Proximity-based service registration method and related apparatus

• US 20140342735A1
• Filed: 05/14/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Liao, Ching-Yu
• Granted Patent: US 9,374,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• 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 60/06 De-registration or detaching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A Proximity-based Service (ProSe) registration method for a user equipment (UE) of a wireless communication system, used in a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes: receiving an attach request or a tracking area update request for requesting ProSe UE registration from the UE; retrieving ProSe subscription information and ProSe preference settings related to the UE from a home subscriber server (HSS) of the wireless communication system and storing the ProSe subscription information and the ProSe preference settings related to the UE as a ProSe context of the UE; and transmitting a ProSe registration request including a ProSe identifier of the UE and the ProSe preference settings related to the UE to a ProSe server of the wireless communication system.

Claims

1. A Proximity-based Service (ProSe) registration method for a user equipment (UE) of a wireless communication system, used in a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the wireless communication system, comprising:

receiving an attach request or a tracking area update request for requesting ProSe UE registration from the UE;

retrieving ProSe subscription information and ProSe preference settings related to the UE from a home subscriber server (HSS) of the wireless communication system and storing the ProSe subscription information and the ProSe preference settings related to the UE as a ProSe context of the UE; and

transmitting a ProSe registration request including a ProSe identifier of the UE and the ProSe preference settings related to the UE to a ProSe server of the wireless communication system.

2. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ProSe identifier of the UE is allocated by the MME, and is a temporary UE identifier or an identifier composed based on the temporary UE identifier identifying the UE and a ProSe server identifier identifying the ProSe server.

3. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ProSe server identifier is pre-configured in the MME, or is stored in the ProSe subscription information of the UE retrieved from the HSS.

4. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 2, wherein the temporary UE identifier is a Globally Unique Temporary Identity (GUTI) or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).

5. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a ProSe registration accept message from the ProSe server, when the ProSe UE registration is regarded successful.

6. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting an attach accept or a tracking area update accept including the ProSe identifier of the UE, to the UE, for the UE being able to store the received ProSe identifier.

7. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a ProSe registration reject message from the ProSe server, when the ProSe UE registration is regarded unsuccessful.

8. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting an attach accept or an tracking area update accept without the ProSe identifier of the UE, to the UE, when the ProSe UE registration is regarded unsuccessful.

9. The ProSe registration method for a UE as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

reallocating the ProSe identifier of the UE when the temporary UE identifier is changed; and

sending a first message including the reallocated ProSe identifier to the UE and sending a second message including the reallocated ProSe identifier to the ProSe server.

10. A Proximity-based Service (ProSe) registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE), used in a ProSe server of a wireless communications system, comprising:

receiving a ProSe service request including a ProSe identifier identifying the UE, an application server identifier uniquely identifying an application, and/or an application user identifier of the application user, from the application server, wherein the ProSe service request from the application server is sent in response to a user registration request including the ProSe identifier and the application user identifier from the UE;

transmitting, an authorization request including the application server identifier to a home subscriber server (HSS) of the wireless communications system after the ProSe service request is received, for requesting the authorization to the application server;

checking if the ProSe identifier is registered by an MME of the wireless communications system; and

transmitting a ProSe service response message including an authorization result indicating the authorization is successful, to the application server, after the ProSe server determines that the authorization is successful.

11. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the ProSe server is addressed by the application server according to the information received from the user registration request.

12. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the ProSe identifier included in the user registration request is obtained by an application layer of the UE, via an Application Programming Interface (API), from a lower layer of the UE.

13. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting a ProSe service reject message indicating a failure cause to the application server, when the ProSe server determines that the authorization is unsuccessful.

14. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

storing a mapping table indicating relationships between the UE identified by the ProSe identifier and the registered applications identified by the application identifier and application server identifier.

15. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

after transmitting the authorization request including the application server identifier to the HSS, the ProSer server further;

transmitting a location update request to a network entity, for acquiring location information of the UE which is identified by the ProSe identifier;

receiving a location update response including the location information of the UE; and

storing the received location information of the UE.

16. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a status update message to the application server, wherein the status update message is for the UE and includes at least one of following information;

location information of the UE, a user registration status which indicates the registration status of the application user, and device-discovery preference settings.

17. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 15, wherein the transmitted ProSe service response message further includes the location information of the UE and the ProSe identifier of the UE.

18. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 10, wherein after the application server has received the ProSe service response message from the ProSe server, the application server stores information of the application user including a user registration status which indicates the registration status of the application user, an associated peer list and the ProSe identifier of the UE, and wherein the peer list includes a plurality of peer application user identifiers, each identifying a peer application user who also registers the same application, and the application server manages the information of the application user according to:

user-discovery preference settings, which indicate the preference of the application user for enabling the proximity service with a peer application user;

device-discovery preference settings, which indicates the preference of the UE for enabling the proximity service;

a device registration status, which indicates the registration status of the UE; and

location information of the UE,

wherein the device-discovery preference settings, the device registration status and the location information of the UE are associated with the ProSe identifier of the UE.

19. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 18, wherein the application server transmits a user registration response to the application user, and the user registration response includes information of each peer application user indicated in the associated peer list, which are related to the user preference settings, the user registration status, and associated device registration status.

20. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 18, wherein the application server transmits a second status update message to a peer application user when the application server receives the ProSe service response message or a first status update message from the ProSe server, and wherein the second status update message indicates at least one of the location information of the UE, and updated user registration status of one or more ProSe peer application users in the peer list.

21. The ProSe registration method for an application user of a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the application server performs proximity check according to proximity criteria settings of the application user and the UE after obtaining location information of the UE from the ProSe server, and the proximity criteria settings indicates the required distance between, or a specific area of, two peer UEs or peer application users.

22. A Proximity-based Service (ProSe) de-registration method for a user equipment (UE), used in a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of a wireless communication system, comprising:

detecting that a user equipment (UE) registered to a ProSe server is detached for a ProSe service; and

transmitting a first message including a ProSe identifier identifying the UE, to the ProSe server, for notifying the ProSe server to de-register the UE from the ProSe server.

23. The ProSe de-registration method for a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 22, wherein causes that result in the detach status of the UE comprises:

a detach procedure initiated by the UE;

a detach procedure initiated by the MME or the HSS;

local detach by the MME;

or

a tracking area update (TAU) procedure without indicating a ProSe UE registration.

24. The ProSe de-registration method for a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 22, wherein the ProSe server transmits a second message including the ProSe identifier identifying the UE to all application servers which the UE registered with, for notifying that the UE is de-registered for the ProSe service from the ProSe server.

25. The ProSe de-registration method for a user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 24, wherein information of all the application servers which the UE registered with is obtained from a mapping table stored in the ProSe server, and the mapping table indicates relationships between the UE identified by the ProSe identifier and the registered applications, each application uniquely identified by an application server identifier.