Apparatus, system and method of cellular network communications corresponding to a non-cellular network

• US 10,356,640 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sirotkin, Alexander, Fong, Mo-Han, Himayat, Nageen, Talwar, Shilpa, Yeh, Shu-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghowrwal, Omar J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Detse, Kokou R
• Application Number:
  US14/068,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20140161103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or cellular network communications corresponding to a non-cellular network. For example, an Evolved Node B (eNB) may be configured to transmit to a User Equipment (UE) at least one configuration message to configure one or more measurements to be performed by the UE with respect to at least Wireless-Local-Area-Network (WLAN), to receive from the UE at least one report message including measurement information corresponding to the WLAN, to trigger the UE to start or stop offloading to the WLAN, and/or to transmit to the UE network assistance information corresponding to the WLAN.

Claims

1. A cellular node comprising:

a radio to transmit to a User Equipment (UE) at least one configuration message to configure one or more measurements to be performed by said UE with respect to at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and to receive from the UE at least one report message including measurement information corresponding to said WLAN, said configuration message comprises information defining a reporting criterion and information defining a reporting format, the reporting criterion defining a criterion to trigger said UE to send said report message, the reporting format defining said measurement information, the information defining the reporting criterion comprises one or more threshold values of one or more respective measurement reporting events to trigger the UE to send said report message; and

a controller to determine network assistance information corresponding to said at least one WLAN based on said measurement information, wherein said radio is to transmit a message including said network assistance information.

2. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein said configuration message comprises at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of at least one identifier of said at least one WLAN, at least one frequency band of said at least one WLAN, and at least one frequency channel of said at least one WLAN.

3. The cellular node of claim 2, wherein said at least one identifier comprises at least one identifier selected from the group consisting of a Service Set Identification (SSID), an Extended SSID (ESSID), a Basic SSID (SSID), a Roaming Consortium, a Hotspot Operator Friendly Name, a Network Access Identifier (NAI) Home Realm, and a Mobility Domain.

4. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein said configuration message comprises a Radio-Resource Control (RRC) signaling message.

5. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein said report message comprises at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of an identifier of said WLAN, a channel of said WLAN, a privacy parameter of said WLAN, a security parameter of said WLAN, a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of said WLAN, a Received Channel Power Indicator (RCPI) of said WLAN, a Received Power Indicator (RPI) of said WLAN, a Received Signal to Noise Indicator (RSNI) threshold of said WLAN, a connection Quality of Service (QoS) of said WLAN, a load parameter indicating a load of said WLAN, and an indication of one or more other WLANs detected by said UE.

6. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein said report message comprises a Radio-Resource Control (RRC) signaling message.

7. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein said cellular node is to receive said report message when said UE is at a Radio-Resource Control (RRC) idle state.

8. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein said radio is to transmit a message to trigger said UE to start or stop offloading to said WLAN.

9. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein said radio is to transmit a message including a reselection frequency list including a plurality of WLAN frequencies associated with a plurality of cell reselection priorities, said WLAN frequencies including a WLAN frequency of said WLAN and a reselection priority of said WLAN is based on said measurement information.

10. The cellular node of claim 1, wherein, based on said measurement information said radio is to transmit a message including an access barring indication to bar said UE from using a cellular link with said cellular node.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to cause a cellular node to;

transmit to a User Equipment (UE) at least one configuration message to configure one or more measurements to be performed by said UE with respect to at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), said configuration message comprises a Radio-Resource Control (RRC) signaling message, wherein said configuration message comprises information defining a reporting criterion and information defining a reporting format, the information defining the reporting criterion defining a criterion to trigger said UE to send at least one report message, the reporting format defining measurement information corresponding to said WLAN, the information defining the reporting criterion comprises one or more threshold values of one or more respective measurement reporting events to trigger the UE to send said report message; and

process said at least one report message from said UE, the report message comprising the measurement information according to the reporting criterion and the reporting format.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said configuration message comprises at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of at least one identifier of said at least one WLAN, at least one frequency band of said at least one WLAN, and at least one frequency channel of said at least one WLAN.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said RRC signaling message comprises a DLInformationTransfer message, a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, a HandoverFromEUTRAPreparationRequest message, a MobilityFromEUTRACommand message, a RRCConnectionRelease message, a RRCConnectionReject message, or a dedicated RRC message.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 comprising a radio and one or more, antennas.

15. An Evolved Node B (eNB) comprising:

a radio; and

a controller to control said radio to transmit to one or more User Equipment (UEs) at least one Radio-Resource Control (RRC) configuration message to configure one or more measurements to be performed by said UEs with respect to one or more Wireless Local Area Network (WLANs), and to receive from the one or more UEs one or more RRC report messages including measurement information corresponding to said one or more WLANs, the RRC configuration message comprises information defining a reporting criterion and information defining a reporting format, the information defining the reporting criterion defining a criterion to trigger said UEs to send the one or more RRC report messages, the reporting format defining said measurement information, the information defining the reporting criterion comprises one or more threshold values of one or more respective measurement reporting events to trigger the UEs to send the one or more RRC report messages, wherein, based on said measurement information, said controller is to control said radio to transmit to at least one UE a RRC trigger message including an offload trigger to trigger said UE to start or stop offloading to a WLAN of said one or more WLANs.

16. The eNB of claim 15, wherein said RRC trigger message comprises a DLInformationTransfer message, a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, a HandoverFromEUTRAPreparationRequest message, a MobilityFromEUTRACommand message, a RRCConnectionRelease message, a RRCConnectionReject message, or a dedicated RRC message.

17. The eNB of claim 16, wherein said controller is to determine network assistance information corresponding to one or more WLANs based on said measurement information, and to control said radio to transmit at least one RRC message including said network assistance information.

18. A method comprising:

communicating between a cellular node and a User Equipment (UE) at least one configuration message to configure one or more measurements to be performed by said UE with respect to at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), wherein said configuration message comprises a Radio-Resource Control (RRC) signaling message, said configuration message comprises information defining a reporting criterion and information defining a reporting format, the information defining the reporting criterion defining a criterion to trigger said UE to send at least one report message, the reporting format defining measurement information corresponding to said WLAN, the information defining the reporting criterion comprises one or more threshold values of one or more respective measurement reporting events to trigger the UE to send said report message; and

communicating between the UE and the cellular node the at least one report message including the measurement information according to the reporting criterion and the reporting format.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said configuration message comprises at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of at least one identifier of said at least one WLAN, at least one frequency band of said at least one WLAN, and at least one frequency channel of said at least one WLAN.

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

transmitting from a cellular node to a first User Equipment (UE) at least one configuration message to configure one or more measurements to be performed by said first UE with respect to one or more Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs);

receiving at the cellular node at least one report message from the first UE, the report message comprising measurement information corresponding to said one or more WLANs, wherein said configuration message comprises information defining a reporting criterion and information defining a reporting format, the reporting criterion defining a criterion to trigger said first UE to send said report message, the reporting format defining said measurement information, the information defining the reporting criterion comprises one or more threshold values of one or more respective measurement reporting events to trigger the first UE to send said report message; and

based on the measurement information, transmitting from the cellular node to at least a second UE a message including a reselection frequency list including a plurality of WLAN frequencies of the one or more WLANs, and a plurality of cell reselection priorities prioritizing said plurality of WLAN frequencies.

21. The product of claim 20, wherein the instructions result in transmitting said message to said first UE.

22. The product of claim 20, wherein said message comprises a Radio-Resource Control (RRC) signaling message.

23. The product of claim 22, wherein said RRC signaling message comprises a RRCConnectionRelease message.