Appeal No. 2003-0469
Application No. 09/317,480
Benveniste teaches that in the channel (re)-allocation function of Adaptive-
Dynamic Channel Assignment, “channels are selected so that the number of
channels allocated to each cell or sector is proportional to the number of
channels needed”, Column 11, lines 35-37. Thus, we find that Benveniste
teaches that when the cell is divided into sectors, channels are allocated to
sectors in the cell. Benveniste describes the operation of the channel acquisition
logic (channel borrowing), shown in figure 4, as follows:
The process in which unused channels are borrowed by a cell needing
added capacity is illustrated by the flowchart of figure 4…. The decision
block 909 determines if there is an available channel from those allocated
to the cell to assign to the call request. If there is one, the flow proceeds
to block 911 whose instructions assign the call to the free channel and the
assignment process ends in terminal 919
If all channels allocated to the cell are busy within the cell or borrowed by
other cells, the flow processes to block 913 which determines if there is a
free channel, not allocated to the cell, that would meet al interference and
system requirements if assigned to the call. (emphasis added)
Thus, channel transfer (channel borrowing) only occurs if all channels allocated
to the cell are busy. We find that since sectors are segments of a cell, channels
allocated to the sector are necessarily allocated to the cell. Accordingly, we find
that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that implicit in Benveniste‘s
teaching, that channels from other cells are only borrowed when there is no
available channel in the cell, is that channels allocated to sectors within the cell
must be transferred between sectors before transfer channels from another cell
are transferred to the cell.
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