Methods, systems, and devices for maintaining service continuity of a user end device via a direct communication link to a communication relay when the communication relay experiences a mobility event in a mobile network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12089181-B2
Application number	US-202117506943-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2021
Priority date	Oct 21, 2021
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining media content from a media content server over a mobile network, and providing the media content to a communication device over a first direct communication link. Embodiments include detecting a mobility event associated with the mobile network, and providing a notification message to a first network device associated with the mobile network. Further embodiments can include obtaining instructions from the first network device, wherein the instructions indicate to provide a mobility event notification. 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, the operations comprising:
obtaining media content from a media content server over a mobile network;
providing the media content to a communication device over a first direct communication link;
detecting a mobility event associated with the mobile network;
providing a notification message to a first network device associated with the mobile network;
obtaining instructions from the first network device, wherein the instructions indicate to provide a mobility event notification; and
providing a downstream mobility event notification to the communication device,
wherein the downstream mobility event notification comprises a Sidelink Relay Downstream Notification (SRDN) message;
wherein the communication device identifies a group of network devices,
wherein the communication device determines a signal strength from each of the group of network devices resulting in a group of signal strengths,
wherein the communication device identifies a second network device from the group of network devices based on the group of signal strengths.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first direct communication link comprises a first Sidelink communication link, wherein the device comprises a first Sidelink Relay.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the mobility event comprises one of a handover, a cell group change, or combination thereof.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the mobility event comprises a Radio Link Failure (RLF).

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the mobility event comprises dual connectivity.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise predicting the mobility event associated with the mobile network.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the group of signal strengths are provided in a measurement report.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the communication device ceases receiving the media content from the device, wherein the communication device establishes a second direct communication link to the second network device.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the second direct communication link comprises a second Sidelink communication link.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the second network device comprises one of a base station or a second Sidelink Relay.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the communication device establishing the second direct communication link comprises initiating and completing a first Radio Resource Configuration (RRC) reconfiguration.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the group of network devices comprises a first portion of network devices and a second portion of network devices, wherein the first portion of the group of network devices comprises a group of mobile devices, wherein the second portion of the group of network devices comprises a group of stationary devices, wherein the communication device identifies the second network device from the group of network devices based on the second network device comprises a stationary device, wherein the group of stationary devices comprise the stationary device.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise providing an upstream mobility event notification to a third network device.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the upstream mobility event notification comprises a Sidelink Relay Upstream Notification (SRUN) message.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the third network device identifies a fourth network device to establish a third direct communication link between the fourth network device and the communication device.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the third direct communication link comprises a third Sidelink communication link.

17. The device of claim 15 , wherein the fourth network device comprises one of a base station or a third Sidelink Relay.

18. The device of claim 15 , wherein the fourth network device establishing the third direct communication link comprises initiating and completing a second RRC reconfiguration.

19. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
obtaining media content from a media content server over a mobile network;
providing the media content to a communication device over a first direct communication link;
predicting a mobility event associated with the mobile network;
providing a notification message to a first network device associated with the mobile network; and
obtaining instructions from the first network device, wherein the instructions indicate to provide a downstream mobility event notification to the communication device, wherein the communication device identifies a group of network devices, wherein the communication device determines a signal strength from each of the group of network devices resulting in a group of signal strengths, wherein the communication device identifies a second network device from the group of network devices based on the group of signal strengths, wherein the communication device establishes a second direct communication link between the communication device and the second network device.

20. A method, comprising:
obtaining, by a processing system and a processor, media content from a media content server over a mobile network;
providing, by the processing system, the media content to a communication device over a first direct communication link;
detecting, by the processing system, a mobility event associated with the mobile network;
providing, by the processing system, a notification message to a first network device associated with the mobile network;
obtaining, by the processing system, instructions from the first network device, wherein the instructions indicate to provide a mobility event notification;
identifying, by the processing system, a second network device from a group of network devices; and
providing, by the processing system, an upstream mobility event notification to the second network device, wherein the second network device establishes a second direct communication link between the second network device and the communication device.

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Novlan Thomas

Classifications

• H04W40/22 Primary

  using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point · CPC title

• H04W76/14

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• H04W68/005

  Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication · CPC title

• H04W68/12

  Inter-network notification · CPC title

• H04W36/035

  in self-organising networks · CPC title