Method and system for signaling release cause indication in a UMTS network

• US 8,644,829 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Islam, Muhammad Khaledul, Wirtanen, Jeffery
• Primary Examiner(s): Wozniak, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US11/464,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20070270140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,731 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/422.1, 455/414, 455/423, 455/426, 455/466, 455/436, 455/435.1, 455/560, 455/517, 455/343.1, 455/445, 379/58, 340/539, 709/227, 370/335
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• 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 signaling release indication cause 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 for processing a signaling connection release indication message at a user equipment, the method comprising:

determining, at the user equipment, that no more data is expected;

setting, at the user equipment, a signaling connection release indication cause in the signaling connection release indication message if, at the user equipment, no more data is expected; and

sending the signaling connection release indication message with the signaling connection release indication cause to a wireless network, wherein the signaling connection release indication message is a request for a network-controlled state transition to an efficient battery Radio Resource Control (RRC) state or mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cause is indicative of a request by the user equipment to end a packet switched (PS) data session.

3. The method of claim 1, Wherein the cause is indicative of a request by the user equipment to transition to an idle mode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the user equipment a request to release or abort a signaling connection from an upper layer for a specific core network (CN) domain.

5. The method of claim 1, Wherein the wireless network is a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cause is an information element (IE) of the signaling connection release indication message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the signaling connection release indication message without a cause if a user equipment timer expires.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cause is set to UE Requested PS Data session end.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the signaling connection release indication message comprises transmitting the signaling connection release indication message on DCCH using AM RLC.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the signaling connection release indication message with the cause after a user equipment timer expires.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising at the user equipment receiving a network-controlled state transition message from the wireless network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising at the user equipment transitioning from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to the battery efficient RRC state or mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first RRC state is one of a Cell Dedicated CHannel (CELL_DCH) state, a Cell Forward Access CHannel (CELL_FACE) state, a Cell Paging CHannel (CELL_PCH) state and a UTRAN Registration Area Paging Manuel (URA_PCH) state.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PHC state, a URA_PCH state and an idle mode.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the state transition message is a message to transition to the battery efficient RRC state or mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state, a URA_—

PCH state and an idle mode.

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

receiving from a user equipment a signaling connection release indication message including a signaling connection release indication cause indicating that no more data is expected at the user equipment, wherein the signaling connection release indication message is a request for a network-controlled state transition to an efficient battery Radio Resource Control (RRC) state or mode and

causing initiation of the network-controlled state transition for a signaling connection based on the signaling connection release indication cause.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving and the causing steps are implemented in a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the cause is indicative of a request by the user equipment to end a packet switched (PS) data session.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the cause is indicative of a request by the user equipment to transition to an idle mode.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the cause is an information element (IE) of the signaling connection release indication message.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a signaling connection release indication message without a cause if a user equipment timer expires.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the cause is set to UE Requested PS Data session end.

24. 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.

25. A user equipment adapted for processing a signaling connection release indication message, the user equipment having a radio subsystem, a processor adapted to interact with a memory and the radio subsystem, the user equipment configured to:

determine that no more data is expected;

set a signaling connection release indication cause in the signaling connection release indication message if no more data is expected; and

send the signaling connection release indication message with the signaling connection release indication cause to a wireless network, wherein the signaling connection release indication message is a request for a network-controlled state transition to an efficient battery Radio Resource Control (RRC) state or mode.

26. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the cause is indicative of a request by the user equipment to end a packet switched (PS) data session.

27. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the cause is indicative of a request to transition to an idle mode.

28. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the cause is set to UE Requested PS Data session end.

29. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein sending the signaling connection release indication message comprises transmitting the signaling connection release indication message on DCCH using AM RLC.

30. The user equipment of claim 25, further configured to receive a request to release or abort a signaling connection from an upper layer for a specific core network (CN) domain.

31. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the wireless network is a universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN).

32. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein the cause is an information element (IE) of the signaling connection release indication message.

33. The user equipment of claim 25, further configured to send the signaling connection release indication message without a cause if a user equipment tinier expires.

34. The user equipment of claim 25, further configured to send the signaling connection release indication message with the cause after a user equipment timer expires.

35. The user equipment of claim 25, further configured to receive a network-controlled state transition message from the wireless network.

36. The user equipment of claim 25, further configured to transition from a first radio resource control (RRC) state to the battery efficient RRC state or mode.

37. The user equipment 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 user equipment of claim 36, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state, a URA_PCH state and an idle mode.

39. The user equipment of claim 35, wherein the state transition message is a message to transition to the battery efficient RRC state or mode.

40. The user equipment of claim 39, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state, a URA_PCH state and an idle mode.

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

receive from a user equipment a signaling connection release indication message including a signaling connection release indication cause indicating that no more data is expected at the user equipment, wherein the signaling connection release indication message is a request for a network-controlled state transition to an efficient battery Radio Resource Control (RRC) state or mode; and

initiate the network-controlled state transition for a signaling connection used on the signaling connection release indication cause.

42. The network apparatus of claim 41, wherein the cause is indicative of a request by the user equipment to end a PS data session.

43. The network apparatus of claim 41, wherein the cause is indicative of a request to transition to an idle mode.

44. The wireless network apparatus of claim 41, wherein the wireless network apparatus are implemented in a. universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN).

45. The wireless network apparatus of claim 41, wherein the cause is set to HE Requested PS Data session end.

46. The wireless network apparatus of claim 41, wherein the cause is an information element (IE) of the signaling connection release indication message.

47. The wireless network apparatus of claim 41, further configured to receive the signaling connection release indication message without a cause if a user equipment timer expires.

48. The wireless network apparatus of claim 41, wherein the signaling connection release indication message is received with the cause after a user equipment timer expires.

49. The network apparatus of claim 41, 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.