Handling traffic flows in a mobile communications network

• US 20040125748A1
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Hurtta, Tuija, Olah, Zoltan, Pikkusaari, Antti
• Granted Patent: US 8,488,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method of handling traffic flows across a network wherein each traffic flow is associated with at least one flow treatment attribute determining the flow treatment requirement for that traffic flow and wherein the network comprises at least one user terminal, at least one radio network node with means for establishing a radio communication channel between said user terminal and said radio network node and at least one packet network node with means for establishing a packet communication channel in the network, the method comprising: issuing a request for establishing a first communication pathway end to end over the network, said communications pathway including said radio communication channel and said packet communication channel, said request identifying multiple traffic flows with their associated attributes; identifying any of said traffic flows which require a different flow treatment across the network; and establishing said first communication pathway, and at least one second communication pathway end to end over the network, said second communication pathway providing a different flow treatment.

Claims

1. A method of handling traffic flows across a network wherein each traffic flow is associated with at least one flow treatment attribute determining the flow treatment requirement for that traffic flow and wherein the network comprises at least one user terminal, at least one radio network node with means for establishing a radio communication channel between said user terminal and said radio network node and at least one packet network node with means for establishing a packet communication channel in the network, the method comprising:

issuing a request for establishing a first communication pathway end to end over the network, said communications pathway including said radio communication channel and said packet communication channel, said request identifying multiple traffic flows with their associated attributes;

identifying any of said traffic flows which require a different flow treatment across the network; and

establishing said first communication pathway, and at least one second communication pathway end to end over the network, said second communication pathway providing a different flow treatment.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication pathway is established as a packet data protocol (PDP) context over the network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying any of said traffic flows which require a different flow treatment is implemented at said at least one packet network node.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying any of said traffic flows which require a different flow treatment is implemented at a policy decision function node of the network.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said at least one second communication pathway is implemented by establishing a packet data protocol context across the network.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the radio communication channel established between said at least one user terminal and said at least one radio network node comprises at least one radio bearer, wherein the step of establishing said first and second communication pathways includes the step of establishing multiple radio bearers providing different flow treatments.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one packet network node comprises a gateway GPRS serving node, and the network further comprises a serving GPRS service node, wherein each communication pathway comprises a radio access bearer between the user terminal and the serving GPRS service node, wherein the step of establishing said first and second communication pathway comprises establishing multiple radio access bearers with different flow treatments.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one flow treatment attribute comprises a quality of service policy.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one flow treatment attribute comprises a charging policy.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying traffic flows is based on their associated attributes.

11. A communications network for handling traffic flows, wherein each traffic flow is associated with at least one flow treatment attribute determining the flow treatment requirement for that traffic flow, the network comprising at least one user terminal, at least one radio network node with means for establishing a radio communication channel between said user terminal and said radio network node, and at least one packet network node with means for establishing a packet communication channel, wherein:

the user terminal or the packet network node is configured to issue a request for establishing a first communication pathway end to end over the network, said communication pathway including said radio communication channel and said packet communication channel, said request identifying multiple traffic flows with their associated attributes;

the network comprising means for identifying any of said traffic flows which require a different flow treatment across the network; and

means for establishing said first communication pathway, and at least one second communication pathway end to end over the network, said second communication pathway providing a different flow treatment.

12. A network according to claim 11, wherein said identifying means is located at said at least one packet network node.

13. A network according to claim 11, which comprises a policy decision function network node at which the identifying means is located.

14. A network according to claim 11, wherein the means for establishing the communication pathway includes means for establishing a packet data protocol context across the network.

15. A network according to claim 11, wherein said means for establishing said first and second communication pathways includes means for establishing multiple radio bearers in the radio communication channel.

16. A network according to claim 11, wherein said means for establishing said first and second communication pathways comprises means for establishing multiple radio access bearers in the radio communication channel.