Method and apparatus for indicating restricted resources of wireless terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019387395-A1
Application number	US-201916440942-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 13, 2019
Priority date	Jun 15, 2018
Publication date	Dec 19, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wireless terminal participates in communications over a radio interface with an access node of a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal comprises processor circuitry configured to detect an abnormal operation of the wireless terminal and to autonomously declare a Safe-Mode without permission of the radio access network. In an example implementation, the processor circuitry is further configured to generate a safe mode indication configured to indicate to the access node that one or more capabilities supported by the wireless terminal is temporarily not available at the wireless terminal; and wherein the wireless terminal further comprises transmitter circuitry configured to transmit the safe mode indication over the radio interface to the access node.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wireless terminal that participates in communications over a radio interface with an access node of a radio access network (RAN), the wireless terminal comprising:
processor circuitry configured to detect an abnormal operation of the wireless terminal and to autonomously declare a Safe-Mode without permission of the radio access network.

2 . The wireless terminal of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to generate a safe mode indication configured to indicate to the access node that one or more capabilities supported by the wireless terminal is temporarily not available at the wireless terminal; and wherein the wireless terminal further comprises transmitter circuitry configured to transmit the safe mode indication over the radio interface to the access node.

3 . The wireless terminal of claim 2 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to generate the safe mode indication to be included as an information element in at least one of the following messages: (1) a UECapabilityInformation message of a UE capability transfer procedure; (2) RRCConnectionRequest message of a RRC connection establishment procedure; (3) a RRCConnectionResumeRequest message of a RRC connection resume procedure; (4) RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message generated in response to receipt from the access node of a connection reconfiguration request message of a RRC connection reconfiguration procedure; and, (5) a RRCConnectionReestablishmentRequest message of a RRC connection re-establishment procedure.

4 . The wireless terminal of claim 2 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to generate a level of safe mode indication, the level of safe mode indication having one of plural level values depending on a corresponding one of plural types of capability restriction for the wireless terminal.

5 . The wireless terminal of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the plural values for the level of safe mode indication indicates that the wireless terminal has restricted a network independent wireless terminal capability.

6 . The wireless terminal of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the plural values for the level of safe mode indication requests approval by the access node for the wireless terminal to restrict one or more wireless terminal capabilities.

7 . The wireless terminal of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the plural values for the level of safe mode indication indicates that the wireless terminal has restricted wireless terminal capability to support a set of basic operations.

8 . The wireless terminal of claim 4 , wherein the plural values for the level of safe mode indication correspond to plural degrees of severity of unavailability.

9 . A method in a wireless terminal that participates in communications over a radio interface with an access node of a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising
detecting an abnormal operation of the wireless terminal; and autonomously declaring a safe mode operation without permission of the radio access network.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
generating a safe mode indication configured to indicate to the access node that one or more capabilities supported by the wireless terminal is temporarily not available at the wireless terminal; transmitting the safe mode indication over the radio interface to the access node.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating the safe mode indication to be included in at least one of the following messages: (1) a UECapabilityInformation message of a UE capability transfer procedure; (2) RRCConnectionRequest message of a RRC connection establishment procedure; (3) a RRCConnectionResumeRequest message of a RRC connection resume procedure; (4) RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message generated in response to receipt from the access node of a connection reconfiguration request message of a RRC connection reconfiguration procedure; and, (5) a RRCConnectionReestablishmentRequest message of a RRC connection re-establishment.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating a level of safe mode indication, the level of safe mode indication having one of plural level values depending on a corresponding one of plural types of capability restriction for the wireless terminal.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plural values for the level of safe mode indication indicates that the wireless terminal has restricted a network independent wireless terminal capability.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plural values for the level of safe mode indication requests approval by the access node for the wireless terminal to restrict one or more wireless terminal capabilities.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plural values for the level of safe mode indication indicates that the wireless terminal has restricted wireless terminal capability to support a set of basic operations.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the plural values for the level of safe mode indication correspond to plural degrees of severity of unavailability.

17 . An access node of a radio access network (RAN) that communicates over a radio interface with a wireless terminal, the access node comprising:
receiver circuitry configured to receive a safe mode indication from the wireless terminal, the safe mode indication configured to indicate to the access node that one or more capabilities supported by the wireless terminal is temporarily not available at the wireless terminal; processor circuitry configured to generate a message to the wireless terminal relating to a capability of the wireless terminal; transmitter circuitry configured to transmit the message over the radio interface to the wireless terminal.

18 . The access node of claim 17 , wherein the receiver circuitry is further configured to receive a list of available capabilities of the wireless terminal.

19 . The access node of claim 17 , wherein the message is at least one of the following: (1) a UECapabilityInformation message of a UE capability transfer procedure; (2) RRCConnectionRequest message of a RRC connection establishment procedure; (3) a RRCConnectionResumeRequest message of a RRC connection resume procedure; (4) RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message; and, (5) a RRCConnectionReestablishmentRequest.

20 . A method in an access node of a radio access network (RAN) that communicates over a radio interface with a wireless terminal, the method comprising:
receiving a safe mode indication from the wireless terminal, the safe mode indication configured to indicate to the access node that one or more capabilities supported by the wireless terminal is temporarily not available at the wireless terminal; generating a message to the wireless terminal relating to a capability of the wireless terminal; transmitting the message over the radio interface to the wireless terminal.

Assignees

• Sharp Laboratories America Inc

Inventors

• Shaheen Kamel M
• Aiba Tatsushi
• Yokomakura Kazunari

Classifications

• H04W8/24 Primary

  Transfer of terminal data · CPC title

• H04M1/72577

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/72463

  to restrict the functionality of the device · CPC title

• H04M1/724

  User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones · CPC title