Concentrator for multiplexing access point to wireless network connections

• US 8,964,636 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Singh, Damanjit, Horn, Gavin B., Song, Osok, Tinnakornsrisuphap, Peerapol, Gupta, Rajarshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TOWFIGHI, AFSHAWN M
• Application Number:
  US12/487,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20090316629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/332, 455/445, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate multiplexing communications from multiple downstream access points to one or more mobility management entities (MME). In particular, a concentrator component is provided that can establish a single transport layer connection with an MME along with multiple application layer connections over the single transport layer connection for each of multiple downstream access points and/or related mobile devices. The downstream access points and/or mobile devices can provide identifiers, such as tracking identifiers, to the concentrator component, which can utilize the identifiers to track communications with the MME. In this regard, the MME can send paging messages, and the concentrator component can determine downstream access points related to the paging messages based on a stored association with a tracking identifier in the paging message.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a page at a concentrator component, the page being received from a mobility management entity (MME) that is separate from the concentrator component, the page comprising a tracking area identifier, wherein the tracking area identifier is an identifier that is unique to a tracking area;

determining one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of downstream access points to tracking area identifiers; and

transmitting the page from the concentrator component to the one or more downstream access points.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving one or more tracking area identifiers associated with a downstream access point and storing an association between the downstream access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining at least one of the one or more tracking area identifiers is a new tracking area identifier; and

transmitting a configuration update message comprising the new tracking area identifier to the MME.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more tracking area identifiers are associated with one or more locations served by the downstream access point.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating the tracking area identifier in a message transmitted to the MME on behalf of the one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the page comprises one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more mobile devices to receive the page via the one or more downstream access points.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the concentrator component establishing a first connection with the MME;

the concentrator component receiving a globally unique identifier for the MME during establishment of the first connection with the MME;

the concentrator component receiving, from an access point, a request for access to the MME;

the concentrator component establishing a second connection with the downstream access point upon receiving the request for access to the MME; and

the concentrator component transmitting the globally unique identifier for the MME to the downstream access point as if the downstream access point had set up a connection directly with the MME.

8. A wireless communications apparatus that implements a concentrator component, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive a page at the concentrator component, the page being received from a mobility management entity (MME) that is separate from the concentrator component, the page comprising a tracking area identifier, wherein the tracking area identifier is an identifier that is unique to a tracking area;

discern one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored association of downstream access points to tracking area identifiers; and

transmit the page from the concentrator component to the one or more downstream access points; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

9. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to obtain one or more tracking area identifiers associated with a downstream access point and store an association between the downstream access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored association.

10. The wireless communications apparatus of claim 8, wherein the page comprises one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more mobile devices to receive the page via the one or more downstream access points.

11. An apparatus that implements a concentrator component, comprising:

means for receiving a page at the concentrator component, the page being received from a mobility management entity (MME) that is separate from the concentrator component, the page comprising a tracking area identifier, wherein the tracking area identifier is an identifier that is unique to a tracking area;

means for determining one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of downstream access points to tracking area identifiers; and

means for transmitting the page from the concentrator component to the one or more downstream access points.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for determining one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier receives one or more tracking area identifiers associated with a downstream access point and stores an association between the downstream access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for determining one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier determines at least one of the one or more tracking area identifiers is a new tracking area identifier and the means for receiving the page from the MME transmits a configuration update message comprising the new tracking area identifier to the MME.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more tracking area identifiers are associated with one or more locations served by the downstream access point.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for determining one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier indicates the tracking area identifier in a message transmitted to the MME on behalf of the one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the page comprises one or more identifiers corresponding to one or more mobile devices to receive the page via the one or more downstream access points.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer that comprises a concentrator component to receive a page from a mobility management entity (MME) that is separate from the concentrator component, the page comprising a tracking area identifier, wherein the tracking area identifier is an identifier that is unique to a tracking area;

code for causing the at least one computer to determine one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of downstream access points to tracking area identifiers; and

code for causing the concentrator component of the at least one computer to transmit the page to the one or more downstream access points.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing the at least one computer to receive one or more tracking area identifiers associated with a downstream access point and store an association between the downstream access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a concentrator component, comprising;

an upstream communication component that receives a page from a mobility management entity (MME) that is separate from the concentrator component, the page comprising a tracking area identifier, wherein the tracking area identifier is an identifier that is unique to a tracking area;

a paging component that determines one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier based at least in part on a stored mapping of downstream access points to tracking area identifiers; and

a downstream communication component transmitting the page to the one or more downstream access points.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the paging component receives one or more tracking area identifiers associated with a downstream access point and stores an association between the downstream access point and the one or more tracking area identifiers in the stored mapping.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the paging component determines at least one of the one or more tracking area identifiers is a new tracking area identifier and the upstream communication component transmits a configuration update message comprising the new tracking area identifier to the MME.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the paging component indicates the tracking area identifier in a message transmitted to the MME on behalf of the one or more downstream access points associated with the tracking area identifier.