METHOD AND APPARATUS OF NETWORK TRAFFIC OFFLOADING

• US 20130286826A1
• Filed: 10/17/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: PARK, Jong Hyun, Sohn, III Soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,995,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/08 Load balancing or load distribution transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12

Abstract

Method and apparatus of network traffic offloading is disclosed. Network traffic offloading method may include receiving a first network traffic offloading frame from a base station in a cellular network, the first network traffic offloading frame comprising a frame type instructing a scanning start by broadcasting an advertising frame, traffic information indicating traffic expected to be offloaded by the base station and a transmission configuration indicating a period and a duration to transmit the advertising frame, broadcasting the advertising frame based on the transmission configuration to scan at least one access point (AP), receiving at least one invitation frame from the at least one AP and transmitting a probe request frame to an AP selected among the at least one AP to associate with the selected AP.

Claims

1. A method for traffic offloading, the method comprising:

receiving a first network traffic offloading frame from a base station in a cellular network, the first network traffic offloading frame comprising a frame type instructing a scanning start by broadcasting an advertising frame, traffic information indicating traffic expected to be offloaded by the base station and a transmission configuration indicating a period and a duration to transmit the advertising frame;

broadcasting the advertising frame based on the transmission configuration to scan at least one access point (AP);

receiving at least one invitation frame from the at least one AP; and

transmitting a probe request frame to an AP selected among the at least one AP to associate with the selected AP;

wherein the advertising frame comprises the traffic information; and

wherein the invitation frame comprises transmitting capability of the AP to decide whether sending the probe request frame or not.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network,

wherein the second network traffic offloading frame comprises an indication about a frame type instructing a scanning restart by broadcasting the advertising frames.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network;

stopping broadcast of the advertising frames in response to the network traffic offloading frame;

wherein the third network traffic offloading frame comprises an indication about the frame type instructing a scanning stop.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the third network traffic offloading frame further comprises an indication about reasons of the scanning stop.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the fourth network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network;

checking channel state to receive the traffic offloaded by the base station from the AP;

wherein the fourth network traffic offloading frame comprises the frame type instructing checking the channel state.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the fourth network traffic offloading frame further comprises an indication about the channel state.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a offloading end recommendation frame from the AP to disassociate with the AP and disassociating with AP;

wherein the offloading end recommendation frame comprises indications about current AP'"'"'s loading condition and reasons of disassociation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a fifth network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network, the fifth network traffic offloading frame comprising the frame type instructing a AP expected to be associate with; and

transmitting a probe request frame to the AP.

9. A wireless device configured to transmit control signals in a wireless communication system, the wireless device comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive a first network traffic offloading frame from a base station in a cellular network, to broadcast the advertising frame based on the transmission configuration to scan at least one access point (AP), to receive at least one invitation frame from the at least one AP in response to the advertising frame, and to transmit the probe request frame to an AP selected among the at least one AP to associate with the selected AP; and

a processor configured to generate the advertising frame comprising the traffic information;

wherein the first network traffic offloading frame comprises a frame type instructing a scanning start by broadcasting an advertising frame, traffic information indicating traffic expected to be offloaded by the base station and a transmission configuration indicating a period and a duration to transmit the advertising frame; and

wherein the invitation frame comprising transmitting capability of the AP to decide whether sending the probe request frame or not.

10. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver further configured to receive a second network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network, the second network traffic offloading frame comprising an indication about a frame type instructing a scanning restart by broadcasting the advertising frames.

11. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver further configured to receive a third network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network, the third network traffic offloading frame comprising an indication about the frame type instructing a scanning stop;

and

wherein the processor further configured to stop broadcast of the advertising frames in response to the network traffic offloading frame.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the third network traffic offloading further comprises an indication about reasons of the scanning stop.

13. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver further configured to receive a fourth network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network, the fourth network traffic offloading frame comprising indications about the frame type instructing checking the channel state;

and

wherein the processor further configured to check channel state to receive the traffic offloaded by the base station from the AP.

14. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the fourth network traffic offloading frame further comprises an indication about the channel state.

15. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver further configured to receive a offloading end recommendation frame from the AP to disassociate with the AP and disassociating with AP, the offloading end recommendation frame comprising indications about current AP'"'"'s loading condition and reasons of disassociation.

16. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the transceiver further configured to receive a fifth network traffic offloading frame from the base station in the cellular network, the fifth network traffic offloading frame comprising the frame type instructing a AP expected to be associate with and to transmit a probe request frame to the AP.