Systems and methods for providing application and subscription aware user plane function selection, steering, and anchoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12418591-B1
Application number	US-202418645987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 25, 2024
Priority date	Apr 25, 2024
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

A device may receive, from a user equipment (UE), a request for an application, and may receive, from the UE, parameters of the application and key performance indicator (KPI) targets for the application. The device may receive, based on the request, KPIs from a core network, a mobile edge computing (MEC) device, and an application server, and may compare the KPIs and the KPI targets for the application. The device may determine, based on comparing the KPIs and the KPI targets, whether to utilize the MEC device or the application server for providing the application to the UE. The device may selectively identify a first user plane function (UPF) associated with the MEC device based on determining to utilize the MEC device, or may identify a second UPF associated with the application server based on determining to utilize the application server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, a request for an application;
receiving, by the device, parameters of the application and key performance indicator (KPI) targets for the application;
receiving, by the device and based on the request, KPIs from a core network, a mobile edge computing (MEC) device, and an application server;
comparing, by the device, the KPIs and the KPI targets for the application;
determining, by the device and based on comparing the KPIs and the KPI targets, whether to utilize the MEC device or the application server for providing the application to a user equipment; and
selectively:
identifying a first user plane function (UPF) associated with the MEC device based on determining to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment, or
identifying a second UPF associated with the application server based on determining to utilize the application server for providing the application to the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
anchoring the user equipment and application to the first UPF associated with the MEC device based on determining to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
causing the first UPF and the MEC device to provide the application to the user equipment based on anchoring the user equipment and application to the first UPF associated with the MEC device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
anchoring the user equipment and the application to the second UPF associated with the application server based on determining to utilize the application server for providing the application to the user equipment.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
causing the second UPF and the application server to provide the application to the user equipment based on anchoring the user equipment and application to the second UPF associated with the application server.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is a network application aware function of the core network.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the KPIs from the core network, the MEC device, and the application server comprises:
utilizing a session traversal utilities for network address translation (STUN) protocol to receive the KPIs from the core network, the MEC device, and the application server.

8. A device, comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
receive, from a user equipment, a request for an application;
receive parameters of the application and key performance indicator (KPI) targets for the application;
utilize, based on the request, a session traversal utilities for network address translation (STUN) protocol to receive KPIs from a core network, a mobile edge computing (MEC) device, and an application server;
compare the KPIs and the KPI targets for the application;
determine, based on comparing the KPIs and the KPI targets, whether to utilize the MEC device or the application server for providing the application to the user equipment; and
selectively:
identify a first user plane function (UPF) associated with the MEC device based on determining to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment, or
identify a second UPF associated with the application server based on determining to utilize the application server for providing the application to the user equipment.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the KPIs include end-to-end metrics representing an application-level experience of the user equipment.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
receive an indication of congestion at the application server; and
identify the first UPF associated with the MEC device based on the indication and after identifying the second UPF associated with the application server.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, to determine to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment, are configured to:
determine to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment based on wait times associated with the application server.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
receive improved end-to-end metrics associated with the application server; and
identify the second UPF associated with the application server based on the improved end-to-end metrics and after identifying the first UPF associated with the MEC device.

13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
activate steering by the first UPF and the MEC device for the user equipment based on determining to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the application is one of an online gaming application, a virtual reality application, an augmented reality application, or a mixed reality application.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to:
receive, from a user equipment, a request for an application,
wherein the application is one of an online gaming application, a virtual reality application, an augmented reality application, or a mixed reality application;

receive parameters of the application and key performance indicator (KPI) targets for the application;
receive, based on the request, KPIs from a core network, a mobile edge computing (MEC) device, and an application server;
compare the KPIs and the KPI targets for the application;
determine, based on comparing the KPIs and the KPI targets, whether to utilize the MEC device or the application server for providing the application to the user equipment; and
selectively:
identify a first user plane function (UPF) associated with the MEC device based on determining to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment, or
identify a second UPF associated with the application server based on determining to utilize the application server for providing the application to the user equipment.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the device to receive the KPIs from the core network, the MEC device, and the application server, cause the device to:
receive the KPIs from one or more protocol probes associated with the core network, the MEC device, and the application server.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the KPIs include one or more of user queue times at the application server, jitter associated with the application server, server wait times associated with the application server, latency associated with the application server, jitter associated with the MEC device, or latency associated with the MEC device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions further cause the device to:
anchor the user equipment and application to the first UPF associated with the MEC device based on determining to utilize the MEC device for providing the application to the user equipment; and
cause the first UPF and the MEC device to provide the application to the user equipment based on anchoring the user equipment and application to the first UPF associated with the MEC device.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Tse Lap
• Troiani Massimiliano
• Taft David
• Booker Parry Cornell

Classifications

• H04L67/141 Primary

  Setup of application sessions (admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70) · CPC title

• H04L67/60 Primary

  Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources (admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70) · CPC title