SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING RRC CONNECTIONS IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20090296675A1
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Tenny, Nathan Edward, Kitazoe, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 8,520,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate selective release of mobile devices using conflicting identifiers when communicating with an access point. The access point can detect the conflicting identifier and transmit a selective release message to the mobile devices. The selective release message can include a disambiguation identifier so the appropriate mobile device can identify that it is incorrectly connected to the access point and can release its connection. The disambiguation identifier can be one or more unique aspects of the correctly or incorrectly connected mobile device, such as an identifier, previous message related aspects, whether a security or context check can be decoded, etc. Thus, connection of the incorrectly connected mobile device can be released without additionally releasing the correctly connected mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for performing selective release in wireless communications, comprising:

receiving a selective release notification from an access point that disambiguates incorrectly connected mobile devices;

determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on the selective release notification; and

releasing connection to the access point based at least in part on determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective release notification comprises a disambiguation identifier related to mobile devices correctly or incorrectly connected to the access point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect is further based at least in part on comparing the disambiguation identifier to one or more aspects of a previous message transmitted to the access point.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more aspects of the previous message is a signature or checksum of the previous message.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the selective release notification is an existing connection release message and further includes an indicator specifying selective release.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selective release notification is a security or context check message and determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect is based at least in part on successful or unsuccessful decoding of the security or context check message.

7. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

obtain a selective release notification from an access point;

detect whether the selective release notification applies to the wireless communications apparatus; and

release connection from the access point based at least in part on detecting whether the selective release notification applies; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

8. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect a disambiguation identifier in the selective release message.

9. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor detects whether the selective release notification applies based at least in part on comparing the disambiguation identifier to an aspect of a previous message transmitted to the access point.

10. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 9, wherein the aspect is a signature or checksum of the message.

11. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 8, wherein the selective release message is a general connection release message and the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the general connection release message is selective based at least in part on an identifier in the message.

12. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 7, wherein the selective release notification is a security or context check message and the at least one processor detects whether the selective release notification applies based at least in part on successful or unsuccessful decoding of the security or context check message.

13. An apparatus that facilitates releasing communications in wireless networks, comprising:

means for receiving a selective release message from an access point;

means for determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on the selective release message; and

means for releasing connection from the access point according to whether connection to the access point is incorrect.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the selective release message comprises a disambiguation identifier and the means for determining determines whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on the disambiguation identifier.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for determining determines whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on comparing the disambiguation identifier to one or more aspects of a previous message transmitted to the access point.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more aspects of the previous message includes a signature or checksum of the message.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the selective release message is a general connection release message and the means for receiving the selective release message further determines the message is selective based at least in part on an identifier in the general connection release message.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the selective release message is a security or context check message and the means for determining determines whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on whether decoding of the security or context check message is successful or unsuccessful.

19. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive a selective release notification from an access point that disambiguates incorrectly connected mobile devices;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on the selective release notification; and

code for causing the at least one computer to release connection to the access point based at least in part on determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the selective release notification comprises a disambiguation identifier related to mobile devices correctly or incorrectly connected to the access point.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect is further based at least in part on comparing the disambiguation identifier to one or more aspects of a previous message transmitted to the access point.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the one or more aspects of the previous message is a signature or checksum of the previous message.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the selective release notification is an existing connection release message and further includes an indicator specifying selective release.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the selective release notification is a security or context check message and determining whether connection to the access point is incorrect is based at least in part on successful or unsuccessful decoding of the security or context check message.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a selective release message component that receives a selective release message from an access point;

a disambiguation identifier component that discerns whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on the selective release message; and

a release component that releases connection from the access point according to whether connection to the access point is incorrect.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the selective release message comprises a disambiguation identifier and the disambiguation identifier component determines whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on the disambiguation identifier.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the disambiguation identifier component determines whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on comparing the disambiguation identifier to one or more aspects of a previous message transmitted to the access point.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the one or more aspects of the previous message includes a signature or checksum of the message.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the selective release message is a general connection release message and the selective release message component further determines the message is selective based at least in part on an identifier in the general connection release message.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the selective release message is a security or context check message and the disambiguation identifier component determines whether connection to the access point is incorrect based at least in part on whether decoding of the security or context check message is successful or unsuccessful.

31. A method for selectively releasing mobile devices with conflicting identifiers, comprising:

receiving from a mobile device an access request comprising an identifier;

determining that the identifier conflicts with an assigned identifier previously allocated to a connected mobile device; and

transmitting a selective release message to the mobile device and connected mobile device based at least in part on the conflict between the identifier and the assigned identifier.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein determining that the identifier conflicts with the assigned identifier includes detecting the access request from the mobile device where a different message is expected from the connected mobile device.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the selective release message is a general connection release message.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising generating a disambiguation identifier of the mobile device or connected mobile device and including the disambiguation identifier in the selective release message.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the disambiguation identifier relates to one or more parameters of the access request or a previous message received from the connected mobile device.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising selecting a previous message received from the mobile device or the connected mobile device for generating the disambiguation identifier that avoids collision of the disambiguation identifier with a disparate disambiguation identifier corresponding to an additional message received from the mobile device or the connected mobile device.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising including an indication that the general connection release message is for selective release in the selective release message.

38. The method of claim 31, further comprising generating a security or context check message, wherein the selective release message is the security or context check message.

39. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

obtain an access request comprising an identifier from a mobile device;

detect a conflict between the identifier and an assigned identifier allocated to a connected mobile device; and

transmit a selective release message corresponding to the conflicting identifier and assigned identifier; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

40. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 39, wherein the at least one processor detects the conflict based at least in part on determining that the access request is an unexpected message for the assigned identifier.

41. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 39, wherein the selective release message is a general connection release message.

42. An apparatus that facilitates requesting selective release of one or more mobile devices, comprising:

means for receiving communications comprising an identifier from a mobile device;

means for determining that the identifier conflicts with a disparate identifier assigned to a connected mobile device; and

means for transmitting a selective release message based at least in part on the identifier.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the means for determining determines the identifier conflict based at least in part on detecting that the communications from the mobile device are unexpected for the identifier.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the selective release message is a general connection release message.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, further comprising means for selecting a disambiguation identifier and inserting the disambiguation identifier in the selective release message.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the disambiguation identifier relates to the communications from the mobile device or a previous message from the connected mobile device.

47. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive an access request from a mobile device comprising an identifier;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine that the identifier conflicts with an assigned identifier previously allocated to a connected mobile device; and

code for causing the at least one computer to transmit a selective release message to the mobile device and connected mobile device based at least in part on the conflict between the identifier and the assigned identifier.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein determining that the identifier conflicts with the assigned identifier includes detecting the access request from the mobile device where a different message is expected from the connected mobile device.

49. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver component that receives communications comprising an identifier from a mobile device;

an incorrect communication detect component that determines the identifier conflicts with a disparate identifier assigned to a connected mobile device; and

a selective release message component that generates a selective release message based at least in part on the identifier, wherein the transceiver component that transmits the selective release message to the mobile device and connected mobile device.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the incorrect communication detect component determines the identifier conflict based at least in part on detecting that the communications from the mobile device are unexpected for the identifier.