Apparatus, and associated method for controlling service degradation performance of communication in a radio communication system

• US 6,556,824 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1999
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Purnadi, Rene W., Hsu, Liangchi, Tseng, Yichyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh Cong
• Assistant Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/429,759
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/434, 455/452, 455/512
• US Class Current: 455/442
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, facilitates service degradation in a radio communication system, such as a cellular communication system. A service degradation profile is created, associated with a particular communication service-type, and includes values of QoS (quality of service) level values. If communication at levels corresponding to the values of the desired QoS level parameters is unavailable, efforts are made to effectuate, or maintain communication at quality levels corresponding to values of at least first QoS level parameters values. Service degradation thereby occurs pursuant to a selected profile, reducing the need for service renegotiations and reducing the possibility that an abrupt termination of a communication session might occur.

Claims

1. In a radio communication system having a fixed network including a plurality of spaced-apart, fixed-site transceivers positioned throughout a geographic area, each fixed-site transceiver defining a coverage area in which communications with a mobile station are permitted pursuant to a service subscription, a combination with the fixed network of apparatus for reducing a desired QoS (quality of service) level of communications between the mobile station and the fixed network to a selected degraded QoS level when continued communications pursuant to at least a first communication service at the desired QoS level is unavailable, said apparatus comprising:

a service subscription register associated with the at least the first communication service, said service subscription register for storing an indication of at least a first selected degraded QoS level at which the communications pursuant to the at least the first communication service are to be maintained if the continued communications at the desired QoS level are unable to be maintained; and

a resource availability determiner and service level selector coupled to receive information representative of the at least the first selected degraded QoS level when the communications are unavailable at the desired QoS level, said resource reserver for selectively reserving resources of the radio communication system to assure that the communications are able to continue pursuant to the at least the first degraded QoS level.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first selected degraded QoS level stored at said service subscription register comprises the first selected degraded QoS level and at least a second selected degraded QoS level, the second selected degraded QoS level at which the communications pursuant to the at least the first communication service are to be maintained if the continued communications at the desired QoS level and the first selected degraded QoS level are unable to be maintained.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said resource availability determiner and service level selector selectively reserves resources of the radio communication system to assure that the communications are able to continue pursuant to the at least the second degraded QoS level when the continued communications are unable to be maintained at the first selected degraded QoS level.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first selected degraded QoS level comprises a first selected forward-link degraded QoS level and a first selected reverse-link degraded QoS level.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first communication service comprises the first communication service and at least a second communication service and wherein the first selected degraded QoS level of which the indication thereof is stored by said service subscription register comprises a first selected first-communication-service degraded QoS level at which the communications pursuant to the first communication service are to be maintained and a first selected second-communication-service degraded QoS level at which the communications pursuant to the second communication service are to be maintained.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first communication service comprises a video conference service and wherein the first selected degraded QoS level of which the indication thereof is stored at said service subscription register comprises a first selected video-conference-service degraded QoS level.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first selected video-conference-service degraded QoS level comprises a first selected degraded data QoS level.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first selected video-conference-service degraded QoS level comprises a first selected degraded video QoS level.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first selected video-conference-service degraded QoS level comprises a first selected degraded audio QoS level.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first communication service comprises a web browsing service and wherein the first selected degraded QoS level of which the indication thereof is stored at said service subscription register comprises a first selected web-browser service degraded QoS level.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first selected web-browser-service degraded QoS level comprises a first selected degraded data QoS level.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first selected web-browser-service degraded QoS level comprises a first selected degraded audio QoS level.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first selected web-browser-service degraded QoS level comprises a first selected degraded video QoS level.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the first communication service comprises a video on demand service and wherein the first selected degraded QoS level of which the indication thereof is stored at said service subscription register comprises a first selected video-on-demand service degraded QoS level.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said service subscription register further stores a priority level associated with the at least the first communication service, each priority level identifying a priority-of-access representing priority to be given to communicate in the radio communication system pursuant to the at least the first communication service.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the priority level stored at said service subscription register comprises a default priority level, a substitute priority level selectable at least during service initiation by the mobile station.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the radio communication system includes a first mobile station with which communications are permitted pursuant to a first service subscription and at least a second mobile station with which communications are permitted pursuant to at least a second service subscription, wherein a first service subscription register is associated with the first service subscription and a second service subscription register is associated with the second service subscription, said first service subscription register for storing an indication of the first degraded QoS level at which communications pursuant to the first communication service are to be maintained and a first priority level associated therewith, and said second service subscription register for storing an indication of the first degraded QoS level at which communications pursuant to the first communication service are to be maintained and a second priority level associated therewith.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said resource availability determiner and service level selector further compares the first priority level and the second priority level when communication pursuant to the first service subscription and pursuant to the second service subscription contend for common resources, results of comparisons by said resource availability determiner and service level selector determinative of which of the first mobile station and the second mobile station is given priority of access to the common resources.

19. A method for reducing a desired QoS (quality of service) level of communications between a mobile station and a fixed network of a radio communication system, the communications effectuated pursuant to a selected communication service of at least a first communication service type, to a selected degraded QoS level when communication pursuant to the at least the first communication service at the desired QoS level is unavailable, said method comprising the steps of:

storing an indication of at least a first selected degraded QoS level at which the communications pursuant to the at least the first communication service are to be maintained if the communications at the desired QoS level are unable to be maintained;

determining availability of resources for the communication pursuant to the first communication service at the desired QoS level; and

selecting the communication at the first selected degraded QoS level if a determination is made during said step of determining that the communication at the desired QoS level is unavailable.

20. In a cellular communication system having a network infrastructure installed in a geographic region and mobile stations capable of communication with the network infrastructure pursuant to at least a first communication service, when located in the geographic region, a combination with the network infrastructure of a storage device for storing SDP (service degradation performance) data, said storage device comprising:

a communication service identifier portion for storing communication service identification indicia which identifies the at least the first communication service;

an SDP data storage portion having locations indexed together with the communication service identification indicia stored at said communication service identifier portion, each location of said SDP data storage portion for storing an indication of at least a first degraded QoS level at which communications are to be maintained between the network infrastructure and the mobile station to which the location of said SDP data storage portion is indexed together pursuant to a selected one of the at least the first communication service if the communications are unable at a desired QoS level.