Access point name management

• US 10,348,679 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Youtz, Andrew, Uy, Warren Hojilla, Eichinger, Siegfried Erhard, Mathison, James, Schmidt, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mattis, Jason E
• Application Number:
  US15/369,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20180159824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/375 Access point names [APN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4588 containing mobile subscriber information, e.g. home subscriber server [HSS]
• 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

Abstract

A computer device may include a memory configured to store instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions to select to use an access point name (APN) table to be received from a wireless access network and attach to the wireless access network. The processor may be further configured to execute the instructions to receive a Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) message from the wireless access network; retrieve the APN table from the received PCO message; select an APN from the retrieved APN table; and connect to a packet data network associated with the selected APN via the wireless access network using the selected APN.

Claims

1. A method performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

selecting, by the wireless communication device, to use an access point name (APN) table to be received from a wireless access network;

attaching, by the wireless communication device, to the wireless access network;

receiving, by the wireless communication device, a Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) message from the wireless access network;

identifying, by the wireless communication device, an APN table container field in the received PCO message;

retrieving, by the wireless communication device, the APN table from the identified APN table container field;

selecting, by the wireless communication device, an APN from the retrieved APN table;

connecting, by the wireless communication device, to a packet data network (PDN) associated with the selected APN via the wireless access network using the selected APN;

determining, by the wireless communication device, whether the retrieved APN table includes a preferred attachment APN;

selecting, by the wireless communication device, to use the preferred attachment APN for subsequent wireless access network attachments, in response to determining that the retrieved APN table includes the preferred attachment APN;

detaching, by the wireless communication device, from the wireless access network; and

re-attaching, by the wireless communication device, to the wireless access network using the selected preferred attachment APN.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the APN table includes:

an APN for a particular PDN;

an availability for the particular PDN, wherein the availability indicates whether the particular PDN is available on a home network only, on a visited network only, or on both home networks and visited networks; and

an application access for the particular PDN, wherein the application access indicates a type of application associated with the particular PDN.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the APN from the retrieved APN table is based on an application requesting a connection.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application requesting the connection includes:

an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) application;

an Internet access application;

a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) application;

a device management application;

a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) management application;

or

an application associated with a private packet data network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the retrieved APN table includes a default APN; and

selecting to use the default APN when an application requesting a connection is not associated with any other APNs in the retrieved APN table, in response to determining that the retrieved APN table includes the default APN.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a Quality of Service (QoS) class associated with an application requesting a connection; and

selecting the APN based on the determined QoS class.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an Internet Protocol (IP) address type associated with the selected APN; and

using the determined IP address type when communicating with the PDN associated with the selected APN.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the APN table in a memory device included in the wireless communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving another PCO message from the wireless access network;

retrieving an updated APN table from the received other PCO message; and

updating the stored APN table with the updated APN table.

10. A computer device comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to;

select to use an access point name (APN) table to be received from a wireless access network;

attach to the wireless access network;

receive a Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) message from the wireless access network;

identify an APN table container field in the received PCO message;

retrieve the APN table from the identified APN table container field;

select an APN from the retrieved APN table;

connect to a packet data network (PDN) associated with the selected APN via the wireless access network using the selected APN;

determine whether the retrieved APN table includes a preferred attachment APN;

select to use the preferred attachment APN for subsequent wireless access network attachments, in response to determining that the retrieved APN table includes the preferred attachment APN;

detach from the wireless access network; and

re-attach to the wireless access network using the selected preferred attachment APN.

11. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the APN table includes:

an APN for a particular PDN;

an availability for the particular PDN, wherein the availability indicates whether the particular PDN is available on a home network only, on a visited network only, or on both home networks and visited networks; and

an application access for the particular PDN, wherein the application access indicates a type of application associated with the particular PDN.

12. The computer device of claim 10, wherein selecting the APN from the retrieved APN table is based on an application requesting a connection.

13. The computer device of claim 12, wherein the application requesting the connection includes:

an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) application;

an Internet access application;

a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) application;

a device management application;

a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) management application;

or

an application associated with a private packet data network.

14. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

determine whether the retrieved APN table includes a default APN; and

select to use the default APN when an application requesting a connection is not associated with any other APNs in the retrieved APN table, in response to determining that the retrieved APN table includes the default APN.

15. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

determine a Quality of Service (QoS) class associated with an application requesting a connection; and

select the APN based on the determined QoS class.

16. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

determine an Internet Protocol (IP) address type associated with the selected APN; and

use the determined IP address type when communicating with the PDN associated with the selected APN.

17. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

store the APN table in a memory device included in the computer device;

receive another PCO message from the wireless access network;

retrieve an updated APN table from the received other PCO message; and

update the stored APN table with the updated APN table.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable memory device storing instructions executable by a processor, the non-transitory computer-readable memory device comprising:

one or more instructions to select to use an access point name (APN) table to be received from a wireless access network;

one or more instructions to attach to the wireless access network;

one or more instructions to receive a Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) message from the wireless access network;

one or more instructions to identify an APN table container field in the received PCO message;

one or more instructions to retrieve the APN table from the identified APN table container field;

one or more instructions to select an APN from the retrieved APN table;

one or more instructions to connect to a packet data network (PDN) associated with the selected APN via the wireless access network using the selected APN;

one or more instructions to determine whether the retrieved APN table includes a preferred attachment APN;

one or more instructions to select to use the preferred attachment APN for subsequent wireless access network attachments, in response to determining that the retrieved APN table includes the preferred attachment APN;

one or more instructions to detach from the wireless access network; and

one or more instructions to de-attach to the wireless access network using the selected preferred attachment APN.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the APN table includes:

an APN for a particular PDN;

an availability for the particular PDN, wherein the availability indicates whether the particular PDN is available on a home network only, on a visited network only, or on both home networks and visited networks; and

an application access for the particular PDN, wherein the application access indicates a type of application associated with the particular PDN.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable memory device of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more instructions to determine whether the retrieved APN table includes a default APN; and

one or more instructions to select to use the default APN when an application requesting a connection is not associated with any other APN in the retrieved APN table, in response to determining that the retrieved APN table includes the default APN.