APPARATUS, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD, FOR FACILITATING QoS AND BEARER SETUP IN AN IP-BASED COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20110270958A1
• Filed: 07/07/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IoT Innovations LLC (Empire IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: Spyder Navigations LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Zheng, Haihong
• Granted Patent: US 8,769,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for generating a bearer setup request in a mobile, or other, communication system. An application-level bearer setup request generator is positioned at the application level of the communication system. A request is forwarded to a transport level. And a bearer setup request signal generator, located at the transport level, generates a transport-level bearer setup request that is routed to the bearer manager. Bearer setup is performed by the bearer manager and a response is provided through the transport layer to the application level, and back to a communication node when the bearer setup is performed.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. An apparatus for facilitating bearer setup initiated by a network, the apparatus comprising:

a bearer setup request generator associated with at least one application-level entity, said bearer setup request generator configured to;

generate an application-level bearer setup request to induce a selected bearer manager to create a bearer between a first node and a second node, wherein the application-level bearer setup request is free of network address identifiers for the selected bearer manager; and

provide the application-level bearer setup request to at least one first transport-level entity.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the network comprises:

a home network of the first node, and

a visited network of the first node.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, upon receiving the application level bearer setup request, the at least one first transport-level entity sends a transport-level bearer setup request to at least one second-transport level entity.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one application-level entity is associated with the home network, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the home network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the visited network.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one application-level entity is associated with the visited network, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the visited network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the home network.

26. An apparatus for facilitating bearer setup initiated by a network, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating an application-level bearer setup request to induce a selected bearer manager to create a bearer between a first node and a second node, wherein the first bearer setup request is free of network address identifiers for the selected bearer manager; and

means for providing the application-level bearer setup request to at least one first transport-level entity.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the network comprises:

a home network of the first node; and

a visited network of the first node.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein, upon receiving the application-level bearer setup request, the at least one first transport-level entity sends a transport-level bearer setup request to at least one second-transport level entity.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the at least one application-level entity is associated with the home network, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the home network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the visited network.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the at least one application-level entity is associated with the visited network, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the visited network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the home network.

31. A method for facilitating bearer setup of a network, the method comprising:

generating an application-level bearer setup request to induce a selected bearer manager to create a bearer between a first node and a second node; and

providing the application-level bearer setup request to at least one first transport-level entity.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the network comprises:

a home network of the first node, and

a visited network of the first node.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein, upon receiving the application-level bearer setup request, the at least one first transport-level entity sends the bearer setup request to at least one second-transport level entity.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one application-level entity is associated with the home network, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the home network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the visited network.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one application-level entity is associated with the visited network, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the visited network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the home network.

36. An apparatus for facilitating bearer setup of a network, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating an application-level bearer setup request to induce a selected bearer manager to create a bearer between a first node and a second node; and

means for providing the application-level bearer setup request to at least one first transport level entity.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 further comprising:

upon receiving an indication of the application-level bearer setup request, means for generating a transport-level bearer setup request to at least one second transport level entity, wherein the first application-level bearer setup request is free of network address identifiers for the bearer manager.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the network comprises:

a home network of the first node; and

a visited network of the first node.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the home network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the visited network.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the at least one first transport-level entity is associated with the visited network, and wherein the at least one second transport-level entity is associated with the home network.