Method and apparatus for communication device handover

• US 10,397,840 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• 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: Shaw, Venson, Dowlatkhah, Sangar
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US15/351,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00695 using split of the control plane or user plane
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00698 using different RATs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method including receiving, from a first network, a first node identifier associated with a second network, transmitting the first node identifier to a small cell node, receiving a handover initiation signal from the first network responsive to a request for a handover, from a macro cell node of the second network to the small cell node of the first network, of a communication session associated with a first wireless communication link to a communication device, where the request is triggered at the second network responsive to identification of the first node identifier in a first wireless signal from the communication device, and where the first node identifier is obtained by the communication device via a second wireless signal from the small cell node, and facilitating a second wireless communication link to the communication device via the small cell node to complete the handover. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

establishing a communication link with a small cell node of a first network, wherein management network elements of the first network process both control plane information and user plane information;

receiving a first node identifier for the small cell node that functions as a node identifier in a second network, wherein the second network comprises a control plane separate from a user plane, wherein a software defined controller of the second network can implement a group of virtual network function elements;

receiving, from the first network, a first location identifier associated with a location known to the second network;

transmitting the first node identifier and the first location identifier to the small cell node via the communication link;

receiving a handover initiation signal from a macro cell node of the second network for a handover from the macro cell node to the small cell node of the first network of a communication session associated with a first wireless communication link to a communication device, wherein a request for the handover is initiated by the macro cell node in the second network responsive to identification of the first node identifier and the first location identifier in a first wireless signal from the communication device, wherein the macro cell node requests the first node identifier and the first location identifier from the communication device, and wherein the first node identifier and the first location identifier are obtained by the communication device via a second wireless signal from the small cell node of the first network; and

establishing a second wireless communication link to the communication device via the small cell node of the first network to complete the handover of the communication session to the small cell node of the first network.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein receiving of the handover initiation signal comprises receiving the handover initiation signal from the small cell node via a mobility management entity of the first network, wherein the first network comprises a 4G network, and wherein the second network comprises a 5G network.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the request for the handover of the communication session is transmitted from the macro cell node of the second network to the mobility management entity of the first network via a control plane function of the second network.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the mobility management entity of the first network receives the request for the handover of the communication session from the second network.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the small cell node transmits the second wireless signal to the communication device responsive to detecting the communication device via a third wireless signal.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the macro cell node identifies the first node identifier and the first location identifier in the first wireless signal from the communication device.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first node identifier is received from a mobility management entity of the first network.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the mobility management entity of the first network receives the first node identifier from the second network.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first location identifier is received from a mobility management entity of the first network.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the mobility management entity generates the first location identifier from location information generated by the small cell node.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise establishing another communication link with a second small cell node.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein operations further comprise:

receiving, from the first network a second node identifier associated with the second network; and

transmitting the second node identifier and the first location identifier to the second small cell node via the other communication link.

13. A device, 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 a first node identifier for a small cell node of a first network that functions as a node identifier in a second network, wherein the second network comprises a control plane separate from a user plane, wherein a software defined controller of the second network can implement a group of virtual network function elements;

receiving a first location identifier associated with a location known to the second network;

transmitting the first node identifier and the first location identifier to the small cell node of the first network, wherein management network elements of the first network process both control plane information and user plane information;

receiving a handover initiation signal from a macro cell node of the second network for a handover from the macro cell node to the small cell node of the first network of a communication session associated with a first wireless communication link to a communication device, wherein a request for the handover is initiated by the macro cell node in the second network responsive to identification of the first node identifier and the first location identifier in a first wireless signal from the communication device, wherein the macro cell node requests the first node identifier and the first location identifier from the communication device, and wherein the first node identifier and the first location identifier are obtained by the communication device via a second wireless signal from the small cell node; and

establishing a second wireless communication link to the communication device via the small cell node to complete the handover of the communication session to the small cell node of the first network.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

establishing a communication link with the small cell node, wherein the second wireless communication link to the communication device is established via the communication link.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the macro cell node identifies the first node identifier and the first location identifier in the first wireless signal from the communication device.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the request for the handover of the communication session is transmitted from the macro cell node of the second network to a mobility management entity of the first network via a control plane function of the second network.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the small cell node transmits the second wireless signal to the communication device responsive to detecting the communication device via a third wireless signal.

18. A method, comprising:

establishing a communication link with a small cell node of a first network;

receiving, by a processing system including a processor and from the first network, a first node identifier for the small cell node of the first network that functions as a node identifier in a second network, wherein management network elements of the first network process both control plane information and user plane information, wherein the second network comprises a control plane separate from a user plane, wherein a software defined controller of the second network can implement a group of virtual network function elements;

receiving, from the first network, a first location identifier associated with a location known to the second network;

transmitting, by the processing system, the first node identifier and the first location identifier to the small cell node of the first network via the communication link;

receiving, by the processing system, a handover initiation signal from a macro cell node of the second network for a handover from the macro cell node to the small cell node of the first network of a communication session associated with a first wireless communication link to a communication device, wherein a request for the handover is initiated by the macro cell node in the second network responsive to identification of the first node identifier and the first location identifier in a first wireless signal from the communication device, wherein the macro cell node requests the first node identifier and the first location identifier from the communication device, and wherein the first node identifier and the first location identifier are obtained by the communication device via a second wireless signal from the small cell node of the first network; and

establishing, by the processing system, a second wireless communication link to the communication device via the small cell node of the first network to complete the handover of the communication session to the small cell node of the first network.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting, by the processing system, a first location identifier to the small cell node, wherein the request is further initiated by identification of the first location identifier in the first wireless signal from the communication device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the macro cell node requests the first location identifier from the communication device.