METHODS FOR REDUCING SET-UP SIGNALING IN A LONG TERM EVOLUTION SYSTEM

• US 20120163204A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: KORUS, MICHAEL F., NEWBERG, DONALD G., PANDEY, APARNA, OPRESCU-SURCOBE, VALENTIN
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A method for reducing set-up signaling in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system is performed by an LTE subsystem. The method includes the LTE subsystem: receiving from a first user equipment (UE) a first message as part of a connection procedure to connect the first UE to the LTE system, the first message having contents that include an identifier for identifying a virtual channel on which the first UE intends to transmit media; determining a status of the virtual channel; and based on the status of the virtual channel, determining whether to send to the first UE a response to the first message that allows the connection procedure to proceed or to send to the first UE a response that terminates the connection procedure.

Claims

1. A method for reducing set-up signaling in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, the method comprising:

an LTE subsystem performing;

receiving from a first user equipment (UE) a first message as part of a connection procedure to connect the first UE to the LTE system, the first message comprising contents that include an identifier for identifying a virtual channel on which the first UE intends to transmit media;

determining a status of the virtual channel;

based on the status of the virtual channel, determining whether to send to the first UE a response to the first message that allows the connection procedure to proceed or to send to the first UE a response that terminates the connection procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the virtual channel and determining whether to send to the first UE the response that allows the connection procedure to proceed or the response that terminates the connection procedure is performed by a Mobility Management Entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the virtual channel and determining whether to send to the first UE the response that allows the connection procedure to proceed or the response that terminates the connection procedure is performed by a serving cell.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the serving cell removing the identifier that identifies the virtual channel before sending at least a portion of the contents of the first message to a Mobility Management Entity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contents of the first message further includes an indication of at least one of priority, pre-emption, or queuing for the intended media transmission by the first UE.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises an RRCConnectionRequest message having the contents that include the identifier for identifying the virtual channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the contents comprise an S-TMSI field that identifies the UE, wherein the S-TMSI field includes the identifier for identifying the virtual channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises an RRCConnectionSetupComplete message having the contents that include the identifier for identifying the virtual channel.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the contents comprise a MMEI subfield of a GUMMEI field associated with the UE, wherein the MMEI subfield includes the identifier for identifying the virtual channel.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the LTE subsystem determining to send the first UE the response that allows the connection procedure to proceed, when the virtual channel has a status of available.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the LTE subsystem determining that the virtual channel is currently unavailable and waiting an amount of time for the virtual channel to become available before sending the first UE the response that allows the connection procedure to proceed.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the LTE subsystem receiving, from each of a plurality of additional UE, a separate first message that also comprise contents that include the identifier for identifying the same virtual channel as part of a connection procedure to connect the additional UE to the LTE system in order to transmit on the virtual channel.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the LTE subsystem sending the response that allows the connection procedure to proceed to a number less than a threshold of the UE that sent the first message identifying the same virtual channel;

and

sending the response that terminates the connection procedure to all the other UE that sent the first message identifying the same virtual channel.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the LTE subsystem:

receiving, from network entities, signaling that indicates the status of the virtual channel as available or unavailable.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the LTE subsystem sending signaling to network entities, which arbitrate floor control for the virtual channel.

16. A method for reducing set-up signaling in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, the method comprising:

a user equipment (UE) performing;

sending, to a serving cell, a first message as part of a connection procedure to connect the UE to the LTE system, the first message identifying a virtual channel on which the UE intends to transmit media;

receiving, from the serving cell, a response to the first message that allows the connection procedure to proceed when a status of the virtual channel is determined to be free, otherwise receiving, from the serving cell, a response to first message that terminates the connection procedure.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein identifying a virtual channel comprises inserting a virtual channel identifier.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first message further comprises an indication of at least one of priority, preemption, and queuing for the intended media transmission by the UE.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first message comprises an RRCConnectionRequest having an S-TMSI field that identifies the UE and includes the virtual channel identifier.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first message comprises an RRCConnectionSetupComplete having a GUMMEI field that identifies the UE and includes the virtual channel identifier.