Method and apparatus for dynamic data path selection for narrow band wireless communication

• US 10,212,639 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kodaypak, Rajendra Prasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Fahmida S
• Application Number:
  US15/219,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20180035351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, querying a domain name server for status information associated with a set of service capability exposure function (SCEF) nodes associated with providing data capability for a wireless communication device in a mobile communication network, receiving, from the domain name server, status information associated with a set of SCEF nodes that are selected, selecting a first SCEF node from the set of SCEF nodes according to the status information for the set of SCEF nodes, initiating a first non-IP packet data network connection with the first SCEF node, initiating a user plane packet data network connection with a serving gateway node of the mobile communication network, wherein the serving gateway node includes a serving gateway and a packet data network gateway, and selecting the first non-IP packet data network connection or the user plane packet data network connection as a delivery path.

Claims

1. A mobility management entity server, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving, from a radio access network, a request to connect a wireless communication device to a mobile communication network;

selecting a set of service capability exposure function nodes of the mobile communication network;

receiving, from a domain name server, status information associated with the set of service capability exposure function nodes that are selected;

selecting a first service capability exposure function node from the set of service capability exposure function nodes according to the status information for the set of service capability exposure function nodes;

initiating a first non-IP packet data network connection with the first service capability exposure function node;

initiating a user plane packet data network connection with a serving gateway node of the mobile communication network, wherein the serving gateway node includes a serving gateway and a packet data network gateway;

determining a data volume associated with a request for a transfer;

comparing the data volume associated with the request for the transfer to a data threshold to determine that a data volume is high; and

selecting the first non-IP packet data network connection or the user plane packet data network connection as a delivery path for data to transfer between the wireless communication device and an external application server according to a determination that the data volume associated with the request for the transfer is high.

2. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining, from subscription data associated with the wireless communication device, whether the wireless communication device is operating in a stationary mode or a roaming mode with respect to a serving area of the radio access network, wherein the set of service capability exposure function nodes of the mobile communication network selected to be local to the serving area if the wireless communication device is determined to be operating in the stationary mode and are selected to be remote to the serving area if the wireless communication device is determined to be operating in the roaming mode.

3. The mobility management server of claim 2, wherein the set of service capability exposure function nodes of the mobile communication network is part of a geo-redundant plurality of service capability exposure function nodes.

4. The mobility management server of claim 3, wherein a Diameter routing agent pairs the first service capability exposure function node to the serving gateway node.

5. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the data threshold is determined according to performance attributes of the non-IP packet data network connection.

6. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the status information associated with the set of service capability exposure function nodes includes loading characteristics, performance characteristics, or a combination thereof for the set of service capability exposure function nodes.

7. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

querying, according to the request to connect, a home subscriber server of the mobile communication network to authenticate the wireless communication device to the mobile communication network; and

receiving, from the home subscriber server, subscription data associated with the wireless communication device responsive to authentication of the wireless communication device.

8. The mobility management server of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise determining, from the subscription data associated with the wireless communication device, whether the wireless communication device is a narrow band device.

9. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the request to connect is associated with a tracking area update for the wireless communication device.

10. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the request to connect is associated with a transition of the wireless communication device from an idle mode.

11. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise querying the domain name server for the status information associated with the set of service capability exposure function nodes.

12. The mobility management server of claim 1, wherein the data volume associated with the request for the transfer is based on data length and duration of a past transfer, a current transfer, a future planned transfer, or any combination thereof.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations at a call session control function server, comprising:

receiving, from a radio access network, a request to connect a wireless communication device to a mobile communication network;

authenticating the wireless communication device from subscription data associated with the wireless communication device;

querying a domain name server for status information associated with a set of service capability exposure function nodes associated with providing data capability for the wireless communication device;

receiving, from a domain name server, status information associated with a set of service capability exposure function nodes that are selected;

selecting a first service capability exposure function node from the set of service capability exposure function nodes according to the status information for the set of service capability exposure function nodes;

initiating a first non-IP packet data network connection with the first service capability exposure function node;

initiating a user plane packet data network connection with a serving gateway node of the mobile communication network, wherein the serving gateway node includes a serving gateway and a packet data network gateway;

determining a data volume associated with a request for a transfer; and

comparing the data volume associated with the request for the transfer to a data threshold to determine that a data volume is high; and

selecting the first non-IP packet data network connection or the user plane packet data network connection as a delivery path for data to transfer between the wireless communication device and an external application server according to a determination that the data volume associated with the request for the transfer is high.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise determining, from the subscription data, whether the wireless communication device is operating in a stationary mode or a roaming mode with respect to a serving area of the radio access network.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the set of service capability exposure function nodes of the mobile communication network that are local to the serving area if the wireless communication device is determined to be operating in the stationary mode and that are remote to the serving area if the wireless communication device is determined to be operating in the roaming mode.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the set of service capability exposure function nodes of the mobile communication network is part of a geo-redundant plurality of service capability exposure function nodes.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein a Diameter routing agent pairs the first service capability exposure function node to the serving gateway node.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the status information associated with the set of service capability exposure function nodes includes loading characteristics, performance characteristics, or a combination thereof for the set of service capability exposure function nodes.

19. A method, comprising:

querying, by a processing system including a processor, a domain name server for status information associated with a set of service capability exposure function nodes associated with providing data capability for a wireless communication device in a mobile communication network;

receiving, from the domain name server, by the processing system, status information associated with a set of service capability exposure function nodes that are selected;

selecting, by the processing system, a first service capability exposure function node from the set of service capability exposure function nodes according to the status information for the set of service capability exposure function nodes;

initiating, by the processing system, a first non-IP packet data network connection with the first service capability exposure function node;

initiating, by the processing system, a user plane packet data network connection with a serving gateway node of the mobile communication network, wherein the serving gateway node includes a serving gateway and a packet data network gateway;

determining, by the processing system, a data volume associated with a request for a transfer; and

comparing, by the processing system, the data volume associated with the request for the transfer to a data threshold to determine that a data volume is high; and

selecting, by the processing system, the first non-IP packet data network connection or the user plane packet data network connection as a delivery path for data to transfer between the wireless communication device and an external application server according to a determination that the data volume associated with the request for the transfer is high.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining, by the processing system and from subscription data associated with the wireless communication device, whether the wireless communication device is operating in a stationary mode or a roaming mode with respect to a serving area of a radio access network; and

selecting, by the processing system, the set of service capability exposure function nodes of the mobile communication network that are local to the serving area if the wireless communication device is determined to be operating in the stationary mode and that are remote to the serving area if the wireless communication device is determined to be operating in the roaming mode.