Method and Apparatus for Suspending Network Based Services

• US 20100153559A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yu, Loc
• Application Number:
  US12/337,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153559A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5012 determining service availability, e.g. which services are available at a certain point in time

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for de-registering user equipment from a network in response to notification that the user equipment will cease using network services. An Interruption Service Manager (ISM) notifies the network to suspend services as the IMS network conditions or the user equipment conditions change. The ISM may also notify the user equipment to re-register onto the IMS core network when the connection is re-established.

Claims

1. A method for de-registering a user equipment from a network comprising:

de-registering the user equipment from the network in response to notification that the user equipment will cease using network services.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user equipment will cease using network services in response to an impending interruption of service by the network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein de-registering includes freeing network resources that will not be used when the user equipment ceases using network services.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein de-registering includes freeing user equipment resources that will not be used when the user equipment ceases using network services.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the network sends to the user equipment notification of an impending interruption in network services.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

in response to determining that a duration of the interruption will exceed a predetermined duration, sending a message containing instructions for the registered user equipment to re-register to the data network via a different element.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to determining if a duration of the interruption will exceed a predetermined duration, sending a message containing instructions for the registered user equipment to enter a sleep mode of operation.

6. A method for placing a user equipment in a sleep mode comprising:

suspending services to the user equipment in response to an impending change in the status of the user from active to sleep mode; and

reestablishing services to the user equipment in response to an impending change in the status of the user equipment from sleep to active mode.

9. An apparatus for de-registering a user equipment from a network comprising:

means for de-registering the user equipment from the network in response to notification that the user equipment will cease using network services.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the user equipment will cease using network services in response to an impending interruption of service by the network.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein de-registering includes freeing network resources that will not be used when the user equipment ceases using network services.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein de-registering includes freeing user equipment resources that will not be used when the user equipment ceases using network services.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the network sends to the user equipment notification of an impending interruption in network services.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

means for sending a message containing instructions for the registered user equipment to re-register to the data network via a different element in response to determining that a duration of the interruption will exceed a predetermined duration.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

means for sending a message containing instructions for the registered user equipment enter a sleep mode of operation in response to determining if a duration of the interruption will exceed a predetermined duration.

14. An apparatus for placing a user equipment in a sleep mode comprising:

means for suspending services to the user equipment in response to an impending change in the status of the user from active to sleep mode; and

means for reestablishing services to the user equipment in response to an impending change in the status of the user equipment from sleep to active mode.

17. A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for de-registering a user equipment from a network, the computer executable instructions comprising:

de-registering the user equipment from the network in response to notification that the user equipment will cease using network services.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the user equipment will cease using network services in response to an impending interruption of service by the network.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein de-registering includes freeing network resources that will not be used when the user equipment ceases using network services.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein de-registering includes freeing user equipment resources that will not be used when the user equipment ceases using network services.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the network sends to the user equipment notification of an impending interruption in network services.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to determining that a duration of the interruption will exceed a predetermined duration, sending a message containing instructions for the registered user equipment to re-register to the data network via a different element.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to determining if a duration of the interruption will exceed a predetermined duration, sending a message containing instructions for the registered user equipment enter a sleep mode of operation.

22. A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for placing a user equipment in a sleep mode, the computer executable instructions comprising:

suspending services to the user equipment in response to an impending change in the status of the user from active to sleep mode; and

reestablishing services to the user equipment in response to an impending change in the status of the user equipment from sleep to active mode.