COMMUNICATION SCHEDULING

• US 20120094680A1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Rönneke, Hans, Stackelius, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 9,220,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network

Abstract

A method and device for network communication request scheduling is presented. Example embodiments are directed towards the dynamic scheduling of communications based on real time network resource utilization and associated stored statistics.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling a network communication comprising:

receiving a network communication request;

determining a scheduling priority based on the network communication request; and

assigning a communication time specifying when the network communication will be available based on the scheduling priority and resource utilization.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving the network communication request further comprises receiving the network communication request in the form of an uplink request from a User Equipment (UE) of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving the network communication request further comprises receiving the network communication request in the form of a downlink request from an operator or application.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of assigning is performed using information from a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or Serving General packet radio service Support Node (SGSN).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of assigning further comprises utilizing resource utilization based on statistics on network traffic and/or network control signalling.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of assigning further comprises utilizing resource utilization statistics based on real time conditions.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the scheduling priority further comprises determining the scheduling priority based on a communication priority and/or a device parameter.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of determining the scheduling priority further comprises the device parameter being a device type.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of determining the scheduling priority further comprises the device parameter being based on user defined input.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating a sleep operational mode to a communicating M2M device if the assigned communication time has not yet occurred.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a network utilization notification to provide an indication that network utilization is approaching 100%.

12. A method for scheduling a network communication comprising:

retrieving a network communication priority and/or parameter;

determining a scheduling priority based on the step of retrieving; and

pre-emptively assigning a communication time, based on the scheduling priority and resource utilization, specifying when the network communication will be available.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of assigning is performed using information from a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or Serving General packet radio service Support Node (SGSN).

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of assigning further comprises utilizing resource utilization based on statistics on network traffic and/or network control signalling.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of assigning further comprises utilizing resource utilization statistics based on real time conditions.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising generating a network utilization notification to provide an indication that network utilization is approaching 100%.

17. A communication scheduling apparatus comprising:

a communications port configured to receive a network communication request;

a processor configured to determine a scheduling priority based on the network communication request; and

the processor configured to assign a communication time specifying when the network communication will be available based on the scheduling priority and resource utilization.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the communications port is further configured to receive the network communication request in the form of an uplink request from a User Equipment (UE) of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the communications port is further configured to receive the network communication request in the form of a downlink request from an operator or application.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to assign the communication time using information from a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or Serving General packet radio service Support Node (SGSN).

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to utilize resource utilization based on statistics on network traffic and/or network control signalling.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to utilize resource utilization statistics based on real time conditions.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to determine the scheduling priority based on a communication priority and/or a device parameter.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the device parameter is a device type.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the device parameter is based on user defined input.

26. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a sleep operational mode to a communicating M2M device if the assigned communication time has not yet occurred.

27. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus is located within the GPRS or EPC subsystem.

28. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus is located within an MME or SGSN node.

29. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus is located within the UTRAN or E-UTRAN subsystem.

30. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus is located in an interface between a UTRAN or E-UTRAN subsystem and GPRS or EPC subsystem.

31. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the apparatus is located in an interface between a GPRS or EPC subsystem and an operator or application server.

32. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to generate a network utilization notification to provide an indication that network utilization is approaching 100%.

33. A communication scheduling apparatus comprising:

a communications port configured to retrieve a network communication priority and/or parameter;

a processor configured to determine a scheduling priority based on the step of retrieving; and

the processor configured to pre-emptively assigning a communication time;

based on the scheduling priority and resource utilization, specifying when the network communication will be available.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to assign the communication time using information from a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or Serving General packet radio service Support Node (SGSN).

35. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to utilize resource utilization based on statistics on network traffic and/or network control signalling.

36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to utilize resource utilization statistics based on real time conditions.

37. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to determine the scheduling priority based on a communication priority and/or a device parameter.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the device parameter is a device type.

39. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the device parameter is based on user defined input.

40. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a sleep operational mode to a communicating M2M device if the assigned communication time has not yet occurred.

41. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the apparatus is located within the GPRS or EPC subsystem.

42. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the apparatus is located within an MME or SGSN node.

43. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the apparatus is located within the UTRAN or E-UTRAN subsystem.

44. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the apparatus is located in an interface between a UTRAN or E-UTRAN subsystem and GPRS or EPC subsystem.

45. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the apparatus is located in an interface between a GPRS or EPC subsystem and an operator or application server.

46. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the processor is further configured to generate a network utilization notification to provide an indication that network utilization is approaching 100%.