Method and system for efficient management of a communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10129815-B2
Application number	US-201715694204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2017
Priority date	Nov 20, 2013
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

A method that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, identifying, by a network device comprising a processor, a bearer path through a communication network for carrying internet protocol packets associated with a calling session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device and activating, by the network device, a bridging bearer path at a nearest network element to generate a direct tunnel for carrying the internet protocol packets associated with the calling session and to modify the bearer path to a shortest bearer path, where the nearest network element comprises a network element that is communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and the second mobile device and that is closest to the first mobile device and the second mobile device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a calling message indicating a calling session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device;
retrieving first network information associated with the first mobile device and second network information associated with the second mobile device according to the calling message;
identifying a first rate of movement of the first mobile device according to the first network information and identifying a second rate of movement of the second mobile device according to the second network information;
determining whether the calling session qualifies for shortening of a bearer path according to the first rate of movement of the first mobile device and the second rate of movement of the second mobile device being less than a threshold, wherein the shortening reduces a number of required elements in the bearer path;
comparing the first network information and the second network information to criteria for provisioning a target shortened bearer path resulting in a comparison;
determining that the first mobile device and the second mobile device are to remain in a same mobility management entity group according to the first rate of movement, the second rate of movement and the comparison; and
activating the target shortened bearer path for carrying internet protocol packets associated with the calling session.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise identifying the bearer path through a communication network for carrying internet protocol packets associated with the calling session according to the first network information and the second network information.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise identifying a base station communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a cellular network.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise identifying a wireless local area network (LAN) access point communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a wireless LAN.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise selecting a network element that is communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and the second mobile device and that is closest to the first mobile device and the second mobile device to identify a nearest network element according to the calling session qualifying for bearer path shortening.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein a wireless LAN access point is selected as a network element in the targeted shortened bearer path based on the wireless LAN access point using less system resources than a base station for communication between the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise determining if a nearest network element comprises a transcoder-free bridging bearer path.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations comprise identifying that the first mobile device and the second mobile device have a common coder-decoder (CODEC).

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the activating of the target shortened bearer path comprises activating a transcoder-free target shortened bearer path responsive to identifying the common CODEC to generate a direct tunnel for carrying the internet protocol packets associated with the calling session and to modify the bearer path to the transcoder-free target shortened bearer path.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
obtaining a message indicating a communication session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device;
receiving first network information associated with the first mobile device and second network information associated with the second mobile device according to the message;
identifying a first rate of movement of the first mobile device according to the first network information and identifying a second rate of movement of the second mobile device according to the second network information;
determining whether the communication session qualifies for shortening of a bearer path according to the first rate of movement of the first mobile device and the second rate of movement of the second mobile device being less than a threshold, wherein the shortening reduces a number of required elements in the bearer path;
comparing the first network information and the second network information to criteria for provisioning a target shortened bearer path resulting in a comparison;
determining that the first mobile device and the second mobile device are to remain in a same mobility management entity group according to the first rate of movement, the second rate of movement and the comparison;
identifying that the first mobile device and the second mobile device have a common coder-decoder (CODEC); and
activating the target shortened bearer path for carrying internet protocol packets associated with the communication session responsive to identifying the common CODEC to generate a direct tunnel for carrying the internet protocol packets associated with the communication session and to modify the bearer path to the target shortened bearer path.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying the bearer path through a communication network for carrying internet protocol packets.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise identifying a base station communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a cellular network.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise identifying a wireless local area network (LAN) access point communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a wireless LAN.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise selecting a network element that is communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and the second mobile device and that is closest to the first mobile device and the second mobile device to identify a nearest network element according to the communication session qualifying for bearer path shortening.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein a wireless LAN access point is selected as a network element based on the wireless LAN access point using less system resources than a base station for communication between the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10 , determining if a nearest network element comprises a transcoder-free target shortened bearer path.

17. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a processing system including a processor, a calling message indicating a calling session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device;
retrieving, by the processing system, first network information associated with the first mobile device and second network information associated with the second mobile device according to the calling message;
ide

Assignees

• At & T Mobility Ii Llc

Inventors

• Lee Bo
• Brisebois Arthur
• Luu Adrianne

Classifications

• H04L65/608

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L45/12

  Shortest path evaluation · CPC title

• H04W40/34 Primary

  Modification of an existing route · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04L65/65

  Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP] · CPC title