System and method for URSP-based tunneling through fixed wireless access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12526231-B2
Application number	US-202217690309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2022
Priority date	Mar 9, 2022
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

A device comprises a memory and one or more processors. The memory stores a User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP). The one or more processors are configured to: receive a packet from a user device; determine a traffic descriptor associated with the packet; apply a URSP to the traffic descriptor to identify a network slice, within a network, to which the packet is to be forwarded; and forward the packet to the network slice over a wireless connection from the device to the network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device comprising:
a memory to store a User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP) that includes traffic descriptors; and one or more processors configured to:
receive a packet, together with an identifier associated with the packet, from a user device, wherein the identifier includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address;
use the MAC address to look up a traffic descriptor, in a MAC address-to-Traffic Descriptor table, for the packet, wherein the traffic descriptor comprises one of the traffic descriptors included in the URSP;
apply the URSP to the traffic descriptor to identify a network slice, within a network, to which the packet is to be forwarded; and
direct the packet to the network slice over a wireless connection from the device to the network.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a modem and a router.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein when the one or more processors apply the URSP to the traffic descriptor, the one or more processors are configured to:
use the MAC address to look up the traffic descriptor; and use the traffic descriptor to identify the network slice.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the MAC address includes a MAC address of an Ethernet port of the device, and wherein the Ethernet port is connected to the user device by an Ethernet cable.

5 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the MAC address includes the MAC address of an Ethernet adapter included in the user device.

6 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
register the MAC address prior to directing any flow from the user device to the network slice.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the traffic descriptor includes a Non-Internet Protocol (IP) Descriptor.

8 . A method comprising:
receiving a packet, together with an identifier associated with the packet, by a device and from a user device, wherein the identifier includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address; using the MAC address to look up a traffic descriptor, in a MAC address-to-Traffic Descriptor table, for the packet, wherein the traffic descriptor comprises one of a plurality of traffic descriptors included in a User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP); applying the URSP to the traffic descriptor to identify a network slice, within a network, to which the packet is to be forwarded; and directing the packet to the network slice over a wireless connection from a device to the network.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the device comprises a modem and a router.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein applying the URSP to the traffic descriptor includes:
using the MAC address to look up the traffic descriptor; and using the traffic descriptor to identify the network slice.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the MAC address includes a MAC address of an Ethernet port of the device, and wherein the Ethernet port is connected to the user device by an Ethernet cable.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the MAC address includes a MAC address of an Ethernet adapter included in the user device.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
registering the MAC address prior to classifying any flow, from the user device to the network slice.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the traffic descriptor includes a Non-Internet Protocol (IP) Descriptor.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instruction, wherein when executed by one or more processors, the processor-executable instructions cause the one or more processors to:
receive a packet, together with an identifier associated with the packet, from a user device, wherein the identifier includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of an Ethernet frame; use the MAC address to look up a traffic descriptor, in a MAC address-to-Traffic Descriptor table, for the packet, wherein the traffic descriptor comprises one of a plurality of traffic descriptors included in a User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP); apply the URSP to the traffic descriptor to identify a network slice, within a network, to which the packet is to be forwarded; and direct the packet to the network slice over a wireless connection from a device to the network.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the device comprises a modem and a router.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein when the one or more processors apply the URSP to the traffic descriptor, the one or more processors are configured to:
use the MAC address to look up the traffic descriptor; and use the traffic descriptor to identify the network slice.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the MAC address includes a MAC address of an Ethernet port of the device, and wherein the Ethernet port is connected to the user device by an Ethernet cable.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
register the MAC address prior to directing any flow from the user device to the network slice.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the traffic descriptor includes a Non-Internet Protocol (IP) Descriptor.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Jagannatha Deepa
• Zhu Lily
• Patel Samirkumar

Classifications

• H04L2101/622

  Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses · CPC title

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04L45/74

  Address processing for routing · CPC title

• H04L45/306

  Route determination based on the nature of the carried application · CPC title

• H04L45/66

  Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's · CPC title