RESPONDING TO PAGING REQUESTS WHILE WAITING TO REQUEST A CONNECTION TO A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20160262159A1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Puddle, Nicola, Brend, Graham, Lim, Seau Sian, Palat, Sudeep Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 10,342,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A user equipment, radio control node, method and computer program are disclosed. The user equipment is configured to communicate with other devices across a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of radio coverage cells, the user equipment being configured to respond to receipt of a message from the network, the message comprising a wait time, to not transmit a connection request until after expiry of the wait time; wherein the user equipment is configured during the wait time to receive paging requests from the network; and is configured to respond to at least some of the paging requests, the user equipment being configured to select the at least some of the paging requests to respond to in dependence upon paging information received from the network.

Claims

1. A user equipment configured to communicate with other devices across a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of radio coverage cells, said user equipment being configured to respond to receipt of a message from said network, said message comprising a wait time, to not transmit a connection request until after expiry of said wait time;

wherein

said user equipment is configured during said wait time to receive paging requests from said network; and

is configured to respond to at least some of said paging requests, said user equipment being configured to select said at least some of said paging requests to respond to in dependence upon paging information received from said network.

2. A user equipment according to claim 1, wherein said paging information comprises an indication of types of paging requests that must be responded to, said user equipment being configured during said wait time to respond to said types of paging requests that must be responded to.

3. A user equipment according to claim 1, wherein said paging information is received as one of:

a part of a system information broadcast;

said message comprising said wait time; and

a signal associated with said paging request indicating that said paging request must be responded to.

4. A user equipment according to claim 1, said user equipment comprising a timer configured to indicate to said user equipment when said wait time has expired, said user equipment being configured when responding to said at least some paging requests to not reset said timer such that said timer is either paused or continues to time said wait time.

5. A network control node operable to control load across a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of radio coverage cells, said network control node comprising:

load determination logic operable to determine loading of at least one of said radio coverage cells based on an indication of an operating parameter of said at least one radio coverage cells;

request receiver for receiving connection requests from user equipment via said at least one of said radio coverage cells;

communication logic operable to;

transmit a message in response to said load determination logic determining said loading of said at least one of said radio coverage cells being above a predetermined level, said message comprising a wait time indicating a time during which said user equipment should not transmit a request to connect to said network; and

operable to transmit paging information indicating at least some paging requests that said user equipment should respond to during said wait time.

6. A network control node according to claim 5, wherein said communication logic is configured to determine said at least some paging requests that said user equipment should respond to in dependence upon a current loading of said at least one of said radio coverage cells determined by said load determination logic.

7. A network control node according to claim 5, wherein said communication logic is further operable to transmit a system information broadcast, said system information broadcast comprising said paging information indicating said at least some paging requests that said user equipment should respond to during said wait time.

8. A network control node according to claim 5, wherein said communication logic is operable to transmit said paging information in said message comprising said wait time.

9. A network control node operable to control load across a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of radio coverage cells, said network control node comprising:

paging generation logic operable to generate paging requests directed to a user equipment, said paging generation logic being configured to apply a priority flag to said paging request, said priority flag being indicative of whether said user equipment should respond to said paging request during a wait time, when said user equipment is waiting to transmit a connection request.

10. A method of selectively responding to paging requests at a user equipment during a wait time, said wait time arising in response to said user equipment having received a message comprising said wait time from a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of radio coverage cells, said wait time indicating a time during which said user equipment should not transmit a connection request;

the method comprising

during said wait time receiving at least one paging request from said network; and

responding to said paging request in dependence upon paging information received from said network.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer program which when executed by a computer control said computer to perform a method according to claim 10.

11. A method of controlling load across a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of radio coverage cells, comprising:

determining loading of at least one of said radio coverage cells;

receiving connection requests from user equipment via said at least one of said radio coverage cells;

transmitting a message in response to determining said loading of said at least one of said radio coverage cells being above a predetermined level, said message comprising a wait time indicating a time during which said user equipment should not transmit a connection request; and

transmitting paging information indicating at least some paging requests that said user equipment should respond to during said wait time.

12. A method of generating paging requests in a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of radio coverage cells, said method comprising:

generating paging requests directed to a user equipment, said paging requests comprising a priority indicator indicating whether said user equipment should respond to said paging request during a wait time in which said user equipment has had a connection request rejected and is waiting to transmit a new request.