Network site for wireless communications

• US 9,332,479 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ofinno, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ofinno Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Dinan, Esmael Hejazi
• Primary Examiner(s): Crompton, Christopher R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirillova, Ellen A
• Application Number:
  US13/734,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20130170435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/00 Orthogonal multiplex systems, e.g. using WALSH codesH04J13/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A wireless network site comprises a base station and a cell site gateway. The cell site gateway comprises a first interface connected to the base station, a second interface connected to a packet network gateway, a label forwarding layer, and a third interface connected to a signaling peer to exchange control plane information to program the forwarding layer. The label forwarding layer transmits and receive packets. The control plane information comprises at least one first label value for transmitting a first plurality of packets to the base station and at least one second label value for transmitting a second plurality of packets to the packet network gateway.

Claims

1. A wireless network site comprising:

(a) a first base station, said first base station;

(i) communicating employing a wireless technology with at least one wireless device, said wireless technology employing a protocol layer architecture comprising a physical layer supporting simultaneous transmission employing a plurality of antennae in each sector of said first base station; and

(ii) communicating with a cellular network gateway through a cell site gateway; and

(b) said cell site gateway, said cell site gateway comprising;

(i) a first interface connected to said first base station;

(ii) a second interface connected to a packet network gateway;

(iii) a third interface connected to a signalling peer to exchange control plane information to program a forwarding layer, said control plane information comprising;

(1) at least one first label value for receiving a first plurality of packets; and

(2) at least one second label value for transmitting a second plurality of packets to said packet network gateway;

wherein said signalling peer exchanges said control plane information with said packet network gateway; and

(iv) said forwarding layer for;

(1) transmitting said second plurality of packets to said packet network gateway employing said second interface;

(2) receiving said first plurality of packets from said packet network gateway employing said second interface;

(3) attaching at least one of said at least one second label to said second plurality of packets; and

(4) removing at least one of said at least one first label from said first plurality of packets.

2. The wireless network site of claim 1, wherein said forwarding layer further comprises swapping label on a third plurality of packets.

3. The wireless network site of claim 1, wherein said cell site gateway comprises of a path computation engine.

4. The wireless network site of claim 1, wherein said cell site gateway exchanges said control plane information employing RSVP-TE via said third interface.

5. The wireless network site of claim 1, wherein said cell site gateway exchanges said control plane information employing MPLS-TP.

6. The wireless network site of claim 1, wherein said cell site gateway exchanges said control plane information employing a label distribution mechanism via said third interface.

7. The wireless network site of claim 1, wherein said cell site gateway comprises of routing functionality supporting a link state routing protocol.

8. A wireless network site comprising:

(a) a first base station, said first base station;

(i) communicating employing a wireless technology with at least one wireless device, said wireless technology employing a protocol layer architecture comprising a physical layer supporting simultaneous transmission employing a plurality of antennae in each sector of said first base station;

(ii) communicating with a second base station through a first cell site gateway; and

(iii) communicating with a cellular network gateway through said first cell site gateway; and

(b) said first cell site gateway, said first cell site gateway comprising;

(i) a first interface connected to said first base station;

(ii) a second interface communicating;

(1) with a packet network gateway; and

(2) with said second base station through a second cell site gateway;

(iii) a third interface connected to a signalling peer to exchange control plane information to program a forwarding layer, said control plane information comprising;

(1) at least one first label value for receiving a first plurality of packets;

(2) at least one second label value for transmitting a second plurality of packets to said packet network gateway; and

(3) at least one parameter characterizing said second interface; and

(iv) said forwarding layer for;

(1) transmitting said second plurality of packets to said packet network gateway employing said second interface;

(2) receiving said first plurality of packets from said packet network gateway employing said second interface;

(3) attaching at least one of said at least one second label to said second plurality of packets; and

(4) removing at least one of said at least one first label from said first plurality of packets.

9. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said forwarding layer further swaps at least one third label from a third plurality of packets forwarded to said second cell site gateway.

10. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said packet network gateway is connected to said cellular network gateway.

11. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said second plurality of packets are transmitted to said packet network gateway via at least one intermediate network node.

12. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said at least one first label and said at least one second label comprising:

a) a label value;

b) a class of service; and

c) bottom of label stack flag.

13. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said cellular network gateway is an LTE Serving Gateway.

14. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said cellular network gateway is connected to an LTE Serving Gateway.

15. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said first base station forwards at least one of said first plurality packets received from said cell site gateway to said second base station during the handover procedure.

16. The wireless network site of claim 8, wherein said first base station forwards at least one of said first plurality of packets received from said cell site gateway to said first cell site gateway during the handover procedure.

17. A wireless network site comprising:

(a) a first base station, said first base station;

(i) communicating employing a wireless technology with at least one wireless device, said wireless technology employing a protocol layer architecture comprising a physical layer supporting simultaneous transmission employing a plurality of antennae in each sector of said first base station; and

(ii) communicating with a cellular network gateway through a cell site gateway; and

(b) said cell site gateway, said cell site gateway comprising;

(i) a first interface connected to said first base station;

(ii) a second interface connected to a packet network gateway;

(iii) a third interface connected to a signalling peer to exchange control plane information to program a forwarding layer, said first control plane information employed to create a plurality of flow entries comprising;

(1) a first flow entry comprising;

(a) a first match field for matching a first plurality of packets received from said packet network gateway; and

(b) a first instruction field identifying at least one first instruction for processing said first plurality of packets; and

(2) a second flow entry comprising;

(a) a second match field for transmitting a second plurality of packets to said packet network gateway; and

(b) a second instruction field identifying at least one second instruction for processing said second plurality of packets;

wherein said signalling peer exchanges second control plane information with said packet network gateway; and

(iv) said forwarding layer for;

(1) transmitting, to said first base station via said first interface, said first plurality of packets associated to said first flow entry if said first plurality of packets matches said first match field; and

(2) transmitting, to said packet network gateway via said second interface, said second plurality of packets associated to said second flow entry if said second plurality of packets matches said second match field.

18. The wireless network site of claim 17, wherein said signaling peer is an off-line management server.

19. The wireless network site of claim 17, wherein said signaling peer is an off-line network controller.

20. The wireless network site of claim 17, wherein said signaling peer exchanges information with said cell site gateway employing the following:

a) signaling mechanisms for hardware programming;

b) signaling mechanism for forwarding tables; and

c) signaling mechanism for device management and monitoring.