Providing access-network information to an IP-core portion of a wireless telecommunication network

• US 8,111,705 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bartlett, Roger Danforth, Mabee, Kent DeLancy, Hayne, Kristen Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Chandrahas
• Application Number:
  US12/512,287
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/401, 709/203, 709/217, 455/435.1, 455/432.1, 455/433
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for enabling an action to take place based on data-usage characteristics associated with a mobile device. This can include receiving a request from the mobile device to receive an IP address (which request is communicated through a base transceiver station), adding to the registration request an identifier that identifies the BTS, and communicating the modified registration request to an IP-address-allocation device that reserves the IP address for the mobile device.

Claims

1. Nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method of enabling an action to take place based on data-usage characteristics associated with a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a registration request that requests an IP address to be assigned to the mobile device that has been authenticated by an authenticating device that is associated with a wireless telecommunications network (“

network”

), wherein the mobile device communicates data through a base transceiver station (BTS), which facilitates wireless communication from the mobile device through the network and whose geographic location is known by the network;

including within the registration request a base-station identifier (BSID) that identifies the BTS,

(A) wherein including the BSID includes embedding the BSID in a given portion of the registration request that is characterized by a starting bit location and an ending bit location,

(B) wherein a presence of the BSID is indicated by a flag within the registration request,

(C) wherein the starting bit location begins after a header portion of the registration request,

(D) wherein the ending bit location is indicated by way of the flag in the registration request, and

wherein the registration request also includes a network-address identifier (NAI), which is useable by the network to uniquely identify the mobile device;

by way of a computing device, storing the NAI in association with the BSID;

referencing a response to the registration request, which response includes an IP address reserved for the mobile device, wherein the response includes the NAI; and

storing the IP address such that it is associated with the NAI and with the BSID, thereby linking location information by way of the BSID with data communicated to and from the mobile device.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the authenticating confirms that the mobile device is authorized to communicate via the network.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the flag indicates the ending bit location.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the flag indicates a number of bits that make up the given portion of the registration request.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the storing the NAI in association with the BSID includes storing the NAI and the BSID in a database coupled to the computing device.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the action includes one or more of the following:

performing a deep-packet-inspection analysis on data packets that include the IP address;

monitoring data communicated because of the mobile device;

regulating a flow of data bound for the mobile device;

regulating a flow of data from the mobile device; and

performing a load-balancing process by involving other base stations capable of servicing the mobile device.

7. Nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method of enabling an action to take place based on data-usage characteristics associated with a mobile device, the method comprising:

retrieving from a registration request a network-address identifier (NAI) and base-transceiver-station identifier (BSID),

(A) wherein the registration request is a request to register the mobile device with a wireless telecommunications network so that it can send or receive data through the wireless telecommunications network (“

network”

),

(B) wherein the BSID identifies a base transceiver station (BTS) that the mobile device is using to communicate with the network and wherein a location of the BTS is capable of being determined by way of the BSID,

(C) wherein the BSID is embedded in a given portion of the registration request that is characterized by a starting bit location and an ending bit location,

(D) wherein a presence of the BSID is indicated by a flag within the registration request,

(E) wherein the starting bit location begins after a header portion of the registration request, and

(F) wherein the ending bit location is indicated by way of the flag in the registration request;

storing the NAI and the BSID in a record of a data structure stored by way of a computing device;

inspecting a response to the registration request, wherein the response includes an IP (internet protocol) address reserved for the mobile device; and

supplementing the record with the IP address.¹

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the BSID is added to the registration request by a packet-routing device.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the packet-routing device includes one or more of:

a PDSN (packet data serving node);

a GGSN (GPRS gateway support node);

an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node);

or

any device that provides one or more of,

(A) mobility management functions or

(B) packet-routing functionality.

10. Nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method of enabling an action to take place based on data-usage characteristics associated with a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the mobile device to receive an IP address, the request being communicated through a base transceiver station (BTS), which enables communication of data between the mobile device and a wireless telecommunications network;

upon receiving the registration request from the mobile device through the BTS, adding to the registration request an identifier that identifies the BTS (“

BSID”

), which is located in a certain geographic location, thereby creating a modified registration request,

(A) wherein the BSID is embedded in a given portion of the registration request that is characterized by a starting bit location and an ending bit location,

(B) wherein a presence of the BSID is indicated by a flag within the registration request,

(C) wherein the starting bit location begins after a header portion of the registration request, and

(D) wherein the ending bit location is indicated by way of the flag in the registration request;

storing in a database said BSID along with a mobile-device identifier that is retrieved from the request;

communicating the modified registration request to an IP-address-allocation device that reserves the IP address for the mobile device; and

subsequent to said IP address having been reserved for the mobile device, storing said IP address in the database, wherein said BSID, said mobile-device identifier, and said IP address are associated together.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the IP-address allocation device is a home agent.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the wireless telecommunications network utilizes CDMA technology.

13. The media of claim 10, further comprising storing a new BSID when said mobile device communicates data through a different BTS.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein said new BSID includes storing a new record that relates said new BSID to said mobile-device identifier and said IP address.

15. The media of claim 10, further comprising updating said IP address when it changes.