Method of counting the number of multimedia broadcasting multicast service subscribers

• US 7,349,711 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• 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: Hu, Hao, Qu, Bingyu, Zhang, Wenlin, Zhang, Hai
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US11/248,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20060094408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/550.1, 455/551, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/412.2, 455/515, 455/518, 455/519, 455/453, 455/417, 455/503, 370/312, 370/349, 370/390, 370/432
• US Class Current: 455/519
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers, comprising: setting different types of notifications, each of which is designed to instruct UEs in at least one mode to respond said counting number of subscribers; the network side issuing different types of notifications, so as to monitor the activation of UEs in at least one mode in the MBMS with said notifications, and thereby achieving counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers provided in the present invention can be used to perform counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS more accurately, so as to take fuller advantage of the precious air interface resource.

Claims

1. A method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers, wherein a UE is in one of a plurality of modes, the method comprising the following steps of:

setting different types of notifications according to the plurality of modes, each of which is designed to instruct UEs in different sets of modes respectively, each of the different sets of modes including at least one of the plurality of modes to respond to counting of the number of subscribers;

a network side issuing notifications to UEs, so as to monitor an activation of UEs in the different sets of modes to a MBMS with said notifications and implement counting the number of subscribers of the MBMS;

wherein;

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Connected mode and UEs in an Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode and the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

wherein a process of counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service further comprises;

the network side issuing the notifications to the UEs to instruct at least one of the UEs in the Connected mode or the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers; and

through monitoring an activation of at least one of the UEs in the Connected mode or the UEs in the Idle mode to an MBMS service, the network side achieving the counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service;

wherein said method also comprises the following steps after said process of counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service is completed;

a Core Network transmitting MBMS session information to the network side;

the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers of each MBMS through reissuing different types of notifications to UEs according to a predefined decision condition;

wherein said process that the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers through reissuing different types of notifications to UEs according to the decision condition further comprises;

setting a threshold for switching between a PTP bearer mode and a PTM bearer mode;

supposing the number of UEs which receive MBMS data and whose detail cell location information is known by an RNC in each cell is n (a natural number);

when the network side finds the number of UEs accessing the MBMS in a URA_PCH state is less than or equal to a value (Threshold-Max(n)), the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers of each MBMS through reissuing notifications to the UEs to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting of the number of subscribers;

said UEs in the URA_PCH state being UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode.

2. A method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers, wherein a UE is in one of a plurality of modes, the method comprising the following steps of:

setting different types of notifications according to the plurality of modes, each of which is designed to instruct UEs in different sets of modes respectively, each of the different sets of modes including at least one of the plurality of modes to respond to counting of the number of subscribers;

a network side issuing notifications to UEs, so as to monitor an activation of UEs in the different sets of modes to a MBMS with said notifications and implement counting the number of subscribers of the MBMS;

wherein the different types of notifications are represented in different binary numbers.

3. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers according to claim 2, wherein an RNC at the network side issues the notifications to the UEs.

4. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers according to claim 2, wherein said method further comprises the following step before the network side issuing the notifications to UEs, a Core Network transmitting an MBMS session start message to said network side.

5. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers according to claim 2, wherein said method further comprises the following steps of:

setting a threshold for switching between a PTP bearer mode and a PTM bearer mode;

the network side comparing a result of counting of the number of MBMS subscribers with said threshold for switching, and choosing an appropriate bearer mode according to a result of the comparing and transmitting MBMS service data to UEs.

6. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers according to claim 5, wherein if the result of counting of the number of MBMS subscribers is greater than or equal to the threshold for switching by the comparing, the network side choosing the PTM mode to transmit the MBMS service data to the UEs;

otherwise the network side choosing the PTP mode to transmit the MBMS service data to the UEs.

7. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers according to claim 2, wherein

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Connected mode and UEs in an Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode and the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers.

8. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers according to claim 7, wherein

the UEs in the Idle mode responding to the notifications that instruct the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers at a probability specified by an RNC;

the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode responding to the notifications that instruct the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers at the probability specified by the RNC or entirely.

9. The method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers according to claim 7, wherein said method also comprises the following steps after a process of counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service is completed:

a Core Network transmitting MBMS session information to the network side;

the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers of each MBMS through reissuing different types of notifications to UEs according to a predefined decision condition.

10. A method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers, wherein a UE is in one of a plurality of modes, the method comprising the following steps of:

setting different types of notifications according to the plurality of modes, each of which is designed to instruct UEs in different sets of modes respectively, each of the different sets of modes including at least one of the plurality of modes to respond to counting of the number of subscribers;

a network side issuing notifications to UEs, so as to monitor an activation of UEs in the different sets of modes to a MBMS with said notifications and implement counting the number of subscribers of the MBMS;

wherein;

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Connected mode and UEs in an Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode and the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

wherein a process of counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service further comprises;

the network side issuing the notifications to the UEs to instruct at least one of the UEs in the Connected mode or the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers; and

through monitoring an activation of at least one of the UEs in the Connected mode or the UEs in the Idle mode to an MBMS service, the network side achieving the counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service;

wherein said method also comprises the following steps after said process of counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service is completed;

a Core Network transmitting MBMS session information to the network side;

the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers of each MBMS through reissuing different types of notifications to UEs according to a predefined decision condition;

wherein said process that the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers through reissuing different types of notifications to UEs according to the decision condition further comprises;

setting a threshold for switching between a PTP bearer mode and a PTM bearer mode;

supposing the number of UEs which receive MBMS data and whose detail cell location information is known by an RNC in each cell is n (a natural number);

when the network side finds the number of UEs accessing the MBMS in a URA_PCH state is less than or equal to a value (Threshold-Max(n)), the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers of each MBMS through reissuing notifications to the UEs to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode and the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting of the number of subscribers;

said UEs in the URA_PCH state being UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode.

11. A method of counting the number of MBMS subscribers, wherein a UE is in one of a plurality of modes, the method comprising the following steps of:

setting different types of notifications according to the plurality of modes, each of which is designed to instruct UEs in different sets of modes respectively, each of the different sets of modes including at least one of the plurality of modes to respond to counting of the number of subscribers;

a network side issuing notifications to UEs, so as to monitor an activation of UEs in the different sets of modes to a MBMS with said notifications and implement counting the number of subscribers of the MBMS;

wherein;

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Connected mode and UEs in an Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct UEs in a Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

or

said notifications are designed to instruct the UEs in the Idle mode and the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers;

wherein a process of counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service further comprises;

the network side issuing the notifications to the UEs to instruct at least one of the UEs in the Connected mode or the UEs in the Idle mode to respond to the counting the number of subscribers; and

through monitoring an activation of at least one of the UEs in the Connected mode or the UEs in the Idle mode to an MBMS service, the network side achieving the counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service;

wherein said method also comprises the following steps after said process of counting the number of subscribers of each MBMS service is completed;

a Core Network transmitting MBMS session information to the network side;

the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers of each MBMS through reissuing different types of notifications to UEs according to a predefined decision condition;

wherein said process that the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers through reissuing different types of notifications to UEs according to the decision condition further comprises;

setting a threshold for switching between a PTP bearer mode and a PTM bearer mode;

supposing the number of UEs which receive MBMS data and whose detail cell location information is known by an RNC in each cell is n (a natural number);

when the network side finds the number of UEs accessing the MBMS in a URA_PCH state exceeds a value (Threshold-Max(n)), the network side performing recounting the number of subscribers of each MBMS through reissuing notifications to the UEs to instruct the UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode to respond to the counting of the number of subscribers;

said UEs in the URA_PCH state being UEs in the Discontinuous Reception mode.