Method and apparatus for maintaining priority and quality of service across multi-user devices

• US 9,037,145 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Mao, Wei, Schuler, Francesca, Miller, Trent J
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/930,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20150004927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455450-455, 455/464, 455/509, 370328-337, 370/339, 370341-348, 370465-469
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A first mobile station operating on a first network according to a first network protocol receives a proxy request for access to a network resource, by from a second mobile station operating on a second network according to a second network protocol. The proxy request is received according to a third network protocol. The first mobile station determines a priority of the proxy request; accepts or denies the proxy request based on the determined priority of the proxy request; allocates resources to the proxy request, if the proxy request is accepted; and serves as a proxy mobile station for the second mobile station to access the network resource.

Claims

1. A method for handling a proxy request, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first mobile station operating on a first network according to a first network protocol, from a second mobile station operating on a second network according to a second network protocol, a proxy request for access to a network resource, the proxy request being received according to a third network protocol;

determining, by the first mobile station, a priority of the proxy request;

deciding, based on the determined priority of the proxy request, whether to accept or deny, by the first mobile station, the proxy request;

allocating, by the first mobile station, resources in response to the proxy request, if the proxy request is accepted; and

serving, in response to the proxy request, by the first mobile station, as a proxy mobile station for the second mobile station to access the network resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the priority comprises evaluating at least one of a type of application service the second mobile station is requesting access to and a priority of an existing application being executed on the first mobile station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the denying the proxy request comprises denying the proxy request if at least one of a priority of the second mobile station or a capability of the first mobile station is insufficient to support the proxy request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accepting the proxy request comprises accepting the proxy request if at least one of a priority of the second mobile station or a capability of the first mobile station is sufficient to support the proxy request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the first mobile station, that a preemption feature is enabled on the first mobile station subsequent to accepting the proxy request and identifying application services assigned a priority lower than a predefined threshold and being executed on at least one of the first mobile station and the second mobile station, preempting the identified application services from being executed, and allocating at least a portion of the resources assigned to the preempted application services to the proxy request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the first mobile station, that a preemption feature is disabled on the first mobile station subsequent to accepting the proxy request and queuing the proxy request until resources on the first mobile station become available.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the queuing comprises determining a queue location for the proxy request based on a priority associated with the proxy request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource is dedicated to at least one of push-to-talk operations, telephony, Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE), IP Multimedia Subsystem services, video, text or multimedia messaging, streaming applications, social network data, presence, location, status, data applications, web services, Web real time communication, sensor information, analytics information, or computer aided dispatch queries.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning, by the first mobile station, a user of the first mobile station a higher priority than a user of the second mobile station so that the first mobile station will only serve as a proxy mobile station when the first mobile station is not being used.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising interrupting, by the first mobile station, proxied application services directed to the second mobile station.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the first mobile station, a run-time status update to the second mobile station.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the first mobile station, information associated with the proxy request to a user of the first mobile station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mobile station is the proxy mobile station for at least two second mobile stations.

14. A mobile station comprising:

a receiving unit that is configured to operate on a first network according to a first network protocol, and further is configured to receive, from a second mobile station operating on a second network according to a second network protocol, a proxy request for access to a network resource, the proxy request being received according to a third network protocol;

a processing unit configured to determine a priority of the proxy request, and to decide, based on the determined priority of the proxy request, whether to accept or to deny the proxy request based on the determined priority of the proxy request, and to allocate resources in response to the proxy request, if the proxy request is accepted, and to operate the mobile station, in response to the proxy request, as a proxy mobile station for the second mobile station to access the network resource; and

a transmitting unit to send information to and receive information from the second mobile station according to the third network protocol.