Telecommunications network bearer allocation and deallocation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12069528-B2
Application number	US-202117397758-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2021
Priority date	Jan 17, 2018
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

An access network can allocate a bearer for a network service associated with a quality-of-service (QoS) value (QV) and a retention-priority value (RPV), and determine a bearer ID for the service based on the QV, the RPV, and a supplemental priority value (SPV) different from the QV and from the RPV. Upon handover of a terminal, session(s) carried by a bearer allocated by the terminal can be terminated. That bearer can be selected using IDs of the bearers and a comparison function that, given two bearer IDs, determines which respective bearer should be terminated before the other. Upon handover of a terminal to an access network supporting fewer bearers per terminal than the terminal has allocated, a network node can select a bearer based on respective QVs and RPVs of a set of allocated bearers. The network node can deallocate the selected bearer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. At least one computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer, configure the computer to perform acts comprising:
receiving an indication of a handover of a terminal from a first access network to a second access network, the computer associated with the second access network, wherein:
the first access network supports a first number of bearers for the terminal;
the second access network supports a second number of bearers for the terminal; and
the second number of bearers is less than the first number of bearers; and

determining that the terminal has allocated a set of bearers comprising more bearers than the second number of bearers;
selecting a first bearer of the set of bearers based on:
respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
a predetermined comparison function that, given two bearer IDs determines which of two respective bearers corresponding to the two bearer IDs should be terminated before the other; and

terminating at least one session being carried by the first bearer.

2. The at least one computer-readable medium according to claim 1 , the acts further comprising, in response to the determination:
determining that a second bearer of the second access network is unallocated;
selecting a third bearer of the set of bearers based at least in part on:
the respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
the predetermined comparison function that determines which of two corresponding bearers should be terminated before the other; and

moving at least one session being carried by the third bearer to the second bearer.

3. The at least one computer-readable medium according to claim 2 , the acts further comprising, in response to the determination:
selecting a fourth bearer of the set of bearers based on:
the respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
the predetermined comparison function; and

terminating at least one session being carried by the fourth bearer.

4. The at least one computer-readable medium according to claim 3 , wherein the predetermined comparison function determines that a bearer having a respective ID with a relatively higher numerical value should be terminated before a bearer having a respective ID with a relatively lower numerical value.

5. The at least one computer-readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured to receive a network service that is associated with a quality-of-service (Qos) value (QV) and a retention-priority value (RPV).

6. The least one computer-readable medium according to claim 5 , further comprising determining a bearer identifier (ID) for the network service based at least in part on the QV, the RPV, and a supplemental priority value (SPV).

7. The at least one computer-readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first access network or the second access network is associated with a gNodeB.

8. The at least one computer-readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first access network or the second access network is associated with a eNodeB.

9. A telecommunication device, comprising:
a communications interface;
at least one processor; and
at least one computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving an indication of a handover of a terminal from a first access network to a second access network, wherein:
the first access network supports a first number of bearers for the terminal;
the second access network supports a second number of bearers for the terminal; and
the second number of bearers is less than the first number of bearers; and

determining that the terminal has allocated a set of bearers comprising more bearers than the second number of bearers;
selecting a first bearer of the set of bearers based on:
respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
a predetermined comparison function that, given two bearer IDs, determines which of two respective bearers corresponding to the two bearer IDs should be terminated before the other; and

terminating at least one session being carried by the first bearer.

10. The telecommunication device according to claim 9 , the operations further comprising, in response to the determination:
determining that a second bearer of the second access network is unallocated;
selecting a third bearer of the set of bearers based at least in part on:
the respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
the predetermined comparison function that determines which of two corresponding bearers should be terminated before the other; and

moving at least one session being carried by the third bearer to the second bearer.

11. The telecommunication device according to claim 10 , the operations further comprising, in response to the determination:
selecting a fourth bearer of the set of bearers based on:
the respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
the predetermined comparison function; and

terminating at least one session being carried by the fourth bearer.

12. The telecommunication device according to claim 11 , wherein the predetermined comparison function determines that a bearer having a respective ID with a relatively higher numerical value should be terminated before a bearer having a respective ID with a relatively lower numerical value.

13. The telecommunication device according to claim 9 , wherein the terminal is configured to receive a network service that is associated with a quality-of-service (QOS) value (QV) and a retention-priority value (RPV).

14. The telecommunication device according to claim 13 , the operations further comprising determining a bearer identifier (ID) for the network service based at least in part on the QV, the RPV, and a supplemental priority value (SPV).

15. A method comprising, by a control unit of a network node, performing operations comprising:
receiving an indication of a handover of a terminal from a first access network to a second access network, the network node associated with the second access network, wherein:
the first access network supports a first number of bearers for the terminal;
the second access network supports a second number of bearers for the terminal; and
the second number of bearers is less than the first number of bearers;

determining that the terminal has allocated a set of bearers comprising more bearers than the second number of bearers; and
in response to the determination:
determining that a first bearer of the second access network is unallocated;
selecting a second bearer of the set of bearers based at least in part on:
respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
a predetermined comparison function that, given two bearer IDs, determines which of two corresponding bearers corresponding to the two bearer IDs should be terminated before the other; and

moving at least one session being carried by the second bearer to the first bearer.

16. The method according to claim 15 , the operations further comprising, in response to the determination:
selecting a third bearer of the set of bearers based on:
the respective bearer IDs of the bearers in the set of bearers; and
the predetermined comparison function that, given two bearer IDs, determines which of the two respective bearers should be terminated before the other; and

terminating at least one session being carri

Assignees

• T Mobile Usa Inc

Inventors

• Lu Kun
• Antsev Boris
• Brooks Terri L
• Gronstad Egil
• Humbert John
• Macdonald Alan Denis
• Mendoza Salvador
• Migaldi Scott Francis
• Jones Gary
• Joul Christopher H
• Liu Jun
• Kwok Ming Shan
• Silva Karunakalage Viraj Rakitha
• Ueng Neng-Tsann

Classifications

• H04W36/1443

  between licensed networks · CPC title

• H04W36/0069

  in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink · CPC title

• H04W28/0268

  using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] (negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24) · CPC title

• H04W36/0027 Primary

  for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections · CPC title

• H04W36/14 Primary

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title