COORDINATED GROUPING FOR MACHINE TYPE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP BASED SERVICES

• US 20160007138A1
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Convida Wireless LLC
• Inventors: Palanisamy, Suresh, Murthy, Prashanth, Singh, Anoop, Starsinic, Michael F
• Granted Patent: US 10,136,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A system is disclosed for the coordinated grouping of devices for receipt of network layer group based services. A service layer system such as an SCS generates a request to generate a group of devices to receive network layer services. The request is received at a network layer system such as, for example, an MTC-IWF. Network layer systems such as, for example, an HSS, identifies a manner of communicating the requested service to identified devices and communicates with the devices to provision the devices so as to be included in the requested group. The network layer systems communicate an identifier to the service layer system which the service layer may subsequently use to request execution of the service by the identified group of devices.

Claims

1. In a communications network adapted to provide machine to machine communication, a method of group management comprising:

a service layer system determining to create a group of devices for receiving network layer services;

the service layer system transmitting a request to create the group of devices;

a first core network node receiving the request to create the group of devices;

the first core network node generating and transmitting a request to provision a service for the group of devices; and

the first core network node generating and transmitting to the service layer system an indication that the group of devices has been created.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first core network node is an interworking function server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first core network node transmitting a request to provision a service for the group of devices comprises the first core network node transmitting a request to provision a service for the group of devices to a home subscriber server.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the home subscriber server provisioning information about the group of devices on one or more of a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), and policy and charging rules function (PCRF).

5. In a communications network adapted to provide machine to machine communication, a method of group management comprising:

a services capability server determining to create a new group of devices for receiving network layer services;

the services capability server transmitting a request to authorize the creation of the group of devices;

a first core network node receiving the request to authorize the creation of the group of devices;

the first core network node transmitting a request to authorize the creation of the group of devices to a second core network node; and

the first core network node generating and transmitting a request to provision information about the group in a third core network node.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the second core network node generating and transmitting a response to the first core network node; and

the first core network node generating and transmitting a response to the services capability server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first core network node generating and transmitting a response to the services capability sever comprises the first core network node generating and transmitting a response comprising a temporary mobile group identifier (TMGI).

8. The method of claim 5,

wherein the first core network node is an interworking server, and

wherein the second core network node is a home subscriber server.

9. The method of claim 5,

wherein the services capability server transmitting a request to authorize the creation of the group of services comprises transmitting a request comprising a group identifier.

10. In a communications network adapted to provide machine to machine communication, a method of group management comprising:

a services capability server determining to modify a group of devices for receiving network layer services;

the services capability server transmitting a request to modify the group of devices;

a first network node receiving the request to modify the group of devices;

the first network node transmitting a request to modify the group of devices to a second network node;

the second network node identifying devices affected by the request to modify the group of devices; and

the second network node generating and transmitting a request to a third network node relating to the request to modify the group of devices.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the third network node transmitting a response to the second network node.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

the second network node generating and transmitting a response to the first network node; and

the first network node generating and transmitting a response to the services capability server.

13. The method of claim 10,

wherein the first network node is an interworking server, and

wherein the second network node is a home subscriber server.

14. In a communications network adapted to provide machine to machine communication, a method of group management comprising:

a services capability server determining to modify a group of devices for receiving network layer services;

the services capability server transmitting a request to modify the group of devices;

a first network node receiving the request to modify the group of devices;

the first network node transmitting a request to authorize modifying the group of devices to a second network node;

the second network node determining modifying the group of devices is authorized and generating and transmitting a response indicating modifying the group of devices is authorized; and

the first network node generating and transmitting a request relating to the request to modify the group of devices.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

each device in the group of devices transmitting to the first network node a response to the request relating to the request to modify the group of devices; and

the first network node generating and transmitting a response to the request relating to the request to modify the group of devices.

16. The method of claim 14,

wherein the first network node is an interworking server, and

wherein the second network node is a home subscriber server.

17. In a communications network adapted to provide machine to machine communication, a method of group management comprising:

a services capability server determining to execute a service on a group of devices;

the services capability server transmitting a request to execute the service on the group of devices;

a first network node receiving the request to execute the service on the group of devices;

the first network node transmitting a request for information relating to handling the request to execute the service to a second network node;

the second network node identifying devices for implementing the request to execute the service on the group of devices;

the second network node generating and transmitting to the first network node information specifying the identified devices for implementing the request to execute the service on the group of devices; and

the first network node transmitting to each identified device a request to execute a service.

19. A wireless network base station, comprising:

a computing processor;

computing memory communicatively coupled with the computing processor, the computing memory having stored therein executable computing instructions for performing operations, comprising;

receiving via a communications network a request to configure the wireless network base station consistent with a group of devices for receiving services, the request comprising information identifying one or more devices comprised in the group of devices for receiving services and information identifying a requested configuration;

storing in computing memory information identifying the one or more devices comprised in the group of devices; and

updating an existing grouping of devices to comprise at least one of the devices in the identified one or more devices, the existing grouping of devices identifying devices that receive group communications from the wireless network base station.

18. The method of claim 19,

wherein the first network node is an interworking server, and

wherein the second network node is a home subscriber server.

20. The wireless network base station of claim 19,

wherein the computing memory has stored therein executable computing instructions for performing operations further comprising:

generating and transmitting over a communications network a response to the request.

21. The wireless network base station of claim 19,

wherein the computing memory has stored therein executable computing instructions for performing operations further comprising:

using the updated existing grouping of devices to transmit a communication.