Multiple carrier attachment establishment and maintenance

• US 10,117,213 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bartlett, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Khirodhar, Maharishi V
• Application Number:
  US15/790,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20180049148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/362 Conditional handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein that facilitate attaching a mobile station to a target wireless network through a physical connection between the mobile station and a supporting wireless network. Uplink and downlink channels between the mobile station and the target wireless network tunnel through the supporting wireless network. The systems and methods described herein thereby enable a mobile station with a single transceiver to become simultaneously attached to multiple wireless networks. The systems and methods described herein further support the handover of a mobile station from a generic access component of a mobile network to a radio access component and the handover of a mobile station from a radio access component of a mobile network to a generic access component of the mobile network thus facilitating rapid transitions from one mobile network air interface to another.

Claims

1. A method, executed by a mobile station (MS) attached to a first wireless wide area network (WWAN), for attaching to a second WWAN while maintaining the attachment to the first WWAN, the method comprising:

prior to a handover request by the MS, transmitting, via a physical uplink channel with a radio access network (RAN) of the first WWAN, an attach request message addressed to a generic access network controller of a generic access network (GAN) of the second WWAN via a third separate network;

receiving, via a physical downlink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, an attach accept message from the generic access network controller of the GAN of the second WWAN via the third separate network, the attach accept message including a packet data network (PDN) address; and

storing, at a computer readable storage medium, an association relationship between an identifier of a subscription with the second WWAN and the PDN address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the subscription with the second WWAN is a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network-number (MSISDN).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, via the physical uplink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, a handover request message addressed to the second WWAN.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, via a physical downlink channel with an RAN of the second WWAN, a transmission confirming a handover of the MS to the RAN of the second WWAN.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, via the physical uplink channel with the RAN of the second WWAN, an attach request message addressed to a generic access network controller of a GAN of the first WWAN via the third separate network; and

receiving, via the physical downlink channel with the RAN of the second WWAN, an attach accept message from the generic access network controller of the GAN of the first WWAN via the third separate network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the physical downlink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, a connection integrity check request from the second WWAN; and

transmitting, via the physical uplink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, a connection integrity verification addressed to the second WWAN.

7. A method, executed by a mobile station (MS) attached to a first wireless wide area network (WWAN), for attaching to a second WWAN while maintaining the attachment to the first WWAN, the method comprising:

prior to a handover request by the MS, transmitting, via a physical uplink channel with a radio access network (RAN) of the first WWAN, an attach request message addressed to a generic access network controller of a generic access network (GAN) of the second WWAN via a third separate network;

receiving, via a physical downlink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, an attach accept message from the generic access network controller of the GAN of the second WWAN via the third separate network; and

after receiving the attach accept message, transmitting, via the physical uplink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, a handover request message addressed to the generic access network controller of the GAN of the second WWAN via the third separate network.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, via a physical downlink channel with a RAN of the second WWAN, a transmission confirming a handover of the MS to the RAN of the second WWAN.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, via the physical downlink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, a connection integrity check request from the second WWAN; and

transmitting, via the physical uplink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, a connection integrity verification addressed to the second WWAN.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting, via the physical uplink channel with the RAN of the second WWAN, an attach request message addressed to a generic access network controller of a GAN of the first WWAN via the third separate network; and

receiving, via the physical downlink channel with the RAN of the second WWAN, an attach accept message from the generic access network controller of the GAN of the first WWAN via the third separate network.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the attach accept message includes a packet data network (PDN) address, and the method further comprising:

storing, at a computer readable storage medium, an association relationship between an identifier of a subscription with the second WWAN and the PDN address.

12. A mobile station configured to connect to a generic access network (GAN) of a second wireless wide area network (WWAN) via a radio access network (RAN) of a first WWAN, the mobile station comprising:

a processor configured to construct an attach request message addressed to a generic access network controller of the GAN of the second WWAN;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver configured to;

prior to a handover request by the mobile station, transmit, via a physical uplink channel with the RAN of the first WWAN, the attach request message addressed to the generic access network controller of the GAN of the second WWAN via a third separate network; and

receive, via a physical downlink channel with the RAN of the first network, an attach accept message from the generic access network controller of the GAN of the second WWAN via the third separate network;

wherein the processor is further configured to construct a handover request message addressed to the generic access network controller of the GAN of the second WWAN after receiving the attach accept message, and wherein the RF transceiver is further configured to transmit, via the physical uplink channel with the RAN of the first network, the handover request message addressed to the second WWAN via the third separate network.

13. The mobile station of claim 12, wherein the attach accept message includes a packet data network (PDN) address, and the mobile station further comprising:

a processor readable storage medium configured to store an association relationship between an identifier of a subscription with the second WWAN and the PDN address.