Method and apparatus for indicating quality of service to a radio access network

• US 20040042423A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UTStarcom Incorporated (UTStarcom Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Borella, Michael, Raman, Sundar
• Granted Patent: US 6,940,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access

Abstract

Level of service information for a given user of a radio access network (10) is determined at a Packet Data Serving Node (18) and provided to the radio access network for use in determining a particular level of service to provide to the given user. The level of service can comprise an absolute level of service (such as a maximum data rate to be accorded the user) or a dynamic relative level of service (such as information that is used to compare competing users to determine a particular current apportioning of communications resources). In one embodiment, the level of service information is provided to the radio access network via a modified A11 registration update message.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a Packet Control Function unit as coupled to a wireless communication system;

providing a Packet Data Serving Node as coupled to another communication system;

providing a communications link between the Packet Control Function unit and the Packet Data Serving Node;

providing an indication of a given persisting level of service for a given user of the wireless communication system from the Packet Data Serving Node to the Packet Control Function unit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a Packet Control Function unit as coupled to a wireless communication system includes providing a Packet Control Function unit as coupled to a base station controller for the wireless communication system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a Packet Control Function unit as coupled to a wireless communication system includes providing a Packet Control Function unit as coupled to a wireless communication system that supports at least one mobile station, wherein the at least one mobile station has a corresponding device identifier.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one mobile station sources data communications for a user as facilitated through use of a user identifier, wherein the user identifier is different than the device identifier.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one mobile station sources data communications for a user as facilitated through use of a user identifier, wherein the user identifier is at least partially derived from the device identifier.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein providing an indication of a given persisting level of service for a given user of the wireless communication system from the Packet Data Serving Node to the Packet Control Function unit includes determining the given persisting level of service as a function, at least in part, of the user identifier for the given user.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a communications link includes providing an A10/A11 compatible protocol on the link.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an indication of a given persisting level of service for a given user of the wireless communication system from the Packet Data Serving Node to the Packet Control Function unit includes providing the indication of the given persisting level of service in at least one asynchronously transmitted message.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an indication of a given persisting level of service for a given user of the wireless communication system from the Packet Data Serving Node to the Packet Control Function unit includes providing the indication of the given persisting level of service in at least one synchronously transmitted message.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein providing the indication of the given persisting level of service in at least one asynchronously transmitted message includes providing the indication of the given persisting level of service as a part of an A11 registration update message.

11. The method of claim 1 and further comprising using the indication of the given persisting level of service in the wireless communication system to provide a corresponding level of service to the given user for at least some subsequent communications.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the corresponding level of service comprises, at least in part, a resource allocation value.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the resource allocation value includes, at least in part, an indication of a data rate.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the data rate comprises a maximum data rate to be used by the wireless communication system when supporting at least one kind of communication with the given user.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the resource allocation value comprises a first data rate to be used by the wireless communication system when supporting at least some transmissions from the given user and a second data rate to be used by the wireless communication system when supporting at least some transmissions to the given user.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the resource allocation value comprises a value that corresponds to a dynamic relative level of service to be accorded the given user relative to corresponding resource allocation values as are accorded to other users, such that the relative level of service does not correspond to a given absolute level of service.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein providing an indication of a given persisting level of service for a given user of the wireless communication system includes providing an indication for a first given persisting level of service for the given user of the wireless communication system and a second given persisting level of service for the given user of the wireless communication system.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first given persisting level of service corresponds to a given persisting level of service for communications sourced by the given user and the second given persisting level of service corresponds to a given persisting level of service for communications directed to the given user.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving from a wireless communication unit via a wireless communication system a user identifier;

correlating the user identifier to a predetermined level of service;

providing an indication of the predetermined level of service to the wireless communication system.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving from a wireless communication unit via a wireless communication system a user identifier includes receiving the user identifier via a wireline connection.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein receiving the user identifier via a wireline connection includes receiving the user identifier via a Packet Control Function unit.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein receiving the user identifier via a Packet Control Function unit includes receiving the user identifier via at least one of PPP and mobile IP on an A10 compatible link.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving from a wireless communication unit via a wireless communication system a user identifier includes receiving from a wireless communication unit via a wireless communication system a user identifier, which user identifier corresponds to a given subscriber of a communications service.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the user identifier is different from a device identifier as is used by the mobile station in the wireless communication system.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the user identifier is at least partially derived from a device identifier as is used by the mobile station in the wireless communication system.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein correlating the user identifier to a predetermined level of service includes correlating the user identifier to one of a plurality of predetermined levels of service.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein at least some of the plurality of predetermined levels of service comprise predetermined persisting levels of service.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein at least some of the plurality of predetermined levels of service comprises predetermined dynamic relative levels of service.

29. The method of claim 19 wherein correlating the user identifier to a predetermined level of service includes correlating, at a Packet Data Serving Node, the user identifier to a predetermined level of service.

30. The method of claim 19 wherein providing an indication of the predetermined level of service to the wireless communication system includes providing the indication via an A11 link to a Packet Control Function unit that comprises a part of the wireless communication system.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein providing the indication via an A11 link to a Packet Control Function unit that comprises a part of the wireless communication system includes providing the indication as a part of an A11 registration update message.

32. The method of claim 19 wherein providing an indication of the predetermined level of service to the wireless communication system includes providing an indication of a first and second predetermined level of service to the wireless communication system.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the first predetermined level of service corresponds to communications directed to the wireless communication unit and the second predetermined level of service corresponds to communications received from the wireless communication unit.

34. A Packet Data Serving Node for use with a wireless communication system, comprising:

a Packet Control Function interface;

level of service indication means for correlating a given wireless communication system user identifier with a predetermined level of service; and

an output operably coupled to the Packet Control Function interface and the level of service indication means such that an indication of the predetermined level of service is provided to the Packet Control Function interface.

35. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 34 wherein the Packet Control Function interface includes an A10/A11 compatible protocol on a link.

36. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 34 wherein the given wireless communication system user identifier is different from a mobile station identifier for a mobile station as is used by the user to facilitate communications using the wireless communication system.

37. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 34 wherein the given wireless communication system user identifier is at least partially derived from a mobile station identifier for a mobile station as is used by the user to facilitate communications using the wireless communication system.

38. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 34 wherein the level of service indication means correlates the given wireless communication system user identifier with one of a plurality of predetermined levels of service.

39. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 38 wherein at least some of the plurality of predetermined levels of service comprise specific allowed rates of data throughput to be accorded a given user who uses the given wireless communication system user identifier when using the wireless communication system to facilitate subsequent communications.

40. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 34 wherein the output provides the indication of the predetermined level of service in at least one asynchronously transmitted message.

41. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 34 wherein the output provides the indication of the predetermined level of service in at least one synchronously transmitted message.

43. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 34 wherein the level of service indication means further correlates a given wireless communication system user identifier with at least a first and a second predetermined level of service.

44. The Packet Data Serving Node of claim 43 wherein the first predetermined level of service corresponds to service to be provided for communications sourced by the given wireless communication system user and the second predetermined level of service corresponds to service to be provided for communications directed to the given wireless communication system user.

42. The Packet Data Serving Node of 41 wherein the output further provides the indication of the predetermined level of service in an A11 registration update message.

45. A packet data service node, comprising:

a Packet Control Function interface;

a memory interface to a memory that includes predetermined indicators of various levels of service as correspond to specific user identifiers,

a level of service indicator transmitter operably coupled to the Packet Control Function interface.

46. The packet data service node of claim 45 wherein the Packet Control Function interface includes an A10/A11 compatible protocol on a link.

47. The packet data service node of claim 45 wherein the predetermined indicators of various levels of service represent, at least in part, predetermined data rates to be accorded by a wireless communication system to users using the corresponding specific user identifiers.

48. The packet data service node of claim 47 wherein the Packet Control Function interface operably couples to a Packet Control Function unit that comprises a part of the wireless communication system.

49. The packet data service node of claim 45 wherein the level of service indicator transmitter includes correlation means for accessing the memory interface and correlating specific user identifiers with corresponding levels of service indicators.

50. The packet data service node of claim 45 wherein the level of service indicator transmitter includes message means for including the level of service indicator within a message to be transmitted to the wireless communication system.

51. The packet data service node of claim 50 wherein the message comprises an asynchronously transmitted message.

52. The packet data service node of claim 50 wherein the message comprises a synchronously transmitted message.

53. The packet data service node of claim 50 wherein the message further comprises an A11 registration update message.

54. A method comprising:

receiving via a radio access network from a given user using a wireless communication unit a user identifier and an indicator that corresponds to a dynamic relative level of service;

forming a message that includes the indicator;

providing the message to the radio access network such that the radio access network can use the indicator to provide a corresponding dynamic relative level of service to the given user.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein the indicator comprises a diffserv byte.

56. The method of claim 54 wherein forming a message includes forming an A11 registration update message.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein providing the message includes transmitting the A11 registration update message using an A11 compatible protocol.