Methods for Reducing Paging Load in Generic Access Networks

• US 20070202891A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Vikberg, Jari, Diachina, John
• Application Number:
  US11/276,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20070202891A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

Methods for reducing paging load when a Mobile Station (MS) switches between a cell providing access according to a first radio access technology (RAT) and a cell providing access according to General Access Network (GAN) radio access technology, wherein different radio resource (RR) entities in the MS are associated with the first RAT and the GAN radio access technology, a combined radio access network (RAN) controller manages cells associated with the first RAT and the GAN, and the combined RAN controller is unable to independently determine when the MS switches service from the first RAT to the GAN, and vice versa. When an MS has successfully acquired service from a wireless access point associated with the GAN (i.e., it has successfully performed a GAN registration procedure towards a GAN controller (GANC) using that wireless access point), wherein the wireless access point is associated with a cell in the same geographical service area as a cell associated with the first RAT through which the MS was previously receiving service, it sends a message to the combined RAN controller indicating that the GAN RR entity has become the serving RR entity in the MS, whereby the combined RAN controller can forward all future paging messages for the MS only through the access point associated with the GAN.

Claims

1. A method for reducing paging load when a Mobile Station (MS) switches between a cell providing access according to a first radio access technology (RAT) and a cell providing access according to General Access Network (GAN) radio access technology, wherein different radio resource (RR) entities in said MS are associated with said first RAT and said GAN, and wherein a combined radio access network (RAN) controller manages cells associated with said first RAT and said GAN, said combined RAN controller unable to independently determine when said MS toggles service to from said first RAT to said GAN, comprising the steps of:

acquiring service, by said MS, from a wireless access point associated with said GAN, wherein said wireless access point is associated with a cell in the same geographical service area as a cell associated with said first RAT through which said MS is currently receiving service; and

,

sending, from said MS to said combined RAN controller, a message indicating that its GAN RR entity is to be the serving RR entity in the MS, whereby said combined RAN controller can forward all future paging messages for said MS only through said access point associated with said GAN.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said first radio access technology utilizes licensed spectrum and said GAN radio access technology utilizes unlicensed spectrum.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said first radio access technology comprises a GSM/Edge Radio Access Network (GERAN).

4. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said first radio access technology comprises a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).

5. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said GAN radio access technology conforms to IEEE 802.11.

6. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said GAN radio access technology conforms to Bluetooth®

.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said message comprises a control plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Circuit Switched Resource (GA-CSR) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said message comprises a control plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Packet Switched Resource (GA-PSR) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said message comprises a registration plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Resource Control (GA-RC) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

10. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of said combined RAN controller sending an acknowledgement message to said MS.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein said acknowledgement message comprises Location Area Identity and Routing Area Identity information.

12. A method for reducing paging load when a Mobile Station (MS) switches between a cell providing access according to General Access Network (GAN) radio access technology and a cell providing access according to a second radio access technology (RAT), wherein different radio resource (RR) entities in said MS are associated with said GAN and said second RAT, and wherein a combined radio access network (RAN) controller manages cells associated with said GAN and said second RAT, said combined RAN controller unable to independently determine when said MS toggles service from said GAN to said second RAT, comprising the steps of:

switching service, by said MS, from a wireless access point associated with said GAN to said second RAT, wherein said wireless access point is associated with a cell in the same geographical service area as a cell associated with said second RAT; and

,

sending, from said MS to said combined RAN controller, a message indicating that the GAN RR entity is no longer the serving RR entity in the MS, whereby said combined RAN controller can forward all future paging messages for said MS only through said second RAT.

13. The method recited in claim 12, wherein said second radio access technology utilizes licensed spectrum and said GAN radio access technology utilizes unlicensed spectrum.

14. The method recited in claim 13, wherein said second radio access technology comprises a GSM/Edge Radio Access Network (GERAN).

15. The method recited in claim 13, wherein said second radio access technology comprises a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).

16. The method recited in claim 13, wherein said GAN radio access technology conforms to IEEE 802.11.

17. The method recited in claim 13, wherein said GAN radio access technology conforms to Bluetooth®

.

18. The method recited in claim 12, wherein said message comprises a control plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Circuit Switched Resource (GA-CSR) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

19. The method recited in claim 12, wherein said message comprises a control plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Packet Switched Resource (GA-PSR) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

20. The method recited in claim 12, wherein said message comprises a registration plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Resource Control (GA-RC) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

21. A method for reducing paging load in a combined radio access network (RAN) controller which manages cells associated with a first radio access technology (RAT) and cells providing access according to General Access Network (GAN) radio access technology, said combined RAN controller unable to independently determine when a mobile station (MS) switches between a cell providing access according to said first RAT and a cell providing access according to said GAN radio access technology, wherein different radio resource (RR) entities in said MS are associated with said first RAT and said GAN, comprising the steps of:

receiving at said combined RAN controller, from said MS, a message indicating that the MS'"'"'s GAN RR entity is to be the serving RR entity in the MS, said message transmitted by said MS when it acquires service from a wireless access point associated with said GAN, wherein said wireless access point is associated with a cell in the same geographical service area as a cell associated with said first RAT through which said MS is receiving service;

sending, from said combined RAN controller to said MS, an acknowledgement message; and

,

forwarding, from said combined RAN controller, all future paging messages for said MS only through said access point associated with said GAN.

22. The method recited in claim 21, wherein said first radio access technology utilizes licensed spectrum and said GAN radio access technology utilizes unlicensed spectrum.

23. The method recited in claim 22, wherein said first radio access technology comprises a GSM/Edge Radio Access Network (GERAN).

24. The method recited in claim 22, wherein said first radio access technology comprises a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).

25. The method recited in claim 22, wherein said GAN radio access technology conforms to IEEE 802.11.

26. The method recited in claim 22, wherein said GAN radio access technology conforms to Bluetooth®

.

27. The method recited in claim 21, wherein said message indicating that the MS'"'"'s GAN RR entity is to be the serving RR entity in the MS comprises a control plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Circuit Switched Resource (GA-CSR) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

28. The method recited in claim 21, wherein said message indicating that the MS'"'"'s GAN RR entity is to be the serving RR entity in the MS comprises a control plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Packet Switched Resource (GA-PSR) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

29. The method recited in claim 21, wherein said message comprises a registration plane message corresponding to a Generic Access-Resource Control (GA-RC) protocol entity defined for said GAN radio access technology.

30. The method recited in claim 21, wherein said acknowledgement message comprises Location Area Identity and Routing Area Identity information.

31. The method recited in claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from said MS at said combined RAN controller, a message indicating that the GAN RR entity is no longer the serving RR entity in the MS, said MS transmitting said message when said MS switches service from said wireless access point associated with said GAN to said first RAT, wherein said wireless access point is associated with a cell in the same geographical service area as a cell associated with said first RAT; and

,

forwarding, from said combined RAN controller to said MS, all future paging messages for said MS only through said first RAT.