Method and apparatus for supporting machine-type communications with a mobile originated-only mode

• US 9,008,643 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pinheiro, Ana Lucia A., Gauvreau, Jean-Louis, DiGirolamo, Rocco, Murray, Joseph M., Cave, Christopher R, Pani, Diana, Aghili, Behrouz, Watfa, Mahmoud
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Suhail
• Application Number:
  US14/270,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20140235226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for supporting machine-type communications (MTC) are disclosed. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may configure itself to operate in a mobile-originated-only mode. The WTRU may perform no, or a subset of, radio resource control (RRC) idle and/or non-access stratum (NAS) idle/standby state procedures in the mobile-originated-only mode. For example, the WTRU may perform cell reselection but not paging monitoring in the mobile-originated-only mode. Alternatively, the WTRU may perform paging monitoring but not cell reselection and location update. The operation in the mobile-originated-only mode may be triggered explicitly or implicitly. For example, the WTRU may operate in the mobile-originated-only mode if an inactivity timer expires. The WTRU may switch the mode in accordance with a pre-configured schedule. After transition of the operation mode, the WTRU may send a message to the network indicating such mode switch.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) supporting machine-type communications, comprising:

a processor configured to receive from a communications network a trigger for changing the WTRU from a mobile originated-and-terminated-mode to a mobile-originated-only mode comprising a time value for a WTRU timer that corresponds to when the WTRU changes from a mobile originated-and-terminated-mode to a mobile-originated-only mode;

the processor configured to set the time value in the timer; and

the processor configured to change the WTRU from the mobile originated-and-terminated-mode to the mobile-originated-only mode when the WTRU timer reaches the time value.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to change the WTRU from the mobile-originated-only mode to the mobile originated-and-terminated-mode for a mobile origination event.

3. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to send a message to the communications network indicating that the WTRU changed from the mobile-originated-only mode to the mobile originated-and-terminated-mode.

4. The WTRU of claim 1, where the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing page monitoring, cell reselection, and location update procedures.

5. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing one of page monitoring procedures, cell reselection procedures, and location update procedures.

6. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing cell reselection and page monitoring procedures.

7. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing cell reselection and location update procedures.

8. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing page monitoring and location update procedures.

9. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive from a communications network the trigger in one of an attach message, location update message, tracking area update message, or a routing area update message.

10. The WTRU of claim 1, further comprising the timer.

11. A method of supporting machine-type communications implemented by a WTRU, the method comprising:

receiving in the WTRU from a communications network a trigger for changing the WTRU from a mobile originated-and-terminated-mode to a mobile-originated-only mode comprising a time value for a WTRU timer that corresponds to when the WTRU changes from a mobile originated-and-terminated-mode to a mobile-originated-only mode;

setting the time value in the WTRU timer; and

changing the WTRU from the mobile originated-and-terminated-mode to the mobile-originated-only mode when the WTRU timer reaches the time value.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising changing the WTRU from the mobile-originated-only mode to the mobile originated-and-terminated-mode for a mobile origination event.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending a message to the communications network indicating that the WTRU changed from the mobile-originated-only mode to the mobile originated-and-terminated-mode.

14. The method of claim 11, where the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing page monitoring, cell reselection, and location update procedures.

15. The method of claim 11, where the mobile-originated-only wherein the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing page monitoring procedures.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing cell reselection procedures.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing location update procedures.

18. The method of claim 11, where the mobile-originated-only mode comprises the WTRU not performing at least one of page monitoring, cell reselection, and location update procedures.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to receive, from a communications network, the trigger in one of an attach message, location update message, tracking area update message, or a routing area update message.