Systems and methods for management of maximum simultaneous slices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12507274-B2
Application number	US-202318161580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2023
Priority date	Jan 30, 2023
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods described herein provide a slice management and prioritization service on a per user equipment (UE) device level. A network device in a core network may receive a notification that a UE device has exhausted a quota of available simultaneous data radio bearers (DRBs) and, afterwards, receive an indication that an application on the UE device has requested a new protocol data unit (PDU) session on a requested network slice that is not currently active for the UE device. The network device may identify relative priorities for the requested network slice and active network slices for the UE device; determine, based on the relative priorities, if the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session; and delete the active PDU session when it is determined the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving, by a network device, a notification, from a device in a core network, that a user equipment (UE) device has exhausted a quota of available simultaneous data radio bearers (DRBs), wherein the notification includes a total number of DRBs, protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, and network slices utilized per UE device when the UE device has exhausted the quota of available simultaneous DRBs; receiving, by the network device, an indication that an application on the UE device has requested a new PDU session on a requested network slice that is not currently active for the UE device; identifying, by the network device, relative priorities for the requested network slice and active network slices for the UE device; determining, by the network device and based on the relative priorities, if the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session; and deleting, by the network device, the active PDU session when the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
subscribing to a notification service, for a data type, that reports a total number of DRBs, PDU sessions, and network slices utilized per UE device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, the quota of available simultaneous DRBs includes eight DRBs.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
confirming, by the network device and prior to identifying the relative priorities, that the UE device has a subscription for the requested network slice.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining if a new PDU session can preempt includes:
identifying a preemption vulnerability indicator for one of the active network slices and identifying a preemption capability indicator for the requested network slice.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining if a new PDU session can preempt includes:
identifying a preemption priority value for the one of the active network slices.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
initiating, by the network device, the new PDU session on the requested network slice when the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device includes a policy control function (PCF).

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the notification, from the device in a core network, includes receiving the notification from one or more of:
a network data analytics function (NWDAF), a Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF), a session management function (SMF), or an access and mobility management function (AMF).

10 . A system, comprising:
one or more network devices configured to:
receive a notification, from a device in a core network, that a user equipment (UE) device has exhausted a quota of available simultaneous data radio bearers (DRBs), wherein the notification includes a total number of DRBs, protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, and network slices utilized per UE device when the UE device has exhausted the quota of available simultaneous DRBs;
receive an indication that an application on the UE device has requested a new PDU session on a requested network slice that is not currently active for the UE device;
identify relative priorities for the requested network slice and active network slices for the UE device;
determine, based on the relative priorities, if the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session; and
delete the active PDU session when the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more network devices are further configured to:
subscribe to a notification service, for a data type, that reports a total number of DRBs, PDU sessions, and network slices utilized per UE device.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein, when receiving the notification, from the device in a core network, the one or more network devices are further configured to:
receive, the notification from one or more of a network data analytics function (NWDAF), a Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF), a session management function (SMF), or an access and mobility management function (AMF).

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more network devices are further configured to:
confirm, prior to identifying the relative priorities, that the UE device has a subscription for the requested network slice.

14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein, when determining if a new PDU session can preempt, the one or more network devices are further configured to:
identify a preemption vulnerability indicator for one of the active network slices, and identify a preemption capability indicator for the requested network slice.

15 . The system of claim 10 , wherein, when determining if a new PDU session can preempt, the one or more network devices are further configured to:
identify a preemption priority values for the active network slices.

16 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more network devices are further configured to:
initiate the new PDU session on the requested network slice when the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session.

17 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more network devices include a policy control function (PCF).

18 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage media storing instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a network device, cause the network device to:
receive a notification, from a device in a core network, that a user equipment (UE) device has exhausted a quota of available simultaneous data radio bearers (DRBs), wherein the notification includes a total number of DRBs, protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, and network slices utilized per UE device when the UE device has exhausted the quota of available simultaneous DRBs; receive an indication that an application on the UE device has requested a new PDU session on a requested network slice that is not currently active for the UE device; identify relative priorities for the requested network slice and active network slices for the UE device; determine, based on the relative priorities, if the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session; and delete the active PDU session when the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session.

19 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , further comprising instructions to cause the network device to:
initiate the new PDU session on the requested network slice when the new PDU session can preempt a DRB for an active PDU session.

20 . The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , further comprising instructions to cause the network device to:
subscribe to a notification service, for a data type, that reports a total number of DRBs, PDU sessions, and network slices utilized per UE device, and receive, from a device in a core network, the data type when the UE device has exhausted the quota of available simultaneous DRBs.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Habib Ambreen
• PATIL Sudhakar Reddy
• Morera Sempere Raquel
• Taft David
• Cakulev Violeta

Classifications

• H04W72/0453

  Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA · CPC title

• H04W28/0215

  based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices (services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51) · CPC title

• H04W48/18 Primary

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W76/36

  for reassigning the resources associated with the released connections · CPC title

• H04W72/56 Primary

  based on priority criteria · CPC title