Unique word (UW) based multiple access message processing

1. A method comprising:

receiving a data communications signal via a random access channel of a wireless communications network;

processing the data communications signal to search for data bursts in a first time-slot of the random access channel that include any one of a first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot, and determining that a data burst A in the first time-slot includes a first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot, and, based on this determination, resolving that the data burst A in the first time-slot is an initial burst of a message from a first communications terminal;

processing the data communications signal to determine whether a second time-slot of the random access channel directly following the first time-slot includes a data burst B that includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the second time-slot includes the data burst B, resolving that the message from the first communications terminal is a multi-burst message and that the data burst B is a second burst of the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the second time-slot does not include the data burst B, resolving that the message from the first communications terminal is a single-burst message that has been completed via the first time-slot.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the circumstance when it is determined that the second time-slot includes the data burst B, the method further comprises:

processing the data communications signal to determine whether a third time-slot of the random access channel directly following the second time-slot includes a data burst C that includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the third time-slot includes the data burst C, resolving that the data burst C is a third burst of the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the third time-slot does not include the data burst C, resolving that the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal has been completed via the second time-slot.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein, in the circumstance when it is determined that the third time-slot includes the data burst C, the method further comprises:

processing the data communications signal to determine whether subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include further data bursts that each includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that one or more of such subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include such further data bursts, resolving that each of such further data bursts is a respective subsequent burst of the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that a one of such subsequent time-slots of the random access channel does not include any such further data burst, resolving that the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal has been completed via a time-slot directly preceding the one of such subsequent time-slots of the random access channel that does not include any such further data burst.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that a data burst AA in the first time-slot includes a second one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot, and, based on this determination, resolving that the data burst AA in the first time-slot is an initial burst of a message from a second communications terminal;

processing the data communications signal to determine whether the second time-slot of the random access channel includes a data burst BB that includes the second one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the second time-slot includes the data burst BB, resolving that the message from the second communications terminal is a multi-burst message and that the data burst BB is a second burst of the multi-burst message from the second communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the second time-slot does not include the data burst BB, resolving that the message from the second communications terminal is a single-burst message that has been completed via the first time-slot.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

processing the data communications signal to search for data bursts in a future time-slot of the random access channel that include any one of a further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot, and determining that a data burst AAA in the future time-slot includes a first one of the further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot, and, based on this determination, resolving that the data burst AAA in the future time-slot is an initial burst of a message from a further communications terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:

processing the data communications signal to determine whether a first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel directly following the future time-slot includes a data burst BBB that includes the first one of the further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel includes the data burst BBB, resolving that the message from the further communications terminal is a multi-burst message and that the data burst BBB is a second burst of the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel does not include the data burst BBB, resolving that the message from the further communications terminal is a single-burst message that has been completed via the future time-slot.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein, in the circumstance when it is determined that the first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel directly following the future time-slot includes the data burst BBB, the method further comprises:

processing the data communications signal to determine whether a second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel directly following the first subsequent time-slot includes a data burst CCC that includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel includes the data burst CCC, resolving that the data burst CCC is a third burst of the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that the second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel does not include the data burst CCC, resolving that the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal has been completed via the first subsequent time-slot.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein, in the circumstance when it is determined that the second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel includes the data burst CCC, the method further comprises:

processing the data communications signal to determine whether further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include further data bursts that each includes the first one of the further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that one or more of such further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include such further data bursts, resolving that each of such further data bursts is a respective subsequent burst of the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when it is determined that a one of such further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel does not include any such further data burst, resolving that the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal has been completed via a time-slot directly preceding the one of such further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel that does not include any such further data burst.

9. A communications terminal comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a data communications signal via a random access channel of a wireless communications network; and

a processor configured to process the data communications signal to search for data bursts in a first time-slot of the random access channel that include any one of a first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot, wherein, in a circumstance when the processor determines that a data burst A in the first time-slot includes a first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot, the processor is configured to resolve that the data burst A in the first time-slot is an initial burst of a message from a first communications terminal; and

wherein the processor is further configured to process the data communications signal to determine whether a second time-slot of the random access channel directly following the first time-slot includes a data burst B that includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the second time-slot includes the data burst B, the processor is configured to resolve that the message from the first communications terminal is a multi-burst message and that the data burst B is a second burst of the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the second time-slot does not include the data burst B, the processor is configured to resolve that the message from the first communications terminal is a single-burst message that has been completed via the first time-slot.

10. The communications terminal according to claim 9 , wherein, in the circumstance when the processor determines that the second time-slot includes the data burst B, the processor is further configured to:

process the data communications signal to determine whether a third time-slot of the random access channel directly following the second time-slot includes a data burst C that includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the third time-slot includes the data burst C, the processor is configured to resolve that the data burst C is a third burst of the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the third time-slot does not include the data burst C, the processor is configured to resolve that the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal has been completed via the second time-slot.

11. The communications terminal according to claim 10 , wherein, in the circumstance when the processor determines that the third time-slot includes the data burst C, the processor is further configured to:

process the data communications signal to determine whether subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include further data bursts that each includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that one or more of such subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include such further data bursts, the processor is configured to resolve that each of such one or more subsequent time-slots of the random access channel is a respective subsequent burst of the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that a one of such subsequent time-slots of the random access channel does not include any such further data burst, the processor is configured to resolve that the multi-burst message from the first communications terminal has been completed via a time-slot directly preceding the one of such subsequent time-slots of the random access channel that does not include any such further data burst.

12. The communications terminal according to claim 9 , wherein, in a circumstance when the processor determines that a data burst AA in the first time-slot includes a second one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot, the processor is configured to:

resolve that the data burst AA in the first time-slot is an initial burst of a message from a second communications terminal; and

process the data communications signal to determine whether the second time-slot of the random access channel includes a data burst BB that includes the second one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the first time-slot; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the second time-slot includes the data burst BB, the processor is configured to resolve that the message from the second communications terminal is a multi-burst message and that the data burst BB is a second burst of the multi-burst message from the second communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the second time-slot does not include the data burst BB, the processor is configured to resolve that the message from the second communications terminal is a single-burst message that has been completed via the first time-slot.

13. The communications terminal according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

process the data communications signal to search for data bursts in a future time-slot of the random access channel that include any one of a further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot, wherein, in a circumstance when the processor determines that a data burst AAA in the future time-slot includes a first one of the further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot, the processor is configured to resolve that the data burst AAA in the future time-slot is an initial burst of a message from a further communications terminal.

14. The communications terminal according to claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

process the data communications signal to determine whether a first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel directly following the future time-slot includes a data burst BBB that includes the first one of the further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel includes the data burst BBB, the processor is configured to resolve that the message from the further communications terminal is a multi-burst message and that the data burst BBB is a second burst of the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel does not include the data burst BBB, the processor is configured to resolve that the message from the further communications terminal is a single-burst message that has been completed via the future time-slot.

15. The communications terminal according to claim 14 , wherein, in the circumstance when the processor determines that the first subsequent time-slot of the random access channel directly following the future time-slot includes the data burst BBB, the processor is further configured to:

process the data communications signal to determine whether a second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel directly following the first subsequent time-slot includes a data burst CCC that includes the first one of the first set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel includes the data burst CCC, the processor is configured to resolve that the data burst CCC is a third burst of the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that the second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel does not include the data burst CCC, the processor is configured to resolve that the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal has been completed via the first subsequent time-slot.

16. The communications terminal according to claim 15 , wherein, in the circumstance when the processor determines that the second subsequent time-slot of the random access channel includes the data burst CCC, the processor is further configured to:

process the data communications signal to determine whether further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include further data bursts that each includes the first one of the further set of signature sequences assigned to the future time-slot; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that one or more of such further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel respectively include such further data bursts, the processor is configured to resolve that each of such further data bursts is a respective subsequent burst of the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal; and

in a circumstance when the processor determines that a one of such further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel does not include any such further data burst, the processor is configured to resolve that the multi-burst message from the further communications terminal has been completed via a time-slot directly preceding the one of such further subsequent time-slots of the random access channel that does not include any such further data burst.