Femtocell architecture for information management

• US 8,254,368 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2009
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huber, Kurt Donald, Mansfield, William Gordon, Flynn, Judson John
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharma, Gautam
• Application Number:
  US12/465,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20090286540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 : when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 : Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 : using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 : Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 : Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 : Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• 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: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

A system and methodology that significantly reduces traffic in a backhaul pipe of a femto access point (AP) and organizes content delivery is provided. Specifically, an aggregator/routing platform is employed to connect multiple femto APs in a femto enterprise to a single backhaul network. The aggregator/routing platform collects and analyzes information from the multiple femtos and directly route communication packets to between femto APs within the enterprise when possible, without employing the backhaul network. Content and/or tasks can be internally organized between devices connected to the multiple femtos, without accessing the core network. During internal communication, a control link can preserved and sent to the core network to facilitate billing.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a routing platform that connects multiple femto access points to a core mobility network via a common backhaul link, wherein the routing platform receives, from a first device coupled to a first femto access point of the multiple femto access points, a communication that is directed to a second device; and

a content organization component, within the routing platform, that directs the communication to the second device without transmission of at least a portion of data associated with the communication to the core mobility network via the common backhaul link, based on detecting that the second device is currently coupled to a second femto access point of the multiple femto access points.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a route determination component that identifies routing information associated with the communication and transmits the routing information to the routing platform.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content organization component synchronizes data between the first and the second device without accessing the core mobility network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the content organization component employs a user preference to facilitate synchronization of the data.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an aggregation component that receives registration data, associated with the second device, that is employed to determine a route for the communication.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an analysis component that determines that the communication is to be routed internally, without accessing the core mobility network, based in part on an evaluation of the communication.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the routing platform performs a soft handover and directs the communication to the second femto access point connected within the femto enterprise, in response to a determination by the analysis component that the communication is to be routed internally.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the routing platform performs a hard handover and directs the communication to the core mobility network via the common backhaul link, in response to a determination that the second device is not currently coupled to one of the multiple femto access points.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least the portion of data includes user plane data associated with the communication and wherein the routing platform transmits control plane data associated with the communication to the core mobility network, in response to the communication being routed internally.

10. A method, comprising:

connecting, by a system comprising at least one processor, multiple femto access points to a core mobility network via a common backhaul pipe to generate a femto enterprise mesh network;

receiving, by the system, a communication from a first user equipment coupled to a first femto access point of the multiple femto access points; and

,

routing, by the system, at least a portion of data associated with the communication to a second user equipment, without transmission of at least the portion of the data to the core mobility network via the common backhaul pipe, based on determining that the second device is currently coupled to a second femto access point of the multiple femto access points.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

analyzing, by the system, the communication to facilitate the routing.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the routing includes performing a soft handover to direct the at least a portion of data to the second femto access point.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the routing includes routing user plane data associated with the communication to the second user equipment, without transmission of the user plane data to the core mobility network via the common backhaul pipe, and the method further comprises:

transferring, by the system, control plane data associated with the communication to the core mobility network via the common backhaul pipe.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

synchronizing, by the system, data between the first user equipment and the second user equipment without transmitting the data via the accessing a core network, based in part on a user preference.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the routing is based in part on information associated with an access control list associated with the multiple femto access points.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause a system to perform operations, comprising:

connecting multiple femto access points to a core mobility network via a common backhaul pipe; and

routing at least a portion of data received from a first user equipment coupled to a first of the multiple femto access points, to a second user equipment coupled to a second of the multiple femto access points, without transmission of at least the portion of the data to the core mobility network via the common backhaul pipe and based on an analysis of the data.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

aggregating user equipment registration data received from the multiple femto access points, that identifies a set of user equipment currently connected to the multiple femto access points.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium system of claim 17, wherein the routing is based in part on an analysis of the aggregated user equipment registration data.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium system of claim 16, wherein the routing includes performing a soft handover to facilitate a transfer of user plane data to the second of the multiple femto access points, without transmission of the user plane data to the core mobility network via the common backhaul pipe and the operations further comprise transmitting control information associated with the transfer to the core mobility network to facilitate billing.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

synchronizing data between the first user equipment and the second user equipment without accessing the core mobility network, based in part on white list data associated with at least a portion of the multiple femto access points.