GROUP TRIGGER METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM

• US 20150201311A1
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Wanqiang
• Granted Patent: US 9,942,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A group trigger method, apparatus, and system include an interworking function IWF entity, configured to send a trigger delivery request to an entity that has a trigger function; and the entity that has a trigger function, configured to, after receiving the trigger delivery request sent by the IWF entity, return a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity, and delivers, according to the trigger delivery request, an acquired group trigger payload to a user equipment UE. The entity that has a group trigger function delivers the group trigger payload to the UE, so as to effectively implement group trigger, avoid point-to-point trigger, and save system resources.

Claims

1. A group trigger system, comprising:

an interworking function (IWF) entity, configured to send a trigger delivery request to an entity that has a group trigger function; and

wherein the entity is configured to, after receiving the trigger delivery request sent by the IWF entity, return a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity, and deliver an acquired group trigger payload to a user equipment (UE) according to the trigger delivery request.

2. The group trigger system according to claim 1, wherein the entity comprises a broadcast/multicast service center (BM-SC), a cell broadcast center (CBC), or a multimedia broadcast multicast service gateway (MEMS-GW).

3. The group trigger system according to claim 1, further comprising a service capability server (SCS) configured to send a trigger request message to the IWF entity, wherein the trigger request message comprises external group identifier information, location information, and the group trigger payload, so that the IWF entity sends a subscriber information verification request message to a home subscriber server (HSS) to perform subscriber information verification, wherein the subscriber information verification request message comprises the external group identifier information and identification information of the SCS;

and

wherein the HSS is configured to, after receiving the subscriber information verification request message sent by the IWF entity, judge, according to the external group identifier information and the identification information of the SCS, whether to perform a trigger operation of the SCS.

4. The group trigger system according to claim 3, wherein the judge, according to the external group identifier information and the identification information of the SCS, whether to perform a trigger operation of the SCS further comprises:

if yes, map the external group identifier information to internal group identifier information of an operator, and add the internal group identifier information of the operator and an indication of a determined group trigger delivery manner to a subscriber information verification response message to send to the IWF entity, so that the IWF entity selects a group trigger delivery manner according to the indication of the group trigger delivery manner and/or a local policy to send the trigger delivery request to the corresponding entity that has a group trigger function.

5. The group trigger system according to claim 3, wherein the trigger delivery request comprises:

the internal group identifier information of the operator and location information, and after returning the trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity, the entity that has a group trigger function receives the group trigger payload sent by the IWF entity, and delivers the group trigger payload to a UE in a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information;

or

the internal group identifier information of the operator, location information and a group trigger payload, and the entity that has a group trigger function returns the trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity, acquires the group trigger payload from the trigger delivery request, and delivers the group trigger payload to a UE in a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information.

6. The group trigger system according to claim 1, wherein the trigger delivery request, the trigger request message, the subscriber information verification request message, and the subscriber information verification response message further comprise a group trigger indication.

7. A group trigger method, comprising:

receiving, by an entity having a group trigger function, a trigger delivery request sent by an interworking function (IWF) entity;

returning, by the entity having a group trigger function, a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF; and

delivering, by the entity having a group trigger function, an acquired group trigger payload to a user equipment (UE) according to the trigger delivery request.

8. The group trigger method according to claim 7, wherein the entity having a group trigger function comprises:

a broadcast/multicast service center (BM-SC), a cell broadcast center (CBC), or a multimedia broadcast multicast service gateway (MBMS-GW).

9. The group trigger method according to claim 7, wherein:

if the trigger delivery request comprises internal group identifier information of an operator and location information, after returning, by the entity that has a group trigger function, a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF, the method further comprises;

receiving, by the entity that has a group trigger function, the group trigger payload sent by the IWF entity; and

if the trigger delivery request comprises the internal group identifier information of the operator, the location information, and the group trigger payload, after returning, by the entity that has a group trigger function, a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF, the method further comprises;

acquiring, by the entity that has a group trigger function, the group trigger payload from the trigger delivery request.

10. The group trigger method according to claim 9, wherein delivering, by the entity that has a group trigger function, an acquired group trigger payload to a UE according to the trigger delivery request comprises:

delivering, by the entity that has a group trigger function, the group trigger payload to the UE in a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information.

11. A group trigger method, comprising:

sending, by an interworking function (IWF) entity, a trigger delivery request to an entity having a group trigger function; and

receiving, by the IWF entity, a trigger delivery acknowledgement message returned from the entity having a group trigger function.

12. The group trigger method according to claim 11, wherein before sending a trigger delivery request to an entity having a group trigger function, the method further comprises:

receiving a trigger request message sent by a service capability server (SCS), wherein the trigger request message comprises external group identifier information, location information, and a group trigger payload;

sending a subscriber information verification request message to a home subscriber server (HSS) according to the trigger request message, wherein the subscriber information verification request message comprises the external group identifier information and identification information of the SCS, so that the HSS determines, according to the external group identifier information and the identification information of the SCS, whether to perform a trigger operation of the SCS; and

if yes, the HSS maps the external group identifier information to internal group identifier information of an operator, and adds the internal group identifier information of the operator and an indication of a determined group trigger delivery manner to a subscriber information verification response message to send to the IWF entity; and

receiving the subscriber information verification response message.

13. The group trigger method according to claim 12, wherein:

sending a trigger delivery request to an entity that has a group trigger function comprises;

selecting a group trigger delivery manner according to the indication of the group trigger delivery manner and/or a local policy to send the trigger delivery request to the corresponding entity having a group trigger function, wherein the trigger delivery message comprises the internal group identifier information of the operator and location information; and

after receiving a trigger delivery acknowledgement message returned from the entity having a group trigger function, the method further comprises;

sending the group trigger payload to the entity that has a group trigger function, so that the entity having a group trigger function delivers the group trigger payload to the UE in a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information.

14. The group trigger method according to claim 12, wherein sending a trigger request message to an entity having a group trigger function comprises:

selecting a group trigger delivery manner according to the indication of the group trigger delivery manner and/or a local policy to send the trigger delivery request to the entity having a group trigger function, wherein the trigger delivery request comprises the internal group identifier information of the operator, location information, and a group trigger payload, so that the entity having a group trigger function delivers the group trigger payload to user equipment (UE) in a corresponding location area according to the internal group identifier information of the operator and the location information.

15. A group trigger apparatus, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a trigger delivery request sent by an interworking function (IWF) entity;

a transmitter, configured to return a trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF after the receiver receives the trigger delivery request; and

a processor, configured to deliver an acquired group trigger payload to a user equipment (UE) according to the trigger delivery request after the transmitter sends the trigger delivery acknowledgement message.

16. The group trigger apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

if the trigger delivery request comprises the internal group identifier information of an operator and location information, the receiver is further configured to, after the transmitter sends the trigger delivery acknowledgement message to the IWF entity, receive the group trigger payload sent by the IWF entity; and

if the trigger delivery request comprises the internal group identifier information of the operator, the location information, and the group trigger payload, the processor is further configured to acquire the group trigger payload from the received trigger delivery request.

17. The group trigger apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the group trigger apparatus further comprises:

a memory, configured to store the internal group identifier information of the operator, the location information, and the group trigger payload.

18. An interworking function (IWF) entity, comprising:

a transmitter, configured to send a trigger delivery request to an entity having a group trigger function; and

a receiver, configured to, after the transmitter sends the trigger delivery request, receive a trigger delivery acknowledgement message returned from the entity having a group trigger function.

19. The IWF entity according to claim 18, wherein:

the receiver is further configured to receive a trigger request message sent by a service capability server (SCS), wherein the trigger request message comprises external group identifier information, location information, and the group trigger payload;

the IWF entity further comprises;

a processor, configured to, after the receiver receives the trigger request message, determine, according to the trigger request message, a subscriber information verification request message that is to be sent to a home subscriber server (HSS), wherein the subscriber information verification request message comprises the external group identifier information and identification information of the SCS;

the transmitter is further configured to send the subscriber information verification request message to the HSS, so that the HSS determines, according to the external group identifier information and the identification information of the SCS, whether to perform a trigger operation of the SCS; and

the receiver is further configured to receive the subscriber information verification response message.

20. The IWF entity according to claim 18, wherein:

the transmitter is further configured to send the subscriber information verification request message to the HSS, so that the HSS determines, according to the external group identifier information and the identification information of the SCS, whether to perform a trigger operation of the SCS; and

if yes, the HSS maps the external group identifier information to internal group identifier information of an operator, and adds the internal group identifier information of the operator and an indication of a determined group trigger delivery manner to a subscriber information verification response message to send to the IWF entity.

21. The IWF entity according to claim 18, wherein:

if the trigger delivery request sent by the transmitter comprises the internal group identifier information of the operator and location information, the transmitter sends the group trigger payload to the entity that has a group trigger function after the receiver receives the trigger delivery acknowledgement message;

or

the trigger delivery request sent by the transmitter comprises the internal group identifier information of the operator, location information, and the group trigger payload.

22. The IWF entity according to claim 18, wherein the IWF entity further comprises:

a memory, configured to store the external group identifier information, the location information, the group trigger payload, the internal group identifier information of the operator, and the identification information of the SCS.