Multimedia broadcast multicast service providing system and method thereof

• US 8,130,688 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, KT Corporation, SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, KT Corporation, SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Kwang-Ryul, Park, Ae-Soon, Shin, Jae-Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US12/086,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20090080354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370389-392, 370/432, 370335-336, 370/338, 370342-343, 370/345, 370400-401, 370465-466, 725 39- 40, 725/44, 725/47
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-media broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) providing system and a method thereof. The MBMS providing system provides an MBMS to a terminal having an MBMS function. The MBMS providing system includes a service center and a radio access network. The service center provides MBMS data and metadata having service announcement information abut the MBMS to the terminal. The radio access network periodically transmits establishment information for receiving the metadata to the terminal, and provides the metadata and the MBMS data received from the service center to the terminal through nodes for transmitting data. The establishment information includes first establishment information having a service identifier and IP/UDP parameters for receiving the metadata, and second establishment information for establishing a radio channel.

Claims

1. A multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) providing system for providing an MBMS to a terminal having an MBMS function, the MBMS providing system comprising:

a service center for providing MBMS data and metadata having service announcement information about the MBMS to the terminal; and

a radio access network for periodically transmitting establishment information for receiving the metadata to the terminal, and providing the metadata and the MBMS data received from the service center to the terminal through nodes for transmitting data,

wherein the establishment information comprises first establishment information having a service identifier and Internet protocol (IP)/user datagram protocol (UDP) parameters for receiving the metadata, and second establishment information for establishing a radio channel.

2. The MBMS providing system of claim 1, wherein the radio access network transmits the first establishment information through a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and transmits the second establishment information through a multicast control channel (MCCH).

3. The MBMS providing system of claim 1, wherein:

the first establishment information comprises the service identifier for receiving the metadata, a multicast IP address, and a UDP port number, and the second establishment information comprises multicast traffic channel (MTCH) establishment information.

4. A terminal device for providing data to a user, the data received from a radio access network of a system for providing a multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS), the device terminal comprising:

a radio link control (RLC)/medium access control (MAC)/physical (PHY) layer of the processor for receiving establishment information for receiving service announcement information for the MBMS from the radio access network by using a radio link;

a radio resource control (RRC) layer of the processor for receiving the establishment information, and establishing a radio channel such that the service announcement information is received based on the establishment information;

an MBMS application layer of the processor for receiving the service announcement information according to the radio channel establishment, and providing the service announcement information to the user; and

the establishment information comprises first establishment information having a service identifier and Internet protocol (IP)/user datagram protocol (UDP) parameters for receiving metadata having service announcement information about the MBMS to the terminal, and second establishment information for establishing a radio channel.

5. The terminal device of claim 4, wherein the RRC receives the first establishment information from the radio access network through a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and receives the second establishment information through a multicast control channel (MCCH).

6. A method for providing a multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) to a terminal having an MBMS function, the method comprising:

a) transmitting first establishment information having service identifier and Internet protocol (IP)/user data gram protocol (UDP) information for receiving metadata having a service announcement for the MBMS, to the terminal by using a first channel;

b) transmitting second establishment information having radio channel information for receiving the metadata, to the terminal by using a second channel;

c) providing MBMS information to the terminal; and

d) receiving MBMS activation or deactivation information from the terminal, and providing a service according to the activation or deactivation information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first channel is a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and the second channel is a multicast control channel (MCCH).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first establishment information and the second establishment information are periodically provided to the terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first establishment information is transmitted by a system information block (SIB) message, and the second establishment information is transmitted by a point-to-multipoint (PTM) bearer information message.

10. A multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) method for providing data to a user by a terminal, the data being received from a radio access network of an MBMS providing system, the method comprising:

a) receiving first establishment information from the radio access network, the first establishment information having a service identifier and Internet protocol (IP)/user data gram protocol (UDP) information for receiving metadata having a service announcement for the MBMS;

b) receiving second establishment information from the radio access network, the second establishment information having radio channel information for receiving the metadata;

c) establishing IP/UDP and a radio channel based on the first establishment information and the second establishment information; and

d) receiving service announcement information for the MBMS from the radio access network based on the establishment of c).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, after d):

e) decoding and storing the received service announcement information;

f) providing the stored service announcement information to the user; and

g) transmitting activation or deactivation information according to an MBMS request from the user based on c), to the radio access network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein c) comprises:

establishing the IP/UDP based on the first establishment information;

establishing the radio channel based on the second establishment information; and

starting a file delivery over unidirectional transport entity (FLUTE) receiving process based on the IP/UDP and radio channel establishment.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first establishment information is received by a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and the second establishment information is received by a multicast control channel (MCCH).