System and method for supporting multimedia broadcast/multicast service in a non-tracking area

• US 20040147266A1
• Filed: 01/20/2004
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Sung-Ho, Hwang, Sung-Oh, Lee, Kook-Heui
• Application Number:
  US10/760,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20040147266A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• 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 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

A mobile communication system including an SRNC, a TRNC, and an SGSN. The UE notifies cell movement to the TRNC, and receives, from the TRNC, whether a packet service available in a first cell is available in a second cell, and radio resource information for receiving the packet service in the second cell, and receives the packet service from the second cell. The TRNC requests an authentication for the UE from the SGSN, and receives, from the SGSN, information on whether the UE can receive the packet service, and packet service information for the packet service the UE is receiving in the first cell, if the UE can, and transmits, to the UE, whether the packet service is available, and radio resource information for providing the packet service. The SGSN transmits, to the TRNC, information on whether the UE can the packet service, and packet service information.

Claims

1. A method for providing a packet service when a user equipment (UE) moves to a second cell while receiving the packet service in a first cell in a mobile communication system including a serving radio network controller (SRNC) for managing the first cell serving as a non-tracking area (NTA), a target radio network controller (TRNC) for managing the second cell, and a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) for providing packet service data, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) upon detecting movement from the first cell to the second cell, sending, by the UE, a notification indicating the cell movement to the TRNC;

(b) sending, by the TRNC, an authentication request for the UE to the SGSN in response to the cell movement notification;

(c) in response to the authentication request, transmitting, by the SGSN to the TRNC, information on whether the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, and packet service information for the packet service the UE is currently receiving in the first cell, if the UE is qualified to receive the packet service; and

(d) if the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, transmitting, by the TRNC to the UE, information on whether the packet service corresponding to the packet service information is available, and radio resource information necessary for providing the packet service when the packet service is available.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication request for the UE sent to the SGSN includes a UE ID (Identification) of the UE.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet service information includes service IDs (Identifications) indicating types of packet services that the UE is currently receiving in the first cell.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of sending, by the TRNC to the SGSN, a packet data request for packet service types currently unavailable by the TRNC, if there are currently unavailable packet service types among packet services types corresponding to service IDs in the packet service information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting, by the TRNC, a notification indicating availability of the packet service, and service IDs (Identifications) corresponding to packet service types available by the TRNC.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting, by the TRNC, a notification indicating an unavailability of the packet service to the UE, if the UE is not qualified to receive the packet service.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of transmitting, by the RNC, a notification indicating an unavailability of the packet service to the UE, if packet service types corresponding to all service IDs (Identifications) in the packet service information are unavailable by the TRNC.

8. A method for providing a packet service when a user equipment (UE) moves to a second cell while receiving the packet service in a first cell in a mobile communication system including a serving radio network controller (SRNC) for managing the first cell serving as a non-tracking area (NTA), a target radio network controller (TRNC) for managing the second cell, and a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) for providing packet service data, the method comprising the steps of

(a) upon detecting movement from the first cell to the second cell, sending a notification indicating the cell movement to the TRNC;

(b) in response to the cell movement notification, receiving, transmitting from the TRNC, information indicating whether a packet service the UE is currently receiving in the first cell is available in the second cell, and packet service information necessary for receiving the packet service in the second cell, if the packet service the UE is currently receiving in the first cell is available in the second cell; and

(c) receiving the packet service in the second cell according to the packet service information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cell movement notification includes information indicating that the UE desires to continuously receive the packet service the UE is currently receiving in the first cell, in the second cell.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the packet service information includes service IDs (Identifications) indicating types of the packet services and radio resource information necessary for providing the packet services corresponding to the service IDs.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of recognizing that the packet service currently available in the first cell is unavailable in the second cell, when information indicating that the packet service currently available for the UE in the first cell is unavailable in the second cell is received from the TRNC in response to the cell movement notification.

12. A method for providing a packet service to a user equipment (UE) by a target radio network controller (TRNC) when the UE receiving the packet service in a first cell moves to a second cell in a mobile communication system including a serving radio network controller (SRNC) for managing the first cell serving as a non-tracking area (NTA), the TRNC for managing the second cell, and a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) for providing packet service data, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending an authentication request for the UE to the SGSN upon receiving a notification indicating that the UE receiving the packet service in the first cell moves to the second cell;

(b) in response to the authentication request, receiving, from the SGSN, information on whether the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, and packet service information for the packet service the UE is currently receiving in the first cell, if the UE is qualified to receive the packet service; and

(c) if the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, transmitting, to the UE, information on whether the packet service corresponding to the packet service information is available, and radio resource information necessary for providing the packet service, if the packet service is available.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the authentication request for the UE sent to the SGSN includes a UE ID (Identification) of the UE.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the packet service information includes service IDs (Identifications) indicating types of packet services the UE is currently receiving in the first cell.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of sending to the SGSN a packet data request for currently unavailable packet service types, if there are currently unavailable packet service types among packet service types corresponding to the service IDs in the packet service information.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step (c) comprises the step of transmitting a notification indicating availability of the packet service, and service IDs (Identifications) of the available packet service types.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of sending a notification indicating an unavailability of the packet service to the UE, if the UE is not qualified to receive the packet service.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of sending a notification indicating an unavailability of the packet service to the UE, if the packet services corresponding to all service IDs in the packet service information are unavailable.

19. A system for providing a packet service when a user equipment (UE) moves to a second cell while receiving packet service data in a first cell in a mobile communication system comprising:

a serving radio network controller (SRNC) for managing the first cell serving as a non-tracking area (NTA);

a target radio network controller (TRNC) for managing the second cell; and

a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) for providing the packet service data;

wherein the UE transmits a notification indicating cell movement to the TRNC upon detecting movement from the first cell to the second cell, and in response to the cell movement notification, receives, from the TRNC, information on whether a packet service currently available in the first cell is available in the second cell, and radio resource information necessary for receiving the packet service in the second cell, if the packet service currently available in the first cell is available in the second cell, and receives the packet service from the second cell according to the radio resource information;

the TRNC transmits an authentication request for the UE to the SGSN in response to the cell movement notification, and in response to the authentication request, receives, from the SGSN, information on whether the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, and packet service information for a packet service that the UE is currently receiving in the first cell, if the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, and transmits, to the UE, information on whether the packet service is available, if the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, and radio resource information necessary for providing the packet service, if the packet service is available; and

the SGSN transmits, in response to the authentication request for the UE, to the TRNC, information on whether the UE is qualified to receive the packet service, and packet service information for the packet service that the UE is currently receiving in the first cell if the UE has qualification for receiving the packet service.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the TRNC transmits the authentication request for the UE including a UE ID (Identification) of the UE.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the packet service information includes service IDs (Identifications) corresponding to types of packet services the UE is currently receiving in the first cell.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the TRNC sends to the SGSN a packet data request for currently unavailable packet service types, if there are currently unavailable packet service types among the packet service types corresponding to service IDs in the packet service information.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the TRNC sends a notification indicating an availability of the packet service, along with service IDs (Identifications) of the available packer service types.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the TRNC sends to the UE a notification indicating an unavailability of the packet service, if the UE is not qualified to receive the packet service.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the TRNC sends to the UE a notification indicating an unavailability of the packet service, if the packet services corresponding to all service IDs in the packet service information are unavailable.

26. A method for providing a packet service when a user equipment (UE) moves to a second cell while receiving the packet service in a first cell in a mobile communication system including a serving radio network controller (SRNC) for managing the first cell serving as a non-tracking area (NTA), a target radio network controller (TRNC) for managing neighbor cells of the first cell, a serving GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) support node (SGSN) for providing packet service data, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) upon detecting movement from the first cell to a particular cell among the neighbor cells, sending by the UE a cell movement notification to the SRNC;

(b) in response to the cell movement notification, determining by the SRNC whether a packet service the UE is currently receiving in the first cell is available in the neighbor cells, and transmitting a determination result to the TRNCs managing the neighbor cells;

(c) transmitting, by each of the TRNCs to the UE via the SRNC, information on whether the packet service is available, and radio resource information necessary for providing the packet service in the particular cell, if the packet service is available for the UE; and

(d) selecting by the UE, a second cell capable of optimally serving the packet service based on the radio resource information received from the TRNC, and receiving the packet service from the second cell.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the cell movement notification includes measurement values of a reception signal received from the first cell and the neighbor cells.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step (b) comprises the step of determining whether the packet service is available, and transmitting the determination result to the TRNCs managing neighbor cells having measurement values exceeding a predetermined value among the measurement values of signals received from the neighbor cells.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of transmitting the determination result, along with a UE ID (Identification) indicating the UE and a service ID corresponding to a type of the packet service.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of selecting the second cell by the UE comprises the step of selecting, as the second cell, a cell that is currently providing the packet service, based on the radio resource information received from each of the TRNCs.