Apparatus, system and method of lawful interception (LI) in a cellular network

• US 10,009,813 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sirotkin, Alexander, Wu, Geng, Luft, Achim, Stojanovski, Alexandre S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beharry, Noel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Ruihua
• Application Number:
  US14/129,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20150016413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0486 taking channel rank into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0626 Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0632 Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0053 using co-ordinated multipoint transmission/reception co-ordinated antenna or beam-forming aspects H04B7/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0057 Physical resource allocation for CQI
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/304 intercepting circuit switched data communications lawful interception of wireless network communications H04W12/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0222 : in packet switched networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 : one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/005 : compensating for timing error by adjustment in the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0095 : estimated based on signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 : User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 : Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 : for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of Lawful Interception (LI). For example, a device may communicate a message addressed to an Evolved Node B (eNB) over a cellular communication core network, the message including a Lawful Interception (LI) Information Element (IE) indicating that content corresponding to one or more User Equipment (UEs) connected to the eNB is to be subject to LI.

Claims

1. An Evolved Node B (eNB) comprising:

two or more antennas to communicate with one or more User Equipment (UEs) to be connected to said eNB;

a receiver to receive a message from another eNB over an X2 interface, the message comprising a handover request message to handover a UE from the another eNB, the handover request message comprising an X2 Application Protocol (X2AP) Identifier (ID) of the UE, and a Lawful Interception (LI) Information Element (IE) indicating whether LI is to be enabled with respect to the UE; and

a controller configured to selectively enable the eNB to perform at least one of edge caching or traffic offloading with respect to content to be communicated with the one or more UEs to be connected to the eNB, the controller is configured to, based on said LI IE in the handover request message, enable the LI with respect to the UE to be handed over from the another eNB, the controller is configured to enable the LI with respect to the UE by disabling one or more operations with respect to content to be communicated with said UE, disabling the one or more operations comprising disabling at least one of the edge caching or traffic offloading with respect to the content to be communicated with the UE.

2. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the edge caching comprises internally storing at said eNB the content to be communicated with the UE.

3. The eNB of claim 1, wherein said traffic offloading comprises Selected Internet-Protocol (IP) Traffic Offload (SIPTO) at Local Network (SIPTO@LN).

4. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the content to be communicated with the UE comprises content, for which LI cannot be performed by a network entity of a Core Network (CN).

5. The eNB of claim 1, wherein based on said message said eNB is to disable said one or more operations with respect to content to be communicated with all UEs connected to said eNB.

6. A cellular communication system comprising:

a first Evolved Node B (eNB) comprising;

one or more antennas to communicate with one or more User Equipment (UE);

a controller; and

a message transmitter,

the controller configured to selectively enable the first eNB to perform at least one of edge caching or traffic offloading with respect to content to be communicated with the one or more UEs, the controller configured to enable Lawful Interception (LI) with respect to a UE of the one or more UEs by disabling at least one of the edge caching or traffic offloading with respect to content to be communicated with the UE, the controller configured to cause the message transmitter to transmit to a second eNB an X2 Application Protocol (X2AP) message over an X2 interface, the X2AP message comprising a handover request message comprising an X2AP identifier (ID) of the UE to indicate that the UE is to be handed over from said first eNB to said second eNB, said X2AP message comprising an LI Information Element (IE) indicating said second eNB is to enable the LI with respect to said UE, said LI IE is to indicate to said second eNB to enable the LI with respect to the UE by disabling for said UE at least one of the edge caching or traffic offloading with respect to the content to be communicated with the UE.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said traffic offloading comprises Selected Internet-Protocol (IP) Traffic Offload (SIPTO) at Local Network (SIPTO@LN).

8. A method comprising:

communicating a message addressed to a first Evolved Node B (eNB) over a cellular communication network from a second eNB over an X2 interface, the message comprising a handover request message comprising an X2 Application Protocol (X2AP) Identifier (ID) of a User Equipment (UE) to be handed over from said second eNB to said first eNB, and a Lawful Interception (LI) Information Element (IE) indicating that content corresponding to the UE to be handed over to said first eNB is to be subject to LI at the first eNB, said LI IE is to indicate to said first eNB to enable the LI for the UE by disabling for said UE one or more LI-disturbing operations with respect to content to be communicated with the UE, the one or more LI-disturbing operations comprising one or more operations selected from the group consisting of edge caching and traffic offloading with respect to the content to be communicated with the UE.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising receiving said message by said first eNB.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising disabling for said UE the one or more operations selected from the group consisting of edge caching and traffic offloading.

11. The method of claim 8 comprising transmitting said message from the second eNB to said first eNB.

12. A product comprising a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

communicating a message addressed to a first Evolved Node B (eNB) over a cellular communication network from a second eNB over an X2 interface, the message comprising a handover request message comprising an X2AP identifier (ID) of a User Equipment (UE) to be handed over from said second eNB to said first eNB, and a Lawful Interception (LI) Information Element (IE) indicating that content corresponding to the UE to be handed over to said first eNB is to be subject to LI at the first eNB, said LI IE is to indicate to said first eNB to enable the LI for the UE by disabling for said UE one or more LI-disturbing operations with respect to content to be communicated with the UE, the one or more LI-disturbing operations comprising one or more operations selected from the group consisting of edge caching and traffic offloading with respect to the content to be communicated with the UE.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein said instructions result in receiving said message by said first eNB.

14. The product of claim 13, wherein said instructions result in disabling for said UE the one or more operations selected from the group consisting of edge caching and traffic offloading.

15. The product of claim 12, wherein said instructions result in receiving said message from the second eNB.