MOBILE NETWORK IOT CONVERGENCE

• US 20160164728A1
• Filed: 02/12/2016
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Chakrabarti, Samita, Touati, Samy, SHARMA, Ayush
• Granted Patent: US 10,212,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method in a network device is described and includes selecting, based upon a service request, one or more device gateways from a plurality of device gateways that are communicatively coupled with a plurality of low powered devices. The low powered devices do not include Subscriber Identity Modules. Configuration information is transmitted over a public network to the selected device gateways, causing the selected device gateways to configure ones of the low power devices to perform actions according to the service request. Data is received from the selected device gateways over the public network that was generated by the configured low power devices. One or more GPRS Tunnel Protocol (GTP) tunnels are established with a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway of a mobile network operator, and the received data is sent over the one or more GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator.

Claims

1. A method in a network device, comprising:

selecting, by the network device based upon a service request from a customer, one or more device gateways from a plurality of device gateways, wherein the plurality of device gateways are communicatively coupled with a plurality of low powered devices, and wherein the plurality of device gateways do not include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM);

transmitting configuration information over a public network to the selected one or more device gateways to cause the selected one or more device gateways to configure particular ones of the plurality of low power devices to perform actions according to the service request;

receiving, from the selected one or more device gateways over the public network, data generated by at least some of the configured particular ones of the plurality of low power devices;

establishing, specific to the one or more requested service actions, one or more GPRS Tunnel Protocol (GTP) tunnels with a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway of a mobile network operator; and

sending the received data over the one or more GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more GTP tunnels include a plurality of GTP tunnels;

a first portion of the received data is sent over a first of the plurality of GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator; and

a second portion of the received data is sent over a second of the plurality of GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the service request identifies a plurality of service types, wherein each of the plurality of service types identifies a location or type of Internet of Things (TOT) device that can be used to identify the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, wherein the first portion of the received data corresponds to a first of the plurality of service types, and wherein the second portion of the received data corresponds to a second of the plurality of service types.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of GTP tunnels is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) S2a interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the public network comprises the Internet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the configured particular ones of the plurality of low power devices comprise sensor devices.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sensor devices are temperature sensor devices or moisture sensor devices, and wherein the received data comprises data values generated by said temperature sensor devices or moisture sensor devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the service request identifies a service action, wherein the service action is to enable, disable, start, or stop collection of data from the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, and wherein the configuration information is based upon the identified service action.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the service request further identifies a service type, wherein the service type identifies a location or type of TOT device that can be used to identify the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, wherein the service request does not include identifiers of the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, and wherein the selecting of the one or more device gateways from the plurality of device gateways is based upon the identified service type of the service request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the service request further identifies a service sub type value of a sub type field, wherein the sub type field identifies a recipient of the data generated by the at least some of the configured particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, and wherein the identified service sub type value of the service request identifies the mobile network operator.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by a processor of a network device, cause the network device to perform operations comprising:

selecting, based upon a service request from a customer, one or more device gateways from a plurality of device gateways, wherein the plurality of device gateways are communicatively coupled with a plurality of low powered devices, and wherein the plurality of device gateways do not include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM);

transmitting configuration information over a public network to the selected one or more device gateways to cause the selected one or more device gateways to configure particular ones of the plurality of low power devices to perform actions according to the service request;

receiving, from the selected one or more device gateways over the public network, data generated by at least some of the configured particular ones of the plurality of low power devices;

establishing, specific to the one or more requested service actions, one or more GPRS Tunnel Protocol (GTP) tunnels with a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway of a mobile network operator; and

sending the received data over the one or more GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the one or more GTP tunnels include a plurality of GTP tunnels;

a first portion of the received data is sent over a first of the plurality of GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator; and

a second portion of the received data is sent over a second of the plurality of GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the service request identifies a plurality of service types, wherein each of the plurality of service types identifies a location or type of Internet of Things (TOT) device that can be used to identify the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, wherein the first portion of the received data corresponds to a first of the plurality of service types, and wherein the second portion of the received data corresponds to a second of the plurality of service types.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of GTP tunnels is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) S2a interface.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the public network comprises the Internet.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the at least some of the configured particular ones of the plurality of low power devices comprise sensor devices.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the service request identifies a service action, wherein the service action is to enable, disable, start, or stop collection of data from the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, and wherein the configuration information is based upon the identified service action.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the service request further identifies a service type, wherein the service type identifies a location or type of TOT device that can be used to identify the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, wherein the service request does not include identifiers of the particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, and wherein the selecting of the one or more device gateways from the plurality of device gateways is based upon the identified service type of the service request.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the service request further identifies a service sub type value of a sub type field, wherein the sub type field identifies a recipient of the data generated by the at least some of the configured particular ones of the plurality of low power devices, and wherein the identified service sub type value of the service request identifies the mobile network operator.

20. A device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform operations comprising;

selecting, based upon a service request from a customer, one or more device gateways from a plurality of device gateways, wherein the plurality of device gateways are communicatively coupled with a plurality of low powered devices, and wherein the plurality of device gateways do not include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM);

transmitting configuration information over a public network to the selected one or more device gateways to cause the selected one or more device gateways to configure particular ones of the plurality of low power devices to perform actions according to the service request;

receiving, from the selected one or more device gateways over the public network, data generated by at least some of the configured particular ones of the plurality of low power devices;

establishing, specific to the one or more requested service actions, one or more GPRS Tunnel Protocol (GTP) tunnels with a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway of a mobile network operator; and

sending the received data over the one or more GTP tunnels to be processed by the mobile network operator.