Patent Application
20110116469
The present invention relates to a method and system for handing off from a home network. The present invention further relates to seamlessly transitioning from local internet protocol access to a mobile network.
A mobile system may access a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) and an evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) cellular network through base stations installed at domestic homes or belonging to business and commercial enterprises, called Home NodeB (HNB) in UTRAN and Home eNodeB (HeNB) in E-UTRAN. The HNB or the HeNB may be part of an at least partially wireless local area network (LAN) referred to as a home network. The HNB or HeNB may provide access to both a core mobile network and the home network.
A method, a mobile system, and a mobility management entity are disclosed. A transceiver may receive a mobility message element from a mobility management entity. A processor may use the mobility message element and the transceiver to establish a home data packet bearer with a core packet data network gateway having a data tunnel to a local packet data network gateway of the home network. A data storage may associate the home data packet bearer with the home network.
Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth herein.
Various embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The present invention comprises a variety of embodiments, such as a method, a mobile system, and a mobility management entity, and other embodiments that relate to the basic concepts of the invention. The mobile system may be any manner of computer, mobile device, or wireless communication device.
A method, a mobile system, and a mobility management entity are disclosed. A transceiver may receive a mobility message element from a mobility management entity. A processor may use the mobility message element and the transceiver to establish a home data packet bearer with a core packet data network gateway having a data tunnel to a local packet data network gateway of the home network. A data storage may associate the home data packet bearer with the home network.
A home, office, or other localized setting may maintain a home network 108. The home network 108 may be an at least partially wireless local area network (LAN) connected to the core mobile network 102. The home network 108 may be connected to the core mobile network 102 via one or more home network base stations 110, such as a home NodeB (HNB) or a home evolved NodeB (HeNB). The mobile system 104 may use the home network base station 110 to access either the mobile network 102 or the home network 108 through the home network base station 110. The home network base station 110 may allow a mobile system 104 access, if the mobile system 104 is a part of a closed subscriber group (CSG) associated with the home network 108. The mobile system 104 may store a list of CSG identifiers (ID), or a CSG ID list, detailing which kinds of home network base station 110 the mobile system 104 may access. The network operator server 106 may store the CSG ID list to administer access to the various home networks.
If the home network base station 110 is a closed mode base station, a mobile system 104 may connect with the home network base station 110 if the mobile system 104 is a member of the associated CSG. If the home network base station 110 is a hybrid base station or open base station, a mobile system 104 may use the home network base station 110 to connect with the mobile network 102 even if the mobile system 104 is not a member of the associated CSG.
The controller/processor 210 may be any programmed processor known to one of skill in the art. However, the disclosed method may also be implemented on a general-purpose or a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller, peripheral integrated circuit elements, an application-specific integrated circuit or other integrated circuits, hardware/electronic logic circuits, such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, such as a programmable logic array, field programmable gate-array, or the like. In general, any device or devices capable of implementing the disclosed method as described herein may be used to implement the disclosed system functions of this invention.
The memory 220 may include volatile and nonvolatile data storage, including one or more electrical, magnetic or optical memories such as a random access memory (RAM), cache, hard drive, or other memory device. The memory may have a cache to speed access to specific data. The memory 220 may also be connected to a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc-read only memory (DVD-ROM), DVD read write input, tape drive, or other removable memory device that allows media content to be directly uploaded into the system.
Data may be stored in the memory or in a separate database. The database interface 230 may be used by the controller/processor 210 to access the database. The database may contain a subscriber information set for each mobile system that may access the mobile network 102 or a home network 108.
The transceiver 240 may create a connection with the mobile device 104. The transceiver 240 may be incorporated into a base station 200 or may be a separate device.
The I/O device interface 250 may be connected to one or more input devices that may include a keyboard, mouse, pen-operated touch screen or monitor, voice-recognition device, or any other device that accepts input. The I/O device interface 250 may also be connected to one or more output devices, such as a monitor, printer, disk drive, speakers, or any other device provided to output data. The I/O device interface 250 may receive a data task or connection criteria from a network administrator.
The network connection interface 260 may be connected to a communication device, modem, network interface card, a transceiver, or any other device capable of transmitting and receiving signals from the network. The network connection interface 260 may be used to connect a client device to a network. The network interface 260 may connect the home network base station 110 to a mobility management entity of the network operator server 106. The components of the network server 200 may be connected via an electrical bus 270, for example, or linked wirelessly.
Client software and databases may be accessed by the controller/processor 210 from memory 220, and may include, for example, database applications, word processing applications, as well as components that embody the disclosed functionality of the present invention. The network server 200 may implement any operating system. Client and server software may be written in any programming language. Although not required, the invention is described, at least in part, in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by the electronic device, such as a general purpose computer. Generally, program modules include routine programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments of the invention may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including personal computers, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.
The mobile device 300 may include a transceiver 302, which is capable of sending and receiving data over the mobile network 102. The mobile device 300 may include a processor 304 that executes stored programs. The mobile device 300 may also include a volatile memory 306 and a non-volatile memory 308 to act as data storage for the processor 304. The mobile device 300 may include a user input interface 310 that may comprise elements such as a keypad, display, touch screen, and the like. The mobile device 300 may also include a user output device that may comprise a display screen and an audio interface 312 that may comprise elements such as a microphone, earphone, and speaker. The mobile device 300 also may include a component interface 314 to which additional elements may be attached, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) interface. Finally, the mobile device 300 may include a power supply 316.
For example, a mobile system 104 with a low mobile trust level may be limited to sending and receiving communications to user terminals 402 on the home network 108 or limited to contact with the mobile network 102. A mobile system 104 with an intermediate mobile trust level may user peripheral devices 404 connected to the home network 108, such as printers, audio players, video displays, and other peripheral devices. A mobile system 104 with a high mobile trust level may access data 406 stored in the home network 108.
When a mobile system 104 connects to the home network base station 110, the MME 502 may decide that traffic of certain applications are to be routed through the L-SGW 510 and L-PGW 508 to the home network 108 using the local breakout support function. The traffic may terminate at the devices on the home network, such as a local IP access (LIPA), or may terminate at the servers on the internet or operator's IP network 102, such as selected IP traffic offload (SIPTO). When the mobile system 104 moves from the home network base station 110 to another core network base station, or evolved Node B (eNB), which is not attached to the local breakout support function associated with the home network 108, the MME 502 may switch routing the traffic of the mobile system 104 through the operator's core network.
In order to maintain service continuity for LIPA/SIPTO applications, the C-PGW 506 may establish a data tunnel with the L-PGW 510 in the local breakout support function to route LIPA/SIPTO traffic between the home network 108 and the mobile system 104.
The mobile system 104 may send data traffic for the home network 108 to the C-PGW 506 via the specific EPS bearer 604. The C-PGW 506 may send data traffic received on the specific EPS bearer 604 to the L-PGW 510 via the data tunnel 606. Conversely, the C-PGW 506 may receive data traffic from the home network 108 via the data tunnel 606. The C-PGW 506 may send the received home network data traffic to the mobile system 104 via the specific EPS bearer 604. The mobile system 104 may identify any data traffic received via the specific EPS bearer 604 as originating from the home network 108.
The MME 502 may send a non-access stratum (NAS) mobility message element to the mobile system 104 when the tunneling may be used for LIPA/SIPTO traffic between the L-PGW 510 in the local breakout support function and the C-PGW 506. The MME 502 may send a mobility message element upon detection of a mobility event. The mobility event may be the imminent termination of the connection to the local breakout support function, such as when the mobile system 104 moves from a home network base station 110 to handover to a core network base station 602 not attached to the home network 108. The mobility message element may inform the mobile system 104 how to retrieve LIPA/SIPTO packets from the traffic received on EPS bearers 604 from the C-PGW 506 and how to insert the LIPA/SIPTO packets to the traffic sent on EPS bearers 604 to the C-PGW 506. The mobility message element may be sent in a new message or appended to other messages, such as an “Activate Default EPS Bearer Context Request”, “Activate Dedicated EPS Bearer Context Request”, “Modify EPS Bearer Context Request”, “Bearer Resource Modification Reject”, or “Deactivate EPS Bearer Context Request”.
Among other data, the mobility message element may include an EPS bearer ID, the access point name (APN) identifying the home network 108, and the traffic flow template (TFT) for the IP traffic to be directed through the home network 108.
The EPS bearers, which may be established towards the operator's core network 102, may be maintained when a mobile system 104 is handed over from a home network base station 110 to another cell. In order to maintain service continuity of IP applications, IP traffic may be put on the EPS bearers established towards the operator's core network 102. A mobile system 104 may use an APN of the mobility message element to determine which PDN's or home network's traffic is to be associated with the identified bearer. Once the new PDN connectivity is established, mobile system 104 may put the IP traffic, which used to be routed using local IP access through the identified home network 108, on the EPS bearers established towards the operator's core network 102. This way, service continuity may be maintained even when the local IP access to the home based network 108 is disabled.
The MME 502 may also indicate the type of IP traffic for which service continuity may be maintained by sending the related TFT in the mobility message element. A TFT may include a set of packet filters defining the IP traffic to be carried on the associated bearer. The packet filter may define a variety of rules, such as specifying IP traffic destined to particular sites or of particular applications to be carried on the associated bearer. For example, the TFT may define a remote address type, a protocol identifier or next header type, a single local port type, a local port range type, a single remote port type, a remote port range type, a security parameter index type, a type of service or traffic class type, a flow label type, or other rules.
Using APN and TFT, the network may pick the IP services, as indicated by the TFT, to support service continuity and tailor the available resources on the operator's core network to support the selected IP traffic to and from the targeted home network 108, as indicated by the APN.
The MME 502 may independently send a mobility message element, or append it to a MME message being sent to the mobile system 104.
The mobile system 104 may trigger the mobility message element 750 independent of a base handover.
The mobile system 104 may independently send the home data bearer request message element, or append it to a mobile system message sent to the MME 502.
Once the home EPS bearer 604 has been established, the mobile system 104 may send and receive data traffic from the home network 108.
Based on the information included in the mobility message element 750, the mobile system 104 may establish a home EPS bearer 604 towards the core network 102. The mobile system 104 may encapsulate LIPA/SIPTO packets of the identified home network 108 into the payload of the home EPS bearer 604. The mobile system 104 may generate LIPA/SIPTO packets for the applications meeting the traffic descriptions defined in the mobility message element 750, such as through TFT-like filters. These LIPA/SIPTO packets may maintain the IP context shared between the mobile system 104 and the home network 108. The MME 502 may send multiple mobility message elements 750 to a mobile system 104, so that multiple home EPS bearers 604 may be established towards possibly multiple C-PGWs 506 in the core network 102 for different applications. Since seamless mobility is supported for the EPS bearer for the core network 102 during handover, service continuity may be maintained for LIPA/SIPTO applications, as the mobile system 104 moves away from the home network 108.
Embodiments within the scope of the present invention may also include computer-readable media for carrying or having computer-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose 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 which can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or combination thereof) to a computer, the computer properly views the connection as a computer-readable medium. Thus, any such connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of the computer-readable media.
Embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by local and remote processing devices that are linked (either by hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination thereof) through a communications network.
Computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Computer-executable instructions also include program modules that are executed by computers in stand-alone or network environments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of the program code means for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps.
Although the above description may contain specific details, they should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way. Other configurations of the described embodiments of the invention are part of the scope of this invention. For example, the principles of the invention may be applied to each individual user where each user may individually deploy such a system. This enables each user to utilize the benefits of the invention even if any one of the large number of possible applications do not need the functionality described herein. In other words, there may be multiple instances of the electronic devices each processing the content in various possible ways. It does not necessarily need to be one system used by all end users. Accordingly, the appended claims and their legal equivalents should only define the invention, rather than any specific examples given.
