Method for maintaining transparent mode radio bearers in a radio access network

• US 7,596,379 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: M-Stack Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: de Jong, Gjalt, Farnsworth, Andrew John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost; Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIR, PIERRE LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US10/920,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20060035642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/450
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for maintaining transparent mode radio bearers in a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a third generation mobile telecommunications network. The method relates to managing the radio resources allocated to a user equipment (UE) in said radio access network (RAN). The method generally comprises communicating a message from a radio resource controller (RRC) of the RAN to the UE where said message is arranged to instruct the UE to transition from a dedicated channel connection state to a lower activity connection state and to store in its memory transparent mode (TM) radio bearer (RB) information associated with said dedicated channel connection state. By storing TM RB information associated with the dedicated channel connection state, the UE can be reconfigured to the dedicated channel connection state without the RAN having to perform a radio bearer setup procedure.

Claims

1. A method of managing radio resources allocated to a user equipment (UE) in a radio access network (RAN), comprising:

communicating a message from a radio resource controller (RRC) of the RAN to the UE, said message being arranged to cause the UE to transition from a dedicated channel connection state to a non-dedicated channel connection state while releasing a physical channel assigned to carry transparent mode (TM) radio bearers (RBs) for said dedicated channel connection state and to not discard from its memory TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state for a period of time after the UE has transitioned to the non-dedicated channel connection state, said message being initiated by detection of a period of inactivity on a dedicated channel assigned to said dedicated channel connection state.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message communicated to the UE causes the UE to not discard TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state by instructing the UE to discard physical channel information from radio access bearer (RAB) information currently being stored by the UE thereby leaving current TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message communicated to the UE instructs the UE to not discard TM RB associated with said dedicated channel connection state by retaining that part of radio access bearer (RAB) information currently being stored by the UE comprising TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message comprises a physical channel reconfiguration message.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message communicated to the UE instructs the UE to store new TM RB information for the dedicated channel connection state, said new TM RB information being provided by the RAN RRC in replacement of existing TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state currently being stored by the UE.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the message comprises a radio bearer reconfiguration message.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the message comprises a transport channel reconfiguration message.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-dedicated channel connection state comprises one of a number of non-dedicated channel connection states.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in order to re-transition the UE from the non-dedicated channel connection state to the dedicated channel connection state, the method includes the UE sending a cell update message to the RAN RRC whereby the UE uses the stored TM RB information in co-operation with the RAN RRC to re-establish the dedicated channel connection state.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RAN comprises a Universal Mobile Communications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the dedicated channel connection state comprises a CELL_DCH state.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the non-dedicated channel connection state comprises a CELL_PCH or a URA_PCH state.

33. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein detecting a period of inactivity on the dedicated channel assigned to the dedicated channel connection state comprises detecting a silent period in a data streaming connection.

13. A radio access network (RAN), comprising:

a radio network controller (RNC) including a radio resources controller (RRC) for managing radio resources allocated to a user equipment (UE) operating within the RAN, said UE communicating with the RNC over an air interface, wherein the RAN RRC is arranged to communicate a message to the UE, said message being arranged to cause the UE to transition from a dedicated channel connection state to a non-dedicated channel connection state while releasing a physical channel assigned to carry transparent mode (TM) radio bearers (RBs) for said dedicated channel connection state and to not discard from a memory thereof TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state for a period of time after the UE has transitioned to the non-dedicated channel connection state, said message being initiated by detection of a period of inactivity on a dedicated channel assigned to said dedicated channel connection state.

14. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein the RNC is arranged to communicate the message to the UE in a form that causes the UE to not discard TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state by instructing the UE to discard physical channel information from radio access bearer (RAB) information currently being stored by the UE thereby leaving current TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state.

15. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein the RNC is arranged to communicate the message to the UE in a form that instructs the UE to not discard TM RB associated with said dedicated channel connection state by retaining that part of radio access bearer (RAB) information currently being stored by the UE comprising TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state.

16. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein the RNC is arranged to communicate the message to the UE as a physical channel reconfiguration message.

17. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein the RNC is arranged to communicate the message to the UE in a form that instructs the UE to store new TM RB information for the dedicated channel connection state, said new TM RB information being provided by the RAN RRC in replacement of existing TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state currently being stored by the UE.

18. A RAN as claimed in claim 17, wherein the RNC is arranged to communicate the message to the UE as a radio bearer reconfiguration message.

19. A RAN as claimed in claim 17, wherein the RNC is arranged to communicate the message to the UE as a transport channel reconfiguration message.

20. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein the non-dedicated channel connection state comprises one of a number of non-dedicated channel connection states.

21. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein UE is arranged to send a cell update message to the RAN RRC in order to re-transition the UE from the non-dedicated channel connection state to the dedicated channel connection state, whereby the UE uses the stored TM RB information in co-operation with the RAN RRC to re-establish the dedicated channel connection state.

22. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein the RAN comprises a Universal Mobile Communications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).

23. A RAN as claimed in claim 22, wherein the dedicated channel connection state comprises a CELL_DCH state.

24. A RAN as claimed in claim 22, wherein the non-dedicated channel connection state comprises a CELL_PCH or a URA_PCH state.

34. A RAN as claimed in claim 13, wherein detecting a period of inactivity on the dedicated channel assigned to the dedicated channel connection state comprises detecting a silent period in a data streaming connection.

25. A radio network controller (RNC), comprising:

a radio resources controller (RRC) for managing radio resources allocated to a user equipment (UE) operating within a radio access network (RAN), said RNC communicating with the UE over an air interface, wherein the RAN RRC is arranged to communicate a message to the UE, said message being arranged to cause the UE to transition from a dedicated channel connection state to a non-dedicated channel connection state while releasing a physical channel assigned to carry transparent mode (TM) radio bearers (RBs) for said dedicated channel connection state and to not discard from a memory thereof TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state for a period of time after the UE has transitioned to the non-dedicated channel connection state, said message being initiated by detection of a period of inactivity on a dedicated channel assigned to said dedicated channel connection state.

35. A RNC as claimed in claim 25, wherein detecting a period of inactivity on the dedicated channel assigned to the dedicated channel connection state comprises detecting a silent period in a data streaming connection.

26. A user equipment (UE) operable within a radio access network (RAN), comprising:

a controller arranged to process a transition message received from a radio resources controller (RRC) of said RAN;

wherein, on processing said message, said UE is caused to transition from a dedicated channel connection state to a non-dedicated channel connection state while releasing a physical channel assigned to carry transparent mode (TM) radio bearers (RBs) for said dedicated channel connection state and to not discard from a memory thereof TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state for a period of time after the UE has transitioned to the non-dedicated channel connection state, said message being initiated by detection of a period of inactivity on a dedicated channel assigned to said dedicated channel connection state.

27. A UE as claimed in claim 26, wherein said UE is arranged to delay processing of non-signaling RBs on transitioning back to said dedicated channel connection state from said non-dedicated channel connection state.

28. A UE as claimed in claim 26, wherein said UE is arranged to process only signaling RBs on transitioning back to said dedicated channel connection state from said non-dedicated channel connection state and to delay processing of non-signaling RBs until receipt of a message from the RNC.

36. A UE as claimed in claim 26, wherein detecting a period of inactivity on the dedicated channel assigned to the dedicated channel connection state comprises detecting a silent period in a data streaming connection.

29. A user equipment (UE) operable within a radio access network (RAN), comprising:

a memory storing signaling radio bearers (RBs) associated with a dedicated channel connection state in a memory of said UE when transitioning from said dedicated channel connection state to a non-dedicated channel connection state while releasing a physical channel assigned to carry transparent mode (TM) RBs for said dedicated channel connection state;

said UE being arranged to not discard said signaling radio bearers (RBs) associated with said dedicated channel connection state for a period of time after the UE has transitioned to the non-dedicated channel connection state, and to process only said signaling radio bearers (RBs) associated with said dedicated channel connection state on transitioning from said non-dedicated channel connection state to said dedicated channel connection state.

30. A UE as claimed in claim 29, wherein said UE is arranged to delay processing of non-signaling RBs until receipt of a message from a radio network controller (RNC).

31. A machine readable medium carrying a computer program for a radio network controller (RNC) of a radio access network (RAN), code of said computer program being executable in a processor of the RNC for implementing a method comprising:

communicating a message from a radio resource controller (RRC) of the RAN to the user equipment (UE), said message being arranged to cause the UE to transition from a dedicated channel connection state to a non-dedicated channel connection state while releasing a physical channel assigned to carry transparent mode (TM) radio bearers (RBs) for said dedicated channel connection state and to not discard from its memory TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state for a period of time after the UE has transitioned to the non-dedicated channel connection state, said message being initiated by detection of a period of inactivity on a dedicated channel assigned to said dedicated channel connection state.

32. A machine readable medium carrying a computer program for a user equipment (UE) operable within a radio access network (RAN), code of said computer program being executable on a processor of the UE for implementing a method comprising:

processing a transition message received from a radio resources controller (RRC) of said RAN, wherein, on processing said message, said UE is caused to transition from a dedicated channel connection state to a non-dedicated channel connection state while releasing a physical channel assigned to carry transparent mode (TM) radio bearers (RBs) for said dedicated channel connection state and to not discard from a memory thereof TM RB information associated with said dedicated channel connection state for a period of time after the UE has transitioned to the non-dedicated channel connection state, said message being initiated by detection of a period of inactivity on a dedicated channel assigned to said dedicated channel connection state.