Method for performing RR-level registration in a wireless communication system

• US 8,010,104 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Tiedemann, Edward G Jr., Jain, Avinash
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behnamian; Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US12/829,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20100273482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 4554351-4353, 4554321-4322, 455/422.1, 455/419, 455/436, 455/411, 455/458, 455433-434, 370331-332, 370/328, 370/338, 370/503, 380247-248, 380/258, 380/270
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Techniques to reduce the amount of registration required by a mobile station in a wireless communication system, especially if the registration zones are defined to be small areas. In one scheme, a mobile station registers (e.g., at RR-level) with a network entity (e.g., a base station) each time it enters a new registration zone, which can correspond to an R-TMSI zone defined by GSM MC-MAP. The mobile station maintains a timer for each zone with which it has already registered but has since left. If the mobile station leaves a particular zone for a period longer than a time-out period, the registration with that zone times out, and the mobile station re-registers with that zone whenever it re-enters the zone. The mobile station may implement zone-based, timer-based, implicit, traffic channel RR, and some other registrations, or a combination thereof. Parameters to facilitate registration may be defined by a base station.

Claims

1. A mobile station that is configured to perform registration in a wireless communication system, comprising:

means for registering with a first network entity in response to entering a first registration zone;

means for receiving a first temporary identifier from the first network entity in response to registering with the first network entity;

means for registering with a second network entity in response to entering a second registration zone; and

means for re-registering with the first network entity upon re-entering the first registration zone only if the first temporary identifier is no longer valid.

2. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first network entity is a serving general packet radio service support node.

3. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first temporary identifier is a temporary mobile station identifier.

4. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the second network entity is a serving general packet radio service support node.

5. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first temporary identifier remains valid for a limited period of time following initial assignment of the first temporary identifier.

6. The mobile station of claim 5, further comprising means for activating a first timer for the first registration zone, wherein the first temporary identifier becomes invalid when a value for the first timer exceeds a time-out value.

7. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the first registration zone is entered first and the second registration zone is subsequently entered.

8. The mobile station of claim 1, further comprising means for receiving a second temporary identifier from the second network entity in response to registering with the second network entity.

9. A mobile station that is configured to perform registration in a wireless communication system, comprising:

circuitry configured to register with a first network entity in response to entering a first registration zone, receive a first temporary identifier from the first network entity in response to registering with the first network entity, register with a second network entity in response to entering a second registration zone, and re-register with the first network entity upon re-entering the first registration zone only if the first temporary identifier is no longer valid.

10. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the first network entity is a serving general packet radio service support node.

11. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the first temporary identifier is a temporary mobile station identifier.

12. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the second network entity is a serving general packet radio service support node.

13. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the first temporary identifier remains valid for a limited period of time following initial assignment of the first temporary identifier.

14. The mobile station of claim 13, further comprising means for activating a first timer for the first registration zone, wherein the first temporary identifier becomes invalid when a value for the first timer exceeds a time-out value.

15. The mobile station of claim 9, wherein the first registration zone is entered first and the second registration zone is subsequently entered.

16. The mobile station of claim 9, further comprising means for receiving a second temporary identifier from the second network entity in response to registering with the second network entity.

17. A method for performing registration in a wireless communication system, comprising:

registering with a first network entity in response to entering a first registration zone;

receiving a first temporary identifier from the first network entity in response to registering with the first network entity;

registering with a second network entity in response to entering a second registration zone; and

re-registering with the first network entity upon re-entering the first registration zone only if the first temporary identifier is no longer valid.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first network entity is a serving general packet radio service support node.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first temporary identifier is a temporary mobile station identifier.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the second network entity is a serving general packet radio service support node.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first temporary identifier remains valid for a limited period of time following initial assignment of the first temporary identifier.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising activating a first timer for the first registration zone, wherein the first temporary identifier becomes invalid when a value for the first timer exceeds a time-out value.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the first registration zone is entered first and the second registration zone is subsequently entered.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a second temporary identifier from the second network entity in response to registering with the second network entity.