CONCENTRATOR FOR MULTIPLEXING ACCESS POINT TO WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTIONS

• US 20090316629A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Rajarshi, Song, Osok, Tinnakornsrisuphap, Peerapol, Singh, Damanjit, Horn, Gavin B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,964,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate multiplexing communications from multiple downstream access points to one or more mobility management entities (MME). In particular, a concentrator component is provided that can establish a single transport layer connection with an MME along with multiple application layer connections over the single transport layer connection for each of multiple downstream access points and/or related mobile devices. The downstream access points and/or mobile devices can provide identifiers, such as tracking identifiers, to the concentrator component, which can utilize the identifiers to track communications with the MME. In this regard, the MME can send paging messages, and the concentrator component can determine downstream access points related to the paging messages based on a stored association with a tracking identifier in the paging message.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a page from a mobility management entity (MME) comprising a tracking area identifier;

determining one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of access points to tracking area identifiers; and

transmitting the page to the one or more access points.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving one or more tracking area identifiers associated with an access point and storing an association between the access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining at least one of the one or more tracking area identifiers is a new tracking area identifier; and

transmitting a configuration update message comprising the new tracking area identifier to the MME.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more tracking area identifiers are associated with one or more locations served by the access point.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating the tracking area identifier in a message transmitted to the MME on behalf of the one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the page comprises one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more mobile devices to receive the page via the one or more access points.

7. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a page from a mobility management entity (MME) comprising a tracking area identifier;

discern one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored association of access points to tracking area identifiers; and

transmit the page to the one or more access points; 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 obtain one or more tracking area identifiers associated with an access point and store an association between the access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored association.

9. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 7, wherein the page comprises one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more mobile devices to receive the page via the one or more access points.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a page from a mobility management entity (MME) comprising a tracking area identifier;

means for determining one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of access points to tracking area identifiers; and

means for transmitting the page to the one or more access points.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for determining one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier receives one or more tracking area identifiers associated with an access point and stores an association between the access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for determining one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier determines at least one of the one or more tracking area identifiers is a new tracking area identifier and the means for receiving the page from the MME transmits a configuration update message comprising the new tracking area identifier to the MME.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more tracking area identifiers are associated with one or more locations served by the access point.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for determining one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier indicates the tracking area identifier in a message transmitted to the MME on behalf of the one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the page comprises one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more mobile devices to receive the page via the one or more access points.

16. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive a page from a mobility management entity (MME) comprising a tracking area identifier;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of access points to tracking area identifiers; and

code for causing the at least one computer to transmit the page to the one or more access points.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to receive one or more tracking area identifiers associated with an access point and store an association between the access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

an upstream communication component that receives a page from a mobility management entity (MME) comprising a tracking area identifier;

a paging component that determines one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of access points to tracking area identifiers; and

a downstream communication component transmitting the page to the one or more access points.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the paging component receives one or more tracking area identifiers associated with an access point and stores an association between the access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the paging component determines at least one of the one or more tracking area identifiers is a new tracking area identifier and the upstream communication component transmits a configuration update message comprising the new tracking area identifier to the MME.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the paging component indicates the tracking area identifier in a message transmitted to the MME on behalf of the one or more access points associated with the tracking area identifier.