Flexible parameter cache for machine type connections

• US 8,493,878 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Stenfelt, John
• Primary Examiner(s): RENNER, BRANDON M
• Application Number:
  US12/980,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20120155480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/329, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for improving parameter cache in a communication system, the system enabling Machine Type Communication, MTC, connection between at least one MTC device (10) and at least one MTC server (11), via a Packet Data Network, PDN, connection. The communication system for at least a first MTC connection performing the steps of:

• • a Gateway, GW (17), in the communication system establishing (23) a new Gx session with a Policy Control Node, PCN (15),
  • the PCN (15) performing (24) session binding with the GW (17),

The method is particularly characterized in that the communication system further performs the step of:

• • when the first MTC connection has been inactive for a certain time period, the GW (17) as part of a cache upload procedure sends (25) a first set of PDN connection parameters to the PCN (15) and releases memory resources associated with this first set of PDN connection parameters.

Claims

1. A method for providing parameter cache in a communication system, the system enabling Machine Type Communication, MTC, between at least one MTC device and at least one MTC server, via a Packet Data Network, PDN, connection, the communication system for at least a first MTC connection performing the steps of:

a Gateway, GW, in the communication system establishing a new Gx session with a Policy Control Node, PCN,

the PCN performing session binding with the GW,

when the first MTC connection has been inactive for a certain time period, the GW as part of a cache upload procedure sends a first set of PDN connection parameters to the PCN and releases memory resources associated with caching this first set of PDN connection parameters at the GW.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first MTC connection is inactive when there is no user plane activity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the MTC server, based on the inactivity time period, sends a command to the PCN to initiate the cache upload procedure.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the PCN initiates the cache upload procedure by sending a report to the GW including an indication to the GW to initiate the cache procedure.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the GW based on the extension of the time period initiates the cache upload procedure.

6. The method according to claim 1, the GW caches a second set of parameters for said PDN connection.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PCN performs caching of said first set of PDN connection parameters.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein when there is a need for further communication via the first MTC connection, the GW as part of a cache download procedure requests the PCN to resend the first set of PDN connection parameters.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the MTC server based on the need for further communication sends a command to the PCN to initiate the cache download procedure.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the GW based on signalling from the MTC device initiates the cache download procedure.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the PCN initiates the cache download procedure by sending a report to the GW including information about said procedure.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the MTC server establishes an Rx session directly with the PCN or indirectly with the PCN via an Application Function, AF.

13. A Gateway, GW, including one or more GW computers which are configured to provide parameter caching in a communication system that provides Machine Type Communication, MTC, between at least one MTC device and at least one MTC server, via a Packet Data Network, PDN, connection, the one or more GW computers being configured to establish a Gx session with a Policy Control Node, PCN (15), in the communication system for a first MTC connection,

wherein when the first MTC connection has been inactive for certain a time period, the one or more GW computers as part of a cache upload procedure are configured to send a first set of PDN connection parameters to the PCN release memory resources associated with caching first set of PDN connection parameters at the one or more GW computers.

14. The GW according to claim 13, wherein the one or more GW computers, based on the inactive time period, are configured to initiate the cache upload procedure.

15. The GW according to claim 13, wherein the one or more GW computers are configured to cache a second set of parameters for said PDN connection.

16. The GW according to claim 13, wherein when there is a need for further communication via the first MTC connection, the one or more GW computers, as part of a cache download procedure, are configured to request the PCN resend the first set of PDN connection parameters to the one or more GW computers.

17. The GW according to claim 16, wherein one or more GW computers, based on signalling from the MTC device, are configured to initiate the cache download procedure.

18. A Policy Control Node, PCN including one or more PCN computers configured to provide parameter caching in a communication system that provides Machine Type Communication, MTC, between at least one MTC device and at least one MTC server, via a Packet Data Network, PDN, for a first MTC connection, the one or more PCN computers being configured to perform session binding with a Gateway, GW, in the communications system,

wherein when the first MTC connection has been inactive for certain a time period, the one or more PCN computers, as part of a cache upload procedure, are configured to receive a first set of PDN connection parameters from the GW and perform caching of the first set of PDN connection parameters in order to free up memory resources used to store the first set of PDN connection parameters at the GW.

19. The PCN according to claim 18, wherein the PCN is configured to initiate the cache upload procedure by sending a report to the GW including information about the cache upload procedure.

20. The PCN according to claim 18, wherein when there is a need for further communication via the first MTC connection, the one or more PCN computers are configured to initiate a cache download procedure by sending a report to the GW including information about said cache download procedure.