COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20130324123A1
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC CASIO Mobile Communications Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Ianev, Iskren, Lair, Yannick
• Granted Patent: US 9,955,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication

Abstract

A communication system for supporting machine type communication within a cellular communication network is described in which a communication device is allocated a permanent offline area in which the communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network. The communication device identifies a cell in which the communication device is currently located and determines whether or not the cell forms part of the permanent offline area or a temporary offline area that comprises a previously visited cell that is not part of the permanent offline area. If these areas do not comprise the cell in which the communication device is currently located, the communication device attaches to the network and communicates information identifying the cell in which the communication device is currently located to the network.

Claims

1. A communication device for supporting machine type communication within a cellular communication network, the communication device comprising:

means for obtaining expected location information representing at least one area in which the communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network;

means for identifying a cell in which the communication device is currently located; and

means for determining, from said expected location information, whether or not said cell forms at least part of said at least one area, wherein;

if said at least one area is determined, by the determining means, not to comprise the cell in which the communication device is currently located, the communication device is operable to attach to the network, and communicate information identifying the cell in which the communication device is currently located to the network.

2. A communication device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the expected location information represents:

a first, predefined, area comprising at least one cell in which the communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network; and

a second, dynamically defined, area comprising at least one further cell.

3. A communication device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the second area comprises at least one cell for which said communication device has previously communicated cell identification information in response to a determination that said at least one area does not comprise that cell.

4. A communication device as claimed in claim 2 wherein if said at least one area is determined, by the determining means, not to comprise the cell in which the communication device is currently located, the communication device is further operable to update said information representing said second area to comprise said cell in which the communication device is currently located.

5. A communication device as claimed in claim 4 wherein, the communication device is operable to update said information representing said second area by replacing another cell forming at least part of said second area with said cell in which the communication device is currently located.

6. A communication device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second area comprises a single cell.

7. A communication device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the communication device is operable to update said information representing said second area by replacing it with said cell in which the communication device is currently located or by adding said cell to at least one cell already forming at least part of said second area.

8. A communication device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the communication device is further operable to update said information representing said second area based on information received from said communication network.

9. A communication device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the information received from said communication network comprises information identifying at least one of the following:

a cell neighbouring the cell in which the communication device is currently located;

a local area (LA) associated with the cell in which the communication device is currently located or at least one cell thereof;

a routing area (RA) associated with the cell in which the communication device is currently located or at least one cell thereof; and

/or a tracking area (TA) associated with the cell in which the communication device is currently located or at least one cell thereof.

10. A communication device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

means for receiving, whilst not attached to said communication network, a trigger message for triggering said communication device to initiate communications with a further communication device; and

means for responding to receipt of said trigger message by initiating said communications.

11. A communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining means is operable to determine whether or not said at least one area comprises a cell in which the communication device is currently located after expiry of a predefined time period.

12. A communication device as claimed claim 11, wherein said predefined time period is monitored by means of a timer or counter on the communication device.

13. A communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device is operable to detach from said network automatically after communicating, to the network, said information identifying the cell in which the communication device is currently located.

14. A communication device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said identifying means is operable to identify a change of cell in which the communication device is currently located, and wherein the determining means is operable to determine whether or not said at least one area comprises the cell in which the communication device is currently located on identifying a change of cell in which the communication device is currently located.

15. A communication device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the communication device is operable to detach from said communication network on receipt of a message from said communication network indicating that said detach should take place.

16. A communication device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the message from said communication network is received after a predefined time period (e.g. monitored by means of a timer or counter).

17. A communication device as claimed in claim 16 wherein the predefined time period is represented as a predefined number of periodic updates.

18. A method performed by a communication device of supporting machine type communication within a cellular communication network, the method comprising:

obtaining expected location information representing at least one area in which the communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network;

identifying a cell in which the communication device is currently located; and

determining, from said expected location information, whether or not said cell forms at least part of said at least one area, wherein if said at least one area is determined not to comprise the cell in which the communication device is currently located, said method comprises attaching to the network, and communicating information identifying the cell in which the communication device is currently located to the network.

33. A computer program product comprising instructions operable to program a programmable processor to perform a method according to claim 18.

19. A network entity for supporting machine type communication by a communication device within a cellular communication network, the network entity comprising:

means for receiving a message for said communication device from a server;

means for identifying at least one area comprising at least one cell in which said communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network; and

means for broadcasting said message in each cell of said at least one area so identified.

20. A network entity for supporting machine type communication by a communication device within a cellular communication network, the network entity comprising:

means for storing expected location information representing at least one area in which said communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network;

means for receiving, from a communication device, information identifying a cell in which the communication device is currently located, which cell does not form part of said at least one area; and

means for updating said stored information identifying the at least one area, based on said information received from the communication device, to include the cell in which the communication device is currently located.

21. A network entity as claimed in claim 20 wherein said at least one area comprises:

a first, predefined, area comprising at least one cell in which the communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network; and

a second, dynamically defined, area comprising at least one further cell.

22. A network entity as claimed in claim 21 wherein the second area comprises at least one cell for which said communication device has previously communicated cell identification information in response to a determination that said at least one area does not comprise that cell.

23. A network entity as claimed in claim 21 wherein the updating means is operable to update said information representing said second area to comprise said cell in which the communication device is currently located.

24. A network entity as claimed in claim 23 wherein, the updating means is operable to update said information representing said second area by replacing another cell forming at least part of said second area with said cell in which the communication device is currently located.

25. A network entity as claimed in claim 21 wherein said second area comprises a single cell.

26. A network entity as claimed in claim 23 wherein the updating means is operable to update said information representing said second area by adding said cell in which the communication device is currently located, to at least one cell already forming at least part of said second area.

27. A network entity as claimed in claim 23 wherein the network entity is operable to initiate detachment of said communication device from said communication network after expiry of a predefined time period for staying on-line.

28. A network entity as claimed in claim 27, wherein detachment of said communication device from said communication network is initiated by transmission of a message to said communication device to indicate that said detach should take place.

29. A network entity as claimed in claim 23 wherein the network entity is operable, in response to receiving said information from said communication device, to allocate at least one further cell to said second area in addition to said cell in which the communication device is currently located, and to notify said communication device of each allocated cell.

30. A network entity as claimed in claim 29 wherein the network entity is operable, when allocating said at least one further cell, to allocate:

a cell neighboring the cell in which the communication device is currently located;

a local area (LA) associated with the cell in which the communication device is currently located or at least one cell thereof;

a routing area (RA) associated with the cell in which the communication device is currently located or at least one cell thereof; and

/or

a tracking area (TA) associated with the cell in which the communication device is currently located or at least one cell thereof.

31. A method performed by a network entity for supporting machine type communication by a communication device within a cellular communication network, the method comprising:

receiving a message for said communication device from a server;

identifying at least one area comprising at least one cell in which said communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network; and

broadcasting said message in each cell of said at least one area so identified.

32. A method performed by a network entity for supporting machine type communication by a communication device within a cellular communication network, the method comprising:

storing expected location information representing at least one area in which said communication device is expected to be located whilst not attached for communication within the network;

receiving, from a communication device, information identifying a cell in which the communication device is currently located, which cell does not form part of said at least one area; and

updating said stored information identifying the at least one area, based on said information received from the communication device, to include the cell in which the communication device is currently located.