Communication system comprising management entity with callback functionality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10492144-B2
Application number	US-201715610636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2017
Priority date	Jun 2, 2016
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A communication system includes: a communication terminal, configured to be ready to communicate within a predetermined time interval; a management entity, coupled with the communication terminal, wherein the predetermined time interval is stored in the management entity; and a communication entity, coupled with the management entity, wherein the communication entity is configured to transmit a connection request for requesting establishment of a communication link to the communication terminal to the management entity at a first time. The management entity is configured to check, responsive to the connection request, whether the first time falls within the predetermined time interval, and if the first time does not fall within the predetermined time interval, to transmit information about a communication time to the communication entity at which communication time the communication terminal is ready to communicate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A communication system, comprising:
a communication terminal configured to be ready to communicate within a predetermined time interval;
a management entity coupled with the communication terminal, wherein the predetermined time interval is stored in the management entity; and
a communication entity coupled with the management entity, wherein the communication entity is configured to transmit a connection request for requesting establishment of a communication link to the communication terminal to the management entity at a first time;
wherein the management entity is configured to use a callback function to provide the communication entity with information of (i) a time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication, (ii) a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the communication terminal, and (iii) an exact time of a paging event for paging the communication terminal;
wherein using the callback function to inform the communication entity of the time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication comprises: checking, responsive to the connection request, whether the first time falls within the predetermined time interval, and responsive to determining that the first time does not fall within the predetermined time interval, transmitting, to the communication entity, information about the time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication.

2. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the management entity is configured to forward the connection request of the communication entity to the communication terminal if the first time falls within the predefined time interval.

3. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the information about the communication time comprises a time interval within the predetermined time interval.

4. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the information about the communication time indicates the predetermined time interval.

5. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication entity is configured to delay the connection request to the management entity based on the information about the communication time until the first time falls within the predetermined time interval.

6. The communication system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a base station, configured to send a paging request to the communication terminal;
wherein the communication terminal is configured to initiate, responsive to the paging request, connection establishment with the base station within the predetermined time interval.

7. The communication system of claim 6 , wherein the management entity is configured to update the predetermined time interval based on a message from the communication terminal, the message indicating that the connection to the base station is established.

8. The communication system of claim 7 , wherein the message from the communication terminal indicates the predetermined time interval.

9. The communication system of claim 6 , wherein the management entity is configured to send a paging message to the base station, wherein the paging message indicates the predetermined time interval; and
wherein the base station is configured to send the paging request to the communication terminal within the time interval indicated by the paging message.

10. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication terminal is configured to be in a power save mode at times other than the predetermined time interval in which power save mode a paging request is neither received nor answered.

11. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the management entity is configured to transmit, responsive to a plurality of connection requests of a plurality of communication entities, information to the respective communication entities, the information comprising different communication times within the predetermined time interval.

12. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication terminal comprises a sensor configured to sense measurement data and wherein the communication terminal is configured to transmit the measurement data to the communication entity responsive to a control command of the communication entity.

13. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication system is a fifth generation (5G) network or a network of a further generation, and wherein the management entity is arranged in a management and instrumentation plane of the communication network.

14. A management entity, comprising:
an interface communicating with a communication terminal, wherein the communication terminal is ready to communicate within a predetermined time interval;
a memory storing information about the predetermined time interval;
an interface communicating with a communication entity for receiving a connection request from the communication entity for requesting establishment of a communication link to the communication terminal at a first time; and
a processor configured to use a callback function to provide the communication entity with information of (i) a time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication, (ii) a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the communication terminal, and (iii) an exact time of a paging event for paging the communication terminal;
wherein using the callback function to inform the communication entity of the time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication comprises: checking, responsive to the connection request of the communication entity, whether the first time falls within the predetermined time interval, and responsive to determining that the first time does not fall within the predetermined time interval, transmitting, to the communication entity, information about the time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication.

15. A method for establishing a communication link between a communication entity and a communication terminal which is ready to communicate within a predetermined time interval, the method comprising:
receiving, by a management entity, a connection request from the communication entity at a first time, the communication request requesting an establishment of a communication link to the communication terminal, wherein the predetermined time interval in which the communication terminal is ready to communicate is known to the management entity;
using, by the management entity, a callback function to provide the communication entity with information of (i) a time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication, (ii) a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the communication terminal, and (iii) an exact time of a paging event for paging the communication terminal;
wherein using the callback function to inform the communication entity of the time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication comprises: checking, responsive to the connection request, whether the first time falls within the predetermined time interval, and responsive to determining that the first time does not fall within the predetermined time interval, transmitting, to the communication entity, information about the time at which the communication terminal is ready for communication.

Assignees

• Deutsche Telekom Ag

Inventors

• Neubacher Andreas

Classifications

• H04W52/0216

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04W68/005

  Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication · CPC title

• H04W52/0248 Primary

  dependent on the time of the day, e.g. according to expected transmission activity · CPC title

• H04W76/28

  Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX] · CPC title