Method and system for a signaling connection release indication

• US 8,265,034 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Islam, Muhammad Khaledul, Wirtanen, Jeffrey William
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US12/195,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20090042560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for processing a signaling connection release indication between user equipment and a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of: monitoring, at the user equipment, whether a signaling connection release indication should be sent to the wireless network; appending, at the user equipment, a cause for the signaling connection release indication to the signaling connection release indication; sending the appended signaling connection release indication to the wireless network; receiving the signaling connection release indication at the wireless network; and filtering said cause to determine whether to raise an alarm.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

responsive to an indication from an upper layer of a user equipment (UE) that no more data is expected, setting a cause in a signaling connection release indication message to UE Requested Packet Switched (PS) Data session end;

transmitting, from the user equipment to a wireless network on a Dedicated Control CHannel (DCCH) using Acknowledged Mode (AM) Radio Link Control (RLC), the signaling connection release message including the cause for a network-controlled transition; and

receiving a state transition message from the wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that no application at the UE is expected to send or receive data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cause is an information element of the signaling connection release indication message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the UE a request to release or abort a signaling connection from an upper layer for a specific core network domain.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network is a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling connection release indication message is transmitted after a user equipment timer expires.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network-controlled transition is a transition from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to a battery efficient RRC state or mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first RRC state is one of a Cell Dedicated CHannel (CELL_DCH) state, a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state and a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state, a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state and an idle mode.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is based on a composite status of indications from UE applications.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the signaling connection release indication message is performed after a delay.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the delay is based on one or more application timeouts.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving the state transition message, the UE transitioning from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to a battery efficient RRC state or mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first RRC state is one of a Cell Dedicated CHannel (CELL_DCH) state, a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state and a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state, a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state and an idle mode.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the state transition message is a message to transition from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to a battery efficient RRC state or mode.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first RRC state is one of a Cell Dedicated CHannel (CELL_DCH) state, a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state and a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a Cell Forward Access CHannel (Cell_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state, a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state and an idle mode.

20. A user equipment (UE) having a radio subsystem, a processor adapted to interact with a memory, the radio subsystem, and a user interface, the UE configured to:

responsive to an indication from an upper layer of the UE, set a cause in a signaling connection release indication message to UE Requested Packet Switched (PS) Data session end;

transmit, to a wireless network on a Dedicated Control CHannel (DCCH) using Acknowledged Mode (AM) Radio Link Control (RLC), the signaling connection release indication message including the cause for a network-controlled transition; and

receive a state transition message from the wireless network.

21. The UE of claim 20, wherein the UE is configured to determine that no application at the UE is expected to send or receive data.

22. The UE of claim 20, wherein the cause is an information element of the signaling connection release indication message.

23. The UE of claim 20, further configured to:

receive a request to release or abort a signaling connection from an upper layer for a specific core network domain.

24. The UE of claim 20, wherein the wireless network is a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).

25. The UE of claim 24, wherein the delay is based on one or more application timeouts.

26. The UE of claim 20, wherein the wireless network is a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network.

27. The UE of claim 20, wherein the signaling connection release indication message is transmitted after a user equipment timer expires.

28. The UE of claim 20, wherein the network-controlled transition is a transition from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to a battery efficient RRC state or mode.

29. The UE of claim 20, wherein the first RRC state is one of a Cell Dedicated CHannel (CELL_DCH) state, a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state and a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state.

30. The UE of claim 20, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH)_state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state, a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state and an idle mode.

31. The UE of claim 20, wherein the indication is based on a composite status of indications from UE applications.

32. The UE of claim 20, wherein the transmission of the signaling connection release indication message is performed after a delay.

33. The UE of claim 20, further configured to transition from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to a battery efficient RRC state or mode in response to receiving the state transition message.

34. The UE of claim 33, wherein the first RRC state is one of a Cell Dedicated CHannel (CELL_DCH) state, a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state and a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state.

35. The UE of claim 33, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state, a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state and an idle mode.

36. The UE of claim 20, wherein the state transition message is a message to transition from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to a battery efficient RRC state or mode.

37. The UE of claim 36, wherein the first RRC state is one of a Cell Dedicated CHannel (CELL_DCH) state, a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state and a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state.

38. The UE of claim 36, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACH) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH state), a UTRAN Registration Area Paging CHannel (URA_PCH) state and an idle mode.

39. A method for processing a signaling connection release indication message at a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user equipment (UE) on a Dedicated Control CHannel (DCCH) using Acknowledged Mode (AM) Radio Link Control (RLC), the signaling connection release indication message for a network-controlled transition of the UE, the signaling connection release indication message having a cause set to UE Requested Packet Switched (PS) Data session end reflecting an indication from an upper layer of the UE that no more data is expected at the UE; and

initiating a state transition based on the cause.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the cause is an information element of the signaling connection release indication message.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein initiating a state transition comprises sending a state transition message to the UE.

42. A wireless network apparatus for processing a signaling connection release indication message, said network apparatus configured to:

receive, from a user equipment (UE) on a Dedicated Control CHannel (DCCH) using Acknowledged Mode (AM) Radio Link Control (RLC), the signaling connection release indication message for a network-controlled transition of the UE, the signaling connection release indication message having a cause set to UE Requested Packet Switched (PS) Data session end reflecting an indication from an upper layer of the UE that no more data is expected at the UE; and

initiate a state transition based on the cause.

43. The network apparatus of claim 42, wherein the cause is an information element of the signaling connection release indication message.

44. The network apparatus of claim 42, further configured to send a state transition message to the UE.