METHODS OF OPERATING NETWORKS, APPLICATION SERVERS, AND WIRELESS DEVICES SUPPORTING MACHINE-TO-MACHINE APPLICATIONS

• US 20120124201A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Muhanna, Ahmad, Jang, Ke-Chi, Bienn, Marvin, De Franca Lima, Octavio Jose
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,689 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A machine-to-machine application server may provide a machine-to-machine application. A machine-to-machine application identification from a machine-to-machine service device may be provided at the machine-to-machine application server. The machine-to-machine application identification may identify a machine-to-machine application provided by the machine-to-machine application server, and the machine-to-machine application identification may identify a communication path between the wireless device and the machine-to-machine application server. Service may be provided according to the machine-to-machine application from the machine-to-machine application server to the machine-to-machine service device using the machine-to-machine application identification to identify the communications path between the machine-to-machine application server and the machine-to-machine service device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a machine-to-machine, M2M, application server providing an M2M application, the method comprising:

providing, at the M2M application server, an M2M application identification from an M2M service device, wherein the M2M application identification identifies an M2M application provided by the M2M application server and wherein the M2M application identification identifies a communication path between the wireless device and the M2M application server; and

providing service according to the M2M application from the M2M application server to the M2M service device using the M2M application identification to identify the communications path between the M2M application server and the M2M service device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at the M2M application server, an M2M service subscription identification and/or an M2M service hardware identification from the M2M service device;

wherein providing the M2M application identification comprises receiving the M2M application identification from the M2M service device at the M2M application server; and

wherein providing service comprises providing the service according to the M2M application responsive to receiving the M2M application identification.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the M2M application identification comprises providing a plurality of different M2M application identifications associated with a respective plurality of different M2M service devices in memory of the M2M application server, and wherein providing service comprises initiating the service according to the M2M application using the M2M application identification to identify the communications path between the M2M application server and the M2M service device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the M2M application server comprises an element of a wireless access network, further comprising:

receiving an M2M service hardware identification from the wireless device;

receiving an M2M service subscription identification from the wireless device; and

before providing service, authorizing the wireless device at the M2M application server based on the M2M service subscription identification and/or the M2M service hardware identification.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the M2M service subscription identification comprises a Mobile Identification Number, Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number, a Mobile Directory Number, a Network Access Identifier, and/or an International Mobile Subscription Identity, and wherein the M2M service hardware identification comprises a Medium Access Control address, a serial number, an International Mobile Equipment Identification, and/or a Mobile Equipment Identification.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the M2M application identification is provided according to a format of a uniform resource identifier.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the M2M application identification includes an application identification that identifies the M2M application provided by the M2M application server and at least one of an M2M service subscription identification for the wireless device and/or an M2M hardware identification for the wireless device.

8. A method of operating a wireless device, the method comprising:

transmitting a transport hardware identification from the wireless device to a wireless access network to initiate a wireless communications link wherein the transport hardware identification uniquely identifies the wireless device;

responsive to the wireless access network providing a wireless communications link, transmitting a transport subscription identification from the wireless device to the wireless access network;

receiving a transport address from the wireless access network wherein the transport address defines a network address for the wireless device;

transmitting a machine-to-machine, M2M, application identification to the wireless access network wherein the M2M application identification identifies an M2M application provided by an M2M application server and wherein the M2M application identification identifies a communication path between the wireless device and the M2M application server; and

providing communication with the M2M application server over an M2M data transport layer through the wireless access network using the transport address as the network address for the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the transport hardware identification comprises at least one of a Medium Access Control address, a serial number, an International Mobile Equipment Identification, and/or a Mobile Equipment Identification.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the transport subscription identification comprises at least one of a Mobile Identification Number, Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number, a Mobile Directory Number, a Network Access Identifier, and/or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving service from the M2M application server over the M2M data transport layer with M2M application server authorization based on the transport hardware identification and/or the transport subscription identification.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting the transport hardware identification and an M2M application service subscription identification over the M2M data transport layer through the wireless network; and

receiving service from the M2M application server over the M2M data transport layer with M2M application server authorization based on the transport hardware identification and/or the M2M application service subscription identification.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

before transmitting the M2M application identification, receiving a request from an M2M service device wherein the request includes the M2M application identification that identifies the M2M application provided by the M2M application server;

receiving an M2M service subscription identification from the M2M service device;

receiving an M2M service hardware identification from the M2M service device, wherein the M2M service hardware identification uniquely identifies the M2M service device;

transmitting the M2M service subscription identification and/or the M2M service hardware identification over the M2M data transport layer to the M2M application server; and

providing communication between the M2M service device and the M2M application server.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the M2M service subscription identification comprises a Mobile Identification Number, Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number, a Mobile Directory Number, a Network Access Identifier, and/or an International Mobile Subscription Identity, and wherein the M2M service hardware identification comprises a Medium Access Control address, a serial number, an International Mobile Equipment Identification, and/or a Mobile Equipment Identification.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the M2M application identification is provided according to a format of a uniform resource identifier.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the M2M application identification includes an application identification that identifies the M2M application provided by the M2M application server and at least one of an M2M service subscription identification for the wireless device and/or an M2M hardware identification for the wireless device.

17. A wireless device comprising:

a transceiver configured to provide a wireless communications link with a wireless access network;

memory configured to store a transport hardware identification that uniquely identifies the wireless device, a transport subscription identification for the wireless device, and a machine-to-machine, M2M, application identification that identifies an M2M application provided by an M2M application server wherein the M2M application identification identifies a communication path between the wireless device and the M2M application server; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the transport hardware identification through the transceiver to the wireless access network to initiate a wireless communications link, configured to transmit the transport subscription identification through the transceiver to the wireless access network responsive to the wireless access network providing a wireless communications link, configured to receive a transport address from the wireless access network through the transceiver wherein the transport address defines a network address for the wireless device, configured to transmit the M2M application identification through the transceiver to the wireless access network, and configured to provide communication with the M2M application server over an M2M data transport layer through the transceiver and the wireless access network using the transport address as the network address for the wireless device.

18. The wireless device of claim 17 wherein the transport hardware identification comprises at least one of a Medium Access Control address, a serial number, an International Mobile Equipment Identification, and/or a Mobile Equipment Identification, and wherein the transport subscription identification comprises at least one of a Mobile Identification Number, Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number, a Mobile Directory Number, a Network Access Identifier, and/or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity.

19. The wireless device of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured to receive a request from an M2M service device through the transceiver before transmitting the M2M application identification wherein the request includes the M2M application identification, configured to receive an M2M service subscription identification from the M2M service device through the transceiver, configured to receive an M2M service hardware identification from the M2M service device through the transceiver wherein the M2M service hardware identification uniquely identifies the M2M service device, configured to transmit the M2M service subscription identification and/or the M2M service hardware identification through the transceiver over the M2M data transport layer to the M2M application server, and configured to provide communication between the M2M service device and the M2M application server.

20. A machine-to-machine, M2M, application server comprising:

memory configured to provide an M2M application identification from an M2M service device, wherein the M2M application identification identifies an M2M application provided by the M2M application server and wherein the M2M application identification identifies a communication path between the wireless device and the M2M application server; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to provide service according to the M2M application from the M2M application server to the M2M service device using the M2M application identification to identify the communications path between the M2M application server and the M2M service device.