Managing sessions for direct device to device communications

• US 9,699,589 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Gage, William Anthony, Novak, Robert, Mukherjee, Biswaroop
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, THAI D
• Application Number:
  US13/725,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 370329-338, 370342-345, 4554221-4261
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses can involve receiving, from a network node, a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message that includes configuration information for a first user equipment (UE) for an inter-device session (IDS) between the first UE and a second UE, the UE1 configuration information including an inter-device session (IDS) radio network identifier.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

sending, to a network node, an indication that the first UE would like to perform an inter-device session (IDS) between the first UE and a second UE, the indication causing the network node to determine whether the first UE can perform the IDS based on subscription information of the first UE;

receiving, from the network node, a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message that includes configuration information for the IDS, the configuration information including an IDS radio network identifier assigned to the IDS;

receiving, from the network node, a control message configured with the IDS radio network identifier and a radio resource identifier, wherein the radio resource identifier allocates a radio resource for transmitting data directly from the first UE to the second UE during the IDS; and

receiving, from the network node, a reference signal configuration, wherein the reference signal configuration identifies a reference signal, the reference signal transmitted from the first UE to the second UE, the reference signal configuration identifies a radio resource on which the first UE transmits the reference signal, and the reference signal is used by the second UE to determine a receive timing for receiving the data from the first UE to the second UE during the IDS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal configuration is provided to the first UE in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal configuration identifies a reference signal for the second UE to monitor from the first UE.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the first UE to the network node, a request for a transmission resource.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the first UE has data to send to at least the second UE.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one hardware processor communicatively coupled with the memory and configured to;

send, from a first user equipment (UE) to a network node, an indication that the first UE would like to perform an inter-device session (IDS) between the first UE and a second UE, the indication causing the network node to determine whether the first UE can perform the IDS based on subscription information of the first UE;

receive, from the network node, a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message that includes configuration information for the IDS, the configuration information including an IDS radio network identifier assigned to the IDS;

receive, from the network node, a control message configured with the IDS radio network identifier and a radio resource identifier, wherein the radio resource identifier allocates a radio resource for transmitting data directly from the first UE to the second UE during the IDS; and

receive, from the network node, a reference signal configuration, wherein the reference signal configuration identifies a reference signal, the reference signal transmitted from the first UE to the second UE, the reference signal configuration identifies a radio resource on which the first UE transmits the reference signal, and the reference signal is used by the second UE to determine a receive timing for receiving the data from the first UE to the second UE during the IDS.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the reference signal configuration is provided to the first UE in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the reference signal configuration identifies a reference signal for the second UE to monitor from the first UE.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one hardware processor is further configured to transmit, to the network node, a request for a transmission resource.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one hardware processor is further configured to determine that the first UE has data to send to at least the second UE.