MANAGING SESSION INFORMATION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

• US 20110183666A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: SONG, BONGYONG
• Granted Patent: US 8,412,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers

Abstract

In an embodiment, a network communication entity (NCE) determines that an access terminal has re-entered a serving area of an access network, and also determines whether a given period of time, associated with a previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, has expired. If the NCE determines no expiration, the NCE re-activates session information associated with the previous session, including re-activation of an identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the serving area. If the access terminal had a session in another serving area before re-entering the serving area, the NCE stores the session information for the access terminal in the other serving area in association with a period of time indicative of a duration during which the session information continues to be valid within the other serving area. The NCE may either correspond to the access terminal or a portion of the access network.

Claims

1. A method of managing session information within a wireless communication system, comprising:

establishing a first session in a first serving area of an access network, the first session associated with first session information including a first identifier that uniquely identifies an access terminal within the first serving area;

determining that the access terminal has exited the first serving area and entered a second serving area of the access network;

establishing a second session in a second serving area of the access network, the second session associated with second session information including a second identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the second serving area; and

storing the first session information in association with a given period of time, the given period of time indicating a duration during which the first session information continues to be valid within the first serving area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the first session step corresponds to re-activating stored session information from a previous session in the first serving area if the access terminal previously visited the first serving area within a threshold period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the second session step corresponds to re-activating stored session information from a previous session in the second serving area if the access terminal previously visited the second serving area within a threshold period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second identifiers correspond to unicast access terminal identifiers (UATIs).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the first session, determining, establishing the second session and storing steps are each performed at the access terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the establishing the second session step corresponds to re-activating stored session information from a previous session in the second serving area if the access terminal previously visited the second serving area within a threshold period of time.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

after the establishing the second session step, sending a location update to the access network in the second serving area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the location update corresponds to a request for a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI) in the second serving area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing the first session, determining, establishing the second session and storing steps are each performed at the access network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the establishing the first session and storing steps are performed at a portion of the access network controlling the first serving area, and the determining and establishing the second session steps are each performed at a portion of the access network controlling the second serving area.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step corresponds to receiving a message from the access terminal at the access network in the second serving area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the received message corresponds to a request for a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI) and/or data send in accordance with session information from a previous session of the access terminal in the second serving area.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining step corresponds to receiving a message at the access network in the first serving area from the access network in the second serving area, the message configured to inform the access network in the first serving area that the access terminal has entered the second serving area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the received message corresponds to an A13 signaling message between the access network in the first serving area and the access network in the second serving area.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second serving areas correspond to different subnets of the access network.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing the stored first session information from storage if the access terminal is determined not to have re-entered the first serving area within the given period of time.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second sessions correspond to Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) sessions.

18. A method of managing session information within a wireless communication system, comprising:

determining that an access terminal has re-entered a serving area of an access network;

determining whether a given period of time, associated with a previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, has expired;

if the given period of time is determined not to have expired, re-activating session information associated with the previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, the session information including an identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the serving area.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifier corresponds to a unicast access terminal identifiers (UATI).

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining steps and the re-activating step are each performed at the access terminal.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

after the re-activating step, sending a location update to the access network in the second serving area.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the location update corresponds to a request for a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI) in the serving area.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining steps and the re-activating step are each performed at the access network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the determining that an access terminal has re-entered a serving area of an access network step corresponds to receiving a message from the access terminal at the access network in the serving area.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the received message corresponds to a request for a unicast access terminal identifier (UATI) and/or data send in accordance with session information from a previous session of the access terminal in the serving area.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the serving area corresponds to a subnet of the access network.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

if the given period of time is determined to have expired,

removing stored session information from storage, the stored session information associated with the previous session of the access terminal in the serving area; and

establishing a new session with new session information in the serving area of the access network.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein the previous session corresponds to a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) session.

29. A network communication entity configured to manage session information within a wireless communication system, comprising:

means for establishing a first session in a first serving area of an access network, the first session associated with first session information including a first identifier that uniquely identifies an access terminal within the first serving area;

means for determining that the access terminal has exited the first serving area and entered a second serving area of the access network;

means for establishing a second session in a second serving area of the access network, the second session associated with second session information including a second identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the second serving area; and

means for storing the first session information in association with a given period of time, the given period of time indicating a duration during which the first session information continues to be valid within the first serving area.

30. The network communication entity of claim 29, wherein the network communication corresponds to either the access terminal or a given portion of the access network.

31. A network communication entity configured to manage session information within a wireless communication system, comprising:

means for determining that an access terminal has re-entered a serving area of an access network;

means for determining whether a given period of time, associated with a previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, has expired;

if the given period of time is determined not to have expired, means for re-activating session information associated with the previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, the session information including an identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the serving area.

32. The network communication entity of claim 31, wherein the network communication corresponds to either the access terminal or a given portion of the access network.

33. A network communication entity configured to manage session information within a wireless communication system, comprising:

logic configured to establish a first session in a first serving area of an access network, the first session associated with first session information including a first identifier that uniquely identifies an access terminal within the first serving area;

logic configured to determine that the access terminal has exited the first serving area and entered a second serving area of the access network;

logic configured to establish a second session in a second serving area of the access network, the second session associated with second session information including a second identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the second serving area; and

logic configured to store the first session information in association with a given period of time, the given period of time indicating a duration during which the first session information continues to be valid within the first serving area.

34. The network communication entity of claim 33, wherein the network communication corresponds to either the access terminal or a given portion of the access network.

35. A network communication entity configured to manage session information within a wireless communication system, comprising:

logic configured to determine that an access terminal has re-entered a serving area of an access network;

logic configured to determine whether a given period of time, associated with a previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, has expired;

if the given period of time is determined not to have expired, logic configured to re-activate session information associated with the previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, the session information including an identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the serving area.

36. The network communication entity of claim 35, wherein the network communication corresponds to either the access terminal or a given portion of the access network.

37. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a network communication entity configured to manage session information within a wireless communication system, cause the network communication entity to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to establish a first session in a first serving area of an access network, the first session associated with first session information including a first identifier that uniquely identifies an access terminal within the first serving area;

program code to determine that the access terminal has exited the first serving area and entered a second serving area of the access network;

program code to establish a second session in a second serving area of the access network, the second session associated with second session information including a second identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the second serving area; and

program code to store the first session information in association with a given period of time, the given period of time indicating a duration during which the first session information continues to be valid within the first serving area.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein the network communication corresponds to either the access terminal or a given portion of the access network.

39. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by a network communication entity configured to manage session information within a wireless communication system, cause the network communication entity to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

program code to determine that an access terminal has re-entered a serving area of an access network;

program code to determine whether a given period of time, associated with a previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, has expired;

if the given period of time is determined not to have expired, program code to re-activate session information associated with the previous session of the access terminal in the serving area, the session information including an identifier that uniquely identifies the access terminal within the serving area.

40. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 39, wherein the network communication corresponds to either the access terminal or a given portion of the access network.