Method and apparatus configured to provide local breakout services with a single APN

• US 9,078,161 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hurtta, Tuija Helena, Schramm, Mirko
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS, BRIAN S
• Application Number:
  US13/318,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20120057463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0846 between network providers, e.g. operators selecting a network or a communication service H04W40/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

A method, apparatus, computer program, and system is provided that includes handling traffic management in a communication network system. One example may include activating a communication link, obtaining traffic management rules to handle the traffic flow on the communication link, and transferring the traffic management rules to at least one network element configured to implement the traffic management rules. The traffic management rules are configured to perform traffic management by transferring at least a portion of the network traffic to a different communication network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

using access point names on a per access point name basis in a determination to determine whether traffic offload should be supported and to determine a network element responsible for traffic offload; and

sending to the network element information containing an access point name used in the determination.

2. The method in claim 1 further comprises sending a further information to the network element, said further information containing the address of a further network element.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprises contacting the further network element to obtain traffic management rules.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein contacting the further network element is through Gx interface.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the further network element is a policy charging and rules function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating a communication link by setting up of a packet data protocol (PDP) context or default bearer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein traffic management rules determine traffic to be subjected to traffic offload.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising contacting a further network element to obtain the traffic management rules.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the further network element comprises a policy and charging rules function (PCRF).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein traffic management is performed via filters to determine traffic that is subject to traffic offload.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the filters comprise traffic flow template (TFT) filters.

12. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising code configured to control a processor to perform the steps of claim 8 when loaded into a memory of a computer.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to use access point names on a per access point name basis to determine whether traffic offload should be supported and, in a determination, to determine at least one network element responsible for traffic offload;

a transmitter configured to transmit information containing an access point name used in the determination; and

a processor configured to use traffic management rules to perform traffic offload by transferring at least a portion of network traffic to a different communication network.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the address of a further network element responsible for traffic management rules.