Method and system for protocol layer enhancements in data offload over small cells

• US 9,648,514 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Blankenship, Yufei Wu, Cai, Zhijun, Gao, Shiwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAHGOZAR, OMEED DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US13/963,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20150043435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1614 using bitmaps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1874 Buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1896 ARQ related signaling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/322 Intralayer communication protocols among peer entities or protocol data unit [PDU] definitions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/082 among bearers or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

A method at a first wireless network element, the method receiving, from a second wireless network element, a plurality of packet data units (PDUs) for a user equipment; transmitting the PDUs to the user equipment (UE); compiling a PDU delivery status report in response to the transmitting of the PDUs; and sending the compiled PDU delivery status report to the second wireless network element.

Claims

1. A method at a first wireless network element comprising:

receiving, from a second wireless network element, a plurality of packet data units (PDUs) for a user equipment;

transmitting the PDUs to the user equipment (UE);

compiling a PDU delivery status report in response to the transmitting of the PDUs; and

sending the compiled PDU delivery status report to the second wireless network element, the compiled PDU delivery status report comprising a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity identifier for the plurality of PDUs;

wherein the UE maintains two concurrent wireless connections, one with the first wireless network element, the other with the second wireless network element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the PDUs are packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer PDUs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the compiling is performed by a PDU buffer manager that interacts with a radio link control layer at the first wireless network element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending utilizes a backhaul interface between the first wireless network element and the second wireless network element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the PDU delivery status report includes an indicator of PDUs that are successfully delivered.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the PDU delivery status report includes an indicator of PDUs that are not successfully delivered.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the PDUs are radio link control (RLC) layer PDUs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network element maintains a discard timer on a PDU.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless network element maintains a discard timer on a service data unit (SDU) that is associated with a PDU.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending is performed after receiving a status request from the first wireless network element.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an offload reconfiguration request from the second wireless network element to terminate a connection with the UE;

stopping delivery of downlink PDUs to the UE; and

forwarding a received uplink PDU to the second wireless network element.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network element is a small cell evolved Node B (eNB) and the second wireless network element is a macro cell eNB.

13. A first wireless network element comprising:

a processor;

a communications subsystem;

memory, the memory comprising executable code for execution by the processor, the executable comprising instructions for causing the processor and the communications sub system to;

receive, from a second wireless network element, a plurality of packet data unit (PDUs) for a user equipment;

transmit the PDUs to the user equipment (UE);

compile a PDU delivery status report in response to the transmitting of the PDUs; and

send the compiled PDU delivery status report to the second wireless network element, the compiled PDU delivery status report comprising a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity identifier;

wherein the UE maintains two concurrent wireless connections, one with the first wireless network element, the other with the second wireless network element.

14. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the PDUs are packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer PDUs.

15. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to compile using by a PDU buffer manager that interacts with a radio link control layer at the first wireless network element.

16. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to send utilizing a backhaul interface between the first wireless network element and the second wireless network element.

17. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the PDU delivery status report includes an indicator of PDUs that are successfully delivered.

18. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the PDU delivery status report includes an indicator of PDUs that are not successfully delivered.

19. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the PDUs are radio link control (RLC) layer PDUs.

20. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the first wireless network element maintains a discard timer on a PDU.

21. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the second wireless network element maintains a discard timer on a service data unit (SDU) that is associated with a PDU.

22. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to send after receiving a status request from the first wireless network element.

23. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an offload reconfiguration request from the second wireless network element to terminate a connection with the UE;

stop delivery of downlink PDUs to the UE; and

forward a received uplink PDU to the second wireless network element.

24. The first wireless network element of claim 13, wherein the first wireless network element is a small cell evolved Node B (eNB) and the second wireless network element is a macro cell eNB.