Matching Used and Allowed Radio Access Technology Types

• US 20100182955A1
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Larsson, Tony, Bjork, Niklas, Linstrom, Mattias, Matti, Mona, Kvernvik, Tor
• Granted Patent: US 8,917,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

The present invention provides methods, an application node (104, 26, 300), a policy node (108, 24, 400), a system for service delivery control related to access technology types and in particular for service delivery control based on allowed access technology types. Based on radio access technology types as defined by an application node related to a service provider as communicated to the policy node over the inter node interface Rx (106), and an radio access technology type with which a mobile phone (102, 22) communicates on at the moment, a determination is made as to whether the radio access technology type with which the mobile phone communicate son is among the allowed radio access technology types or not. If it is not, the current access technology type may be updated such that there is a match between the allowed radio access technology type and the current radio access rate.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method for providing service delivery attribute data for control of a service providable to a portable electronic communication device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an activation related service request from the portable electronic communication device;

determining at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the requested service can be provided for the portable electronic communication device; and

sending an attribute related message associated with the requested service to a policy node, said message comprising the at least one allowed radio access technology type, such that the message can be processed by the policy node.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of receiving at least identity related information associated with the portable electronic communication device, and wherein the step of determining is performed in dependence on the received at least identity related information associated with the portable electronic communication device.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of obtaining service provision information related to the service as requested, and wherein the step of determining is performed in dependence of the obtained service provision information.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of receiving an activation related service request comprises receiving an activation related service request from a communication network over which the portable electronic communication device communicates.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of receiving an attribute related message response associated with the requested service, from the policy node.

32. An application node for providing service delivery attribute data for control of a service for a portable electronic communication device, said application node comprising:

a receiving unit adapted to receive an activation related service request from the portable electronic communication device;

a determining unit adapted to determine at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the requested service can be provided for the portable electronic communication device; and

a transceiving unit adapted to send an attribute related message associated with the requested service to a policy node and to receive an attribute related message response associated with the requested service from the policy node.

33. The application node of claim 32, wherein the receiving unit further is adapted to receive at least identity related information associated with the portable electronic communication device and wherein the determining unit is adapted to determine the at least one allowed radio access technology type in dependence on the received at least identity related information associated with the portable electronic communication device.

34. The application node of claim 32, further comprising an application interface being adapted to obtain service provision information, and wherein the determining unit further is adapted to determine the at least one allowed radio access technology type in dependence of the obtained service provision information.

35. The application node of claim 32, wherein the transceiving unit further is adapted to send the attribute related message and to receive the attribute related message response over an inter node interface.

36. The application node of claim 32, wherein the inter node interface comprises the reference point Rx.

37. A method of processing service delivery control data for a service request from a portable electronic communication device communicating over a communications network, comprising the steps of:

receiving an attribute related message associated with the requested service, from an application node, said message comprising the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the requested service can be provided for the portable electronic communication device;

obtaining information associated with the radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device is communicating;

performing a service delivery control involving the radio access technology type with which the portable electronic communication device is communicating over the communications network and the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided from the application node; and

sending an attribute related message response associated with the requested service, to the application node to initiate provision of the service to the portable electronic communication device, in dependence of the performed service delivery control, such that the delivery of the service is controlled.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of performing a service delivery control comprises performing a comparison of the radio access technology type with which the portable electronic communication device is communicating over the communications network, with the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of sending an attribute related message further comprises sending radio access technology accept information confirming that the radio access technology type with which the portable electronic communication device is communicating over the communications network is comprised within the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of sending an attribute related message further comprises sending radio access technology reject information confirming that the radio access technology type with which the portable electronic communication device is communicating over the communications network is not comprised within the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of performing a service delivery control further comprises identifying a radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device can communicate over the communications network, said radio access technology type being an allowed radio access technology type over which the requested service can be provided, and sending a request to the portable communication device to update the radio access technology type over which said portable electronic communication device is communicating, to said identified allowed radio access technology type, such that the portable electronic communication device can be provided with the requested service over the identified allowed radio access technology type.

42. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of sending the attribute related message response associated with the requested service, comprises sending the identified allowed radio access technology type to the application node.

43. A policy node adapted to process service delivery control data for a service that is requested by a portable electronic communication device that communicates over a communications network, said policy node comprising:

a transceiving unit adapted to receive an attribute related message associated with the requested service, comprising at least one radio access technology type over which the service is allowed to be provided to the portable electronic communication device;

a storing unit adapted to receive information at least related to the radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network;

a processing unit adapted to perform a service delivery control related to the radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network and the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided; and

wherein the transceiving unit further is adapted to provide an attribute related message response associated with the requested service, to initiate provision of the service to the portable electronic communication device, in dependence of the performed service delivery control.

44. The policy node of claim 43, wherein the processing unit further is adapted to perform a comparison of the radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network, with the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided.

45. The policy node of claim 43, wherein the processing unit further is adapted to identify the radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network as an allowed radio access technology type over which the requested service can be provided.

46. The policy node of claim 43, wherein the processing unit further is adapted to identify a radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device can communicate over the communications network, said radio access technology type being an allowed radio access technology type over which the requested service can be provided, and adapted to send a request to the portable communication device to update the radio access technology type over which said portable communication device communicates, to said identified allowed radio access technology type, such that the portable communication device can be provided the requested service over the identified allowed radio access technology type.

47. The policy node of claim 43, wherein the transceiving unit further is adapted to receive the attribute related message associated with the requested service, from the application node and to send the attribute related message response associated with the requested service to the application node, over an inter node interface.

48. The policy node of claim 43, wherein the inter node interface comprises the reference point Rx.

49. The policy node of claim 43, wherein the policy node comprises a policy and charging rules function.

50. A method of performing service delivery control of a service provided to a portable electronic communication device, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an activation related service request from the portable electronic communication device that communicates over a communications network;

determining at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided to the portable electronic communication device;

obtaining information associated with the radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network;

performing a service delivery control involving the radio access technology type with which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network and the at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be provided; and

sending an attribute related message response associated with the requested service, to the application node to initiate provision of the service provided to the portable electronic communication device, in dependence of the performed service delivery control.

51. A system for performing service delivery control of a service as requested by a portable electronic communication device, said system comprising:

a receiving unit adapted to receive an activation related service request from the portable electronic communication device that communicates over a communications network;

an application node adapted to provide the service as requested by the portable electronic communication device, and adapted to determine at least one radio access technology type over which the service is allowably provided;

a transceiving unit adapted to receive information at least related to the radio access technology type over which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network;

a policy node adapted to perform a service delivery control related the radio access technology type with which the portable electronic communication device communicates over the communications network and at least one allowed radio access technology type over which the service can be available, wherein the policy node further is adapted to provide an attribute related message response associated with the requested service to initiate provision of the service to the portable electronic communication device, in dependence of the performed service delivery control; and

an interface between the application node and the policy node, said interface being adapted to communicate an attribute related message associated with the requested service from the application node to the policy node and to communicate the attribute related message response associated with the requested service from the policy node to the application node.

52. The system according to claim 51, in which the inter node interface comprises the reference point Rx.