Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Amir Saghir

Said Hanbaly

Rakesh H Chandwani

Nimalan Kanagasabai

Mun Wei Low

Sudhakar Reddy Patil

Ali Imdad Malik

William W Wong

Sergio Aguirre

Jerry Steben

Arvind Basra

Frank Jager

Mansoor Ali Shah Mohammed

Atul Thaper

Peter Li

Glenna S Colaprete

Jayshree A Bharatia

Lalit R Kotecha

Jignesh Shantilal Panchal

Mingxing Li

Thomas W Haynes

Maqbool Chauhan

Raymond So

Raul Buendia Iglesias

Edward Amoah

Syed Faraz Iqbal

Michael Chen

A device may include a processor configured to determine that a user device is within a coverage area of a small cell connected to a base station associated with an application service; determine that the user device is not a member of the small cell; identify a network slice for the application service; determine whether a network services subscription for the small cell includes the network slice; perform, when the network services subscription for the small cell includes the network slice, an attachment procedure to the small cell; receive authorization for attaching to the small cell and accessing the application service via the network slice; and initiate a network session on the network slice.

Small cell accessibility service

A device may receive small cell data associated with a small cell, wherein the small cell data includes small cell location data and a small cell barometric pressure reading. The device may identify a calibration user device connected to the small cell and may receive, from the calibration user device, a user device barometric pressure reading. The device may calibrate, based on the user device barometric pressure reading, the small cell barometric pressure reading to obtain a calibrated small cell barometric pressure reading. The device may identify a reference weather station and may receive, from the reference weather station, weather station data, wherein the weather station data includes a weather station barometric pressure reading, and a weather station altitude that indicates an altitude of the reference weather station. The device may determine a small cell altitude based on the calibrated small cell barometric pressure reading and the weather station data.

Systems and methods for determining an altitude of a wireless station

A method, a device, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are described in which a small cell aggregation service is provided. The service may include providing a global identifier for small cell devices that may be used for the transmission and reception of messages between small cell devices and core network devices. The service may include an intermediary network device, such as a gateway device or an aggregation device that uses the global identifier to transmit and receive control plane, user plane, or both types of messages, for example. The global identifier for the small cell device may include a globally unique identifier for the intermediary network device and an identifier of the small cell device. The identifier of the small cell device may indicate a sector or coverage area from among multiple sectors or coverage areas associated with the small cell device.

Small cell aggregation service

A device may include a processor configured to maintain a plurality of session management entities (SMEs) for a core network associated with a radio access network (RAN). The processor may be further configured to establish a communication session using a first SME, of the plurality of SMEs; store session data for the communication session in a communication session database accessible by each of the plurality of SMEs; receive, using a second SME of the plurality of SMEs, a message associated with the communication session; retrieve, using the second SME, session data for the communication session from the communication session database, based on receiving the message; and process, using the second SME, the message using the retrieved session data.

Systems and methods for virtualized session management

Disclosure are techniques for allocating aggregation devices in a lawful intercept system. In an embodiment, a method includes maintaining a list of point of interception aggregation (PAG) functions in a network function repository function (NRF) of a cellular network upon instantiation of the PAG functions; receiving a lawful intercept (LI) request; querying the NRF to determine a respective PAG function; and associating a point of interception (POI) function with the respective PAG function.

Network discovery in a lawful intercept system

A method, device, and non-transitory computer-readable medium provide for scanning, by a device, a radio service area of a small cell radio access node to detect radio signals of one or more radio frequency (RF) bands, the radio signals including transmissions associated with one or more other small cell radio access nodes that are operating in a vicinity of the small cell radio access node, and the small radio access node being configured to alternately operate at multiple RF bands including the one or more RF bands; determining, by the device, a signal strength associated with each of the one or more RF bands; and dynamically optimizing, by device, operation of the small cell radio access node based on the signal strength associated with each of the one or more RF bands.

Dynamic small cell radio frequency (RF) optimization

A network node residing in a mobile network identifies a first network slice of the mobile network for use by a first session between a first user equipment device (UE) and a first application hosted by a first hosting device. The network node obtains a first security profile based on an identity of the first application and based on the identified first network slice, and establishes, using the obtained first security profile, a first secure tunnel between the network node and the first hosting device for transporting first data units associated with the first session between the network node and the first hosting device.

Application and network slice security profile mapping for secure tunneling

A device within a small cell may establish a first secure communication channel between the device and a network device based on a first type of encryption. The device within the small cell may transmit data between the small cell and a core network via the first secure communication channel. The device within the small cell may receive information associated with a second type of encryption, wherein the second type of encryption is different from the first type of encryption. The device within the small cell may terminate the first secure communication channel. The device within the small cell may establish a second secure communication channel between the device and the network device based on the information associated with the second type of encryption. The device within the small cell may transmit further data between the small cell and the core network via the second secure communication channel.

Systems and methods for dynamic cryptography for small cells

An improved lawful intercept (LI) infrastructure is described. In response to a valid LI provisioning request, a subscriber management component statically allocates a user equipment (UE) subject to the LI provisioning request to an edge location comprising a high-speed gateway and a Mediation and Delivery Function (MDF), which coordinates the delivery of intercepted communications. The subscriber management component maintains this allocation for the life of the LI provisioning request and reverses the UE to a dynamic gateway allocation scheme when the LI provisioning request ends. As a result, only a subset of edge locations must be equipped with MDFs, and the handover is transparent to the UE.

Optimized routing for law enforcement support

A device may include a processor configured to determine that a user equipment (UE) device, attached to a base station, is within a coverage area of a small cell operating on a first channel, and that the UE device is not a member of the small cell and is experiencing interference on the first channel. The processor may be further configured to send an instruction to the UE device to provide a measurement report for base stations operating on another band or channel different from the first channel; receive a measurement report from the UE device identifying one or more neighboring base stations operating on the other band or channel; and perform a handover of the UE device to a neighboring base station, wherein the UE device is to communicate with the neighboring base station using the other band or channel.

Systems and methods for interference mitigation for non-member user equipment devices in the vicinity of closed access small cells

A network device receives a first message that includes an identifier (ID) of a first User Plane Function (UPF), serving a first device, in a wireless network, where the first message invites a second device to engage in a session with the first device and where the first UPF supports packet routing and forwarding within the wireless network. The network device extracts the ID of the first UPF from the first message and determines a closest media resource function (MRF) to the first UPF, where the MRF processes and routes media streams between devices. The network device assigns the determined MRF as an anchor, in a network path between the first device and the second device, for processing and routing of media streamed between the first device and the second device.

Systems and methods for next generation mobile network optimized media path selection

A mobile network gateway receives, from a user equipment device (UE), a session request for a session between the UE and an application hosted by a hosting device, where the session request includes an application identifier (ID) associated with the application. The mobile network gateway identifies a network slice of a mobile network based on the application ID and an ID associated with the UE, and retrieves a security profile from memory based on the application ID and the identified network slice. The mobile network gateway establishes a secure tunnel between the gateway and the hosting device using the retrieved security profile, and forwards data units associated with the requested session between the UE and the hosting device via the secure tunnel.

A system described herein may provide a technique for intercepting user equipment ('UE') traffic based on granular characteristics specified by a law enforcement agency ('LEA') or other authorized requestor. The granular characteristics may indicated a content type, keywords, and/or other characteristics that the requestor may desire to intercept. Traffic attributes, which may be different from the granular characteristics, may be identified based on the granular characteristics. Network components suited to intercepting traffic having the identified attributes may be provisioned to intercept the traffic.

Growing community of inventors

Frisco, TX, United States of America

Amir Saghir