Method and system for managing terminal group

• US 9,491,594 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Kun
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngo, Nguyen
• Application Number:
  US14/234,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20140307647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 370/236, 370/254, 370/312, 370/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

The present document provides a method for managing a terminal group, including: a home subscriber information unit sending group information of a terminal group to a machine type communication interworking function (MTC IWF), and the MTC IWF storing the group information; after receiving request message of the terminal group sent by a server, the MTC IWF executing a terminal group process relevant to the request according to the group information. The present document further provides a system for managing a terminal group. The present document can realize managing a terminal group through an MTC IWF.

Claims

1. A method for managing a terminal group, comprising:

a home subscriber information unit sending group information of a terminal group of MTC terminals to a machine type communication interworking function (MTC IWF), wherein the group information sent by the home subscriber information unit to the MTC IWF comprises an identity of a group representative terminal within the terminal group of MTC terminals, and the MTC IWF storing the group information; and

after receiving request message of the terminal group sent by a server, the MTC IWF executing a terminal group process relevant to the request message according to the group information which comprises the identity of the group representative terminal;

wherein, the request message is;

a terminal group trigger request or a terminal group accessibility request;

wherein, when the request message is a terminal group accessibility request, the step of executing a terminal group process relevant to the request message according to the group information comprises;

after receiving the accessibility request, the MTC IWF obtaining a terminal group identity or a terminal identity collection in the accessibility request, searching for an accessibility indication corresponding to the terminal group according to the group information and returning a searching result to the server.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the group information further comprises:

a group identity, and a group representative service node identity;

or,

a group identity, and a terminal group accessibility indication;

or,

a group identity, a group representative service node identity and a terminal group accessibility indication.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, the home subscriber information unit is a home subscriber server (HSS) or a home location register (HLR);

and

the group representative service node identity is an identity of a mobility management unit, a service gateway (S-GW) or a packet data network gateway (P-GW).

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

the home subscriber information unit notifying the MTC IWF to update the group information after detecting that the group information is changed.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the request message is a terminal group trigger request, the step of executing a terminal group process relevant to the request message according to the group information comprises:

after receiving the trigger request, the MTC IWF obtaining a terminal group identity or a terminal identity collection in the trigger request, searching for an address of a group representative mobility management unit corresponding to the terminal group according to the group information, constructing new trigger message, and sending the trigger message to the group representative mobility management unit which is searched out.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

the home subscriber information unit notifying the MTC IWF to update the group information after detecting that the group information is changed.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

the home subscriber information unit notifying the MTC IWF to update the group information after detecting that the group information is changed.

8. A system for managing a terminal group, comprising a home subscriber information unit and a machine type communication interworking function (MTC IWF), wherein,

the home subscriber information unit is configured to send group information of a terminal group of MTC terminals to the machine type communication interworking function (MTC IWF), wherein the group information sent by the home subscriber information unit to the MTC IWF comprises an identity of a group representative terminal within the terminal group of MTC terminals, and

the MTC IWF is configured to store the group information, and after receiving request message of the terminal group sent by a server, execute a terminal group process relevant to the request message according to the group information which comprises the identity of the group representative terminal;

wherein, the request message is;

a terminal group trigger request or a terminal group accessibility request;

wherein the MTC IWF is configured to execute the terminal group process relevant to the request message according to the group information by means of;

when the request message is a terminal group accessibility request, after receiving the accessibility request, obtaining a terminal group identity or a terminal identity collection in the accessibility request, searching for an accessibility indication corresponding to the terminal group according to the group information and returning a searching result to the server.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein, the group information further comprises:

a group identity, and a group representative service node identity;

or,

a group identity, and a terminal group accessibility indication;

or,

a group identity, a group representative service node identity and a terminal group accessibility indication.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, the home subscriber information unit is a home subscriber server (HSS) or a home location register (HLR);

and

the group representative service node identity is an identity of a mobility management unit, a service gateway (S-GW) or a packet data network gateway (P-GW).

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein, the home subscriber information unit is further configured to notify the MTC IWF to update the group information after detecting that the group information is changed.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein,

the MTC IWF is configured to execute the terminal group process relevant to the request message according to the group information by means of:

when the request message is a terminal group trigger request, after receiving the trigger request, obtaining a terminal group identity or a terminal identity collection in the trigger request, searching for an address of a group representative mobility management unit corresponding to the terminal group according to the group information, constructing new trigger message, and sending the trigger message to the group representative mobility management unit which is searched out.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein, the home subscriber information unit is further configured to notify the MTC IWF to update the group information after detecting that the group information is changed.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein, the home subscriber information unit is further configured to notify the MTC IWF to update the group information after detecting that the group information is changed.