Method and apparatus for radio resource control profile creation in a UMTS network

• US 8,090,380 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Islam, Muhammad Khaledul, Wirtanen, Jeffery, Plestid, Thomas Leonard Trevor
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean A
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, NATHAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/673,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20080194266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• Field of Search: 455/560, 455/453, 455/452.1, 455/450, 455/422.1, 370/328, 370/331, 370/311
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for creating a radio resource control profile for a radio resource allocation or a state-transition profile having the steps of receiving a parameter associated with a user equipment (UE), associating the parameter with the radio resource control profile for the radio resource allocation or the state-transition profile and initiating the radio resource allocation or state transition profile for the UE.

Claims

1. A method for setting a resource control profile in a radio resource control (RRC) layer for a user equipment (UE) comprising:

controlling a radio resource allocation and state-transitions for the UE using the resource control profile, the resource control profile defining resource and inactivity thresholds for transitioning from one to another of a predetermined number of states;

receiving a parameter specified by the UE indicative of an application or subscription for which an RRC connection is to be established;

associating the parameter with a radio resource allocation profile or a state-transition profile;

setting the resource control profile for the RRC layer with the radio resource allocation profile or the state transition profile associated with the parameter to customize the resource control profile wherein at least one of said thresholds for transitioning from one to another of the predetermined number of states is changed; and

controlling the UE with the customized resource control profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is received from the UE.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is received from a network entity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the network entity is a Home Location Register (HLR).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is an Access Point Name (APN) used to create a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a Quality of Service parameter set by the UE.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter is a Quality of Service allocation retention priority parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is received in a dedicated message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a subscription profile of the UE.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating step comprises looking up the parameter in a look-up table or database and finding a corresponding radio resource allocation or state transition profile.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the look-up table or database is stored on the UTRAN.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the look-up table or database is stored remotely from the UTRAN.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprises comparing the received parameter with any previously received parameter from the UE, each parameter having a different transition profile with a transition period from a Cell_DCH state associated therewith,

wherein the setting step includes selecting the transition profile based on the parameter having the longest transition period.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the step of checking whether a PDP context associated with the received parameter has radio resources allocated to it, and if no, ignoring the parameter.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio resource allocation profile comprises an allocation selected from the group consisting of:

rate adaptation algorithms including periodicity of step and step size;

initial granted radio bearer;

maximal granted radio bearer;

minimize call setup time by avoiding unnecessary steps such as traffic volume measurements; and

allocation between different radio access technologies.

16. A UTRAN in a UMTS network, the UTRAN comprising:

a resource control profile for a radio resource control (RRC) layer for controlling radio resource allocation and state transitions for a user equipment (UE), the resource control profile defining resource and inactivity thresholds for transitioning from one to another of a predetermined number of states;

means for receiving a parameter specified by the UE;

means for associating the parameter with a radio resource allocation profile or a state-transition profile;

means for setting the resource control profile for the RRC layer with the radio resource allocation profile or the state-transition profile associated with the parameter to customized the resource control profile wherein at least one of said thresholds for transitioninq from one to another of the predetermined number of states is changed; and

means for controlling the UE with the customized resource control profile.

17. The UTRAN of claim 16, wherein the parameter is an Access Point Name (APN) used to create a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context.

18. The UTRAN of claim 16, wherein the parameter is a Quality of Service parameter set by the UE.

19. The UTRAN of claim 18, wherein the parameter is a Quality of Service allocation retention priority parameter.

20. The UTRAN of claim 16, wherein the parameter is received in a dedicated message.

21. The UTRAN of claim 16, wherein the parameter is a subscription profile of the UE.

22. The UTRAN of claim 16, wherein the means for associating is adapted to look up the parameter in a look-up table or database and find a corresponding resource allocation profile or state-transition profile.

23. The UTRAN of claim 22 further comprising the look-up table or database.

24. The UTRAN of claim 16, further having means for comparing the received parameter with any previously received parameter from the UE, each parameter having a different transition profile with a transition period from a Cell_DCH state associated therewith,

wherein the means for setting is adapted to select the transition profile based on the parameter having the longest transition period.

25. The UTRAN of claim 24 further comprising means for checking whether a PDP context associated with the received parameter has radio resources allocated to it, and if no, ignoring the parameter.

26. The UTRAN of claim 16, wherein the radio resource allocation profile comprises an allocation selected from the group consisting of:

rate adaptation algorithms including periodicity of step and step size;

initial granted radio bearer;

maximal granted radio bearer;

minimize call setup time by avoiding unnecessary steps such as traffic volume measurements; and

allocation between different radio access technologies.

27. A user equipment (UE) adapted to facilitate setting a resource control profile in a radio resource control (RRC) layer for controlling radio resource allocation and state-transitions for the UE, the UE characterized by:

the resource control profile defining resource and inactivity thresholds for transitioninq from one to another of a predetermined number of states

means for setting a dynamic parameter specified by the UE indicative of an application or subscription for which an RRC connection is to be established; and

a transmitter for transmitting the dynamic parameter, wherein the dynamic parameter is used by a network node to set the resource control profile for the RRC layer with a radio resource allocation profile or a state transition profile associated with the parameter to customized the resource control profile wherein at least one of said thresholds for transitioninq from one to another of the predetermined number of states is changed and the customized resource control profile is used for the UE.

28. The UE of claim 27, wherein the dynamic parameter is set in a quality of service message.

29. The UE of claim 28, wherein the quality of service message is a PDP Context Activation or a Modified PDP Context message.

30. The UE of claim 27, wherein the dynamic parameter is set is a dedicated message.

31. The UE of claim 27, wherein multiple parameters are set based on applications running on UE, each application having a PDP context.

32. The UE of claim 31, wherein the transmitter only sends the dynamic parameter for PDP contexts that have radio resources allocated to the PDP context.

33. The UE of claim 27, wherein the dynamic parameter is set by the network in a parameter received from a network entity.

34. The UE of claim 33, wherein the network entity is a Home Location Register (HLR).