Methods and apparatus for controlling IP applications during resource shortages

• US 20030037146A1
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm Flarion Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: OʼNeill, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/36 for reassigning the resources associated with the released connections

Abstract

This invention describes how combined session and resource tracking in a mobile node (MN) and/or basestation in a dynamic network resource environment can be used to control reactions to resource shortages. The session that is to experience a resource shortage is detected either by the MN, or communicated to the MN where session signaling is used to modify the session according to MN and basestation policy/configuration. The basestation can alternatively modify the session itself with all the session peers, on behalf of the MN. The specific new reaction to resource shortages that is then enabled is to place the session on hold such that the resources are freed, but so that the session state is maintained in the peers. This is preferable to dropping the session, as is generally the case in dynamic environments, if the likely period of resource loss is short and the session modifications require less overhead than restarting the session when the resources return after dropping the session. In addition, before having resources removed, the basestation can provide the MN with an opportunity to upgrade the priority of its resource request compared to other users in the cell, so that a resource auction is conducted to decide which MN actually loses its resources.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile communications device, in a communications system wherein communications resources are shared, the method comprising:

responding to a loss of communications resources used by a communications session by placing said communications session in a session hold state; and

responding to allocation of resources to said communications session in said session hold state by restoring said communications session to an active session state, said active session state involving the use of the allocated resources by said communications session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a session hold message indicative of the loss of resources; and

wherein said step of responding to said loss of resources is performed in response to receiving said session hold message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

detecting said loss of communications resources; and

identifying a communications session affected by said loss of communications resources, said identified communications session being the communications session that is placed into a session hold state.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sending a session hold message to a participant in said communications session which is placed into a session hold state.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said session hold message is a multicast group message which identifies said communications session and includes a reason for putting said communications session into a hold state.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said session hold message is a unicast message which identifies said communications session and includes a reason for putting said communications session into a hold state.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein said loss of communications resources is due to resource reallocation in a cell in which said mobile communications device is operating.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein placing said communications session into a session hold state includes:

operating an application to indicate to a user of the mobile node that said communications session is being placed into a session hold state; and

maintaining in memory communications information relating to said communications session placed into a session hold state.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the allocation of resources to said communications session in said session hold state.

10. The method of claim 9, said step of detecting the allocation of resources includes:

receiving a resource available message from a basestaton.

11. The method of claim 9,

wherein responding to allocation of resources to said communications session includes indicating to a user of the mobile device that the communications session has been restored to an active state.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an upgrade option message presenting an opportunity to upgrade a resource allocation priority prior to having shared communications resources being used by said mobile communications device to support a communications session removed; and

sending a reply to said received upgrade option message indicating if the resource allocation priority is to be upgraded.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile communications device receives multiple upgrade option messages and sends multiple replies as part of a bidding session for shared communications session resources.

14. A mobile communications device comprising:

means for responding to a loss of communications resources used by a communications session by placing said communications session in a session hold state; and

means for responding to allocation of resources to said communications session in said session hold state by restoring said communications session to an active session state, said active session state involving the use of the allocated resources by said communications session.

15. The mobile communications device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for sending a session hold message to a participant in said communications session which is placed into a hold state.

16. The mobile communications device of claim 15, further comprising:

means for detecting the allocation of resources to said communications session in said session hold state.

17. The mobile communications device of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an upgrade option message presenting an opportunity to upgrade a resource allocation priority prior to having shared communications resources being used by said mobile communications device to support a communications session removed; and

sending a reply to said received upgrade option message indicating if the resource allocation priority is to be upgraded.

18. A method of operating a mobile communications device in a communications network having shared communications resources, comprising:

receiving an upgrade option message presenting an opportunity to upgrade a resource allocation priority prior to having shared communications resources being used by said mobile communications device to support a communications session removed; and

sending a reply to said received upgrade option message indicating if the resource allocation priority is to be upgraded.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mobile communications device (14) receives multiple upgrade option messages and sends multiple replies as part of a bidding session for shared communications session resources.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicating that a communications session is to be put into a hold state; and

operating an application associated with said communications session to be put into a hold state to perform a session hold action.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the session hold action includes indicating to a user of the mobile communications device that said communications session has been put into the hold state.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicating that said communications session is to be changed from said hold state to an active state.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

operating said application associated with said communications session to perform a session-on action including the use of shared communication resources which were unavailable while said communications session was in said session hold state.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

detecting when a shared communication resource being used by said mobile communications device (14) becomes unavailable;

identifying a communications session affected by said shared communication resource being unavailable; and

transmitting a session hold message to indicate that said affected communications session is to be put into a hold state.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the session hold message identifies the mobile communications device transmitting said message and said affected communications session.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

operating the affected communications application to implement a session hold operation.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said step of operating the affected communications application to implement as session hold operation includes indicating to the user of the mobile communications device that the affected communications session has been put on hold.

28. A mobile communications device comprising:

means for receiving an upgrade option message presenting an opportunity to upgrade a resource allocation priority prior to having shared communications resources being used by said mobile communications device to support a communications session removed; and

means for sending a reply to said received upgrade option message indicating if the resource allocation priority is to be upgraded.

29. The mobile communications device of claim 28, further comprising:

a user input device for receiving input from a user indicating is resource allocation priority is to be upgraded.

30. A method of operating a basestation in a mobile communications system, the method comprising:

receiving a message requesting allocation of a communications resource;

identifying an existing communications session using the requested resource;

reallocating the requested resource from the identified existing communications session; and

placing the existing communications session in a session hold state.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

transmitting a resource grant signal to a mobile node that requested allocation of said communications resource.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the step placing the existing communications session in a session hold state includes storing a session identifier corresponding to the existing communications session in a hold queue.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of placing the existing communications session in a session hold state further includes:

transmitting a session hold message to a mobile node participating in said communications session.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said hold queue includes, for each identified session in said hold queue, a session hold start time and a session priority level indicator.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said hold queue further includes information on the resources needed to transition each identified session in said queue from a hold state to a session on state.

36. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving a message releasing a communications resource; and

identifying a communications session in a hold state from information included in said hold queue to allocate said released communications resource to.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of identifying a communications session in said hold queue includes:

selecting a communications session in a hold state to allocated the released resources to as a function of the stored priority level information and hold start time associated with each communications session identifier stored in said hold queue.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of:

transmitting a signal to a mobile node associated with the identified communications session to cause said mobile node to transition said identified communications session from a hold state to an on state.

39. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of identifying an existing communications session using the requested resource includes:

transmitting a priority upgrade option message to a communications device using the requested resource.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the step of identifying an existing communications session using the requested resource includes:

receiving a priority upgrade reply message from the communications device to which said priority upgrade option message was transmitted.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein said means for identifying an existing communications session includes:

means for processing a priority upgrade reply message received from the communications device to which said priority upgrade option message was transmitted.

41. A basestation in a mobile communications system, the basesstation comprising:

a receiver circuit for receiving a message requesting allocation of a communications resource;

means for identifying an existing communications session using the requested resource;

means for reallocating the requested resource from the identified existing communications session; and

means for placing the existing communications session in a session hold state.

42. The basestation of claim 41, further comprising:

means for transmitting a resource grant signal to a mobile node that requested allocation of said communications resource.

43. The basestation of claim 41, wherein said means for identifying an existing communications session includes:

means for transmitting a priority upgrade option message to a communications device using the requested resource.

45. A method of operating a basestation in a communications system, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a communications resource;

identifying an existing communications session utilizing said resource;

transmitting a priority upgrade option message to a mobile device associated with said identified existing communications session;

receiving a priority upgrade option reply message from said mobile device; and

determining whether to reallocate the requested communications resource from said identified existing communications session in response to said request as a function of the received priority upgrade option reply message.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein determining whether to reallocate the requested communications resource from said identified existing communications session in response to said request as a function of the received priority upgrade option reply message includes:

processing said priority upgrade option reply message to upgrade a priority level associated with the identified existing communications session when said reply message indicates that a priority upgrade option has been selected.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein determining whether to reallocate the requested communications resource from said identified existing communications session in response to said request as a function of the received priority upgrade option reply message includes:

comparing a priority level associated with said resource request to the priority level associated with said identified existing communications session.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

transmitting a message to place the identified existing communications session into a session hold state when the priority level associated with said resource request exceeds the priority level associated with said identified existing communications session.