, and the accompanying drawings in which: [0018]FIG. 1 is a representation of one implementation of an apparatus that comprises an access network and an access terminal. [0019]FIG. 2 is a representation of one implementation of a plurality of cells of the access network of FIG. 1 and illustrates assigned broadcast signaling zones and coverage broadcast signaling zones. Continue reading about Increasing wireless network capabilities via broadcast control-signaling channel usage... Full patent description for Increasing wireless network capabilities via broadcast control-signaling channel usage Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Increasing wireless network capabilities via broadcast control-signaling channel usage patent application. Patent Applications in related categories: 20090291632 - Adaptive echo cancellation for an on-frequency rf repeater with digital sub-band filtering - An adaptive echo cancellation system and method employing an algorithm suitable for a digital repeater with sub-band filtering is disclosed. Cross- and auto-correlation measurements used to estimate the residual coupling are computed from normalized cross and power spectrums which avoid the problems associated with narrow bandwidth signal components. The normalized ... ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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