GRANULAR NETWORK ACCESS CONTROL AND METHODS THEREOF

• US 20150036489A1
• Filed: 03/20/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Yeongtong-Gu Samsung-Ro
• Inventors: Rajadurai, Rajavelsamy, Jamadagni, Satish Nanjunda Swamy
• Granted Patent: US 9,661,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0205 at the air interface dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions

Abstract

A method and system that enhances the existing access barring mechanism as specified in the current 3GPP specification is disclosed. The method disclosed provides enhancing the access barring mechanism to accommodate application level barring between the User equipment (UE) and the network. The method disclosed individually restricts or permits access of network to every requesting application on the UE, based on granular category of the application and priority levels of the application within the granular category. The method disclosed also specifies handling of back-off timers; reject cause values and Access Point Name (APN) configuration by Access Stratum (AS) and Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer to support application level barring of UEs using the enhanced access barring mechanism. The enhanced access barring mechanism enables providing service to applications independent of other barred applications or priorities. The method disclosed provides a mechanism for access control for connected mode UEs.

Claims

1. A method for defining User Equipment (UE) behavior when an independent granular network access control is indicated by a network, wherein said method comprises:

receiving at least one granular category in an indication from said network after a requesting application initiates a service request to access said network;

checking whether said requesting application belongs to said at least one granular category independent of said barred category by said UE;

confirming whether said granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category; and

holding said service request till an access barring is alleviated for said granular category, if said granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

receiving said at least one granular category in said indication from said network for at least one ongoing application;

checking whether said at least one ongoing application belongs to said at least one granular category independent of said barred category by said UE; and

deactivating said ongoing application till said access barring is alleviated for said granular category, if said granular category of said ongoing application belongs to said barred category.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said granular category is at least one of operator defined:

application category, traffic category, quality of service (QoS) category, logical channel group category, bearer type category, priority level category.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method comprises checking whether granular access barring is applied by said network with said barred category, after Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer of said UE forwards said service request to an Access Stratum (AS) layer of said UE.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method comprises confirming whether said at least one granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category using said NAS, after said AS informs said NAS of said barred category being applied by said network.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises processing said service request of said requesting application by said AS, if said granular category of said requesting application is not in said barred category.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises allowing an operator to map individual applications in said UE to said barred category, wherein said map refers to at least one of:

Access Point Name (APN), said operator defined application category, said operator defined quality of service (QoS) category, said operator defined logical channel group category, said operator defined bearer type category, said operator defined traffic category.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said method comprises allowing said operator to configure said operator defined map in at least one of:

Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), said APN configuration file in said UE, new file of said UE.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein said method comprises enabling said operator to configure said mapping in at least one of:

enhanced NodeB (eNB), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Policy Charging and Rule Function (PCRF) entity.

10. The method as in claim 7, wherein said method further comprises allowing said operator to send granular category based barring indication in at least one of:

NAS message, AS message, Medium Access Control (MAC) message to said UE.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said AS message is at least one of:

system information message (SIB), radio resource control (RRC) message with reject cause, Random Access Channel (RACH) reject message and said NAS message is at least one of;

NAS reject message with reject cause.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein said method further comprises providing a value for a back-off timer in said reject cause for said requesting application when a congestion control is applied in NAS level, along with said at least one of:

granular category, priority level category.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method comprises allowing said UE to forward service request initiated by a new application to said network, if said back-off timer does not correspond to said new application.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method comprising applying said granular category based access barring when said UE is in connected mode and further comprises checking status of said barring before initiating said service request for said requesting application.

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein said method comprises storing an indication in said UE to identify if said back-off timer is running when said UE access said network with said at least one of:

application category, priority level category, wherein said back-off timer is at least one of;

said mobility management back-off timer, session management back-off timer.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein said service request is at-least one of:

explicit service request message, packet data network (PDN) connectivity request, bearer resource modification request, Scheduling Request (SR), Buffer Status Report (BSR) message and bearer resource allocation request.

17. A system for defining User Equipment (UE) behavior when an independent granular network access control is indicated by a network, wherein said system is configured to:

receive at least one granular category in an indication from said network after a requesting application initiates a service request to access said network;

check whether said requesting application belongs to said at least one granular category independent of said barred category by said UE;

confirm whether said granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category; and

hold said service request till an access barring is alleviated for said granular category, if said granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category.

18. A network for defining User Equipment (UE) behavior when an independent granular network access control is indicated by said network, wherein said network is configured to:

send at least one granular category in an indication after said network experiences congestion in said network.

19. The network as in claim 18, wherein said network is further configured to send said at least one granular category in said indication for ongoing application in said UE.

20. The network as in claim 18, wherein said granular category is at least one of operator defined:

application category, traffic category, quality of service (QoS) category, bearer type category, logical channel group category, priority level category.

21. The network as in claim 18, wherein said network is configured to enable an operator of said network to map individual applications in said UE to barred category, wherein said map refers to at least one of:

Access Point Name (APN), said operator defined application category, said operator defined quality of service (QoS) category, said operator defined logical channel group category, said operator defined bearer type category, said operator defined traffic category, further said operator configures said granular category in at least one of;

Home Subscriber Server (HSS), enhanced Node B (eNB), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Policy Charging and Rule Function (PCRF) entity.

22. The network as in claim 18, wherein said network is further configured to allow said operator to send said at least one of:

application category, priority level category, traffic category in a reject cause when a Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) level congestion control is enabled.

23. The network as in claim 21, wherein said network is further configured to provide a value for a back-off timer in said reject cause for said requesting application when said congestion control is applied, along with said at least one of:

granular category, priority level category.

24. The network as in claim 18, wherein said network is configured to apply a barring indication based on congestion in said network and said reject cause indicating the barred category based on said map between said individual applications and said barred category.

25. The network as in claim 24, wherein said barring indication provides said at least one of:

application category, value of back-off timer, reject cause.

26. A User Equipment (UE) for access baring mechanism when an independent application level granular network access control is indicated by a network, wherein said UE comprises:

an integrated circuit further comprising at least one processor;

at least one memory having a computer program code within said circuit;

said at least one memory and said computer program code with said at least one processor cause said UE to;

receive at least one granular category in an indication from said network after a requesting application initiates a service request to access said network;

check whether said requesting application belongs to said at least one granular category independent of said barred category;

confirm whether said granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category; and

hold said service request till an access barring is alleviated for said granular category, if said granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category.

27. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is further configured to:

receive said at least one granular category in said indication from said network for at least one ongoing application;

check whether said at least one ongoing application belongs to said at least one granular category independent of said barred category; and

deactivate said ongoing application till said access barring is alleviated for said granular category, if said granular category of said ongoing application belongs to said barred category.

28. The UE of claim 26, wherein said granular category is at least one of operator defined:

application category, traffic category, quality of service (QoS) category, logical channel group category, bearer type category, priority level category.

29. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is configured to check whether granular access barring is applied by said network with said barred category, after Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer of said UE forwards said service request to an Access Stratum (AS) layer of said UE.

30. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is configured to confirm whether said at least one granular category of said requesting application belongs to said barred category using said NAS, after said AS informs said NAS of said barred category being applied by said network.

31. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is further configured to process said service request of said requesting application by said AS, if said granular category of said requesting application is not in said barred category.

32. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is further configured to receive mapped individual applications to said barred category from an operator, wherein said map refers to at least one of:

Access Point Name (APN), said operator defined application category, said operator defined quality of service (QoS) category, said operator defined logical channel group category, said operator defined bearer type category, said operator defined traffic category.

33. The UE of claim 32, wherein said operator configures said map in at least one of:

Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), said APN configuration file of said UE, new file of said UE.

34. The UE as in claim 32, wherein said UE is configured to receive said granular category based barring indication from said operator in at least one of:

NAS message, AS message, Medium Access Control (MAC) message.

35. The UE of claim 34, wherein said AS message is at least one of:

system information message (SIB), radio resource control (RRC) message with reject cause, Random Access Channel (RACH) reject message, Buffer Status Report (BSR) message, Scheduling Request (SR) message and said NAS message is at least one of;

NAS reject message with error cause.

36. The UE as in claim 35, wherein said UE is further configured to receive a value for a back-off timer in said reject cause for said requesting application when a congestion control is applied in NAS level mobility management, along with said at least one of:

granular category, priority level category.

37. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is configured to forward a service request initiated by a new application to said network, if said back-off timer does not correspond to said new application, further said UE is configured to check status of said barring before initiating said service request for said requesting application.

38. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is configured to identify if said back-off timer is running when said UE access said network with said at least one of:

application category, priority level category, wherein said back-off timer is at least one of;

said mobility management back-off timer, session management back-off timer.

39. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said service request is at-least one of:

packet data network (PDN) connectivity request, bearer resource modification request, and bearer resource allocation request.

40. The UE as in claim 26, wherein said UE is configured to use different back-off timers for different operator defined application category.