HK1197784A - Systems and methods for priority based session and mobility management dual- priority mtc devices - Google Patents

Description

System and method for priority-based session and mobility management of dual-priority MTC devices

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application is based on the 35 u.s.c. § 119(e) claiming priority from U.S. provisional application No.61/591,752 filed on day 1, 27, 2012, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to network communications, and more particularly to systems, methods, and devices for priority-based management of connections between devices and networks.

Background

Networked communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice and data. A typical network communication system may be a multiple-access system capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems may include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. Additionally, these systems may conform to specifications such as third generation partnership project (3GPP), 3GPP2, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced, and the like.

In general, a multiple access communication system can simultaneously support communication for multiple devices. Each device may communicate with one or more base stations via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from the base stations to the devices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from the devices to the base stations.

As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data services has rapidly increased, efforts have been made toward implementing efficient and robust communication systems with enhanced performance. For example, in recent years, users have started to replace fixed line communication with mobile communication, and increasingly demand high voice quality, reliable service, and low price.

To accommodate the increasing demand, the evolution of the core network of network communication systems includes aspects from the evolution of the radio interface. For example, System Architecture Evolution (SAE), led by 3GPP, aims to evolve a global system for mobile communications (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) core network. The resulting Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is an Internet Protocol (IP) based multiple access core network that enables operators to deploy and use one common packet-based core network using multiple radio access technologies. The EPC provides optimized mobility for mobile devices and enables efficient handovers between different radio access technologies (e.g., between LTE and High Rate Packet Data (HRPD)). Furthermore, the standardized roaming interface enables operators to provide services to users through a number of different access technologies.

As the number and types of devices that can access the carrier network increase, certain characteristics of the devices can be used to determine the manner in which the devices interact with the network. For example, in some implementations, a device may include a priority. Consider a machine-to-machine detector that is scheduled to send data once a day. The device may be classified as a low priority device. The normal priority device may comprise a mobile phone or a smart phone. Further, as the complexity of the device increases, the device may be configurable to execute applications. Applications may also be prioritized, such as low priority applications and normal applications.

In view of the variety of configurations and priorities that may exist for a given device, improved systems, methods, and devices for managing connections between a device and a network are desired.

Disclosure of Invention

Various implementations of the systems, methods, and devices within the scope of the appended claims each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes described herein. Without limiting the scope of the claims described herein, some prominent features are described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

In one aspect, an apparatus for communicating in a network is provided. The apparatus includes a processor. The processor is configured to: a first packet-switched connection is established having a first priority for a first application. The processor is further configured to: a second packet-switched connection is established having a second priority for a second application. The processor is further configured to: transmitting a control plane message including priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.

In another aspect, a method for communicating in a network is provided. The method comprises the following steps: a first packet-switched connection is established having a first priority for a first application. The method further comprises the following steps: a second packet-switched connection is established having a second priority for a second application. The method further comprises the following steps: transmitting a control plane message including priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.

In another innovative aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions is provided. The instructions, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to establish a first packet-switched connection having a first priority for a first application. The instructions also cause the apparatus to establish a second packet-switched connection that is given a second priority for a second application. The instructions also cause the apparatus to transmit a control plane message comprising priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.

In one aspect, another apparatus for communicating in a network is provided. The device comprises: the apparatus includes means for establishing a first packet-switched connection having a first priority for a first application. The device further comprises: means for establishing a second packet-switched connection having a second priority for a second application. The device further comprises: means for transmitting a control plane message including priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a communication network in which aspects of the present disclosure may be used.

Fig. 2 shows an example of a functional block diagram of some of the communication entities of the communication network of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a functional block diagram of a communication device that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary user device that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a signal diagram of an exemplary method for establishing a connection that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 illustrates a process flow diagram of an exemplary method of communication that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1.

Fig. 7 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary communication device that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1.

In accordance with common practice, the various features shown in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Additionally, some of the figures may not depict all of the components of a given system, method, or apparatus. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.

Detailed Description

Various aspects of the novel systems, devices, and methods are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The teachings of the present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein, whether implemented independently or in combination with any other aspect of the present invention. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. Moreover, the scope of the present invention is intended to cover such apparatus and methods implemented with other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the invention set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

Although specific aspects are described herein, many variations and permutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects are mentioned, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to a particular benefit, use, or purpose. More specifically, aspects of the present disclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different network technologies, system configurations, networks, and transmission protocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in the figures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any implementation described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. For purposes of explanation, details are set forth in the following description. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not set forth in detail in order to not obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary detail. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wired and/or wireless communication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (ofdma) networks, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, and so forth. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), CDMA2000, etc. UTRA includes wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and Low Chip Rate (LCR). cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. TDMA networks may implement wireless technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM). An OFDMA network may implement wireless technologies such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents from an organization named "third Generation partnership project" (3 GPP). Cdma2000 is described in a document from an organization named "third generation partnership project 2" (3GPP 2). These various wireless technologies and standards are well known in the art.

In addition, in the following description, terminology associated with the UMTS system is used for the sake of brevity and clarity. It should be emphasized that the disclosed techniques may also be applicable to other technologies such as those related to LTE-advanced, LTE, W-CDMA, TDMA, OFDMA, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), evolved high rate packet data (eHRPD), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), GSM, enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), and so forth, as well as associated standards. The terminology associated with the different technologies may vary. For example, depending on the technology under consideration, User Equipment (UE) used in UMTS may sometimes be referred to as a mobile station, a user terminal, a subscriber unit, an access terminal, and so on, to name a few. Likewise, the node BS used in UMTS may sometimes be referred to as evolved node BS (enodebs), access nodes, access points, Base Stations (BSs), HRPD base stations (BTSs), and so on. It should be noted here that different terms apply to different technologies when applicable.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a communication network or system 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure may be used. The communication network 100 may include aspects that operate in accordance with a wireless standard (e.g., an LTE-advanced standard, an LTE standard, a WiMax standard, a GSM standard, an EDGE standard, an 802.11ah standard, an advanced WiFi-N standard, etc.). The wireless communication system 100 may include an Access Point (AP)104, the AP 104 in communication with a Station (STA) 106.

An Access Point (AP) may include, be implemented as, or be referred to as a node B, a Radio Network Controller (RNC), an eNodeB, a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a Base Station (BS), a Transceiver Function (TF), a wireless router, a wireless transceiver, or some other terminology.

A station STA may include, be implemented as, or be referred to as an Access Terminal (AT), a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a user agent, User Equipment (UE), or some other terminology. In some implementations an access terminal may comprise a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wired and/or wireless connection capability, or some other suitable processing device connected to a network modem. Accordingly, one or more aspects disclosed herein may be incorporated into a phone (e.g., a cellular phone or smart phone), a computer (e.g., a laptop), a portable communication device, a headset, a portable computing device (e.g., a personal data assistant), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a gaming device or system, a wireless sensor device, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured for network communications.

Various processes and methods may be used for transmissions between the AP 104 and the STAs 106 in the communication system 100. For example, signals may be transmitted and received between the AP 104 and the STAs 106 in accordance with OFDM/OFDMA techniques. If this is the case, communication system 100 may be referred to as an OFDM/OFDMA system. Alternatively, signals may be transmitted and received between the AP 104 and the STA 106 according to W-CDMA or CDMA techniques. If this is the case, communication system 100 may be referred to as a W-CDMA or CDMA system.

A communication link that facilitates transmission from the AP 104 to one or more of the STAs 106 may be referred to as a Downlink (DL), and a communication link that facilitates transmission from one or more of the STAs 106 to the AP 104 may be referred to as an Uplink (UL). Alternatively, the downlink may be referred to as the forward link or forward channel, and the uplink may be referred to as the reverse link or reverse channel.

The AP 104 may be configured as a base station and provide communication coverage in a Basic Service Area (BSA) 102. Depending on the technology under consideration, BSA may sometimes be referred to as coverage area, cell, etc. The AP 104 along with the STAs 106 that are associated with the AP 104 and communicate using the AP 104 may be referred to as a Basic Service Set (BSS). It should be noted that the communication system 100 may not have a central AP 104, but may function as a peer-to-peer network between STAs 106. Accordingly, the functions of the AP 104 described herein may alternatively be performed by one or more of the STAs 106.

Fig. 2 shows an example of a functional block diagram of a system 200 of certain communication entities of the communication network of fig. 1. The components illustrated in fig. 2 illustrate systems in which a multi-mode or multi-band device may communicate using multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs), e.g., eHRPD networks, LTE networks, etc., depending on the configuration of the network in the location where the mobile device is currently operating. As shown in fig. 2, system 200 may include: a radio access network, RAN, that provides wireless communication using LTE radio access technology between UE 206 and eNodeB 208a (e.g., node B, base station, access point, etc.). The system also depicts a RAN that provides wireless communication using an eHRPD radio access technology between the UE 206 and a Base Transceiver Station (BTS)208B (e.g., a node B, a base station, an access point, etc.). For simplicity of discussion, fig. 2 depicts UE 206 and one eNodeB 208a in the RAN and HRPD BTS 208b in another RAN; it should be appreciated, however: each RAN may include any number of UEs and/or eNodeB/HRPD BTSs. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that: additional RANs, such as UTRA, GSM, EDGE, etc., may be included.

In accordance with one aspect, eNodeB 208a and HRPD BTS 208b may transmit information to UE 206 over a forward link or downlink channel, and UE 206 may transmit information to eNodeB 208a and HRPD BTS 209b over a reverse link or uplink channel. As shown, the RAN may use any suitable type of radio access technology, such as, but not limited to, LTE-advanced, HSPA, CDMA, HRPD, eHRPD, CDMA2000, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and so forth.

The RAN, and in particular eNodeB 208a and HRPD BTS 208b, may communicate with a core network that is capable of charging (e.g., usage charging for services, etc.), security (e.g., ciphering and integrity protection), subscriber management, mobility management, bearer management, QoS processing, policy control of data flows, and/or interworking with external networks. For example, the RAN and the core network may communicate via an S1 interface. The core network may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME)216, and the MME 216 may be an endpoint for control signaling from the RAN. The MME 216 may provide functions such as mobility management (e.g., tracking), authentication, and security. The MME 216 may communicate with the RAN via an S1 interface. The core network may also include a serving gateway (S-GW)210, the S-GW 210 being a user plane node that connects the core network to the LTE RAN. The core network may also include an HRPD Serving Gateway (HSGW)214, with the HSGW 214 connecting the core network to the eHRPD RAN. The eHRDP RAN also includes an evolved access node (eAN) and an evolved packet control function (ePCF) entity 212 that manages packet delay between HRPD BTS 208b and HSGW 214.

In an aspect, the MME 216 may communicate with the S-GW 210 or the eAN/ePCF212 via an S11 interface. Further, the HSGW 214 and the S-GW 210 may communicate to facilitate interoperability between the eHRPD network and the EPC. In another aspect, the MME 216 and the S-GW 210 may be configured as a single node to provide a single endpoint for users and to control signaling originating from the RAN and/or terminating at the RAN. The network may also include a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 230. The PCRF 230 may communicate with the S-GW 210, the HSGW 214, the PDN GW 218, and the core network.

The core network may also include a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (GW)218 that facilitates communication between the core network (and the RAN) and external networks. The PDN GW 218 may provide packet filtering, QoS policing, charging, IP address allocation, and routing of traffic to external networks. In one example, the S-GW 210 and the PDN GW 218 may communicate via an S5 interface. Although shown as separate nodes in fig. 2, it should be appreciated that, for example, the S-GW 210 and the PDN GW 218 may be configured to operate as a single network node in order to reduce user plane nodes in the core network. In one aspect, the core network may also include a 3GPP authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server/proxy 234 and a 3GPP2 AAA server/proxy 236, many of which communicate with each other and also with the PDN GW 218 and HSGW 214 respectfully. The core network may also include a Home Subscriber Service (HSS) entity 232 that may communicate with the MME 216 and the 3GPP AAA server/proxy 234. In some implementations, the path between the PDN GW 218 and the UE 206 may be referred to as a packet data network connection. A packet data network connection may be identified by one or more network (e.g., IP) addresses.

The core network may communicate with external networks via the PDN GW 218. The external network (not shown) may include a network such as, but not limited to, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and/or an IP network. The IP network may be the internet, a local area network, a wide area network, an intranet, or the like. It should be appreciated that the configuration shown in fig. 2 is merely an example of one possible configuration, and that many other configurations and additional components may be used in accordance with the various aspects and implementations described below.

The communication network shown in fig. 2 illustrates some wireless technologies. In some implementations, the UE 206 may be configured to access the communication network via a wired connection. For example, the UE 206 may connect to a device coupled to a communication network via a local area network. The device may be a router or a modem (e.g., cable modem, digital subscriber line model, satellite modem) configured to send and receive communications.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a functional block diagram of a communication device that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1. The communication device 302 is an example of a device that may be configured to implement the various methods described herein. For example, the communication device 302 may include: a STA, UE, AT, subscriber station, subscriber unit, mobile station, remote terminal, user agent, user device, etc. As another example, the communication device 302 may be a multi-mode or multi-band device capable of operating using different Radio Access Technologies (RATs), such as using LTE, LTE-advanced, HSPA, CDMA, HRPD, eHRPD, CDMA2000, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and so forth.

The communication device 302 may include a processor 304, the processor 304 controlling the operation of the communication device 302. The processor 304 may also be referred to as a Central Processing Unit (CPU). Memory 306 provides instructions and data to processor 304, and memory 306 may include both read-only memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM). A portion of the memory 306 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The processor 304 typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored in the memory 306. The instructions in the memory 306 may be executed to implement the methods described herein.

The data in memory 306 may include configuration data. The configuration data may be pre-loaded into memory 306. The configuration data may be obtained from a user of the communication device 302 (e.g., via interface 322, SIM card, download, over-the-air). The processor 304 may also perform logical and arithmetic operations based on the configuration data.

In some aspects, the processor 304 is configured to: causing a signal to be transmitted or received from another device (e.g., AP 104, STA 106, etc.). These signals may include: mobility or session management signals for allowing an application running on the communication device 302 to access network services. In some aspects, the processor 304 is further configured to: the manner how and when the management signals are to be sent is controlled. For example, in some implementations, the communication device 302 may move from one location to another. As a result of the movement, APs 104 that previously provided network services to the communication device 302 may no longer be within range. Thus, the communication device 302 may need to be transferred to a new AP 104. This is commonly referred to as mobility management.

In some implementations, the processor 304 may be configured to: so that a signal indicating the change in position is transmitted. For example, a Tracking Area Update (TAU) signal may be transmitted by the communication device 302. An indicator of access priority for the communication device 302 may be included in the TAU signal. In some implementations, the communication device 302 may be configured to: the location update signal and/or the routing area update signal is sent as part of mobility management. The location update signal or routing area update signal may also include an access priority indicator. How the indicator to be included in the signal is determined is described in further detail below.

Processor 304 may include or be a component of a processing system implemented using one or more processors. One or more processors may be implemented using any combination of the following: a general purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, a dedicated hardware finite state machine, or any other suitable entity capable of performing calculations or other operations on information.

The processing system may also include a machine-readable medium for storing software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean any type of instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The instructions may include code (e.g., code in source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable format). The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processing system to perform the various functions described herein.

The communication device 302 may also include a housing 308, the housing 308 including a transmitter 310 and/or a receiver 312 to allow transmission and reception of data between the communication device 302 and a remote location. As mentioned above, the transmitter 310 may be configured to wirelessly transmit the status information. Further, the receiver 312 may be configured to wirelessly receive user data. The transmitter 310 and receiver 312 may be combined into a transceiver 314. An antenna 316 may be connected to the housing 308 and electrically coupled to the transceiver 314. The communication device 302 may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers and/or multiple antennas. In some configurations, the transmitter 310 and/or receiver 312 may be implemented for wired communications in addition to or as an alternative to wireless communications.

The communication device 302 may also include a signal detector 318, which may be used to try to detect and quantify the level of signals received by the transceiver 314. The signal detector 318 may detect such signals as total energy, energy per subcarrier per symbol, power spectral density, and other signals. The communication device 302 may also include a Digital Signal Processor (DSP)320 for use in processing signals. The DSP 320 may be configured to: generate packets for transmission and/or process received packets.

In some aspects, the communication device 302 may also include a user interface 322. The user interface 322 may include a keypad, a microphone, a speaker, and/or a display. The user interface 322 may include: any element or component that conveys information to a user of the communication device 302 and/or receives input from the user.

The various components of the communication device 302 may be coupled together by a bus system 326. The bus system 326 may include a data bus, and in addition to the data bus, the bus system 326 may include, for example, a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components of the communication device 302 may be coupled together or accept or provide input to each other using some other mechanism.

Although several separate components are shown in FIG. 3, those skilled in the art will recognize that one or more of these components may be combined or implemented generally. For example, the processor 304 may be used to implement not only the functions described above with reference to the processor 304, but also the functions described above with reference to the signal detector 318 and/or the DSP 320. Further, each of the components shown in fig. 3 may be implemented using a plurality of separate elements. For example, the processor 304 and the memory 306 may be implemented on a single chip. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 304 may contain memory such as processor registers. Similarly, one or more of the functional blocks or portions of the functionality of various blocks may be embodied on a single chip. Alternatively, the functionality of a particular block may be implemented on two or more chips.

In this specification and the appended claims, it should be clear that the term "circuitry" is to be interpreted as a structural term and not a functional term. For example, as shown and described in fig. 3, a circuit may be an aggregation of circuit components (e.g., a wide variety of integrated circuit components in the form of processing and/or memory elements, cells, blocks, etc.). One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations of the functional blocks described with respect to the communication device 302 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP communication, or any other such configuration.

Fig. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary user device that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1. The UE400 shown in fig. 4 includes a non-access stratum module 402. The non-access stratum module 402 may be configured to: non-access stratum (NAS) signaling for the UE400 is performed. NAS signaling is a type of control plane signaling that may be used to establish and maintain a connection between the UE400 and the network. Two aspects of maintaining network connectivity are mobility and session. Thus, when a UE moves or transitions from an idle state, mobility information may need to be updated. Similarly, a session (e.g., a data or voice communication session) may need to be updated, for example, in the event that the UE changes radio access technology.

In the illustrated implementation, the non-access stratum module 402 is coupled with an operating system 404. The operating system 404 is a general-purpose application executable by a processor of the UE 400. The operating system 404 provides basic access to low-level functions (e.g., network connectivity) of the UE400 for applications. The operating system 404 may be a set of instructions stored in a memory associated with the UE400 that may be executed by a processor of the UE 400.

As shown in fig. 4, two applications are included in the UE 400: application a 406 and application B408. Application a 406 and application B408 may be a set of instructions stored in a memory associated with the UE that may be executed by a processor of the UE 400. Application a 406 and application B408 may be configured to: network services are requested and used by the operating system 404. The network service may include a network connection such as a packet-switched connection. Each application may request and receive a dedicated instance of a network service. For example, in the UE400 of fig. 4, application a 406 may obtain a first packet-switched network connection, while application B408 may obtain a second packet-switched network connection. The UE400 may include additional applications, which may each obtain network services in a similar manner. How the UE400 manages these multiple network services (e.g., packet-switched connections, IP addresses, etc.) may impact the overall performance of the UE 400.

In some implementations, the operating system 404 provides an interface to web services for applications. By invoking the respective procedures via the interface, low-level functionality (e.g., NAS signaling for establishing and/or maintaining a network connection) may be accessed without the respective application being concerned with the details of the NAS signaling. Instead, NAS signaling is handled by the non-access stratum module 402. Although the implementation shown in fig. 4 includes two applications, the described methods and systems are also applicable to a UE that may include one or more applications.

The UE400 may be assigned a priority. For example, when the UE400 attaches to the network, the network may identify the device class of the UE400 based on signals received from the UE 400. For example, the UE400 may be identified as a machine-to-machine device. Thus, the network operator may assign priorities based on the characteristics of the devices. In some implementations, the priority may be one of a normal priority or a low priority. It will be appreciated that other levels of priority may be included without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Further, as the application creates the network connection, the application may be associated with a priority. In some implementations, the network operator may assign priorities to the connections. In some implementations, an application may assign a priority to a connection. In the example shown, application a 406 may be a high priority application (e.g., text messaging) and application B408 may be a low priority application (e.g., information sensor).

The UE may change from a low priority access configuration and, after the setup change, establish a new PDN connection from normal to low priority. In this case, then the UE400 may maintain two connections, one low priority connection and one normal priority connection. Thus, the UE400 may appear as a low priority access UE or as a normal priority access UE based on the application requirements of the application included in the UE 400. The application may similarly be configured to change access priority.

Thus, a given UE may have different priority requirements for network connections. During a mobility scenario, such as a UE moving from a basic service area of a first AP (source network) to a basic service area of a second AP (target network), the UE may send a TAU message to the target AP in order to facilitate migration of a session established using the source network to the target network. The TAU message may include an indicator for specifying an access priority of the UE. In some implementations, the indicator may accommodate one value. However, as discussed above, the UE may have different priority access links established for different applications. Thus, a determination as to which value to use for specifying the access priority in the TAU message may be performed.

The TAU message may also be triggered after an idle period of the UE. Upon exiting the idle state, the UE may need to "refresh" its state to the network. A method for refreshing may include: the TAU message is sent. It will be appreciated that while the TAU message is mentioned as a medium for sending access priority for mobility events, other messages (e.g., other NAS signals, paging response signals, location update signals, routing area update signals, or other similar signals sent to the AP) may also include access priority.

Fig. 5 illustrates a process flow diagram of an exemplary method for prioritizing mobility event signals that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1. The process shown in fig. 5 may be implemented in one or more of the communication devices described above. In some implementations, the user device or a device associated with the user device can implement the process.

At block 502, a first priority access is generated. The first priority access may be for a first application. At block 504, a second priority access is generated. The second priority access may be for a second application. At block 506, a mobility event (e.g., a change in location, return from idle) occurs. As discussed above, a mobility event may cause the communication device to send an update signal to identify its status to the network. At determination block 508, a determination is made based on the first priority and the second priority. If the first priority is greater than the second priority, the process continues to block 510 where the mobility signal access priority is set to the first priority. The first priority being "greater than" the second priority may refer to: the first priority is used for more time sensitive communications than the second priority. For example, the first priority may be a voice call. Any delay in sending a voice call will likely result in a poor user experience for the call. The second priority may be for data pushed for a news feed. The application may not be as time sensitive as a voice call, so the user experience will not be as frustrating if the news is not updated conveniently. Thus, the determination selects the "highest" priority (that is, the priority associated with the most critical communication flow) as the access priority identifying the access priority to be included in the mobility signal. Returning to decision block 512, if the second priority is higher than the first priority, the process proceeds to block 516, at block 516, the second priority is used as an access priority for the mobility signal.

In some cases, both the first priority and the second priority may be "normal" priorities. In this case, the UE will not set the low priority access device attribute in the mobility signal. Conversely, both the first priority and the second priority may be low priorities. In this case, the UE will set the low priority access device attribute in the mobility signal.

Fig. 6 illustrates a process flow diagram of an exemplary method of communication that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1. The method of fig. 6 may be implemented in a user equipment. At block 702, a first packet-switched connection having a first priority for a first application is established. At block 704, a second packet-switched connection having a second priority for a second application is established. At block 706, a control plane message including priority information is transmitted based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority. The information may include mobility signals as described above.

Fig. 7 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary communication device that may be used within the communication network of fig. 1. The exemplary communication device 800 may be configured to: implementing one or more of the methods described above. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device may have more components than the simplified communication device 800 shown in fig. 7. The illustrated communication device 800 includes only those components that are useful for describing some of the salient features of certain implementations. The communication device 800 includes: a first priority communication circuit 802, a second priority communication circuit 804, and a transmit circuit 806.

In some implementations, the first priority communication circuit 802 may be configured to: a first packet-switched connection is established having a first priority for a first application. The first priority communication circuit 802 may include one or more of a NAS signaling module, a processor, a transmitter, and a memory. In some implementations, the means for establishing the first connection may include a first priority communication circuit 802.

In some implementations, the second priority communication circuit 804 may be configured to: a second packet-switched connection is established having a second priority for a second application. The second priority communication circuit 804 may include one or more of a NAS signaling module, a processor, a transmitter, and a memory. In some implementations, the means for establishing the second connection may include a second priority communication circuit 804.

In some implementations, the transmit circuitry 806 may be configured to: transmitting a control plane message including priority information based on the first priority and the second priority. The transmit circuitry 806 may include one or more of a transmitter, an antenna, and a processor. In some implementations, means for transmitting information may include transmit circuitry 806.

As used herein, the term "determining" includes a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, studying, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Further, "determining" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and so forth. Further, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, establishing, and the like. Further, a "channel width" as used herein may include bandwidth in some aspects, or may also be referred to as bandwidth.

As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. To take an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a. b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c and a-b-c.

The various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable means (e.g., various hardware and/or software components, circuits, and/or modules) capable of performing the operations. In general, any operations shown in the figures may be performed by respective functional units capable of performing the operations.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array signal (FPGA) or other Programmable Logic Device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc (disc), as used herein, includes Compact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Thus, in some aspects, computer-readable media may comprise non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). Further, in some aspects, computer readable media may comprise transitory computer readable media (e.g., signals). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

The functions described may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions on a computer-readable medium. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. As used herein, magnetic and optical disks include disksCompact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disc and optical discOptical disks, in which disks usually reproduce data magnetically, use lasers to reproduce data optically.

Accordingly, certain aspects may comprise a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having instructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, which may be executed by one or more processors to implement the operations described herein. For certain aspects, a computer program product may include packaging materials.

Software or instructions may also be transmitted over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of transmission medium.

Further, it is to be appreciated that the user terminal and/or the base station (as applicable) can download and/or otherwise obtain the modules and/or other suitable means for performing the methods and techniques described herein, as appropriate. For example, such a device may be coupled to a server to facilitate the transmission of means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can be provided via a memory module (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a Compact Disc (CD) or floppy disk, etc.), such that a user terminal and/or base station can obtain the various methods upon coupling or providing the memory module to the device. Further, any other suitable technique for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a device may be used.

It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components described above. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

While the foregoing is directed to aspects of the present disclosure, other and further aspects of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims (34)

1. An apparatus for communicating in a network, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

establishing a first packet-switched connection having a first priority for a first application;

establishing a second packet-switched connection having a second priority for a second application; and

transmitting a control plane message including priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first priority is associated with a first communication speed and the second priority is associated with a second communication speed, the first communication speed being greater than the second communication speed.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the priority information is associated with the first priority.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control plane message comprises a mobility message.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the mobility message comprises at least one of: tracking area update messages, location update messages, and routing area update messages.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the mobility message comprises a non-access stratum message.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control plane message comprises: for maintaining information of at least one of the first packet switched connection and the second packet switched connection.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first packet-switched connection and the second packet-switched connection comprise IP network connections.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first packet-switched connection and the second packet-switched connection comprise packet data network connections.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first packet switched connection is associated with a first network address and the second packet switched connection is associated with a second network address.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first network address is different from the second network address.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first network address is the same as the second network address.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first packet-switched connection is associated with a first network node and the second packet-switched connection is associated with a second network node.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first network node is different from the second network node.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first network node is the same as the second network node.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: causing the transceiver to wirelessly establish the first packet-switched connection, wirelessly establish the second packet-switched connection, and wirelessly transmit the control plane message.

17. A method for communicating in a network, the method comprising:

establishing a first packet-switched connection having a first priority for a first application;

establishing a second packet-switched connection having a second priority for a second application; and

transmitting a control plane message including priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first priority is associated with a first communication speed and the second priority is associated with a second communication speed, the first communication speed being greater than the second communication speed.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the priority information is associated with the first priority.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the control plane message comprises a mobility message.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the mobility message comprises at least one of: tracking area update messages, location update messages, and routing area messages.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the mobility message comprises a non-access stratum message.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the control plane message comprises: for maintaining information of at least one of the first packet switched connection and the second packet switched connection.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the first packet-switched connection and the second packet-switched connection comprise IP network connections.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the first packet-switched connection and the second packet-switched connection comprise packet data network connections.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first packet-switched connection is associated with a first network address and the second packet-switched connection is associated with a second network address.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first network address is different from the second network address.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the first network address is the same as the second network address.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the first packet-switched connection is associated with a first network node and the second packet-switched connection is associated with a second network node.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first network node is different from the second network node.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the first network node is the same as the second network node.

32. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the following comprises wireless communication: establishing the first packet-switched connection, establishing the second packet-switched connection, and sending the control plane message.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to:

establishing a first packet-switched connection having a first priority for a first application;

establishing a second packet-switched connection having a second priority for a second application; and

transmitting a control plane message including priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.

34. An apparatus for communicating in a network, the apparatus comprising:

means for establishing a first packet-switched connection having a first priority for a first application;

means for establishing a second packet-switched connection having a second priority for a second application; and

means for transmitting a control plane message including priority information based at least in part on the first priority and the second priority.