Method and mobile station for controlling communication via a radio link

1. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication network is operable to provide communication services to a mobile station, a method for controlling communication via a radio link based on a multi-slot based power class designation, the method comprising:

providing a multi-slot based power class designation to the communication network, the multi-slot based power class designation being associated with a plurality of power levels of the mobile station and a number of slots corresponding to each of the plurality of power levels and

communicating with the communication network via a radio link based on the multi-slot based power class designation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring an operating parameter during communication with the communication network via the radio link, the operating parameter being one of a thermal parameter and a power parameter associated with the mobile station; and

suspending communication with the communication network via the radio link in response to detecting the operating parameter exceeding a threshold.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of monitoring an operating parameter associated with the mobile station during communication with the communication network via the radio link comprises monitoring the temperature of a transmitting unit within the mobile station during transmission of data to the communication network via an uplink.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a multi-slot based power class designation. to the communication network comprises providing a user-selectable, multi-slot based power class designation to the communication network.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of communicating with the communication network via a radio link based on the multi-slot based power class designation comprises:

receiving an assignment message from the communication network based on the multi-slot based power class designation, the assignment message including an assigned power level and an assigned number of slots; and

transmitting data to the communication network via an uplink based on the assigned power level and the assigned number of slots.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication system comprises a time division multiple access (TDMA) based communication system.

7. The method of claim l wherein said multi-slot based power class designation includes a number of bits corresponding to the number of slots; and wherein each bit of the multi-slot based power class designation which has a predefined bit value defines the number of allowable slots, corresponding to one of the associated plurality of power levels.

8. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication network is operable to provide communication services, a mobile station for controlling communication via a radio link based on a multi-slot based power class designation, the mobile station comprising:

a transmitting unit; and

a controller operatively coupled to the transmitting unit, the controller having a memory and a processor operatively coupled to the memory,

the controller being programmed to provide a multi-slot based power class designation to the communication network, the multi-slot based power class designation being associated with a plurality of power levels of the mobile station and a number of slots corresponding to each of the plurality of power levels, and

the controller being programmed to communicate with the communication network via a radio link based on the multi-slot based power class designation.

9. The mobile station of claim 8 , wherein the controller is programmed to monitor an operating parameter during communication with the communication network via the radio link, the operating parameter being one of a thermal parameter and a power parameter associated with the mobile station, and the controller is programmed to suspend communication with the communication network via the radio link in response to detecting the operating parameter exceeding a threshold.

10. The mobile station of claim 9 , wherein the controller is programmed to suspend transmission of data to the communication network via an uplink in response to detecting the operating parameter exceeding a threshold, the threshold being associated with a condition suggesting overheating of the transmitting unit.

11. The mobile station of claim 8 , wherein the controller is programmed to receive an assignment message from the communication network based on the multi-slot based power class designation, the assignment message including an assigned power level and an assigned number of slots, and the controller is programmed to transmit data to the communication network via an uplink based on the assigned power level and the assigned number of slots.

12. The mobile station of claim 8 , wherein the multi-slot based power class designation is user-selectable.

13. The mobile station of claim 8 is operable in accordance with a time division multiple access (TDMA) based communication protocol.

14. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication network provides communication services for a mobile station, and wherein a processor operates in accordance with a computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium for controlling communication via a radio link based on a multi-slot based power class designation, the computer program comprising:

a first routine that directs the processor to provide a multi-slot based power class designation to the communication network, the multi-slot based power class designation being associated with a plurality of power levels of the mobile station and a number of slots corresponding to each of the plurality of power levels; and

a second routine that directs the processor to communicate with the communication network via a radio link based on the multi-slot based power class designation.

15. The computer program of claim 14 further comprising:

a third routine that directs the processor to monitor an operating parameter during communication with the communication network via the radio link, the operating parameter being one of a thermal parameter and a power parameter associated with the mobile station; and

a fourth routine that directs the processor to suspend communication with the communication network via the radio link in response to detecting the operating parameter exceeding a threshold.

16. The computer program of claim 15 , wherein the third routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to monitor the temperature of a transmitting unit within the mobile station during the communication with the communication network via the radio link.

17. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the first routine comprises a routine that directs the processor to provide a user-selectable multi-slot based power class designation to the communication network.

18. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the second routine comprises:

a routine that directs the processor to receive an assignment message from the communication network based on the multi-slot based power class designation, the assignment message including an assigned power level and an assigned number of slots; and

a routine that directs the processor to transmit data to the communication network via an uplink based on the assigned power level and the assigned number of slots.

19. The computer program of claim 14 is operable in accordance with a time division multiple access (TDMA) based communication protocol.

20. The computer program of claim 14 , wherein the medium is one of paper, a programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, erasable programmable read only memory, read only memory, random access memory, magnetic media, and optical media.

21. In a wireless communication system, wherein a communication network is operable to provide communication services to a mobile station, a method for preventing overheating of a transmitting unit within the mobile station, the method comprising:

transmitting a multi-slot based power class designation to the communication network, the multi-slot based power class designation being associated with a plurality of power levels of the mobile station and a number of slots corresponding to each of the plurality of power levels;

receiving an assignment message from the communication network based on the multi-slot based power class designation, the assignment message including an assigned power level and an assigned number of slots;

transmitting data from the transmitting unit to communication network via an uplink based on the assigned power level and the assigned number of slots;

monitoring the temperature of the transmitting unit during transmission of data to the communication network via the uplink;

suspending transmission of data to the communication network via the uplink in response to detecting the temperature of the transmitting unit exceeding an overheat threshold, the overheat threshold being associated with a condition suggesting overheating of the transmitting unit; and

resuming communication with the communication network via the uplink in response to detecting the temperature of the transmitting unit being below the overheat threshold.