Methods and apparatus for managing group membership for group communications
First Claim
1. A communications method for use in a cellular communications network including a wireless communications device and a base station configured to provide radio coverage to a communication cell of the cellular communications network, the method comprising:
- transmitting to the base station over a wireless communications link in response to moving between two communication cells of the cellular communications network, from a wireless interface module having a connection to an element in said wireless communications device, a group membership information change request signal generated by a group communication module requesting a change in group membership, said wireless communications device being a member of zero, one, or more multicast groups at any point in time, wherein the wireless communications device is added to or removed from a group membership list maintained on the base station responsive to the group membership information change request signal; and
operating the group communication module to monitor for receipt by said wireless interface module of a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal determined by the base station based upon communication with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the cellular communications network and to receive group communications transmitted from said base station in response to said group membership information change request signal, wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the base station to maintain the group membership list and generates the group membership information change request signal based on the intercepted signaling.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Improved group communications methods which are well suited for a wireless environment are described. End nodes request that access nodes make changes in group membership information maintained at the access node. The access node responds to the requests by a response signal indicating a grant or denial of the request. Requests may be to add or remove the end node, e.g., a mobile wireless terminal, from a particular group membership list identified in the request signal. The access node maintains a detailed list of group members and uses the information to control how signals, e.g., packets, are transmitted to the group members. Group membership information may be updated at the access node at the time of handoff and/or an end node enters the cell or otherwise changes its point of network attachment.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A communications method for use in a cellular communications network including a wireless communications device and a base station configured to provide radio coverage to a communication cell of the cellular communications network, the method comprising:
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transmitting to the base station over a wireless communications link in response to moving between two communication cells of the cellular communications network, from a wireless interface module having a connection to an element in said wireless communications device, a group membership information change request signal generated by a group communication module requesting a change in group membership, said wireless communications device being a member of zero, one, or more multicast groups at any point in time, wherein the wireless communications device is added to or removed from a group membership list maintained on the base station responsive to the group membership information change request signal; and operating the group communication module to monitor for receipt by said wireless interface module of a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal determined by the base station based upon communication with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the cellular communications network and to receive group communications transmitted from said base station in response to said group membership information change request signal, wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the base station to maintain the group membership list and generates the group membership information change request signal based on the intercepted signaling. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A non-transitory computer readable medium for a base station configured to transmit messages for a plurality of multicast groups to one or more mobile devices operating within a communication cell of a wireless cellular network, the computer readable medium comprising:
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instructions that upon execution by a processor cause the base station to receive a group membership information change request signal from a group communication module on a mobile device operating within the communication cell in response to said mobile device moving between the communication cell of the base station and another communication cell of another base station, wherein the group membership information change request signal is associated with a multicast group selected from the plurality of multicast groups, and wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the base station to maintain a group membership list and generates the group membership information change request signal based on the intercepted signaling; instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the base station to communicate with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the wireless cellular network to accept or deny the group membership information change request signal; and instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the base station to update, based on a reply from the AAA server, group membership information in the group membership list maintained on the base station for the selected multicast group by adding or removing said mobile device from the selected multicast group. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A mobile device configured to access an Internet-protocol based network by communicating with one or more wireless base stations of a cellular network, the mobile device comprising:
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a transmitter module enabled to transmit a group membership information change request signal generated by a group communication module requesting a change in group membership to a base station of the cellular network in response to moving between two communication cells of the cellular network, said group membership information change request signal for a multicast group selected from a plurality of multicast groups offered by the base station, said mobile device being a member of zero, one, or more multicast groups at any point in time, wherein the mobile device is added to or removed from a group membership list maintained on the base station responsive to the group membership information change request signal; a receiver module enabled to receive a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal determined by the base station based upon communication with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the cellular network in response to the group membership information change request signal previously transmitted by said transmitter module and receive group communications transmitted from the base station; and the group communication module coupled to said receiver module, said group communication module being enabled to detect the response to the group membership information change request signal, wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the base station to maintain the group membership list and generates the group membership information change request signal based on the intercepted signaling. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An end node in a cellular network system including an access point coupled to an Internet-protocol based network, comprising:
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means on the end node for transmitting a group membership information change request signal generated by a group communication module requesting a change in group membership for a multicast group to the access point in response to moving between two cells of the cellular network system, wherein the access point is operable to provide wireless access to a cell of the two cells of the cellular network system, said end node being a member of zero, one, or more multicast groups at any point in time; means on the access point for determining to add or remove the end node from a group membership list maintained on the access point for the multicast group responsive to the group membership information change request signal; means on the end node for receiving a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal based upon communication by the access point with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the cellular network system to determine whether to accept or deny request; and means on the end node for detecting the response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal, wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the access point to maintain the group membership list and generates the group membership information change request signal based on the intercepted signaling. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A non-transitory computer readable medium for use in a mobile device configured to wirelessly connect to a cellular network, the computer readable medium comprising:
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instructions for attaching the mobile device to an access node of the cellular network in response to a handoff operation based on the mobile device moving between two communication cells of the cellular network; instructions for receiving a signal from the access node of the cellular network that enumerates multicast groups offered by the access node in response to attaching to the access node; instructions for causing the mobile device to transmit to the access node of the cellular network over a wireless communications link, from a wireless interface module having a connection to an element in said mobile device, a request generated by a group communication module to add the mobile device to a multicast group offered by the access node, said mobile device being a member of zero, one, or more multicast groups at any point in time, wherein the mobile device is added to or removed from a group membership list maintained on the access node responsive to the request; and instructions for causing the mobile device to operate the group communication module to monitor for receipt by said wireless interface module of a response indicating that the access node determined to add the mobile device to the multicast group based upon communication with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the cellular network, wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the access node to maintain the group membership list and generates the request based on the intercepted signaling.
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35. An access node of a cellular communications network that includes a plurality of access nodes, each access node configured to provide wireless radio coverage to a communication cell of the cellular communications network, the access node comprising:
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a wireless transmitter configured to transmit messages for a plurality of multicast groups; a wireless receiver; a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising; instructions for receiving a request to join a multicast group of the plurality of multicast groups via the wireless receiver, the request received from a group communication module on an end node in response to the end node moving between two communication cells of the cellular communication network, wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the access node to maintain a group membership list and generates the request based on the intercepted signaling; instructions for communicating with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the cellular communications network for determining to grant the request; instructions for adding the end node to the group membership list maintained on the access node which lists the members of the multicast group that are currently using the access node to receive group signals, in response to receiving approval from the AAA server; and instructions for causing the wireless transmitter to transmit a response signal to the end node indicating that the request was granted. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification