Methods and devices for changing quality of service

• US 7,817,554 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Skog, Robert, Petersson, Justus
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US11/171,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20060002377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 370/342, 370/235, 370/352, 455/452.2
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/765 triggered by the end-points
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

Quality of Service parameters are changed to adapt a transmission to varying transmission capacity demands. During an ongoing communication session, at least one client terminal utilizes services provided via a network node, and initial quality of service parameters are used. In the process of responding to a content request originating from the client terminal, it is determined if a delivery of the response to the content request would benefit from a modification of quality of service parameters. If the modification is determined to be beneficiary, a modification 520 of quality of service parameters for use in the response to the content request is initiated.

Claims

1. A method in a network node in a mobile communication network for changing quality of service parameters during an ongoing communication session wherein at least one client terminal utilizes services provided via the network node, and wherein initial quality of service parameters are used in the ongoing communication session, the method comprises the steps of:

determining, upon a content request issued by the at least one client terminal, second quality of service parameters associated to a response to said request;

comparing the initial quality of service parameters with the second quality of service parameters to determine a requirement for modifying quality of service parameters; and

modifying, if a requirement of modification is identified in the comparing/determining steps, quality of service parameters by issuing to the client terminal, an update from the initial quality of service parameters to the second quality of service parameters, and thereby facilitating a delivery of a response to the content request with the use of the second quality of service parameters,

wherein the steps of comparing quality of service parameters comprises a substep of retrieving PDP information on the initial quality of service parameters from a session database, the PDP information being associated with the communication session.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

reading from the PDP information the initial QoS parameters.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the substep of retrieving information further comprises a step of:

reading addressing information from the PDP information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the addressing information comprises an NAS IP address which is used by the network node to identify the GGSN which is controlling part of the communication with the client terminal.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the addressing information comprises IMSI or MSISDN for the client terminal, which IMSI or MSISDN the network node is included in a message to the GGSN for identifying the GTP associated with the ongoing communication session.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

storing the initial quality of service parameters; and

returning to the use of the initial quality of service parameters after completion of the communication session.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of comparing quality of service parameters, a requirement for modifying quality of service parameters is identified if the initial quality of service parameters differ from the second quality of service parameters.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the step of comparing quality of service parameters, a requirement for modifying quality of service parameters is identified if the initial quality of service parameters correspond to a lower transfer rate than the transfer rate corresponding to the second quality of service parameters.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

storing the initial quality of service parameters; and

returning to the use of the initial quality of service parameters after completion of the communication session.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the initial quality of service parameters is a representation of a first quality of service class and the second quality of service parameters is a representation of a second quality of service class.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first and second quality of service classes are from the group of pre-defined UMTS quality of service classes comprising:

conversational class, streaming class, interactive class and background class.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing the initial quality of service parameters; and

returning to the use of the initial quality of service parameters after completion of the communication session.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

accessing (522) a session database to update the PDP information with the second QoS parameters.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of determining second QoS parameters comprises the substeps of:

receiving a message from a second network comprising the content and information on at least the file type of the content; and

determining second QoS parameters based on said information on the file type of the content by comparison with a predetermined list, said list linking file types to suitable QoS parameters.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

storing the initial quality of service parameters; and

returning to the use of the initial quality of service parameters after completion of the communication session.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the message further comprise information on the size of the content file;

and said list links file types in predetermined file size ranges to suitable QoS parameters.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of determining second QoS parameters comprises the substeps of:

receiving a message from a second network as a response of the content request, wherein the requested content and information on required QoS parameters for delivering the content to the client terminal are comprised within said message; and

reading from the message the information on required QoS parameters and determining second QoS parameters based on said information on required quality of service parameters.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

storing the initial quality of service parameters; and

returning to the use of the initial quality of service parameters after completion of the communication session.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising a step of preparing the response to the client terminal by removing the information on the required QoS parameters from the message.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the message is a dedicated MIME-type.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the message comprises at least one content part and at least one header part and the quality of service information is provided in the header part.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the message is a HTTP response message and the required quality of service information is provided in a header line.

23. A memory for a computer storing a computer program comprising software code adapted for controlling the computer to implement the steps of claim 1.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program adapted for causing a data processor in a processing unit within a network node to control execution of the steps of claim 1.

25. A network node in a mobile communication network adapted to provide access to services from a service provider in a communication session, wherein a client terminal utilizes services provided via the network node and initial quality of service parameters are used, the network node comprising:

a quality of service determining processor arranged to, on an content request issued by the client terminal, determine second quality of service parameters associated to the requested content;

a comparator arranged to compare the initial quality of service parameters with the second quality of service parameters; and

a quality of service modification processor arranged to issue an update from the initial quality of service parameters to the second quality of service parameters using an update PDP context message to facilitate a delivery of a response to the content request with the use of the second quality of service parameters,

wherein the comparator is arranged to retrieve PDP information on the initial quality of service parameters from a session database, the PDP information being associated with the communication session.

26. The network node according to claim 25, further comprising:

an updating determining processor arranged to determine if quality of service parameters in an ongoing communication session should be updated, based on the comparison provided by the comparator, and to identify a requirement for updating quality of service parameters if the second quality of service parameters indicate a quality of service different from a quality of service indicated by the initial quality of service parameters.

27. The network node according to claim 26, wherein the updating determining processor comprises a memory for storing the initial quality of service parameters.

28. The network node according to claim 27, wherein the quality of service modification processor is arranged for communication with a GGSN interface for providing communication facilities to at least one GGSN.

29. The network node according to claim 25, wherein the quality of service determining processor is arranged for communication with an interface for interfacing a second network node, said interface being arranged to forward and receive messages to and from the second network node and to read or decode the messages from the second network node.

30. The network node according to claim 29, wherein the interface is arranged to read quality of service information contained within a messages from the second network node.

31. The network node according to claim 30, wherein the comparator is arranged for communication with a session database interface for accessing a session database to retrieve PDP information associated with the communication session.

32. The network node according to claim 31, wherein the session database interface is arranged to read addressing information from the PDP information.

33. The network node according to claim 31, wherein the session database interface is arranged to read the initial quality of service parameters from the PDP information.

34. The network node according to claim 33, wherein the session database interface is arranged to read addressing information from the PDP information.

35. The network node according to claim 25, further comprising updating determining means adapted to determine if quality of service parameters in an ongoing communication session should be updated, based on the comparison provided by the comparator, said updating determining means is adapted to identify a requirement for updating quality of service parameters if the second quality of service parameters indicate a quality of service different from a quality of service indicated by the initial quality of service parameters.

36. The network node according to claim 35, wherein the updating determining means comprises storing means for storing the initial quality of service parameters.

37. The network node according to claim 25, wherein the quality of service modification processor is arranged for communication with a GGSN interface for providing communication facilities to at least one GGSN.

38. The network node according to claim 25, wherein the quality of service modification processor is arranged for communication with the session database interface to retrieve addressing information from the PDP information.