Method for enabling interception, decoding and/or processing of a MAC level message

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9641652-B2
Application number	US-201314764049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2013
Priority date	Jan 28, 2013
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

There is disclosed a method in a User Equipment, UE, for enabling interception, decoding and/or processing of at least parts of a Media Access Control, MAC, level message. The method comprises the steps of receiving configuration information comprising information to add additional information to a MAC level message, and creating a bit string representing the additional information. The method also comprise the step of adding the created bit string to the MAC level message, to enable a recipient of said MAC level message to determine, based on the additional information represented by the bit string, whether at least part of a payload of the MAC level message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed. There is further disclosed a method in a base station for decoding a corresponding MAC level message. A corresponding User Equipment, UE, and a base station configured for the methods are also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, for enabling interception, decoding and/or processing of at least parts of a Media Access Control, MAC, level message, the method comprises the steps of:
receiving configuration information comprising information to add additional information to a MAC level message;
creating a bit string representing said additional information, wherein the bit string is indicative of whether at least part of a payload of said MAC level message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed,
adding said created bit string to said MAC level message, to enable a recipient of said MAC level message to determine, based on the additional information represented by said bit string, whether at least part of a payload of said MAC level message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said MAC level message is a MAC PDU message with a payload and wherein said step of creating a bit string comprises the step of creating a MAC layer header comprising the additional information represented by said bit string.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the payload of said MAC PDU message comprises a MAC SDU message and wherein said step of adding comprises the step of appending said created MAC layer header to said MAC SDU message.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said MAC layer header is a MAC-i header representing additional information comprising information identifying a Logical Channel Identity, LCH-ID.

5. The method according to claim 1 , where said MAC level message is an 18 bit message comprising a four bit Highest Logical Channel, HLID, field, and where at least part of the remaining bits comprises the payload, and wherein the step of creating a bit string comprises creating a four bit long bit string representing said additional information and wherein the step of adding said bit string comprises inserting said bit string into the Highest Logical Channel ID, HLID, field carried by said 18 bit message.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of creating a bit string comprises creating a four bit long bit string representing additional information identifying a Logical Channel Identity, LCH-ID.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said MAC level message is a UE measurement report and wherein said configuration information comprises information on how to configure the measurement and the measurement reporting.

8. A method performed by a base station for determining whether at least part of a Media Access Control, MAC, level message, is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed, the method comprises the steps of:
receiving a MAC level message comprising an added bit string comprising information whether at least part of a payload of said MAC level message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed;
decoding said bit string, added to said MAC level message, to determine whether said bit string comprises information indicating that at least part of a payload of said MAC level message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said MAC level message is a MAC PDU message with a payload and wherein said added bit string is a MAC layer header.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein said payload of said MAC PDU message comprises a MAC SDU message with an added MAC layer header, and wherein said step of decoding is performed on the added MAC layer header.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein said MAC layer header is a MAC-i header.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the information carried by the bit string, indicating that at least part of the payload of said MAC level message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed, comprises information identifying a Logical Channel Identity, LCH-ID.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said MAC level message is an 18 bit message comprising a four bit Highest Logical Channel, HLID, field and where at least part of the remaining bits comprises the payload, and wherein said step of decoding said bit string comprises decoding a four bit long bit string inserted into said Highest Logical Channel, HLID, field to determine whether said bit string comprises information indicating that at least part of the payload of said 18 bit message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed.

14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said step of decoding said four bit long bit string inserted into said Highest Logical Channel, HLID, field, is performed to identify a Logical Channel Identity, LCH-ID.

15. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said MAC level message is a UE measurement report.

16. A User Equipment, UE, configured to enable interception, decoding and/or processing of at least parts of a Media Access Control, MAC, level message, wherein the UE comprises:
a radio transceiver configured for receiving configuration information comprising information to add additional information to a MAC level message;
a MAC Controller configured for creating a bit string representing said additional information and adding said created bit string to said MAC level message, to enable a recipient of said MAC level message to determine, based on the information represented by said bit string, whether at least part of a payload of said MAC level message is to be intercepted, decoded and/or processed.

17. The User equipment according to claim 16 , wherein said MAC Controller is configured to create a bit string and add said created bit string to a MAC level message that is a MAC PDU message with a payload and wherein said bit string is a MAC layer header comprising the additional information represented by said bit string.

18. The User Equipment according to claim 17 , wherein the payload of said MAC PDU message comprises a MAC SDU message and said MAC Controller is configured for creating and appending a MAC layer header to said MAC SDU message.

19. The User Equipment according to claim 16 , wherein said MAC Controller, is configured for creating a MAC-layer header that is a MAC-i header representing additional information comprising information identifying a Logical Channel Identity, LCH-ID.

20. The User Equipment according to claim 16 , where said MAC level message is an 18 bit message comprising a four bit Highest Logical Channel, HLID, field, and where at least part of the remaining bits comprises the payload, wherein said MAC Controller is configured for, creating a four bit long bit string representing said additional information and adding said bit string to the MAC level message by inserting it in to the Highest Logical Channel, HLID, field.

21. The User Equipment according to claim 16 , wherein said MAC Controller is configured for creating a four bit long bit string representing additional information identifying a Logical Channel Identity, LCH-ID.

22. The User Equipment according to claim 16 , wherein said MAC Controller is configured for creating a bit string and adding said bit string to a MAC level message that is a UE measurement report and wherein said configuration information comprises information on how to configure the measurement and the measurement reporting.

23. A Base station configured for determining whether at least part of a MAC level message should be intercepted, decoded and/or processed, the base station comprises:
a radio transceiver configured for receiving a MAC level message with an added bit

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Kwong Waikwok
• Pradas Jose Luis
• Caverni Alessandro

Classifications

• H04L69/22 Primary

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L63/0876

  based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint · CPC title

• H04L1/0083

  Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control · CPC title

• H04L1/0045

  Arrangements at the receiver end · CPC title

• H04W24/08 Primary

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title