METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADVANCED TOPOLOGY (AT) POLICY MANAGEMENT FOR DIRECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN WIRELESS TRANSMIT/RECEIVE UNITS (WTRUs)

• US 20140364079A1
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: DiFazio, Robert A., Sternberg, Gregory S., Raghothaman, Balaji, Pragada, Ravikumar V., Deng, Tao
• Application Number:
  US14/363,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20140364079A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A method and apparatus for advanced topology (AT) policy management for direct communication between wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs) is described. A WTRU configured to communicate directly with at least one other WTRU in an AT mode of operation includes a memory, a central processing unit and an AT policy unit that is separate from the CPU. The AT policy unit is configured to store at least one AT policy in the memory, activate and de-activate an AT application that runs the AT mode of operation based on the at least one AT policy stored in the memory, receive data from at least one application within the WTRU other than the AT application, and control the at least one application within the WTRU other than the AT application based on the at least one AT policy stored in the memory.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured to communicate directly with at least one other WTRU in an advanced topology (AT) mode of operation comprising:

a memory;

a central processing unit (CPU); and

an AT policy unit that is separate from the CPU and is configured to;

receive an at least one AT policy from a network entity;

store the at least one AT policy in the memory;

activate and de-activate an AT application that runs the AT mode of operation based on the at least one AT policy stored in the memory,

receive data from at least one application within the WTRU other than the AT application, and

control the at least one application within the WTRU other than the AT application based on the at least one AT policy stored in the memory.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the AT mode of operation is an AT relay (AT-R) mode of operation in which the WTRU is configured to act as a helper WTRU to relay data between a base station and another WTRU by communicating with the base station via a traditional radio link and communicating with the other WTRU via a radio cross link.

3. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

de-activate the AT application,

control the WTRU to listen for direct WTRU-to-WTRU connection requests from other WTRUs while the AT application is de-activated, wherein the direct WTRU-to-WTRU requests are requests for the WTRU to act as the helper WTRU to relay data for the other WTRUs, and

on a condition that the WTRU receives a connection request from one of the other WTRUs with respect to relaying data for an emergency call, re-activate the AT application to enable the WTRU to relay data for the one of the other WTRUs with respect to completing the emergency call.

4. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

receive a cell load level from the base station,

compare the cell load level received from the base station with a cell loading threshold AT_CellLoadThreshold_Parameter %, and

de-activate the AT application on a condition that the cell load level received from the base station is lower than AT_CellLoadThreshold_Parameter %.

5. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

receive a direct WTRU-to-WTRU connection request from the other WTRU,

determine whether the WTRU is connected to a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell,

determine whether the other WTRU subscribes to the CSG,

on a condition that the other WTRU does not subscribe to the CSG, determine whether an AT policy stored in the memory prevents the WTRU from acting as a helper node to relay data for a WTRU that does not subscribe to the CSG, and

on a condition that an AT policy stored in the memory prevents the WTRU from acting as a helper WTRU to relay data for a WTRU that does not subscribe to the CSG and the other WTRU does not subscribe to the CSG, deny the direct WTRU-to-WTRU connection request.

6. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

determine whether a policy is stored in the memory imposing a lawful intercept policy for the WTRU, and

on a condition that a policy is stored in the memory imposing a lawful intercept policy for the WTRU, controlling the WTRU to route all data through the base station when acting as a helper WTRU to forward data between the base station and the other WTRU.

7. The WTRU of claim 2, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

determine whether a policy is stored in the memory imposing a location services policy for the WTRU, and

on a condition that a policy is stored in the memory imposing a location services policy for the WTRU and the WTRU is acting as a helper WTRU to relay data for another WTRU with respect to a service that requires location information for the other WTRU, using a location of the WTRU as a location of the other WTRU with respect to the location information for the other WTRU.

8. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the AT mode of operation is an AT local offload (AT-LO) mode of operation in which the WTRU is configured to offload data and receive an offload of data from another WTRU via direct WTRU-to-WTRU communications.

9. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

determine whether a policy is stored in the memory imposing a charging policy on the WTRU with respect to the AT-LO AT mode of operation,

on a condition that a policy is stored in the memory imposing a charging policy on the WTRU with respect to the AT-LO AT mode of operation, control the WTRU to report an amount of traffic sent and received by the WTRU per quality of service (QoS) class.

10. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein:

the WTRU further comprises a battery, and

the AT policy unit is further configured to;

receive a battery charge level from the battery,

compare the battery charge level received from the battery with a battery life threshold level AT_Threshold %, and

on a condition that the battery charge level received from the battery is lower than AT_Threshold %, de-activate the AT application.

11. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

receive a user input directing the AT policy unit to de-activate the AT application,

de-activate the AT application in response to receiving the user input directing the AT policy unit to de-activate the AT application, and

re-activate the AT application in response to at least one of;

a set period of time elapsing after the AT policy unit received the user input directing the AT policy unit to de-activate the AT application,

the WTRU is power cycled,

the WTRU receives a broadcast that is on a defined list of broadcasts, or

an over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade is requested.

12. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the AT policy unit is further configured to:

determine whether a preferred public land mobile network (PLMN) is available for connection to the WTRU,

on a condition that the preferred PLMN is not available for connection to the WTRU, send a connection request for direct WTRU-to-WTRU communications to another WTRU, wherein;

the connection request for direct WTRU-to-WTRU communications is a request for the other WTRU to act as a helper WTRU to relay data between a base station and the WTRU by communicating with the base station via a traditional radio link and communicating with the WTRU via a radio cross link, and

the WTRU is not located within a cell operated by the base station.

13. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the memory is at least one of persistent memory areas of the WTRU or a universal mobile telecommunications subscriber identification module (USIM).

14. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured to communicate directly with at least one other WTRU in an advanced topology (AT) mode of operation comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to control an AT application to run the AT mode of operation, wherein the AT mode of operation is an AT relay (AT-R) mode in which the WTRU is configured to request that another WTRU act as a helper WTRU to relay data between a base station and the WTRU by communicating with the base station via a traditional radio link and communicating with the WTRU via a radio cross link; and

an advanced topology (AT) policy unit that is separate from the CPU and is configured to;

determine whether a policy is stored in the WTRU that imposes a security and privacy policy on the WTRU with respect to a particular AT-Barred application, and

on a condition that a policy is stored in the memory imposing a security and privacy policy on the WTRU with respect to the particular AT-Barred application, controlling the WTRU to relay data related to the particular AT-Barred application via the traditional radio link only.

15. A method of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) communicating directly with at least one other WTRU in a plurality of advanced topology (AT) modes of operation, the method comprising:

the WTRU receiving at least one AT policy from a network entity;

the WTRU storing the at least one AT policy in a memory of the WTRU;

the WTRU activating and de-activating at least one AT application that runs at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation based on the at least one AT policy stored in the memory;

the WTRU receiving data from at least one application within the WTRU other than the at least one AT application; and

the WTRU controlling the at least one application within the WTRU other than the AT application based on the at least one AT policy.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of AT modes of operation include at least:

an AT relaying (AT-R) mode in which the WTRU is configured to act as a helper WTRU to relay data between a base station and another WTRU by communicating with the base station via a traditional radio link and communicating with the other WTRU via a radio cross link, and

an AT local offload (AT-LO) mode in which the WTRU is configured to offload data and receive an offload of data from another WTRU via direct WTRU-to-WTRU communications.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

the WTRU receiving a battery charge level from a battery of the WTRU;

the WTRU comparing the battery charge level received from the battery with a battery life threshold level AT_Threshold %; and

the WTRU de-activating the at least one AT application on a condition that the battery charge level received from the battery is lower than AT_Threshold %.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

the WTRU receiving a user input directing the WTRU to de-activate at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation;

the WTRU de-activating the at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation in response to the WTRU receiving the user input directing the WTRU to de-activate the at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation; and

the WTRU re-activating the at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation in response to at least one of;

a set period of time elapsing after the WTRU received the user input directing the WTRU to de-activate the at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation,

the WTRU is power cycled,

the WTRU receives a broadcast that is on a defined list of broadcasts, or

an over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade is requested.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

the WTRU de-activating at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation,

the WTRU controlling the WTRU to listen for direct WTRU-to-WTRU connection requests from other WTRUs while the at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation is de-activated, wherein the direct WTRU-to-WTRU requests are requests for the WTRU to act as the helper WTRU to relay data for the other WTRUs, and

the WTRU re-activating the at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation to enable the WTRU to relay data for the one of the other WTRUs with respect to completing an emergency call on a condition that the WTRU receives a connection request from one of the other WTRUs with respect to relaying data for the emergency call.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

the WTRU receiving a cell load level from the base station;

the WTRU comparing the cell load level received from the base station with a cell loading threshold AT_CellLoadThreshold_Parameter %; and

the WTRU de-activating at least one of the plurality of AT modes of operation on a condition that the cell load level received from the base station is lower than AT_CellLoadThreshold_Parameter %.