Attachment, handover, and traffic offloading between 3GPP RANS and wi-fi RANS

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9674747-B2
Application number	US-201514416961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 16, 2015
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method ( 150 ) is implemented by a base station ( 42, 700 ) that supports a 3GPP RAN ( 56 ) and has an associated Wi-Fi RAN ( 58 ) that is either supported by the base station ( 42, 700 ) or is supported by an access point ( 710 ) colocated with the base station ( 42, 700 ). The base station ( 42, 700 ) receives a request from a UE ( 54, 800 ). If the request is for a current Wi-Fi service capability of the base station ( 42, 700 ), the base station ( 42, 700 ) determines whether the Wi-Fi RAN has sufficient available resources to support QoS requirements of the UE ( 54, 800 ), and transmits a corresponding response to the UE ( 54, 800 ). If the response indicates that the Wi-Fi RAN ( 58 ) has sufficient available resources, the base station ( 42, 700 ) also transmits Wi-Fi credentials to the UE ( 54, 800 ) to enable the UE ( 54, 800 ) to access the Wi-Fi RAN ( 58 ). If sufficient available resources to support the QoS requirements are not available, Wi-Fi credentials are not sent to the UE ( 54, 800 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method implemented by a base station that supports a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio access network (RAN) and has an associated Wi-Fi RAN that is either supported by the base station or is supported by an access point that is colocated with the base station, the method comprising:
receiving a request from a user equipment (UE); and
if the request from the UE requests a current Wi-Fi service capability of the base station:
determining, based on the request from the UE, whether the Wi-Fi RAN has sufficient available resources to support Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the UE; and
transmitting a corresponding response to the UE based on the determining which indicates whether the Wi-Fi RAN has sufficient available resources to support the QoS requirements of the UE;

wherein if the response indicates that the Wi-Fi RAN has sufficient available resources to support the QoS requirements of the UE, the base station transmits a request to the UE which requests that the UE enable its Wi-Fi features, and Wi-Fi credentials to the UE to enable the UE to access the Wi-Fi RAN; and
wherein if the response indicates that the Wi-Fi RAN does not have sufficient available resources to support the QoS requirements of the UE or if the request from the UE requests access to the 3GPP RAN, the base station attempts to enable the UE to access the 3GPP RAN and does not transmit Wi-Fi credentials to the UE for the Wi-Fi RAN.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if the UE is unable to establish a data session with the Wi-Fi RAN using the Wi-Fi credentials:
transmitting a request to the UE which requests that the UE delete the Wi-Fi credentials without establishing a data session with the Wi-Fi RAN; and
attempting to enable the UE to access the 3GPP RAN; and

if the UE is able to establish a data session with the Wi-Fi RAN using the Wi-Fi credentials, transmitting a request to the UE which requests that the UE delete the Wi-Fi credentials once the data session is terminated or handed over.

3. The method claim 1 , further comprising:
if the UE is not able to establish a data session with the Wi-Fi RAN using the Wi-Fi credentials, transmitting a request to the UE requesting that the UE disable its Wi-Fi features.

4. A method implemented by a source base station that supports a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio access network (RAN) and has an associated Wi-Fi RAN that is either supported by the source base station or is supported by an access point that is colocated with the source base station, the method comprising:
determining that a data session between a user equipment and the Wi-Fi RAN of the source base station needs to be handed over;
transmitting, based on the determining, a request to a target base station that supports a 3GPP RAN to determine a current Wi-Fi service capability of the target base station, the request to the target base station comprising Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the UE;
receiving a response from the target base station that indicates the current Wi-Fi service capability of the target base station; and
transmitting a handover request to the UE based on the response, the handover request comprising one of:
a request that the UE handover the data session to the 3GPP RAN of the target base station; or
responsive to the response indicating that the target base station has an associated Wi-Fi RAN, and that the Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station has sufficient available resources to support the QoS requirements of the UE, a request that the UE handover the data session to a Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station that is either supported by the target base station or is supported by an access point that is colocated with the target base station.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
receiving, from the target base station, Wi-Fi credentials for the Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station; and
transmitting the Wi-Fi credentials for the Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station to the UE as part of the handover request.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
transmitting a request to the UE which requests that the UE delete the Wi-Fi credentials after the UE establishes a Wi-Fi session with the Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station using the Wi-Fi credentials and subsequently disconnects from the Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
transmitting an additional handover request to the target base station which requests Wi-Fi credentials for the Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station; and
receiving a corresponding handover response from the target base station that includes the Wi-Fi credentials for the Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the handover request comprises a request that the UE handover the data session to the 3GPP RAN of the target base station, and the method further comprises:
receiving a handover response from the UE that indicates whether the UE accepts or rejects the handover request; and
if the handover response from the UE indicates that the UE accepts the handover request, transmitting a request to the UE which requests that the UE disable its Wi-Fi features.

9. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
subsequent to the transmitting of the handover request to the UE, transmitting a request to the UE requesting that the UE delete Wi-Fi credentials for the Wi-Fi RAN of the source base station.

10. A method implemented by a user equipment that is capable of supporting a session with a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio access network (RAN) and is also capable of supporting a session with a Wi-Fi RAN, the method comprising:
sending a request to a base station that supports a 3GPP RAN to determine a current Wi-Fi service capability of the base station, wherein the request to the base station is sent via the 3GPP RAN;
receiving, via the 3GPP RAN, a corresponding response from the base station that indicates whether the base station has an associated Wi-Fi RAN that is either supported by the base station or is supported by an access point that is colocated with the base station, and if the base station does have an associated Wi-Fi RAN, the response also indicating whether the Wi-Fi RAN has sufficient available resources to support Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the UE;
if the response indicates that the base station has an associated Wi-Fi RAN and that the Wi-Fi RAN has sufficient available resources to support the QoS requirements of the UE, subsequently receiving Wi-Fi credentials for the Wi-Fi RAN over the 3GPP RAN, and attempting to establish a data session with the Wi-Fi RAN using the Wi-Fi credentials;
deleting the Wi-Fi credentials based on receiving, via the 3GPP RAN, a request from the base station which requests that the UE delete the Wi-Fi credentials.

11. A method implemented by a user equipment that is capable of supporting a session with a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio access network (RAN) and is also capable of supporting a session with a Wi-Fi RAN, the method comprising:
participating in a data session with a Wi-Fi RAN that is either supported by a source base station or is supported by an access point that is colocated with the source base station, wherein the source base station also supports a 3GPP RAN;
receiving a handover request from the source base station, the handover request comprising one of the following:
a request that the UE handover the data session to a 3GPP RAN of a target base station; or
a request that the UE handover the data session to a Wi-Fi RAN of the target base station that is either supported b

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Zalzalah Luay
• Abu-Farha Najeh

Classifications

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W28/16

  Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service] · CPC title

• H04W36/26

  by agreed or negotiated communication parameters · CPC title

• H04W36/0038 Primary

  of security context information · CPC title

• H04W36/38

  by fixed network equipment · CPC title