Apparatus, system and method of providing offloadability information to a user-equipment (UE)

• US 9,906,983 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Sirotkin, Alexander, Stojanovski, Alexandre S., Gupta, Vivek, Chin, Chen-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): DIVITO, WALTER J
• Application Number:
  US14/492,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,255 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0865 of different Radio Access Technologies [RATs], e.g. LTE or WiFi
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00226 wherein the core network technologies comprise IP multimedia system [IMS], e.g. single radio voice call continuity [SRVCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0027 for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and methods of providing offloadability information to a User Equipment (UE). For example, a core network (CN) may provide to the UE Packet Data Network (PDN) offloadability information corresponding to one or more PDN connections of the UE, the PDN offloadability information indicating which PDN connection of the one or more PDN connections is able to be offloaded to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

Claims

1. A User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) transceiver to communicate with a WLAN;

a cellular transceiver to communicate via a cellular link traffic of one or more Packet Data Network (PDN) connections, the cellular transceiver to receive Radio Access Network (RAN) assistance information, and offloadability information indicating which PDN connection of the one or more PDN connections is to be allowed to be offloaded to the WLAN and which PDN connection is not to be allowed to be offloaded to the WLAN, the cellular transceiver to receive, in response to establishment of a PDN connection of the UE, a WLAN offloadability indication to indicate whether the established PDN connection is offloadable or not offloadable to the WLAN; and

control circuitry to offload traffic of at least one PDN connection to the WLAN based on the RAN assistance information and the offloadability information.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein said offloadability information indicates for each PDN connection, whether or not the PDN connection is offloadable to the WLAN.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein said cellular transceiver is to receive the RAN assistance information via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein said cellular transceiver is to receive the offloadability information from a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein said cellular transceiver is to receive the offloadability information via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling.

6. The UE of claim 5, wherein said cellular transceiver is to receive the offloadability information in a NAS notification message.

7. The UE of claim 5, wherein said cellular transceiver is to receive the offloadability information in an Evolved Packet Switch (EPS) Session Management (ESM) information message.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the RAN assistance information comprises offload preference information.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein the RAN assistance information comprises one or more signal strength thresholds.

10. The UE of claim 1 comprising one or more antennas, a memory and a processor.

11. A Mobility Management Entity (MME) comprising:

a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) interface to receive Access Point Name (APN) offloadability information from an HSS, the APN offloadability information to indicate one or more offloadable APNs, which are allowed for Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) offloading, the APN offloadability information to indicate, for an APN, whether WLAN offload is to be allowable or not allowable for the APN;

offloadability-determination circuitry configured to determine, based at least on the APN offloadability information, Packet Data Network (PDN) offloadability information corresponding to one or more PDN connections of a User Equipment (UE), the PDN offloadability information indicating which PDN connection of the one or more PDN connections is to be allowed to be offloaded to a WLAN and which PDN connection is not to be allowed to be offloaded to the WLAN; and

an Evolved Node B (eNB) interface to, in response to establishment of a PDN connection of the UE, send the PDN offloadability information to the UE via an Evolved Node B (eNB), the PDN offloadability information to indicate whether the established PDN connection is offloadable or not offloadable to the WLAN.

12. The MME of claim 11, wherein said APN offloadability information includes a list of offloadable APNs.

13. The MME of claim 11, wherein said PDN offloadability information indicates for each PDN connection, whether or not the PDN connection is offloadable to the WLAN.

14. The MME of claim 11, wherein the eNB interface is to send the PDN offloadability information to the UE via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling.

15. The MME of claim 14, wherein said eNB interface is to send the PDN offloadability information to the UE in a NAS notification message.

16. The MME of claim 14, wherein said eNB interface is to send the PDN offloadability information to the UE in an Evolved Packet Switch (EPS) Session Management (ESM) information message.

17. The MME of claim 11 comprising a memory, and a processor.

18. A method to be performed at a Mobility Management Entity (MME), the method comprising:

receiving Access Point Name (APN) offloadability information from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), the APN offloadability information to indicate one or more offloadable APNs, which are allowed for Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) offloading, the APN offloadability information to indicate, for an APN, whether WLAN offload is to be allowable or not allowable for the APN;

receiving Packet Data Network (PDN) information of one or more PDN connections of a User Equipment (UE);

determining PDN offloadability information to indicate an offloadability of a PDN connection of the one or more PDN connections, based at least on the APN offloadability information, the PDN offloadability information to indicate which PDN connection of the one or more PDN connections is to be allowed to be offloaded to WLAN and which PDN connection is not to be allowed to be offloaded to WLAN; and

in response to establishment of a PDN connection of the UE, sending to the UE PDN offloadability information corresponding to the established PDN connection indicating whether the established PDN connection is offloadable or not offloadable to the WLAN.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said APN offloadability information includes a list of offloadable APNs.

20. The method of claim 18 comprising sending the PDN offloadability information to the UE via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling.

21. The method of claim 18 comprising sending the PDN offloadability information to the UE in a NAS notification message.

22. A product including one or more tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement operations at a User Equipment (UE), the operations comprising:

communicating traffic of one or more Packet Data Network (PDN) connections via a cellular link;

receiving Radio Access Network (RAN) assistance information, and offloadability information indicating which PDN connection of the one or more PDN connections is to be allowed to be offloaded to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and which PDN connection is not to be allowed to be offloaded to the WLAN;

receiving, in response to establishment of a PDN connection of the UE, a WLAN offloadability indication to indicate whether the established PDN connection is offloadable or not offloadable to the WLAN; and

offloading traffic of at least one PDN connection to the WLAN based on the RAN assistance information and the offloadability information.

23. The product of claim 22, wherein said offloadability information indicates for each PDN connection, whether or not the PDN connection is offloadable to the WLAN.

24. The product of claim 22, wherein the operations comprise receiving the offloadability information from a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

25. The product of claim 24, wherein the operations comprise receiving the offloadability information via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling.