Mobile communications network, infrastructure equipment, mobile communications device and method

• US 9,462,591 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCA IPLA Holdings Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: SCA IPLA Holdings Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zakrzewski, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Application Number:
  US13/884,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20130301559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/411, 455/466, 370/235, 370/230, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/341, 370/349
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0252 per individual bearer or channel dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A mobile communications network for communicating data to/from mobile communications devices, including a core network part including plural infrastructure equipment, and a radio network part including plural base stations communicating data to/from the mobile communications devices. The mobile communications device communicates an indication of a relative type of data packets for communication via a communications bearer for supporting a communications session of the mobile communications device, the indication used to configure the communications bearer, and provides the communications bearer from the mobile communications device to one or more of the infrastructure equipment via the base stations in accordance with the indication and to control the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer in accordance with the indication communicated via the communications bearer, to control the communication of the data packets from the communications bearer differently to data packets communicated via other communications bearer having a higher priority.

Claims

1. A mobile communications network for communicating data to and/or from mobile communications devices, the mobile communications network comprising:

a core network part including a plurality of infrastructure equipment, and

a radio network part including a plurality of base stations which are provided with a wireless access interface for communicating data to or from the mobile communications devices,

wherein the mobile communications network is arranged in operation to receive an indication of a relative access type of data packets to access a communications bearer supporting a communication session of one of the mobile communications devices, the indication of the relative access type of the data packets being received from one of said mobile communication devices and used to configure the communications bearer, and the indication of the relative access type of the data packets including an application type indication and a traffic type indication of a relative priority of the data packets with respect to communication of data packets via one or more other communications bearers of the mobile communications network, and

wherein the mobile communications network is arranged to provide the communications bearer from the mobile communications device to one or more of the infrastructure equipment via one or more of the base stations in accordance with the indication of the relative access type of the data packets, and to control the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer in accordance with the relative access type of data packets being communicated via the communications bearer.

2. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of the relative access type of the data packets to access the communications bearer supporting the communication session of one of the mobile communications devices is generated by an applications program, the communication session being provided by the applications program using the communications bearer.

3. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile communications device includes an execution processor configured to operate a plurality of applications programs, each of which is configured to generate the indication of the relative access type of the data packets for communication to and/or from the communications bearer, or the communications bearer and one or more other communications bearers, and the mobile communications network is arranged in operation to communicate the data packets differently via the communications bearers or the one or more other communications bearers depending on the relative access type of the data packets communicated via each said communications bearer.

4. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of the relative access type of data packets is received by the mobile communications network with a request to establish, configure, modify the communications bearer.

5. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of the relative access type of the data packets is received by the mobile communications network as an access stratum message, a non-access stratum message, or a bearer configuration message.

6. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of the relative access type of the data packets includes an indication that the data packets are for a machine type communication.

7. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traffic type indication of the relative priority of the data packets includes one of more of an Allocated Retention Priority value and a Low Priority indicator.

8. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein control of the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer is performed in accordance with the application type indication and the traffic type indication of the relative priority indicated by the relative access type of the data packets and includes storing the data packets in a buffer for communication of the data packets via the communications bearer at a later time in preference to communicating data packets from the one or more other communications bearers at an earlier time with a higher priority.

9. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control of the communication f the data packets includes discarding the data packets from the buffer in preference to communicating data packets from the one or more other communications bearers.

10. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein control of the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer is performed in accordance with the application type indication of the relative priority indicated by the relative access type of the data packets in response to a indication of congestion of data packets being communicated by the mobile communications network.

11. The mobile communications network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relative access type of the data packets includes one or more of a machine type communications indicator, a low priority indicator, a regular user indicator, and a high priority indicator.

12. A mobile communications network for communicating data to mobile communications devices, the mobile communications network including a plurality of base stations which are provided with wireless access interface for communicating data to or from the mobile communications devices,

wherein the mobile communications network is arranged in operation to receive an indication of a relative access type of data packets to access a communications bearer supporting a communication session of one of the mobile communications devices, the indication of the relative access type of the data packets being received by the mobile communications network from one of said mobile communication devices and used to configure the communications bearer, and the indication of the relative access type of the data packets including an application type indication and a traffic type indication of a relative priority of the data packets with respect to communication of data packets via one or more other communications bearers of the mobile communications network, and

wherein the mobile communications network is arranged to provide the communications bearer from the mobile communications device to one or more infrastructure equipment via one or more of the base stations in accordance with the indication of the relative access type of the data packets, and to control the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer in accordance with the relative access type of data packets being communicated via the communications bearer.

13. A method of communicating data to mobile communications devices using a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network comprising a core network part including a plurality of infrastructure equipment, and a radio network part including a plurality of base stations which are provided with a wireless access interface for communicating data to or from the mobile communications devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at the mobile communications network, from one of the mobile communications devices, an indication of a relative access type of data packets to access a communications bearer supporting a communication session, the indication of the relative access type of the data packets being to configure the communications bearer, and the indication of the relative access type of the data packets including an application type indication and a traffic type indication of a relative priority of the data packets with respect to communication of data packets via one or more other communications bearers of the mobile communications network,

providing the communications bearer from the mobile communications device to one or more of the infrastructure equipment via one or more of the base stations in accordance with the indication of the relative access type of the data packets, and

controlling the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer in accordance with the relative access type of data packets being communicated via the communications bearer.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said receiving the indication of the relative access type of the data packets at the mobile communications network includes receiving from an applications program of said one mobile communications device the indication of the relative access type of the data packets for communication via the communications bearer, the communication session being provided by the applications program using the communications bearer.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13,

wherein said receiving the indication of the relative access type of the data packets at the mobile communications network includes receiving from each of a plurality of applications programs operating on said one mobile communications device the indication of the relative access type of the data packets for communication to and/or from the communications bearer, or the communications bearer and the one or more other communications bearers, and

wherein said communicating the data packets includes communicating the data packets differently via the communications bearer or the one or more other communications bearers depending on the relative access type of the data packets communicated via each communications bearer.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said receiving the indication of the relative access type of data packets at the mobile communications network includes receiving the indication of the relative access type of data packets with a request to establish, configure, or modify the communications bearer.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said receiving the indication of the relative access type of data packets at the mobile communications network includes receiving the indication of the relative access type of data packets as an access stratum message, a non-access stratum message, or a bearer configuration message.

18. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the indication of the relative access type of the data packets received at the mobile communications network includes an indication that the data packets are for a machine type communication.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the traffic type indication of the relative priority includes one of more of an Allocated Retention Priority value and a Low Priority indicator.

20. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said controlling the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer in accordance with the relative access type of data packets includes storing the data packets in a buffer for communication of the data packets via the communications bearer at a later time in preference to communicating data packets from the one or more other communications bearers at an earlier time with a higher priority.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said controlling the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer in accordance with the relative access type of data packets includes discarding the data packets from the buffer in preference to communicating data packets from the one or more other communications bearers.

22. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said controlling the communication of the data packets via the communications bearer in accordance with the relative access type of data packets includes receiving an indication of congestion of data packets being communicated by the mobile communications network.

23. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the relative access type of the data packets communicated includes one of more of a machine type communications indicator, a low priority indicator, a regular user indicator, and a high priority indicator.