Automatic transfer of machine-to-machine device identifier to network-external service providers

• US 9,094,790 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Foti, George, Hedman, Peter, Sanchez Herrero, Juan Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US13/788,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20140086144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Techniques for automatically transferring an external identifier for a wireless device from a wireless communication network serving the wireless device to a service provider external to the wireless communication network are disclosed. In an example method, carried out in one or more nodes of the wireless communication network, a binding between the external identifier and an internal identifier for the wireless device is maintained. A data session for the wireless device and corresponding to the service provider is established, wherein said establishing includes an assignment of an IP address to the wireless device. A request for the external identifier is received from the service provider, said request including the IP address for the wireless device. The external identifier is then sent to the service provider, in response to the request.

Claims

1. A method, in one or more nodes of a wireless communication network serving a wireless device, of providing an external identifier for the wireless device to a service provider external to the wireless communication network, the method comprising:

maintaining a binding between the external identifier and an internal identifier for the wireless device;

establishing a data session for the wireless device and corresponding to the service provider, wherein said establishing is initiated by the wireless device;

receiving, from the service provider, a request for the external identifier, said request including an IP address for the wireless device; and

sending the external identifier to the service provider, in response to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a data session for the wireless device comprises activating a PDP context.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a data session for the wireless device comprises establishing an Evolved Packet Subsystem (EPS) bearer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said request for the external identifier is received at an InterWorking Function (IWF) node in the wireless communication network, the method further comprising:

sending a query from the IWF node to a second node in the wireless communication network, in response to the request, the query comprising the IP address for the wireless device; and

receiving the external identifier for the wireless device in response to the query.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said second node is a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) node.

6. The method of any of claim 1, wherein said request for the external identifier is received at an InterWorking Function (IWF) node in the wireless communication network, the method further comprising:

sending a first query from the IWF node to a second node in the wireless communication network, in response to the request, the first query comprising the IP address for the wireless device;

receiving a device identifier for the wireless device in response to the first query;

sending a second query from the IWF node to a third node in the wireless communication network, the second query comprising the device identifier; and

receiving the external identifier for the wireless device in response to the second query.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said second node is an authentication server node and the third node is a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) node in the wireless communication network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the device identifier is an MSISDN for the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a trigger message from the service provider, subsequently to sending the external identifier to the service provider, the trigger message including the external identifier for the wireless device;

retrieving the internal identifier for the wireless device, using the external identifier; and

using the internal identifier to wake the wireless device.

10. An M2M interworking function (IWF) node configured for use in a wireless communication network serving a wireless device, the M2M IWF node comprising

one or more interfaces adapted for communication with at least a radio access network serving the wireless device and one or more other nodes in the wireless communication network, and

a processing circuit adapted to provide an external identifier for the wireless device to a service provider external to the wireless communication network by:

receiving, from the service provider, a request for the external identifier, said request including an IP address for the wireless device;

retrieving the external identifier from another node in the wireless communication network, using the IP address; and

sending the external identifier to the service provider, in response to the request.

11. The M2M IWF node of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is adapted to retrieve the external identifier by:

sending a query to a second node in the wireless communication network, in response to the request, the query comprising the IP address for the wireless device;

receiving the external identifier for the wireless device in response to the query.

12. The M2M IWF node of claim 11, wherein said second node is a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) node.

13. The M2M IWF node of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is adapted to retrieve the external identifier by:

sending a first query from the IWF node to a second node in the wireless communication network, in response to the request, the first query comprising the IP address for the wireless device;

receiving a device identifier for the wireless device in response to the first query;

sending a second query from the IWF node to a third node in the wireless communication network, the second query comprising the device identifier; and

receiving the external identifier for the wireless device in response to the second query.

14. The M2M IWF node of claim 13, wherein said second node is an authentication server node and the third node is a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) node in the wireless communication network.

15. The M2M IWF node of claim 13, wherein the device identifier is an MSISDN for the wireless device.

16. The M2M IWF node of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to:

receive a trigger message from the service provider, subsequently to sending the external identifier to the service provider, the trigger message including the external identifier for the wireless device; and

retrieve an internal identifier for the wireless device, using the external identifier; and

use the internal identifier to wake the wireless device.

17. A combined home subscriber server and authentication server node for use in a wireless communication network serving a wireless device, the node comprising:

one or more interfaces adapted for communication with one or more other nodes in the wireless communication network, and

one or more processing circuits adapted to;

maintain a binding between an external identifier for the wireless device, an IP address for the wireless device, an internal identifier for the wireless device, and data session information for the wireless device;

receive a query from a second node in the wireless communication network, the query comprising the IP address for the wireless device; and

send the external identifier to the second node.

18. The combined home subscriber server and authentication server node of claim 17, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further adapted to:

return a device identifier for the wireless device to the second node, in response to the query;

receive a second query from the second node, the second query comprising the device identifier; and

send the external identifier to the second node in response to the second query.

19. The combined home subscriber server and authentication server node of claim 17, wherein said second node is an interworking function (IWF) node.

20. The combined home subscriber server and authentication server node of claim 18, wherein the device identifier is an MSISDN for the wireless device.

21. A method at a network node that is associated with a service provider network, the method comprising:

establishing a data session with a wireless device having a service capability layer (SCL) associated with the service provider network, wherein said data session is carried over a wireless communication network;

receiving, from the wireless device, a service provider network identifier for the wireless device;

sending, to the wireless communication network, a request for an external identifier associated with the wireless device, the request including an IP address used to address the wireless device through the wireless communication network;

receiving the external identifier from the wireless communication network, in response to the request; and

binding the external identifier received from the wireless communication network to the service provider network identifier, to thereby establish a mapping between the external identifier and the service provider network identifier for subsequent use by the service provider network in triggering communications with the wireless device through the wireless communication network.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving from the wireless device, prior to said sending, the IP address or a Fully Qualified Domain Name from which the IP address can be derived.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the service provider network comprises a Machine Type Communication (MTC) network, wherein the service provider network identifier is a Services Capability Layer ID (SCL-ID) associated with an MTC application implemented in the given wireless device, and wherein binding the external identifier to the service provider network identifier comprises binding the external identifier to the SOL-ID, for subsequent use by the service provider network in triggering communications with the wireless device through the access network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein subsequently receiving the service provider network identifier from the wireless device comprises performing, via communication through the access network, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service bootstrapping and a corresponding M2M service registration of the MTC application implemented in the wireless device, and wherein said binding is performed as part of the M2M service registration.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said request for the external identifier is sent to an interworking function (IWF) in the wireless communication network and wherein the external identifier is subsequently received from the IWF in the wireless communication network.

26. A network node for use in association with a service provider network, said network node comprising:

one or more communication interfaces configured to communicate with a node in or associated with an access network; and

a processing circuit operatively associated with the one or more communication interfaces and configured to;

establish a data session with a wireless device having a service capability layer (SCL) associated with the service provider network, wherein said data session is carried over a radio access network;

receive, from the wireless device, a service provider network identifier for the wireless device;

send, to the radio access network, a request for an external identifier associated with the wireless device, the request including an IP address used to address the wireless device through the radio access network;

receive the external identifier from the radio access network, in response to the request; and

bind the external identifier received from the radio access network to the service provider network identifier, to thereby establish a mapping between the external identifier and the service provider network identifier for subsequent use by the service provider network in triggering communications with the wireless device through the access network.

27. The network node of claim 26, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive from the wireless device, prior to said sending, the IP address or a Fully Qualified Domain Name from which the IP address can be derived.

28. The network node of claim 26, wherein the service provider network comprises a Machine Type Communication (MTC) network, wherein the service provider network identifier is a Services Capability Layer ID (SCL-ID) associated with an MTC application implemented in the wireless device, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to bind the external identifier to the SCL-ID, for subsequent use by the service provider network in triggering communications with the wireless device through the access network.

29. The network node of claim 28, wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive the service provider network identifier from the wireless device by performing, via communication through the access network, an M2M service bootstrapping and a corresponding M2M service registration of the MTC application implemented in the wireless device, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to bind the external network identifier to the SCL-ID as part of the M2M service registration.

30. The network node of claim 26, wherein the processing circuit is configured to send said request for the external identifier to an interworking function (IWF) in the radio access network and to subsequently receive the external identifier from the IWF in the radio access network.