Method and apparatus for providing radio access bearer services

• US 6,668,175 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2000
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Johansson, Christer, Hartman, Magnus, Olofsson, Håkan, Almgren, Magnus, Lindberg, Niclas, Turina, Dalibor, Haraszti, Zsolt
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Application Number:
  US09/617,037
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/517, 455/516, 455/515, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/455, 455/509, 455/450, 370/345, 370/335, 370/341, 370/342, 370/352, 370/353, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/821 Prioritising resource allocation or reservation requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for providing radio access bearer services for different applications in a network having a core network and a radio access network through radio access bearers between the networks are presented. One or more session traffic flows being sent by an application are identified, the identified session is characterized in the form of parameters needed for the determination of the one or more radio access bearers. The characterized parameters are converted into radio access bearer attributes. One or more radio access bearers defined by the attributes are requested and established. Each session is mapped onto a correct radio access bearer established upon receiving the request. The one or more radio access bearers are released when no longer needed.

Claims

1. A method of providing radio access bearer services in a network comprising a core network and a radio access network on radio access bearers from the radio access network to the core network, comprising the following steps:

a) recognizing one or more session traffic flows being sent or intended to be sent by an application,

b) characterizing the recognized session traffic flow in the form of parameters needed for the determination of one or more radio access bearers,

c) converting the parameters into radio access bearer attributes,

d) requesting and establishing one or more radio access bearers defined by said attributes,

e) mapping the one or more session traffic flows onto a correct radio access bearer established upon said request,

f) indicating an end of the session, and

g) releasing the one or more radio access bearers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the session traffic has been sent on an available existing radio access bearer, the session is recognized and characterized in steps a) and b) respectively by means of packet headers of packets in a respective session traffic flow.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein different data streams from a same source are characterized on a per packet basis to map the data streams to the correct bearer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step a) is performed by receiving information about one or more session traffic flows intended to be sent by an application, and identifying the session using said information, and step b) is performed by characterizing the identified session traffic flow in the form of parameters needed for the determination of one or more radio access bearers using said information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in step b) and c) changes in the parameters are recognized during an ongoing session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in step b) the session is characterized using parameters including at least one of address information, type of service, length of packet, identification data, delay allowed, bit rate, radio resources, a frame error ratio, a bit error ratio, and traffic conditions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a range of values is specified for the parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the bearer request in step d) comprises, in addition to the radio access bearer attributes, at least one of source information and priority information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said source information comprises a range of values.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said source information comprises a rate per unit time at which the application handles data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said priority information classifies a priority of the bearer request.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is an adaptive or elastic application.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters comprise an interference level in an active set of base stations, said active set of base stations representing base stations to which a mobile station is connected.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein when the session traffic is preceded by a standard end-to-end signaling/session initiation protocol, the session is identified and characterized in steps a) and b) respectively by intercepting and interpreting end-to-end session signaling messages.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein when the session traffic is preceded by a direct signaling message from the application to a radio access bearer management node in the network, the session is identified and characterized in steps a) and b) respectively by interpreting the direct signaling message.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting of the parameters in step c) into radio access bearer attributes is carried out using at least one of a local static conversion database, a remote conversion database, a user profile, and load indicators from bearer management.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the session is periodically probed to recognize changes in application requirements.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the changes in application requirements are recognized as a consequence of a change in the parameters of the on-going session sent by the application.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein the parameters by which the radio access bearer was defined for the on-going session are changed as a consequence of an end-to-end signalling message from the application to change the parameters.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein the parameters by which the radio access bearer was defined for the on-going session are changed as a consequence of a signaling message from the application to a radio access bearer management node in the network to change the parameters.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein changes to be made in the parameters during an ongoing session are identified by the application as a result of a message sent to the application from the radio access network, the message carrying information corresponding to changes in the radio access network.

22. The method of claim 5, wherein changes to be made in the parameters are a result of a message sent from the radio access network, the message carrying information about changes in the radio access network, whereby the attributes are changed directly without waiting for the application to carry out the parameter changes.

23. An apparatus for handling radio access bearer services of different applications in a network having a core network and a radio access network through radio access bearers between said networks, as introduced in the network between said core network and radio access networks, the apparatus comprising:

a) means for receiving information identifying and corresponding to one or more session traffic flows intended to be sent by an application,

b) means for characterizing the identified session traffic flow in the form of parameters needed for determining one or more radio access bearers,

c) means for converting the parameters into radio access bearer attributes,

d) means for requesting and establishing one or more radio access bearers defined by said attributes,

e) means for mapping the one or more session traffic flows onto a correct established radio access bearer,

f) means for indicating an end of the session, and

g) means for releasing the one or more radio access bearers.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for recognizing changes during an ongoing session.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the apparatus is a logical node introduced between the core network and the radio access network.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the logical node is on the core network side with respect to the interface between the core network and radio access network.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the apparatus comprises three functional entities.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein one of the functional entities is a session classifier including the receiving, characterizing, converting and indicating means.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the session classifier also comprises means for probing a session periodically for recognizing changes in said parameters.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein one of the functional entities is a radio access bearer service manager including the requesting and releasing means and a means for recognizing changes during an ongoing session.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the radio access bearer service manager also comprises means for receiving session requests from the session classifier.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the radio access bearer service manager also comprises means for receiving messages from the radio access network corresponding to changes in the radio access network and means for sending the messages to the application.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the radio access bearer service manager also comprises means for translating the messages to an application understandable format and means for sending the translated messages to the application.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the radio access bearer service manager also comprises means for changing the attributes in response to receiving a message from the radio access network corresponding to changes in the radio access network.

35. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein one of the functional entities comprises means for mapping user data traffic which includes the session traffic mapping means.