MOBILE RADIO COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR CLOSED SUBSCRIBER GROUP MANAGEMENT

• US 20130148565A1
• Filed: 06/20/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC CASIO Mobile Communications Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Jactat, Caroline
• Granted Patent: US 9,560,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

The present invention provides for a mobile radio communications device, and related method of operation, arranged for closed subscriber group selection and for the storage of closed subscriber group information in the device, the stored information including information configured as a whitelist of closed subscriber group identities delivered between non-access-stratum layer and access-stratum layer within the device, and the device being further arranged to remove a previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity from the whitelist responsive to the device connecting to a cell is different from that identified by the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity, and which different cell can comprise for example a non-CSG cell.

Claims

1. A mobile radio communications device arranged for closed subscriber group selection and for the storage of closed subscriber group information, the stored information including information configured as a whitelist of closed subscriber group identities delivered between a non-access-stratum layer and an access-stratum layer within the device, and the device being further arranged to remove a previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity from the whitelist responsive to the device connecting to a cell different from that identified by the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removal of the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity is responsive to the device connecting to a non-CSG cell.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removal of the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity is responsive to connection to a closed subscriber group cell different from that identified by the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the removal of the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity is responsive to a successful user manual registration to another user-selected closed subscriber group cell different from that identified by the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removal of the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity occurs if the device has not returned to the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity within a device implementation dependent time limit.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removal of the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity occurs unless the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity has been updated and/or is currently included in an operator closed subscriber group identity list.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity belongs to a hybrid CSG cell.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whitelist is under non-access stratum control.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user-selected closed subscriber group identity is one that has been added to the closed subscriber group whitelist towards access stratum layer.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the user-selected closed subscriber group identity is one that has previously not been added to the user controlled closed subscriber group list at non access stratum layer.

11. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein no indication is provided to the access stratum as to whether a user-controlled closed subscriber group list is network-inhibited.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1, the device being arranged such that the non-access stratum layer notifies the whitelist to the access stratum layer once updated by the removal.

13. A device as claimed in claim 1, including an access stratum controlled whitelist.

14. A device as claimed in claim 9, the device being arranged such that an indicator is provided to the access stratum as whether a user-controlled closed subscriber whitelist is network-inhibited.

15. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein responsive to the device connecting to a cell comprising a different closed subscriber group identity, the aforesaid new identity serves to supersede the removed identity.

16. A device as claimed in claim 1, the device being arranged for the removal of a previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity subsequent to network-inhibition of an allowed closed subscriber group list within the device.

36. A mobile communications system including a mobile radio communications device as claimed in claim 1 and network device arranged to communicate closed subscriber group signaling with the mobile radio communications device.

17. A method of managing closed subscriber group selection in a mobile radio communications device and including the step of storing closed subscriber group information configured as a whitelist of closed subscriber group identities to be delivered between non-access stratum layers and access stratum layers within the mobile radio communications device, and removing a previous user-selected closed subscriber group identifier from the whitelist responsive to the device connecting to a cell which is different from that identified by the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identifier.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the step of removal is responsive to connection to a non-closed subscriber group cell.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the removal step is responsive to connection to a non-closed subscriber group cell.

20. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the removal step is responsive to connection to a different closed subscriber group cell.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the removal step is responsive to successful user manual registration to different user-selected closed subscriber group cell.

22. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the removal step is carried out if the device has not returned to the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity within a device implementation time limit.

23. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the removal step is carried out unless the previous user-selected closed subscriber group identity has been updated and/or is currently included in an Operator closed subscriber group identity list.

24. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the removal step is responsive to connection to a hybrid CSG cell.

25. A method as claimed in claim 17, including non-access stratum control of the whitelist.

26. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the user-selected closed subscriber group identity is one that has previously been added to the CSG whitelist towards access stratum layer.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the user-selected closed subscriber group identity is one that has previously not been added to the user controlled closed subscriber group list at non access stratum layer.

28. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein no indication is provided at the access stratum as to whether a user controlled closed subscriber whitelist is network-inhibited.

29. A method as claimed in claim 17, including the step of the non-access stratum layer notifying the closed subscriber group updated by way of the removal to the access stratum layer.

30. A method as claimed in claim 17, including an access stratum-controlled whitelist.

31. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the access stratum has a previous notification of network-inhibition of a user-controlled closed subscriber group list.

32. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the removed user-selected closed subscriber group identifier is superseded when the device connects to a cell comprising a new closed subscriber group identifier.

33. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the step removal is performed after network-inhibition of an allowed closed subscriber group list within the device.

34. A computer program, computer program product or computer readable medium, comprising instructions that carry out a method as claimed in claim 17.

35. A radio communications device including a computer program, computer program product or computer medium as defined in claim 34.