Local Networks

• US 20150036659A1
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vesterinen, Seppo Ilmari, Liu, Yang, Li, Haitao, Lei, Yixue, Shu, Kodo
• Application Number:
  US14/379,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20150036659A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/08 Load shedding arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/125 involving different types of service backbones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: provide access to a network and needed bearers locally, and obtain offload bearer traffic from an umbrella node under control of the umbrella node in such a manner that a core network sees the offload bearer traffic as internal umbrella node traffic.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

provide access to a network and needed bearers locally, and

obtain offload bearer traffic from an umbrella node under control of the umbrella node in such a manner that a core network sees the offload bearer traffic as internal umbrella node traffic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access is provided to the Internet via a local gateway.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the offload bearer traffic is carried out by transferring EPS bearers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further causing the apparatus to:

be coupled to an umbrella node through a local interface supporting radio access bearer (E-RAB) management, context management, non-access stratum (NAS) transport, paging and handover control.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising causing the apparatus to:

maintain the offload bearer traffic under the control of the umbrella node.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the apparatus comprising server, host or node.

7. (canceled)

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

offload bearer traffic to a local access point, and

control the offload bearer traffic in such a manner that a core network sees the offload bearer traffic as internal umbrella node traffic.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the offloading of the bearer traffic is carried out by transferring EPS bearers.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising causing the apparatus to:

determine to offload at least part of user device traffic to one or more local access points, and

coordinate the service transfer to the local access point.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising causing the apparatus to:

be coupled to a local access point through a local interface supporting radio access bearer (E-RAB) management, context management, non-access stratum (NAS) transport, paging and handover control.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising causing the apparatus to:

control intra-node and/or inter-cell handovers.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising causing the apparatus to:

set at least one virtual cell identifier for the local access point for making signaling transparent to the core network.

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. A method comprising:

providing access to a network and needed bearers locally, and

obtaining offload bearer traffic from an umbrella node under control of the umbrella node in such a manner that a core network sees the offload bearer traffic as internal umbrella node traffic.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the access is provided to the Internet via a local gateway.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the obtaining the offload bearer traffic is carried out by transferring EPS bearers.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

coupling to an umbrella node through a local interface supporting radio access bearer (E-RAB) management, context management, non-access stratum (NAS) transport, paging and handover control.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

maintaining the offload bearer traffic under the control of the umbrella node.

21. (canceled)

22. A method comprising:

offloading bearer traffic to a local access point, and

controlling the offload bearer traffic in such a manner that a core network sees the offload bearer traffic as internal umbrella node traffic.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the offloading of the bearer traffic is carried out by transferring EPS bearers.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining to offload at least part of user device traffic to one or more local access points, and

coordinating the service transfer to the local access point.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

coupling to a local access point through a local interface supporting radio access bearer (E-RAB) management, context management, non-access stratum (NAS) transport, paging and handover control.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

controlling intra-node and/or inter-cell handovers.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

setting at least one virtual cell identifier for the local access point for making signaling transparent to the core network.

28. (canceled)

29. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program code for controlling a process to execute a process, the process comprising:

providing access to a network and needed bearers locally, and

obtaining offload bearer traffic from an umbrella node under control of the umbrella node in such a manner that a core network sees the offload bearer traffic as internal umbrella node traffic.

30. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program code for controlling a process to execute, a process, the process comprising:

offloading bearer traffic to a local access point, and

controlling the offload bearer traffic in such a manner that a core network sees the offload bearer traffic as internal umbrella node traffic.