Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America

Sun Patent Trust

Optis Wireless Technology, LLC

Jens Bachmann

Kilian Weniger

Shinkichi Ikeda

Rolf Hakenberg

Genadi Velev

Takashi Aramaki

Jun Hirano

Jon Schuringa

Hidetoshi Suzuki

Masayuki Hoshino

Prateek Basu Mallick

Lilei Wang

Li Wang

Takahisa Aoyama

Michael Einhaus

Chi Gao

Takako Hori

Alexander Bourgett

Pek Yew Tan

Chan Wah Ng

Keigo Aso

Hong Cheng

Sampath Swaroop Kumar

Rolf Hakenbert

Terufumi Takada

Killian Weniger

A method performed by a connectivity-related network entity is provided. The method includes: receiving, from a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway and a Serving Gateway (SGW), a Short Message Service (SMS) message to be sent in a downlink; determining to use a control plane only, out of the control plane and a user plane, for transferring the SMS message; transmitting a trigger message to a user equipment to initiate establishment of connectivity with the user equipment via the control plane only and not via the user plane, wherein the user equipment starts a timer when the establishment of the control plane connectivity is initiated; receiving a response message from the user equipment; encapsulating the SMS message in a security protected Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message; and transmitting the security protected NAS message to the user equipment, in receipt of which the user equipment stops the timer.

Short message transmission and handover procedures

The invention relates to the initiation of a service to a mobile terminal capable of communicating via at least a first and second access network. Further, the invention relates to a reduction of power consumption of mobile terminals supporting connectivity to at least two access networks. The invention also relates to mobile communication systems and in particular to mobile communications through heterogeneous access networks. In order to prove improved method for initiating services to mobile terminals and/or to reduce power consumption of mobile terminals, the invention introduces of a sleep state that can be entered by the terminal for an access system if same is not used. Upon requesting a service from/to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal starts service initiation through a second access system and transits back to active state for the first access system for service provision.

Sleep-state for mobile terminal and service initiation for mobile terminals in sleep-state

The invention relates to a method for discovering a home agent serving a mobile node upon the mobile node changing its mobility management scheme in a packet-switched network and the implementation of such method in a mobile node or home agent. In order to propose a home agent discover scheme that maintains session continuity in a seamless manner upon a mobile node changing its mobility management scheme, a mobile node comprises information on its location prior to changing the mobility management scheme to one of the first signaling messages transmitted upon changing the mobility management scheme (home agent discovery message). The receiving node uses this information to identify the home agent serving the mobile node or to provide a hint to the home agent where the mobile node is registered in a response message to the mobile node.

Home agent discovery upon changing the mobility management scheme

The present disclosure provides a band usage information generating and reporting method, a charging method, an eNB, a CN, a MME and a UE. The eNB and the UE can generate band usage information for charging, and report the band usage information to the CN, wherein the band usage information involves band usage of at least a first band and a second band, and traffic is assigned to respective bands by the eNB. The Counting entity at the eNB or UE can count the data volume of each band or ratio of data volume via different bands as the band usage information based on the scheduling information of the data. The Charging system located in the CN can process the charging and generate a bill according to the reported band usage information.

Band usage information generating and reporting method, charging method, eNodeB, and MME

The present disclosure provides a band usage information generating and reporting method, a charging method, an eNB, a ON, a MME and a UE. The eNB and the UE can generate band usage information for charging, and report the band usage information to the CN, wherein the band usage information involves band usage of at least a first band and a second band, and traffic is assigned to respective bands by the eNB. The Counting entity at the eNB or UE can count the data volume of each band or ratio of data volume via different bands as the band usage information based on the scheduling information of the data. The Charging system located in the CN can process the charging and generate a bill according to the reported band usage information.

The present invention relates to an improved method for handover of a mobile node from E-UTRAN to UTRAN in a scenario where SMS is the only service of the mobile node. The improved handover method allows saving radio resources by establishing the signalling connection for SMS exchange in the target network, and avoiding the data connection in the target network, since it is not used. The MME takes the decision to establish or not the data connection in the target UTRAN, and accordingly instructs the SGSN and UE to set the corresponding PDP contexts for the data connection to a 'preserved' state, so as to avoid the establishment of same. Embodiments further relate to improved SMS delivery for IDLE mode UEs that activate ISR so as to avoid the involvement of the MSC server. Instead, packet-switched domain nodes are to be involved only.

Growing community of inventors

Langen, Germany

Jens Bachmann