Group trigger method, apparatus, and system

• US 10,575,141 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Wanqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Stephen M D
• Application Number:
  US15/918,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20180206082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

Disclosed is a group trigger method, apparatus, and system. In embodiments of the present invention, the group trigger system includes: an interworking function (IWF) entity, configured to send a trigger delivery request to an entity that has a trigger function; and the entity that has a trigger function, configured to, after receiving the trigger delivery request sent by the IWF entity, return a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity, and delivers, according to the trigger delivery request, an acquired group trigger payload to a user equipment UE. The entity that has a group trigger function delivers the group trigger payload to the UE, so as to effectively implement group trigger, avoid point-to-point trigger, and save system resources.

Claims

1. A group trigger system, comprising:

an interworking function (IWF) entity;

a broadcast/multicast service center (BM-SC);

a server capability server (SCS);

a home subscriber server (HSS);

wherein the SCS is configured to send a group message request to the IWF entity, wherein the group message request comprises external group identifier information, location information, and a group trigger payload for enabling the IWF entity to send a subscriber information verification request message to the HSS to perform subscriber information verification;

wherein the HSS is configured to;

after receiving the subscriber information verification request message sent by the IWF entity, determine to perform a trigger operation of the SCS, and when the HSS determines to perform the trigger operation of the SCS;

map the external group identifier information to internal group identifier information of an operator, and

add the internal group identifier information of the operator and an indication of a determined group trigger delivery manner to a subscriber information verification response message to send to the IWF entity;

wherein the interworking function (IWF) entity is configured to;

transmit the trigger delivery request to the BM-SC, wherein the trigger delivery request comprises an internal group identifier information of an operator and location information, wherein the internal group identifier is a group ID associated with more than one user equipment, and

select a group trigger delivery manner according to an indication of the trigger delivery manner and/or a local policy to send the trigger delivery request to the corresponding entity that has a group trigger function; and

wherein the BM-SC is configured to;

after receiving the trigger delivery request sent by the IWF entity, transmit a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity,

receive a group trigger payload sent by the IWF entity after transmitting the trigger delivery acknowledgement message, and

transmit an acquired group trigger payload to the more than one user equipments according to the trigger delivery request.

2. The group trigger system of claim 1, wherein the BM-SC is configured to transmit the acquired group trigger payload to the more than one user equipments at a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information of the trigger delivery request.

3. The group trigger system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the trigger delivery request or the subscriber information verification request message further comprise a group trigger indication.

4. An interworking function (IWF) entity, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a group message request comprising external group identifier information, location information, and a group trigger payload;

a transmitter configured to;

transmit a trigger delivery request to a broadcast/multicast service center (BM-SC), wherein the trigger delivery request comprises an internal group identifier information of an operator and location information, and wherein the internal group identifier is a group ID associated with more than one user equipment;

wherein the receiver is further configured to, after transmitting the trigger delivery request, receive a trigger delivery acknowledgement message returned from the BM-SC;

wherein the transmitter is configured to;

send a subscriber information verification request message to a home subscriber server (HSS) for enabling the HSS to determine whether to map external group identifier information to the internal group identifier information of the operator, and for enabling the HSS to determine whether to add the internal group information of the operator and an indication of a determined group trigger delivery manner to a subscriber information verification response message to send to the IWF entity, and

transmit the group trigger payload to the BM-SC, wherein the IWF entity group trigger payload is configured to transmit to the more than one user equipments in a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information; and

a processor configured to select a group trigger delivery manner according to an indication of the trigger delivery manner or a local policy to send the trigger delivery request to a corresponding entity that has a group trigger function.

5. The IWF entity of claim 4, wherein at least one of the trigger delivery request, the trigger request message, the subscriber information verification request message, or the subscriber information verification response message further comprise a group trigger indication.

6. A group trigger system, comprising:

an interworking function (IWF) entity;

a server capability server (SCS) configured to send a group message request comprising external group identifier information, location information, and a group trigger payload; and

an interworking function (IWF) entity configured to;

receive the group request message sent by the SCS;

select a group trigger delivery manner according to an indication of the trigger delivery manner or a local policy to send the trigger delivery request to a corresponding entity that has a group trigger function; and

send a subscriber information verification request message to a home subscriber server (HSS);

wherein the HSS is configured to;

after receiving the subscriber information verification request message sent by the IWF entity, determine to perform a trigger operation of the SCS,

when the HSS determines to perform the trigger operation of the SCS;

map the external group identifier information to internal group identifier information of an operator, and

add the internal group identifier information of the operator and an indication of a determined group trigger delivery manner to a subscriber information verification response message, and

send the subscriber information response message to the IWF entity;

wherein the IWF entity is configured to;

transmit a trigger delivery request to a broadcast/multicast service center (BM-SC), wherein the trigger delivery request comprises an internal group identifier information of an operator and location information, and wherein the internal group identifier is a group ID associated with more than one user equipment; and

wherein the BM-SC is configured to;

after receiving the trigger delivery request sent by the IWF entity, transmit a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity,

receive a group trigger payload sent by the IWF entity after transmitting the trigger delivery acknowledgement message, and

transmit an acquired group trigger payload to the more than one user equipment according to the trigger delivery request.

7. The group trigger system of claim 6, wherein the BM-SC is configured to transmit the acquired group trigger payload to the more than one user equipments at a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information of the trigger delivery request.

8. The group trigger system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the trigger delivery request, the trigger request message, the subscriber information verification request message, and the subscriber information verification response message further comprise a group trigger indication.