Apparatus, method and computer program product providing user equipment operation by considering scheduling information with regard to the use of relative grants

Abstract

Disclosed is a method to operate a wireless user equipment, a wireless user equipment, a computer program product, and an apparatus. The method includes, in response to operation during a Baseline Procedure when no absolute grant (AG) is received from a wireless network node, determining if there was a scheduled transmission in a previous transmission time interval of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process and, if there was, using a serving relative grant (SRG) and, if it is determined instead that there was not a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval of the HARQ process, not using the SRG if it is determined that there was a scheduling information (SI) event alone in the previous transmission time interval of the HARQ process.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 in response to operation during a baseline procedure when no absolute grant is received from a wireless network node, determining by a processor if there was a scheduled transmission in a previous transmission time interval of a hybrid automatic repeat request process and, if there was, using a serving relative grant; and 
 if it is determined by the processor instead that there was not a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, not using the serving relative grant if it is determined that there was a scheduling information event alone in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein not using the serving relative grant comprises transmitting a next scheduled transmission in a subsequent transmission time interval at a power setting that is not modified by the serving relative grant. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the power setting is not modified by the serving relative grant nor by a non-serving relative grant. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  further comprising, for the case where it is determined by the processor that there was a scheduling information event alone in the previous transmission time interval:
 determining a power grant for a dedicated physical data channel from a locally stored minimum grant value and a power on a dedicated physical control channel; 
 not modifying the determined power grant according to the serving relative grant; and 
 transmitting a next scheduled transmission in a later transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process using the determined power grant. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4  further comprising, for the case where it is determined by the processor that there was a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval:
 determining a power grant for a dedicated physical data channel from a locally stored minimum grant value and a power on a dedicated physical control channel; 
 modifying the determined power grant according to the serving relative grant; and 
 transmitting a next scheduled transmission in a later transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process using the modified determined power grant. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the network node comprises a Node B and the method is executed by a wireless user equipment. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the baseline process is part of a high speed uplink packet access protocol. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein no absolute grant is received due to expiration of a timer for an earlier received absolute grant. 
     
     
       9. A computer readable memory storing a program of computer readable instructions the execution of which by a data processor results in performing operations that comprise:
 in response to operation during a Baseline Procedure when no Absolute Grant is received from a wireless network node, determining if there was a scheduled transmission in a previous transmission time interval of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request process and, if there was, using a Serving Relative Grant; and 
 if it is determined instead that there was not a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request process, to not use the Serving Relative Grant if it is determined that there was a Scheduling Information event alone in the previous transmission time interval of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request process. 
 
     
     
       10. The computer readable memory of  claim 9 , wherein not using the serving relative grant comprises transmitting a next scheduled transmission in a subsequent transmission time interval at a power setting that is not modified by the serving relative grant. 
     
     
       11. The computer readable memory of  claim 10 , wherein the power setting is not modified by the serving relative grant nor by a non-serving relative grant. 
     
     
       12. The computer readable memory of  claim 9 , the operations further comprising, for the case where it is determined that there was a scheduling information event alone in the previous transmission time interval:
 determining a power grant for a dedicated physical data channel from a locally stored minimum grant value and a power on a dedicated physical control channel; 
 not modifying the determined power grant according to the serving relative grant; and 
 transmitting a next scheduled transmission in a later transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process using the determined power grant. 
 
     
     
       13. The computer readable memory of  claim 12 , the operations further comprising, for the case where it is determined that there was a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval:
 determining a power grant for a dedicated physical data channel from a locally stored minimum grant value and a power on a dedicated physical control channel; 
 modifying the determined power grant according to the serving relative grant; and 
 transmitting a next scheduled transmission in a later transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process using the modified detennined power grant. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer readable memory of  claim 9 , wherein the data processor and the computer readable memory are disposed in the wireless user equipment. 
     
     
       15. The computer readable memory of  claim 9 , wherein the network node comprises a Node B. 
     
     
       16. The computer readable memory of  claim 9 , wherein the baseline process is part of a high speed uplink packet access protocol. 
     
     
       17. The computer readable memory of  claim 9 , wherein no absolute grant is received due to expiration of a timer for an earlier received absolute grant. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus, comprising
 a processer processor that is configured, responsive to operation during a Baseline Procedure when no Absolute Grant is received from the wireless network node, to use a Serving Relative Grant after determining that there was a scheduled transmission in a previous transmission time interval of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request process; and, if there was not a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request process and if there was a Scheduling Information event alone in the previous transmission time interval of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request process, a processer that the processor is configured to not use the Serving Relative Grant. 
 
     
     
       19. An apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the a processer processor configured to not use the serving relative grant comprises the processer processor causing a transceiver of the apparatus to transmit a next scheduled transmission in a subsequent transmission time interval at a power setting that is not modified by the serving relative grant. 
     
     
       20. An apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the power setting is not modified by the serving relative grant nor by a non-serving relative grant. 
     
     
       21. An apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the baseline process is part of a high speed uplink packet access protocol. 
     
     
       22. An apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising a timer and wherein no absolute grant is received due to expiration of the timer for an earlier received absolute grant. 
     
     
       23. The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the apparatus comprises a wireless user equipment. 
     
     
       24. An apparatus comprising:
 means for storing a serving relative grant; and  
 transceiving means for sending and receiving wireless messages; and 
 processing means responsive to operation, during a baseline procedure when no absolute grant is received from a wireless network node: for using the serving relative grant after determining that there was a scheduled transmission by the transceiving means in a previous transmission time interval of a hybrid automatic repeat request process; and, wherein if there was not a scheduled transmission by the transceiving means in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process and if there was a scheduling information event alone sent by the transceiving means in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, the means for using is configured to not use the serving relative grant. 
 
     
     
       25. The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein:
 the means for storing comprises a memory; and 
 the transceiving means comprises a wireless transceiver; and 
 the processing means for using comprises a digital processor executing instructions tangibly embodied on the memory. 
 
     
     
       26. The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein not using the serving relative grant comprises transmitting in a next subsequent transmission time interval at a power level unmodified by the serving relative grant. 
     
     
       27. A method, comprising:
 in response to operation during a baseline procedure when no absolute grant is received from a wireless network node, determining, by a processor, if there was a scheduled transmission in a previous transmission time interval of a hybrid automatic repeat request process and, if there was, using a serving relative grant; and 
 if it is determined by the processor instead that there was not a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, using the serving relative grant if it is determined that there was a scheduling information event in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process. 
 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 27 , where the scheduling information event occurred alone. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 27 , where the scheduling information event occurred with non-scheduled data and without scheduled data. 
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 27 , where the network node is comprised of a Node-B. 
     
     
       31. A computer readable memory storing a program of computer readable instructions the execution of which by a data processor of a wireless user equipment results in performing operations that comprise:
 in response to operation during a baseline procedure when no absolute grant is received from a wireless network node, determining if there was a scheduled transmission in a previous transmission time interval of a hybrid automatic repeat request process and, if there was, using a serving relative grant; and 
 if it is determined instead that there was not a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, using the serving relative grant if it is determined that there was a scheduling information event in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process. 
 
     
     
       32. The computer program product readable memory of  claim 31 , where the scheduling information event occurred alone. 
     
     
       33. The computer program product readable memory of  claim 31 , where the scheduling information event occurred with non-scheduled data and without scheduled data. 
     
     
       34. The computer readable memory of  claim 31 , where the network node is comprised of a Node-B. 
     
     
       35. An apparatus, comprising a processor that is configured, responsive to operation during a baseline procedure when no absolute grant is received from the wireless network node, to use a serving relative grant after determining: (a) that there was a scheduled transmission in a previous transmission time interval of a hybrid automatic repeat request process;, or, if there was not a scheduled transmission in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process, (b) that there was a scheduling information event in the previous transmission time interval of the hybrid automatic repeat request process. 
     
     
       36. The apparatus of  claim 35 , where the scheduling information event occurred alone. 
     
     
       37. The apparatus of  claim 35 , where the scheduling information event occurred with non-scheduled data and without scheduled data. 
     
     
       38. The apparatus of  claim 35 , where the network node comprises a Node-B and the apparatus comprises a wireless user equipment. 
     
     
       39. A device comprising:
 a network interface configured to receive a serving relative grant from a base station; and   a processing device configured to determine whether to utilize the serving relative grant to adjust a data transmission rate by the device based on contents of a transmission from the network interface to the base station in a previous transmission time interval.   
     
     
       40. The device of claim 39, wherein the processing device is configured to ignore the serving relative grant based on the contents of the transmission. 
     
     
       41. The device of claim 40, wherein the contents of the transmission include scheduling information alone. 
     
     
       42. The device of claim 40, wherein the contents of the transmission include scheduling information and unscheduled data. 
     
     
       43. The device of claim 40, wherein the network interface is configured to transmit data in a subsequent transmission time interval at a same power level as the transmission in the previous transmission time interval. 
     
     
       44. The device of claim 39, wherein the processing device is configured to adjust the rate of data transmission by the network interface based on the serving relative grant. 
     
     
       45. The device of claim 44, wherein the contents of the transmission include scheduled data. 
     
     
       46. A method comprising:
 receiving, by user equipment, a serving relative grant from a base station; and   determining, by the user equipment, whether to utilize the serving relative grant to adjust a data transmission rate of user equipment based on contents of a transmission by the user equipment to the base station in a previous transmission time interval.   
     
     
       47. The method of claim 46 further comprising ignoring, by the user equipment, the serving relative grant in response the determining. 
     
     
       48. The method of claim 47, wherein the contents of the transmission include scheduling information alone. 
     
     
       49. The method of claim 47, wherein the contents of the transmission include scheduling information and unscheduled data. 
     
     
       50. The method of claim 49, further comprising adjusting, by the user equipment, the data transmission rate of the user equipment based on the serving relative grant in response to the determining. 
     
     
       51. The method of claim 50, wherein the contents of the transmission include scheduled data. 
     
     
       52. The method of claim 47 further comprising transmitting, by the user equipment, data in a subsequent transmission time interval at a same power level as the transmission in the previous transmission time interval. 
     
     
       53. A method comprising:
 identifying, by a processing device in user equipment, contents of a message transmitted in a first time interval by the user equipment to a base station; and   disregarding, by the processing device, a serving relative grant for a transmission during a second time interval based on the contents of the message.   
     
     
       54. The method of claim 53, wherein the contents of the message include scheduling information alone. 
     
     
       55. The method of claim 53, wherein the contents of the message include scheduling information and unscheduled data. 
     
     
       56. The method of claim 53 further comprising prompting, by the processing device, transmission of data during the second time interval with a same power level as the transmission of the message during the first time interval. 
     
     
       57. The method of claim 53, wherein the serving relative grant is configured to request adjustment of a data transmission rate of the user equipment. 
     
     
       58. The method of claim 53, wherein the serving relative grant is configured to request adjustment of a power level of data transmissions by the user equipment.