System and method for managing tracking area identity lists in a mobile network environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9173155-B2
Application number	US-201314058732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2013
Priority date	Feb 15, 2011
Publication date	Oct 27, 2015
Grant date	Oct 27, 2015

Abstract

A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes communicating a plurality of queries associated with common tracking areas in a wireless network; identifying a set of serving gateways that serve the common tracking areas; generating a tracking area identity (TAI) list to be used in provisioning network resources for user equipment; and selecting a first serving gateway from the set of serving gateways for the user equipment, wherein the first serving gateway is selected based on the common tracking areas served by the set of serving gateways. In more specific embodiments, the queries are domain name system (DNS) queries that are supported by a network element and that have no cached DNS response.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
storing a plurality of eNodeB groups in a tracking area identity (TAI) list database, wherein each eNodeB group includes one or more eNodeBs that serve a same set of TAIs and wherein the set of TAIs are stored in a corresponding TAI list for each stored eNodeB group;
receiving a first TAI list from a first eNodeB in a first request;
determining whether the first TAI list matches any TAI list for the stored eNodeB groups;
creating a new eNodeB group if no matches are determined; and
merging stored eNodeB groups that include identical sets of eNodeBs.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first request is at least one of a setup request; and a configuration update request.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether any TAI in the first TAI list matches any TAI in any TAI list for the stored eNodeB groups;
if no matches are determined, adding the first TAI list and the first eNodeB to the new eNodeB group; and
if a match is determined, removing a matching TAI from its stored eNodeB group.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the removing further comprises:
determining whether any other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs as contained in the eNodeB group from which the matching TAI was removed and includes the first eNodeB;
if any other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs and the first eNodeB, adding the matching TAI to the other stored eNodeB group; and
if no other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs and the first eNodeB, adding the matching TAI to the new eNodeB group.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the TAI list database is included in a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein all TAIs in a corresponding TAI list are serviced by a same serving gateway.

7. One or more non-transitory tangible media encoding logic that include instructions for execution that, when executed by a processor, is operable to perform operations including:
storing a plurality of eNodeB groups in a tracking area identity (TAI) list database, wherein each eNodeB group includes one or more eNodeBs that serve a same set of TAIs and wherein the set of TAIs are stored in a corresponding TAI list for each stored eNodeB group;
receiving a first TAI list from a first eNodeB in a first request;
determining whether the first TAI list matches any TAI list for the stored eNodeB groups;
creating a new eNodeB group if no matches are determined; and
merging stored eNodeB groups that include identical sets of eNodeBs.

8. The media of claim 7 , wherein the first request is at least one of a setup request; and a configuration update request.

9. The media of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining whether any TAI in the first TAI list matches any TAI in any TAI list for the stored eNodeB groups;
if no matches are determined, adding the first TAI list and the first eNodeB to the new eNodeB group; and
if a match is determined, removing a matching TAI from its stored eNodeB group.

10. The media of claim 9 , wherein the removing includes:
determining whether any other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs as contained in the eNodeB group from which the matching TAI was removed and includes the first eNodeB;
if any other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs and the first eNodeB, adding the matching TAI to the other stored eNodeB group; and
if no other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs and the first eNodeB, adding the matching TAI to the new eNodeB group.

11. The media of claim 7 , wherein the TAI list database is included in a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

12. The media of claim 7 , wherein all TAIs in a corresponding TAI list are serviced by a same serving gateway.

13. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory element for storing data; and
a processor that executes instructions associated with the data, wherein the processor and memory element cooperate such that the apparatus is configured for:
storing a plurality of eNodeB groups in a tracking area identity (TAI) list database, wherein each eNodeB group includes one or more eNodeBs that serve a same set of TAIs and wherein the set of TAIs are stored in a corresponding TAI list for each stored eNodeB group;
receiving a first TAI list from a first eNodeB in a first request;
determining whether the first TAI list matches any TAI list for the stored eNodeB groups;
creating a new eNodeB group if no matches are determined; and
merging stored eNodeB groups that include identical sets of eNodeBs.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first request is at least one of a setup request; and a configuration update request.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is further configured for:
determining whether any TAI in the first TAI list matches any TAI in any TAI list for the stored eNodeB groups;
if no matches are determined, adding the first TAI list and the first eNodeB to the new eNodeB group; and
if a match is determined, removing a matching TAI from its stored eNodeB group.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the removing includes:
determining whether any other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs as contained in the eNodeB group from which the matching TAI was removed and includes the first eNodeB;
if any other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs and the first eNodeB, adding the matching TAI to the other stored eNodeB group; and
if no other stored eNodeB group includes the same one or more eNodeBs and the first eNodeB, adding the matching TAI to the new eNodeB group.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the TAI list database is included in a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein all TAIs in a corresponding TAI list are serviced by a same serving gateway.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Kamalaraj Vinod K
• Eipe Jacob
• Dakshayani Raghavan Pradeep K

Classifications

• H04W40/248 Primary

  Connectivity information update · CPC title

• H04W8/065 Primary

  involving selection of the user mobility server · CPC title

• H04W60/04

  using triggered events · CPC title