Method and apparatus for state/mode transitioning

• US 8,885,607 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Young, Gordon Peter, Suzuki, Takashi, Arzelier, Claude Jean-Frederic, Islam, Muhammad Khaledul, Wirtanen, Jeffrey William
• Primary Examiner(s): Scheibel, Robert C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharma, Gautam
• Application Number:
  US13/584,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20120307703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• 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 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and network element to control use of a transition indication message by a user equipment, the method including an inhibit transition indication in a configuration message; and sending the configuration message with the inhibit transition indication to the user equipment. Also, a method and user equipment for sending a transition indication, the method setting a timer according to an inhibit transition indication received from a network element; detecting that a data transfer is complete; and sending the transition indication upon detecting that the timer is not running.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending a system information message to a user equipment (UE), the system information message including an inhibit transition indication indicating that a network is configured to receive signaling connection release indication (SCRI) messages having a cause set to UE Requested PS Data session end; and

receiving, from the UE, an indication message having a cause set to UE Requested PS Data session end.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inhibit transition indication is part of an information element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the inhibit transition indication comprises an inhibit timer value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the inhibit timer value is selected from a list of predetermined values.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the list includes a value to indicate that there is no need to apply an inhibit timer at the user equipment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the value to indicate that there is no need to apply the inhibit timer is zero.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving the indication message, sending to the UE a message to initiate a state transition to a battery efficient radio resource control (RRC) state or mode.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state, a URA_PCH state or an idle mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication message having the cause indicates that, at the user equipment, no more data is expected.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication message having the cause is received if, at the user equipment, no more data is expected for a prolonged period and an inhibit timer for sending indication messages is not running.

11. A network element comprising a memory for storing instructions and a processor for executing the instructions, the processor configured to:

send a system information message to a user equipment (UE), the system information message including an inhibit transition indication indicating that the network element is configured to receive signaling connection release indication (SCRI) messages having a cause set to UE Requested PS Data session end; and

receiving, from the UE, an indication message having a cause set to UE Requested PS Data session end.

12. The network element of claim 11, wherein the inhibit transition indication is part of an information element.

13. The network element of claim 11, wherein the inhibit transition indication comprises an inhibit timer value.

14. The network element of claim 11, wherein the inhibit timer value is selected from a list of predetermined values.

15. The network element of claim 14, wherein the list includes a value to indicate that there is no need to apply an inhibit timer at the user equipment.

16. The network element of claim 15, wherein the value to indicate that there is no need to apply the inhibit timer is zero.

17. The network element of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

responsive to receiving the indication message, send to the UE a message to initiate a state transition to a battery efficient radio resource control (RRC) state or mode.

18. The network element of claim 17, wherein the battery efficient RRC state or mode is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state, a URA_PCH state or an idle mode.

19. The network element of claim 11, wherein the signaling connection release indication message including the cause indicates that, at the user equipment, no more data is expected.

20. The network element of claim 11, wherein the signaling connection release indication message including the cause is received if, at the user equipment, no more data is expected for a prolonged period and an inhibit timer for sending signaling connection release indication messages is not running.