Handling of inactive parameters upon release and re-suspend

• US 10,485,051 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2019
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Mildh, Gunnar, da Silva, Icaro L. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tang, Kiet
• Application Number:
  US16/386,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20190320488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 217 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for updating stored User Equipment (UE) context information upon re-suspend of the UE in response to a resume request from the UE. In some embodiments, a method in a UE comprises transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) resume request message and, in response to the RRC resume request message, receiving an RRC connection release message with an indication for suspend. The method further comprises, in response to receiving the RRC connection release message with an indication for suspend, replacing information in a stored Access Stratum (AS) context of the UE with new information.

Claims

1. A method in a User Equipment, UE, comprising:

transmitting a Radio Resource Control, RRC, resume request message;

in response to the RRC resume request message, receiving an RRC connection release message with an indication for suspend; and

in response to receiving the RRC connection release message with the indication for suspend, replacing information in a stored Access Stratum, AS, context of the UE with new information, wherein replacing the information in the stored AS context of the UE comprises;

replacing stored security context information with security context information comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replacing a stored Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier, I-RNTI, with an I-RNTI comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replacing a stored cell identity with a cell identity of a cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message;

replacing a stored physical cell identity with a physical cell identity of the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message; and

replacing a stored Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, C-RNTI, with a C-RNTI obtained by the UE for the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the security context information comprises a next hop chaining count.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after replacing the information in the stored AS context of the UE to provide an updated AS context of the UE, using the updated AS context of the UE to send a subsequent RRC resume request.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein using the updated AS context of the UE to send the subsequent RRC resume request comprises using the updated AS context to calculate a security integrity token comprised in the subsequent RRC resume request.

5. A User Equipment, UE, comprising:

a radio interface; and

processing circuitry associated with the radio interface, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to;

transmit a Radio Resource Control, RRC, resume request message;

in response to the RRC resume request message, receive an RRC connection release message with an indication for suspend; and

in response to receiving the RRC connection release message with the indication for suspend, replace information in a stored Access Stratum, AS, context of the UE with new information wherein, to replace the information in the stored AS context of the UE, the processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to;

replace stored security context information with security context information comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replace a stored Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier, I-RNTI, with an I-RNTI comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replace a stored cell identity with a cell identity of a cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message;

replace a stored physical cell identity with a physical cell identity of the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message; and

replace a stored Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, C-RNTI, with a C-RNTI obtained by the UE for the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message.

6. The UE of claim 5, wherein the security context information comprises a next hop chaining count.

7. A network node for updating a User Equipment, UE, Access Stratum, AS, context stored for a UE upon re-suspending the UE in response to a Radio Resource Control, RRC, resume request from the UE, the network node comprising:

processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to;

receive, from a UE, a RRC resume request message;

in response to receiving the RRC resume request message, transmit, to the UE, an RRC connection release message with an indication for suspend; and

in response to transmitting the RRC connection release message with the indication for suspend, replace information in a stored AS context of the UE with new information, wherein, to replace the information in the stored AS context of the UE, the processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to;

replace stored security context information with security context information comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replace a stored Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier, I-RNTI, with an I-RNTI comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replace a stored cell identity with a cell identity of a cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message;

replace a stored physical cell identity with a physical cell identity of the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message; and

replace a stored Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, C-RNTI, with a C-RNTI obtained by the UE for the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message.

8. The network node of claim 7,

wherein the security context information comprises a next hop chaining count.

9. A method of operating a network node for updating a User Equipment, UE, Access Stratum, AS, context stored for a UE upon re-suspending the UE in response to a Radio Resource Control, RRC, resume request from the UE, the method comprising:

receiving, from a UE, a RRC resume request message;

in response to receiving the RRC resume request message, transmitting, to the UE, an RRC connection release message with an indication for suspend; and

in response to transmitting the RRC connection release message with the indication for suspend, replacing information in a stored AS context of the UE with new information, wherein replacing the information in the stored AS context of the UE comprises;

replacing stored security context information with security context information comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replacing a stored Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier, I-RNTI, with an I-RNTI comprised in the RRC connection release message;

replacing a stored cell identity with a cell identity of a cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message;

replacing a stored physical cell identity with a physical cell identity of the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message; and

replacing a stored Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, C-RNTI, with a C-RNTI obtained by the UE for the cell in which the UE sent the RRC resume request message and received the RRC connection release message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the security context information comprises a next hop chaining count.