Data processing based on pdu set configuration

Description

1 / 58 DATA PROCESSING BASED ON PDU SET CONFIGURATION TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communications and, more specifically, to data handling based on protocol data unit (PDU) set configuration. BACKGROUND

[0002] A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations, which may also be known as eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terminology. Each network communication device, such as a base station, may support wireless communications to one or multiple user communication devices, which may be known as user equipment (UE) or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices using wireless communication system features (e.g., timing features (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency features (e.g., subcarriers, carriers).In addition, the wireless communications system can support wireless communications through various radio access technologies, including third-generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth-generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth-generation (5G) radio access technology, and other suitable radio access technologies besides 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G)).

[0003] Extended reality (XR), including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), as well as cloud gaming (CG), presents a promising new category of connected devices, applications, and services. XR applications typically require high throughput and low latency, in addition to having a large file size. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 10 / 83 2 / 58 of large packet size, variable data packet size, and arrival jitter. However, there are some issues that need to be resolved in packet handling. SUMMARY

[0004] This disclosure relates to methods, devices and systems that support data processing based on PDU set configuration.

[0005] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include receiving, via the transceiver from a network device, a configuration associated with a set of protocol data units (PDUs) for a data radio carrier (DRB); receiving a PDU in a PDU set from a higher layer of user equipment; and initiating a discard timer associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU based on whether the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user equipment. In this way, it is determined which discard timer can be initiated and when to initiate it. Therefore, communication performance is improved.

[0006] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, initiating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU may comprise: based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, initiating one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PDU set importance level (PSI); a second discard timer corresponding to a PSI level.

[0007] Some implementations of the method and devices described here may include, starting the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU may understand: based on the determination that the information from the PDU set to the PDU is not Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 11 / 83 3 / 58 identified by the user equipment, initiate one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PDU set importance level (PSI); a second discard timer corresponding to a standard PSI level.

[0008] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, starting the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU may comprise: based on the determination that the PDU set for the PDU is not a complete PDU set, starting one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PDU set importance level (PSI); a second discard timer corresponding to a standard PSI level.

[0009] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, considering the PDU as a set of PDUs.

[0010] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, considering the PDU PSI as a standard PSI.

[0011] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, starting the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU may comprise: based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user equipment and the PDU set is not a complete PDU set, starting one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PDU set importance level (PSI); or a second discard timer corresponding to a standard PSI level. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 12 / 83 4 / 58

[0012] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include ignoring the first discard timer if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU from a second set of PDUs; or initiating a second discard timer corresponding to a PSI level from the second set of PDUs if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU from the second set of PDUs.

[0013] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, the configuration associated with a PDU set for a DRB is a first configuration, initiating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU may comprise: receiving, from the network device, a second configuration to indicate which discard timer should be initiated for a PDCP SDU if the PDCP SDU's PDU set information is not identified or the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set; and initiating a discard timer indicated according to the second configuration based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDCP SDU is not identified by the user equipment or the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set.

[0014] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, starting the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU may comprise: starting a second discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, wherein a PSI level of the second discard timer is the PSI level of the PDU set for the PDU.

[0015] Some implementations of the method and devices described here may include: determining whether the PDCP SDU is the initial data of the first set of PDUs or whether the PDCP PDU's set of PDUs is not a complete set of PDUs; based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is the initial data of the first set of PDUs or whether the PDCP PDU's set of PDUs is a complete set of PDUs. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 13 / 83 5 / 58 of a complete PDU, initiate a second discard timer corresponding to which a PSI level is the PSI of the first PDU set for the PDU; or based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is not the initial data of the first PDU set or if the PDU set of the PDCP PDU is not a complete PDU set, do not initiate a second discard timer until a first PDU of the second PDU set is identified.

[0016] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include expiring the discard timer, and the user equipment additionally, based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, determining whether the PDCP SDU is the initial data of the PDU set; based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is the initial data of the PDU set, discarding all PDCP SDUs in the PDU set where the PDCP SDU corresponds to a PDU in the PDU set.

[0017] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, the discard timer expiring, and the user equipment additionally based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PUD is identified, and based on the determination that not all PDU set information for the PDUs in the PDU set is identified, discarding the PDCP SDU with a PDU corresponding to the PDCP SDU.

[0018] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, the discard timer expiring, the user equipment additionally based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, and based on the determination that not all PDU set information for the PDUs in the PDU set is identified, discarding one or more PDCP SDUs for which the PDU set information is identified, Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 14 / 83 6 / 58 together with one or more PDUs corresponding to one or more PDCP SDUs.

[0019] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, the discard timer expiring, the user equipment additionally receiving, from the user equipment, an indication to discard a set of PDUs; based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, determining whether the PDCP SDU is initial data of the PDU set; based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is initial data of the PDU set, discarding the PDCP SDUs in the PDU set, wherein the PDCP SDU corresponds to a PDU in the PDU set; and based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is not initial data of the PDU set, discarding the PDCP SDU along with one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set, wherein the PDU set information of one or more PDCP SDUs is identified.

[0020] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, the user equipment, based further on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified, transmitting to the network device an initial remaining discard time report comprising a lower discard time value of one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set.

[0021] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include the user equipment, based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified, transmitting to the network device a report indicating that the PDU set information is not identified.

[0022] In some implementations of the method and devices described herein, the PDU set information may comprise at least one of the following: a sequence number of the PDU set; an indication of the final PDU of Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 15 / 83 7 / 58 set of PDUs; a sequence number of a PDU within the set of PDUs; a size of the set of PDUs in bytes; or the PDU set importance level (PSI) of the set of PDUs.

[0023] In some implementations of the method and devices described herein, the discard timer may comprise one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PDU set importance level (PSI), or a second discard timer corresponding to a PSI level.

[0024] In some implementations of the method and devices described here, the second discard timer may be one of multiple discard timers, and the multiple discard timers correspond to a PSI.

[0025] In some implementations of the method and devices described here, the first discard timer may be associated with a previous PDCP SDU of the PDCP SDU.

[0026] In some implementations of the method and devices described herein, the PDU set information not being identified for all PDUs in the PDCP SDU PDU set by the UE may mean: the PDU set information for the initial data in the PDU set is not identified or the PDU set for the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set.

[0027] In some implementations of the method and devices described herein, the PDU set information for the first PDU in the second PDU set may be identified by the user equipment; the PDCP SDU may be an initial data point of the second PDU set; the discard timer may be the first discard timer; the PDU set is a first PDU set, and the second PDU set follows the first PDU set; the second PDU set is a complete PDU set; the first PDU set is not Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 16 / 83 8 / 58 a complete PDU set; or any combination of two or more of the items mentioned above.

[0028] Some implementations of the method and devices described here may additionally include determining the mapping of a Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a first data radio carrier (DRB) to a second DRB; and routing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) from the QoS flow to the second DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set to the PDU is identified by the user equipment. In this way, the PDU routing rule is defined for different DRBs. Therefore, communication performance is improved.

[0029] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include routing a QoS flow PDU to the first DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment; routing a QoS flow PDU to the first DRB based on the determination that the PDU set of the PDU is not a complete PDU set by the user equipment; or routing a QoS flow PDU to the first DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU of the PDU set is not identified by the user equipment.

[0030] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include routing a QoS flow PDU to the first DRB until a first PDU from a set of PDUs is identified by the user equipment or the PDU set is a complete set of PDUs.

[0031] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include generating a final brand control PDU based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU in the PDU set is identified by the user equipment; generating a brand control PDU Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 17 / 83 9 / 58 final based on the determination that the PDU set of a PDU is a complete PDU set; or generate a final mark control PDU based on the determination that the PDU set information for a QoS flow PDU is identified by the user equipment.

[0032] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include transmitting the final mark on the first DRB after completion of data transmission on the first DRB.

[0033] Some implementations of the method and devices described herein may include, determining the QoS flow mapping from the first DRB to the second DRB may comprise: receiving, from a network device, a reconfiguration message to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB; and determining the QoS flow mapping from the first DRB to the second DRB based on the reconfiguration message.

[0034] In some implementations of the method and devices described here, the first DRB may not be configured with PDU set handling, and the second DRB may be configured with PDU set handling.

[0035] In some implementations of the method and devices described herein, the first PDU may be the initial data in the PDU set or the PDU set of the first PDU may be a complete PDU set. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports the exchange of detection data in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 1B illustrates an example of a reconfigured data radio carrier (DRB) with protocol data unit (PDU) set handling parameter associated with aspects of the present disclosure. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 18 / 83 10 / 58

[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method that supports data processing based on the configuration of a set of PDUs in accordance with the aspects of this disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a procedure for activating the identification of a set of PDUs in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) discard timer configuration for a DRB in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of PDU set information that can be identified according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method that supports data processing based on the configuration of a set of PDUs according to the aspects of this disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a Quality of Service (QoS) flow DRB remapping procedure in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a device that supports data handling based on the configuration of a set of PDUs in accordance with the aspects of this disclosure.

[0045] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a processor that supports data handling based on the PDU set configuration according to the aspects of this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to its scope. The disclosure described herein Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 19 / 83 11 / 58 can be implemented in several ways beyond those described below.

[0047] In the description and claims that follow, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0048] References in this disclosure to “one modality,” “an example modality,” “some modalities,” and the like indicate that the modality(ies) described may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every modality includes the specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same modality(ies). Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with a modality, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of a specialist in the field to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other modalities, whether explicitly described or not.

[0049] It should be understood that, although the terms “first” and “second” or similar may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may also be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of modalities. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the terms listed.

[0050] The terminology used here is intended only for the description of specific modalities and is not intended to limit exemplary modalities. As used here, the singular forms a (“a”), an (“an”) and the should include Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 20 / 83 12 / 58 also the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms comprise, including, has, having, includes and / or including, when used herein, specify the presence of the stated resources, elements and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other resources, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following:<uma lista de dois ou mais elementos> "and at least one of<uma lista de dois ou mais elementos> "And similar formulations, where the list of two or more elements is joined by 'and' or 'or', mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all the elements."

[0051] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standards, such as 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and so forth. Furthermore, communications between a user device and a network device on the communication network may be carried out in accordance with any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of this disclosure may be applied in various communication systems.Given the rapid development in communications, there will also be future-type communication technologies and systems into which this disclosure may be incorporated. This should not be seen as limiting the scope of this disclosure only to the systems mentioned above. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 21 / 83 13 / 58

[0052] As used herein, the term “network device” generally refers to a node in a communication network through which a user device can access the communication network and receive services from it. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a Node B (NodeB or NB), a radio access network node (RAN), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication infrastructure device, a transmit and receive point (TRP), a receive point (RP), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB), a low-power node such as a femto BS, a pico BS, and so on, depending on the terminology and technology applied.The network device may additionally refer to a network function (NF) in the core network, for example, an SMF, an AMF, a PCF, a UPF, or devices with the same function in future network architectures, and so on.

[0053] As used herein, the term “user equipment (UE)” generally refers to any end device that is capable of wireless communications. By way of example and not limitation, user equipment may also be referred to as a communications device, terminal device, end-user device, subscriber station (SS), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). User equipment may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a smartphone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable user device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, an image capture user device such as a digital camera, a gaming user device, a device of Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 22 / 83 14 / 58 music storage and playback, a vehicle-mounted wireless user device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device (e.g., a remote surgery device), an industrial device (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms: “user equipment”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0054] As used herein, the term “PDU set” refers to one or more PDUs that carry the payload of an information unit generated at the application level (e.g., video frame(s) or slice(s), etc. for XR services).

[0055] As used herein, the term “PDU set information” may refer to PDU information, and PDU set information may include: PDU set sequence number, indication of the final PDU in the PDU set, PDU sequence number within a PDU set, PDU set size in bytes, PDU set importance (PSI). The PSI identifies the relative importance of a PDU set compared to other PDU sets within the same QoS stream.

[0056] FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a 100A wireless communications system that supports data handling based on the configuration of the PDU set according to aspects Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 23 / 83 15 / 58 of this disclosure. The 100A wireless communications system may include one or more network entities 102 (also called network equipment (NE)), one or more UEs 104, a core network 106, and a packet data network 108. The 100A wireless communications system may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the 100A wireless communications system may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE Enhanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the 100A wireless communications system may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the 100A wireless communications system may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technology, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20 standards. The 100A wireless communications system may support radio access technologies beyond 5G.In addition, the 100A wireless communications system can support technologies such as time-division multiple access (TDMA), frequency-division multiple access (FDMA), or code-division multiple access (CDMA), etc.

[0057] One or more network entities 102 may be dispersed over a geographical region to form the wireless communications system 100A. One or more of the network entities 102 described herein may be or include, or may be referred to as, a network node, a base station, a network element, a radio access network (RAN), a base transceiver station, an access point, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terminology. A network entity 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link 110, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, a network entity 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) via a Uu interface. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 24 / 83 16 / 58

[0058] A network entity 102 can provide a geographic coverage area 112 for which the network entity 102 can support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area 112. For example, a network entity 102 and a UE 104 can support wireless communication of service-related signals (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) according to one or more radio access technologies. In some implementations, a network entity 102 can be mobile, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies can overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 112 can be associated with different network entities 102.The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0059] One or more UEs 104 may be spread across a geographic region of the 100A wireless communications system. A UE 104 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a remote unit, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a device Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 25 / 83 17 / 58 of the Internet of Everything (IoE) or a machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be stationary in the 100A wireless communications system. In some other implementations, a UE 104 may be mobile in the 100A wireless communications system.

[0060] One or more UEs 104 may be devices of different forms or have different capabilities. Some examples of UEs 104 are illustrated in FIG. 1. A UE 104 may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as network entities 102, other UEs 104, or network equipment (e.g., the core network 106, the packet data network 108, a relay device, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or other network equipment), as shown in Figure 1. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE 104 may support communication with other network entities 102 or UEs 104, which may act as relays in the wireless communication system 100A.

[0061] A UE 104 may also be able to support wireless communication directly with other UE 104s via a communication link 114. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link 114 may be referred to as a secondary link. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0062] A network entity 102 can support communications with the core network 106, or with another network entity 102, or both. For example, a network entity 102 can interact with the core network 106 through one or more backhaul links 116 (for example, through an S1, N2, N2, or other interface). Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 26 / 83 18 / 58 network). Network entities 102 can communicate with each other via backhaul links 116 (e.g., via an X2, Xn, or other network interface). In some implementations, network entities 102 can communicate with each other directly (e.g., between network entities 102). In some other implementations, network entities 102 can communicate with each other indirectly (e.g., via the core network 106). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). An ANC can communicate with one or more UEs 104 via one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be called radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmit-receive points (TRPs).

[0063] In some implementations, a 102 network entity can be configured in a disaggregated architecture, which can be configured to utilize a protocol stack distributed physically or logically between two or more 102 network entities, such as an Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) network, an Open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., an O-RAN Alliance-sponsored network configuration), or a Virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a Cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, a 102 network entity might include one or more of a Central Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), a Radio Unit (RU), an Intelligent RAN Controller (RIC) (e.g., a Near-RT RIC, a Non-RT RIC), a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

[0064] A RU may also be called a radio head, intelligent radio head, remote radio head (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or transmit receiving point (TRP). One or more components of the 102 network entities in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be colocated, or one or Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 27 / 83 19 / 58 More components of the 102 network entities can be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some implementations, one or more 102 network entities of a disaggregated RAN architecture can be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU), a virtual DU (VDU), a virtual RU (VRU)).

[0065] The division of functionality between a CU, a DU, and a RU can be flexible and can support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed in a CU, a DU, or an RU. For example, a functional division of a protocol stack can be employed between a CU and a DU so that the CU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU can host higher protocol layer functionality and signaling (e.g., a layer 3 (L3), a layer 2 (L2)) (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)).A CU can be connected to one or more DUs or RUs, and one or more DUs or RUs can host lower protocol layers, such as a layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical layer (PHY)) or an L2 (e.g., radio link control layer (RLC), medium access control layer (MAC)) functionality and signaling, and each can be at least partially controlled by the CU 160.

[0066] Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack can be employed between a DU and a RU so that the DU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU can support one or Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 28 / 83 20 / 58 multiple different cells (e.g., through one or more RUs). In some implementations, a functional division between a CU and a DU, or between a DU and an RU, may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU, one of a DU, or one of an RU, while other protocol layer functions are performed by a different CU, DU, or RU).

[0067] A CU can be further functionally divided into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU can be connected to one or more DUs via a midhaul communication link (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u), and a DU can be connected to one or more RUs via a fronthaul communication link (e.g., open fronthaul interface (FH)). In some implementations, a midhaul communication link or a fronthaul communication link can be implemented according to an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 102 that are communicating via such communication links.

[0068] The 106 core network can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The 106 core network can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management functions (AMF)) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects external networks (e.g., a service gateway (S-GW), a packet data network gateway (PDN) (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 29 / 83 21 / 58 (e.g., data carriers, signal carriers, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 served by one or more network entities 102 associated with the core network 106.

[0069] The core network 106 can communicate with the packet data network 108 through one or more backhaul links 116 (for example, through an S1, N2, N2 interface or other network). The packet data network 108 may include an application server 118. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server 118. A UE 104 may establish a session (for example, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session or similar) with the core network 106 through a network entity 102. The core network 106 may route traffic (for example, control information, data, and similar) between the UE 104 and the application server 118 using the established session (for example, the established PDU session). The PDU session can be an example of a logical connection between UE 104 and the core network 106 (for example, one or more network functions of the core network 106).

[0070] In the 100A wireless communications system, network entities 102 and UEs 104 can use resources of the 100A wireless communications system (e.g., timing resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or similar) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications). In some implementations, network entities 102 and UEs 104 can support different resource structures. For example, network entities 102 and UEs 104 can support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, network entities 102 and UEs 104 can support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, network entities 102 and UEs 104 can support multiple frame structures (i.e., multiple frames of Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 30 / 83 22 / 58 frames). Network entities 102 and UEs 104 can support multiple frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

[0071] One or more numerologies may be supported in the 100A wireless communications system, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., μ=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., μ=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., μ=2) can be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix.A fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) can be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., μ=4) can be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0072] A time interval of a resource (for example, a communication resource) can be organized according to frames (also called radio frames). Each frame can have a duration, for example, a duration of 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame can include several subframes. For example, each frame can include 10 subframes, and each subframe can have a duration, for example, a duration of 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame can have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame can have the same duration. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 31 / 83 23 / 58

[0073] Additionally or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on one or more numerologies supported in the 100A wireless communication system. For example, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., μ = 0, μ = 1, μ = 2, μ = 3, μ = 4) associated with the respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. Each slot can include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology.For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot can include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a slot can include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that the reference to a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) can be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

[0074] In the 100A wireless communications system, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the 100A wireless communications system can support one or multiple operating frequency bands, such as frequency band designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz — 52.6 GHz), Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 32 / 83 24 / 58 FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). In some implementations, network entities 102 and UEs 104 can perform wireless communications in one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 can be used by network entities 102 and UEs 104, among other equipment or devices, for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 can be used by network entities 102 and UEs 104, among other equipment or devices, for short-range, high-data-rate capabilities.

[0075] FR1 can be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies). For example, FR1 can be associated with a first numerology (e.g., μ=0), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz; a second numerology (e.g., μ=1), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 30 kHz; and a third numerology (e.g., μ=2), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 60 kHz. FR2 can be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies). For example, FR2 can be associated with a third numerology (e.g., μ=2), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 60 kHz; and a fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3), which includes a subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz.

[0076] FIG. 1B illustrates an example of a DRB reconfigured with PDU set handling parameters (e.g., PDU set discard indicator, PSI discard timer(s), PDU set delay reporting configuration) associated with aspects of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1B, the user equipment may receive an RRC reconfiguration for a DRB, for example, with a discard timer based on PDU set importance, PDU set discard indicator after receiving packet 1. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 33 / 83 25 / 58 PDU set information for packets 1, 2, 3 and 4 is not identified by the EU, and PDU set information for packets 5 and 6 is identified by the EU.

[0077] If the UE is configured or reconfigured from not supporting PDU set handling to supporting PDU set handling (e.g., PDU set disposal based on disposal timers, PDU set delay reporting) for data, and if there is data (e.g., packets 1, 2, 3, 4) without PDU set information identified by the UE (perhaps the UE did not identify PDU set information without triggering from the AS or NAS layer or without being provided by the APP layer). In one example, after UE transfers from a source NG-RAN that does not support PDU set handling to a target NG-RAN that does support PDU set handling, the UE is reconfigured as a DRB from without PDU set handling to with PDU set handling.In another example, the UE is reconfigured as a DRB from without PDU set handling to with PDU set handling in a service cell according to the NG-RAN policy. In another example, the UE is configured or reconfigured with a DRB to support PDU set handling for a QoS flow; however, the PDU set information is not identified by the UE, for example, the UE cannot or does not initiate the identification of the PDU set information.

[0078] Therefore, there are some questions about how to perform the disposal operation, and the delay reporting procedure. It must be defined that the disposal operation, for example, considers which disposal timer to use for data without PDU set information identified by the UE and how to perform the disposal based on the PDU set disposal indication, how to transmit the delay report based on the remaining disposal timer. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 34 / 83 26 / 58

[0079] In view of the above discussions, the embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for data handling based on PDU set configuration. In one aspect of the solution in this disclosure, a user device receives a configuration from a network device, and the configuration is associated with a PDU set for a DRB. The user device receives a PDU in a PDU set from a higher layer of the user device. Based on the identification of the PDU set information for the PDU by the user device, the user device initiates a discard timer associated with a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU. In another aspect of the solution in this disclosure, a user device determines to map a QoS flow from a first DRB to a second DRB.Based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set to the PDU is identified by the user equipment, the user equipment routes a PDU set from the QoS flow to the second DRB. In this way, it is determined which discard timer can be initiated and when to initiate the discard timer, and the rule for routing PDUs to different DRBs. Therefore, communication performance is improved. The principles and implementations of modalities of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2-11.

[0080] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method 200 that supports data handling based on the set of PDUs according to aspects of this disclosure. The operations of method 200 can be implemented by a device or its components as described in this document. For example, the operations of method 200 can be performed by a user device 104, as described in FIG. 1A. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 35 / 83 27 / 58 instructions to control the device's function elements to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

[0081] In 205, the user equipment receives, from a network device, a configuration associated with a PDU set for a DRB. In other words, the user equipment receives a configuration to configure the PDU set based on the DRB handling. For example, the user equipment may receive an RRC reconfiguration to configure a DRB from without PDU set handling to with PDU set handling. PDU set-based handling may be associated with legacy discard timer configuration parameters, configuration of PDU set importance-based discard timers, PDU set discard indicator, or PDU set delay report configuration.

[0082] In 210, the user equipment receives a PDU in a PDU set from a higher layer of the user equipment. The PDU in the PDU set may or may not be identified with PDU set information. For example, when receiving PDU set QoS parameters or PDU set handling indicator or PDU set indicator associated with a specific QoS flow from the Session Management Function (SMF), the UE NAS layer informs the UE APP layer to provide PDU set information for the QoS flow packets associated with the UE AS layer. If the updated QoS parameter associated with the specific QoS flow is provided by the SMF without the PDU set QoS parameters or PDU set handling indicator or PDU set indicator, the UE NAS layer informs the UE APP layer to stop. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 36 / 83 28 / 58 provide PDU set information for QoS flow packets associated with the UE AS layer.

[0083] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a procedure for activating the identification of a PDU 300 assembly in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Procedure 300 is described below: In step 311, the NAS layer of UE 302 receives the legacy discard timer configuration from a network DRB, i.e., CN 303, for example, via an RRC reconfiguration message. In step 313, the APP layer of UE 301 receives a PDCP SDU from the upper layers (NAS layer of UE 302). In step 315, the APP layer of UE 301 provides packets without PDU set information to the AS layer of UE 303. Upon receiving a PDCP SDU from upper layers, the DRB's transmitting PDCP entity must initiate the discardTimer associated with this PDCP SDU (if configured). When the discardTimer expires for a PDCP SDU, the transmitting PDCP entity must discard the PDCP SDU along with the corresponding PDCP data PDU. In 317, the NAS layer of UE 302 receives the PDCP discard timer configuration from the DRB of CN 303, for example, via an RRC reconfiguration message. In 319, the APP layer of UE 301 receives a PDCP SDU from the NAS layer of UE 302.In layer 315, the APP layer of UE 301 provides PDU set information packages to the AS layer of UE 303.

[0084] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with a protocol data unit (PDU) set for a DRB includes at least one of the following: a PDU set discard indicator, a first discard timer, one or more second discard timers, a PDU set delay report. If a PDU set discard indicator is configured, the UE may discard the entire PDU set if a discard timer associated with a PDU in the PDU set expires. If a PDU set delay report is configured, the UE may report the time of Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 37 / 83 29 / 58 discard remaining from a DRB to NW. A second discard timer may correspond to one or more PSIs.

[0085] In one example, the PDCP configuration may include indication of PDU set disposal. In another example, the PDCP configuration may include at least one or more PSI disposal timers, for example, each timer corresponds to at least one PSI level. In yet another example, the PDCP disposal timer configuration may include at least one disposal timer not corresponding to a PSI level (e.g., legacy disposal timer) and one or more PSI disposal timers. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a PDCP disposal timer configuration for a DRB in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, there is: legacy disposal timer, PSI disposal timer-1 for data with a PSI value less than or equal to a PSI value, PSI disposal timer-2 for data with a PSI value greater than a PSI value.The PSI-1 disposal timer can have two separate disposal timers: PSI-1 disposal timer-1 used in UL congestion mode and PSI-1 disposal timer-2 used in UL non-congestion mode. The PSI-2 disposal timer can have two separate disposal timers: PSI-2 disposal timer-1 used in UL congestion mode and PSI-2 disposal timer-2 used in UL non-congestion mode. For PSI-1 disposal timer, the legacy disposal timer can be considered as the default PSI disposal timer used in UL congestion mode if no PSI-1 disposal timer-1 in UL congestion mode is introduced. For a PSI-2 disposal timer, the legacy disposal timer can be considered as the default PSI disposal timer used in UL congestion mode. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 38 / 83 30 / 58 UL congestion if no PSI-2 discard timer-1 is entered in UL congestion mode.

[0086] Reference is made again to FIG. 2, in 215, the user equipment initiates a discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU corresponding to the PDU based on the identification of the PDU set information for the PDU by the user equipment. In other words, the discard timer for the PDU is determined based on whether the PDU set information is identified, additionally on which PSI is identified.

[0087] For example, packets 1 and 2 in FIG. 5 are not identified by the user equipment; the user equipment continues to execute the PDCP discard timers (e.g., legacy discard timer) for the PDCP SDUs upon receiving the RRC reconfiguration message on 315, as shown in FIG. 3. The PDCP discard timers are the stored configuration received before receiving the RRC reconfiguration. Additionally, packets 3 and 4 in FIG. 5 are identified by the user equipment; the user equipment starts the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU available for transmission after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0088] In some embodiments, the PDU set: one or more PDUs carrying the payload of an application-level generated information unit (e.g., video frame(s) or slice(s), etc. for XR services), as defined in TS 23.501 [3]. The PDU set information includes at least one of the following: (e.g., 1), 5), 1)+5, 1)+3)+5); and 1)+2)+3)+5)): 1) PDU set sequence number; 2) Indication of the final PDU of the PDU set; 3) Sequence number of PDUs within a set of PDUs; 4) PDU set size in bytes; Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 39 / 83 31 / 58 5) PDU Set Importance (PSI), which identifies the relative importance of a PDU set compared to other PDU sets within the same QoS flow.

[0089] In some embodiments, the discard timer may comprise a first discard timer or a second discard timer. The first discard timer does not correspond to a PDU Set Importance Level (PSI), and the second discard timer corresponds to a PSI level. The first discard timer may be a legacy discard timer. The second discard timer may be a PSI discard timer (e.g., the discard timer corresponds to at least one PSI). The first discard timer may be the stored configuration received before receiving the RRC reconfiguration.

[0090] In some embodiments, to initiate the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, if the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the user equipment may initiate a first discard timer or a second discard timer corresponding to a standard PSI level. For example, if the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU(s) is / are not identified by the UE, the UE may initiate a standard discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU. The standard timer may be a legacy discard timer or a PSI-specific discard timer that corresponds to a specific PSI, for example, PSI-1 discard timer. The standard timer may be a first discard timer or a standard PSI discard timer that corresponds to a standard PSI, for example, PSI-1.

[0091] In some modes, to initiate the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, if the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the equipment Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 40 / 83 32 / 58 user, the user equipment can consider the PDU as a set of PDUs.

[0092] In some embodiments, to initiate the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, if the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, the user equipment may consider the PDU's PSI as a standard or specific PSI, for example, PSI-1.

[0093] In some embodiments, to initiate the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, if the PDU set for the PDU is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment may initiate a first discard timer that does not correspond to a PSI level or a second discard timer corresponding to a standard or specific PSI level. The PDU set for the PDU not being a complete PDU set refers to PDU set information that not all PDUs in the PDU set are identified.

[0094] Alternatively, the second discard timer may be one of multiple discard timers, and the multiple discard timers correspond to a PSI. For example, a specific discard timer with a higher or lower value according to the NW indication, which indicates the use of UE between the two discard timers (e.g., PSI-1-1 discard timer with a higher value and PSI-1-1 discard timers with a lower value) corresponding to a PSI (e.g., PSI-1). For example, UE starts PSI-1 discard timer-1 if NW indicates UE in UL non-congestion mode, UE starts PSI-1-2 discard timer if NW indicates UE in UL congestion mode.

[0095] In addition, the first disposal timer may be associated with a previous PDCP SDU. In one example, the UE starts a disposal timer associated with a PDCP SDU, and the disposal timer is the same as the Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 41 / 83 33 / 58 discard timer associated with the previous PDCP SDU. For example, the discard timer for packet 3 is the same as the discard timer for packet 2 in FIG. 5.

[0096] Alternatively or additionally, to initiate the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, if the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user equipment and the PDU set is incomplete, the user equipment may initiate a first discard timer without matching a PSI level or a second discard timer matching a standard or specific PSI level. For example, if the PDCP SDU PDU set information is identified by the UE and not all PDUs in a PDU set are identified, the user equipment may initiate the first discard timer or the specific PSI-based discard timer matching a standard PSI level.For example, if the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment may initiate either the first disposal timer or the PSI-specific disposal timer. If the UE initiates the PSI-specific disposal timer, the UE may immediately ignore the legacy disposal timer if it receives the RRC message.

[0097] In some embodiments, for a complete PDU set, the PDU set information is identified at the beginning of the initial PDU set data.

[0098] Alternatively, the UE ignores the first disposal timer until the PDU set information of a PDCP SDU is identified or the PDU set of the PDCP SDU is a complete PDU set. Additionally, the UE starts the PSI disposal timer associated with a PDCP SDU after the PDU set information of the first PDCP SDU is identified. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 42 / 83 34 / 58

[0099] In addition, the PDU set information is not identified for all PDUs in the PDCP SDU PDU set by the EU, which may include: the PDU set information for the initial data in the PDU set is not identified or the PDU set for the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set.

[0100] In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally bypass the first discard timer if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU from a second set of PDUs. For example, the UE bypasses the first discard timer until it receives a PDCP SDU from the second set of PDUs. The second set of PDUs is a complete set of PDUs.

[0101] In some embodiments, the user equipment may initiate a second discard timer corresponding to a PSI level of the second set of PDUs associated with the PDCP SDU if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU from the second set of PDUs. For example, the UE initiates the PSI discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU from the time of receipt of a PDCP SDU from the second set of PDUs, and the PSI discard timer corresponds to the PSI of the PDCP SDU. The second set of PDUs is a complete set of PDUs.

[0102] In some embodiments, the PDU set information for the first PDU in the second PDU set can be identified by the user equipment. For example, the first PDCP SDU is the initial data in a PDU set, and the PDU set information of the first PDCP SDU is identified. In some embodiments, the PDCP SDU may be initial data for the second PDU set. In some embodiments, the discard timer may be the first discard timer, the PDU set is a first PDU set, and the second PDU set follows the first PDU set. In some embodiments, the second PDU set is a complete PDU set. In some embodiments, the first PDU set Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 43 / 83 35 / 58 is not a complete PDU set. In other words, the UE identifies PDUs with PDU set information and must start the PDU set disposal timer from a complete PDU set. For example, the UE starts the PSI disposal timer associated with a PDCP SDU from the time of receiving the first PDCP SDU from a PDU set; the PSI disposal timer corresponds to the PSI of the PDCP SDU. In one example, the UE skips the first disposal timer until receiving the first PDCP SDU from a PDU set. In another example, the UE starts the PSI disposal timer associated with a PDCP SDU from the time of receiving the first PDCP SDU from a PDU set; the PSI disposal timer corresponds to the PSI of the PDCP SDU.

[0103] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with a PDU set for a DRB is a first configuration; to start the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, the user equipment may receive a second configuration from the network device, and the second configuration indicates which discard timer should be started for a PDCP SDU if the PDCP SDU's PDU set information is not identified or the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set. In the event that the PDU set information for the PDCP SDU is not identified by the user equipment or the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment may start a discard timer indicated according to the second configuration. In one example, the UE starts a discard timer according to the network indication.The network indicates that the UE should initiate a specific PSI disposal timer or the first disposal timer associated with a PDCP SDU whose PDU set information is not identified by the UE. Alternatively, the network indicates that the UE should initiate a specific PSI disposal timer or the first one. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 44 / 83 36 / 58 discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU, which is not the first PDCP SDU in a PDU set or whose PDU set is not a complete PDU set.

[0104] In some embodiments, to initiate the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU, the user equipment may initiate a second discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU if the PDU set information for the PDU is identified. A PSI level of the second discard timer is the PSI level of the PDU set for the PDU. In one example, if the PDU set information of the PDCP SDU(s) can be identified by the UE, the UE may initiate a PSI discard timer corresponding to the PSI of the PDCP SDU (e.g., packet 4 in FIG. 5) immediately upon receiving an RRC message.

[0105] In some embodiments, the user equipment can determine whether the PDCP SDU is initiating data from the first set of PDUs. If the PDCP SDU is the initial data from the first set of PDUs, the user equipment can initiate a second discard timer corresponding to which a PSI level is the PSI of the first set of PDUs for the PDU. If the PDCP SDU is not the initial data from the first set of PDUs, the user equipment cannot initiate a second discard timer until a first PDU from the second set of PDUs is identified. In the case where the UE identifies PDUs with PDU set information, it must initiate a PSI discard timer corresponding to the PSI of the PDCP SDU (e.g., packet 5 in FIG. 5) of a complete set of PDUs.

[0106] In some embodiments, the user equipment can determine whether the PDCP SDU PDU set is a complete PDU set. If the PDCP SDU PDU set is a complete PDU set, the user equipment can initiate a second discard timer corresponding to which a level Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 45 / 83 37 / 58 of PSI is the PSI of the first PDU set for the PDU. If the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment may not initiate a second discard timer until the PDCP SDU's PDU set is a complete PDU set. In the case where the UE identifies PDUs with PDU set information, it must initiate a PSI discard timer corresponding to the PDCP SDU's PSI (e.g., package 5 in FIG. 5) of a complete PDU set.

[0107] In some scenarios, if the discard timer expires and if the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, the user equipment may additionally determine whether the PDCP SDU is initiating the PDU set data or whether the PDCP SDU's PDU set is a complete PDU set. If the PDCP SDU is the initial PDU set data or the PDCP SDU's PDU set is a complete PDU set, the user equipment may discard all PDCP SDUs in the PDU set and the PDCP SDU corresponding to a PDU in the PDU set. In other words, the UE may discard PDUs with identified PDU set information in a PDU set from a complete PDU set.For example, if the PDU set information of the SDUs in the PDCP SDU PDU set is identified, the UE can discard all PDCP SDUs belonging to a PDU set along with the corresponding PDCP PDUs if the PDU set discard indication is received in the RRC message.

[0108] In some embodiments, if the discard timer expires, and if the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, and not all PDU set information for the PDUs in the PDU set is identified or the PDCP SDU PDU set is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment may additionally discard the PDCP SDU along with a PDU corresponding to the PDCP SDU. In one example, the PDU set information of part of the SDUs of a Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 46 / 83 38 / 58 sets of PDUs are not identified, and the UE does not identify a complete set of PDUs, for example, packet 3 in FIG. 7 is not identified as the first data in a set of PDUs. When the discard timer associated with a PDCP SDU expires, the UE (i.e., the transmitting PDCP entity) may discard the PDCP SDU along with the corresponding PDCP data PDU. The PDU set discard indication may be received in the RRC message, and the discard timer may be a first discard timer or a PSI discard timer of a PDCP SDU.

[0109] In another example, the SDU's PDU set information is not identified, and the UE considers a PDU as a PDU set if the PDU sets from which it is not identified. Then, the UE performs PDU set disposal, and the PDU set includes only the PDU if the PDU set disposal indication is configured, regardless of whether the PSI-based disposal timer or the first disposal timer is used.

[0110] The UE considers a PDU as a PDU set if the PDU set that is identified, and not the entire PDU set of the PDU, is identified by the UE. The UE then performs PDU set disposal and PDU set disposal including only the PDU, regardless of whether it uses the PSI-based disposal timer or the first disposal timer. In an example, if packets 1, 2, 3, and 4 are in a PDU set, and the PDU set information for packets 1 and 2 is not identified, but the PDU set information for packets 3 and 4 is identified, then packets 3 and 4 will be disposed of separately based on the expiration of the disposal timer associated with each packet.

[0111] In some modes, if the discard timer expires, if the PDU set information for the PDU is identified and not all the set information Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 47 / 83 If the PDUs in the PDU set are identified, or the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set, the user equipment may additionally discard one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set for which PDU set information is identified, along with one or more PDUs corresponding to one or more PDCP SDUs. If the PDU set information of the SDUs is identified, the SDUs may be part of a PDU set or all of a PDU set, and the discard timer is either a first discard timer or a second discard timer for a PDCP SDU. The UE discards the PDCP SDUs belonging to a PDU set along with the corresponding PDCP data PDUs if the PDU set discard indication is received in the RRC message.

[0112] In one example, if packets 1, 2, 3, and 4 are in a PDU set, and the PDU set information for packets 1, 2, 3, and 4 is identified, packets 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be dropped together. In another example, if packets 1, 2, 3, and 4 are in a PDU set, and the PDU set information for packets 1 and 2 is not identified, the PDU set information for packets 3 and 4 will be identified, and then packets 3 and 4 will be dropped together.

[0113] In some modes, if the discard timer expires, the user equipment may receive an indication to discard a set of PDUs from the network device. If the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, the user equipment can determine if the PDCP SDU is initiating the PDU set data. If the PDCP SDU is the initial data of the PDU set, the user equipment can discard the PDCP SDUs in the PDU set and the PDCP SDU corresponding to a PDU in the PDU set. If the PDCP SDU is not the initial data of the PDU set, the user equipment can discard the PDCP SDU along with one or more PDCPs. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 48 / 83 40 / 58 SDUs in the PDU set, and the PDU set information from one or more PDCP SDUs will be identified.

[0114] Alternatively, if the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified, the user equipment may transmit a report of the remaining discard time to the network device. The report comprises the smallest discard time value of one or more PDCP SDUs in the PDU set. For example, the UE reports the remaining discard time of the buffered data to the NW if delay reporting is configured. In one example, if the PDU sets are not identified, the remaining discard time of the discard timer may be the smallest value of a PDU set from the LCG. Additionally, for a Logical Channel Group (LCG) including the Logical Channel Channel (LCH) of the data, the UE may report the remaining discard time per LCG or per LCH. Furthermore, if the PDU set information for a PDU is not identified, the UE considers a PDU as a PDU set.

[0115] In some modes, if the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified, the user equipment can transmit a report to the network device. The report indicates that the PDU set information is not identified. For example, the UE can report to the NW that the PDU set information was not identified. Additionally, the report “PDU set information not identified” can be set as a cause value. The report can be generated and reported by DRB, QoS flow, or LCH.

[0116] In some modes, the report is transmitted by means of a UE Assistance Information (UAI) message or a completed Radio Resource Control Reconfiguration (RRC) message.

[0117] In general, the user equipment starts a standard discard timer or a discard timer. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 49 / 83 41 / 58 specified by the NW associated with a packet without identifying the information defined in the PDU. If the PDCP SDU's PDU set information is not identified and the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU expires, the UE discards the PDCP SDU along with the corresponding PDCP Data PDU. If the PDCP SDU's PDU set information is identified and the PDCP SDU's PDU set is not a complete PDU set, and the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU expires, the UE discards the PDCP SDU along with the corresponding PDCP Data PDU. Additionally, the UE informs the NW that the PDU defines DRB information or that the QoS flow is not identified to the NW.

[0118] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 that supports data handling based on the PDU set according to aspects of this disclosure. The operations of method 600 can be implemented by a device or its components as described in this document. For example, the operations of method 600 can be performed by a user device 104, as described in FIG. 1A. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the device's function elements to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the device may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

[0119] In 605, the user equipment determines to map a QoS flow from a first DRB to a second DRB. For example, the UE reconfigures a QoS flow mapped from the first DRB to the second DRB. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a QoS flow DRB remapping procedure according to aspects of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, if the UE transfers from a source NG-RAN that does not support PDU cluster handling to a target NG-RAN that does support PDU cluster handling, there may be some Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 50 / 83 42 / 58 packets 1 and 2 without PDU set information buffered in the PDCP layer or packets 3 and 4 without PDU set information received after receiving the QoS flow modification for the DRB mapping. The UE is configured with the first DRB mapped to a QoS flow, the first DRB is configured without PDU set handling. The UE is reconfigured with the second DRB mapped to the QoS flow, which is originally mapped to the first DRB without PDU set handling, the second DRB is configured with PDU set handling. For example, the first DRB and the second DRB are mapped to the same QoS flow.

[0120] Reference is made again to FIG. 6, in 610, the user equipment routes a PDU from the QoS flow to the second DRB if the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set to the PDU is identified by the user equipment. As shown in FIG. 7, packet 5, packet 6 of the QoS flow identified the PDU set information that is routed to the second DRB. The UE can start routing QoS flow data to the second DRB from the initial QoS flow data, and the PDU set information from the initial data is identified. In one example, the data (packets 5, 6 in FIG. 7) from the QoS flow is not routed to the second DRB until the PDU set information from at least the initial QoS flow data is identified. In another example, if the information defined in the PDU for the initial QoS flow data is identified, the UE will route the initial data and subsequent data to the second DRB.In another example, the data (packet 3,4 in FIG. 7) from the QoS flow with identified PDU set information and the data (packet 1,2 in FIG. 7) from the QoS flow without identified PDU set information are routed to the first DRB.

[0121] In some modes, the user equipment may additionally route a QoS flow PDU to the Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 51 / 83 43 / 58 first DRB if the PDU set information for the PDU identified by the user equipment. In some modes, the PDU set of the PDU is not complete. For example, the data (packets 1, 2, 3, 4 in FIG. 7) of the QoS flow without identified PDU set information are routed to the first DRB. In another example, the data (packets 3, 4 in FIG. 7) of the QoS flow with identified PDU set information and the data (packets 1, 2 in FIG. 7) of the QoS flow without identified PDU set information are routed to the first DRB.

[0122] In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally route a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB if the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment. In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally route a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB if the PDU set of the PDU is not a complete PDU set by the user equipment. In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally route a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB if the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set of the PDU is not identified by the user equipment. For example, the data (packets 1, 2, 3, 4 in FIG. 7) from the QoS flow without identified PDU set information is routed to the first DRB. In other words, the user equipment routes a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB until the PDU set is a complete PDU set.

[0123] In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally route a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB until a first PDU from a set of PDUs is identified by the user equipment or receives a PDU in a complete set of PDUs. In one example, the UE continues routing the QoS flow data to the first DRB, the information of Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 52 / 83 44 / 58 The data PDU set is not identified until the PDU set information for the first data in the QoS flow is identified. For example, after the PDU set information for the initial data in the QoS flow is identified, the UE will no longer route data, including the initial data and data arriving after the initial data, to the first DRB. Even if the PDU set information for the later data in the QoS flow is not identified first, the UE will not route the later data to the first DRB.

[0124] In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally generate a final mark control PDU if the PDU set information for a first PDU in the PDU set is identified by the user equipment. In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally generate a final mark control PDU if the PDU set of a PDU is not a complete PDU set. In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally generate a final mark control PDU if the information defined in the PDU for a QoS flow PDU is identified by the user equipment. In one example, the UE may construct the final mark on the first DRB for NW after the PDU set information of at least one QoS flow data point is identified first. It can be defined as below: When the RRC (TS 38.331 [3]) configures a UL to DRB QoS flow mapping rule for a QoS flow, the SDAP entity must: - If the SDAP entity has already been established and there are no QoS flow mapping rules stored for DRB for the QoS flow, and a default DRB is configured: Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 53 / 83 45 / 58 - construct a final marker control PDU, as specified in clause 6.2.3, for the QoS flow; - Map the final marker control PDU to the default DRB; - Send the final marker control PDU to the lower layers. - if the stored UL QoS flow mapping rule for DRB differs from the QoS flow mapping rule for DRB configured for the QoS flow and the DRB is configured according to the stored QoS flow mapping rule for DRB by the RRC (TS 38.331 [3]) with the presence of the SDAP UL header: If the DRB is configured according to the QoS flow configured for DRB, it does not include the configuration related to the PDU set. - construct a final marker control PDU, as specified in clause 6.2.3, for the QoS flow; then - construct a final marker control PDU at the end of the data transmission in the DRB according to the mapping rule of the stored QoS flow to the DRB, as specified in clause 6.2.3, for the QoS flow; - Map the final marker control PDU to the DRB according to the QoS flow stored for the DRB mapping rule; - Send the final marker control PDU to the lower layers. - Store the UL QoS flow configured in the DRB mapping rule for the QoS flow. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 54 / 83 46 / 58

[0125] In another example, the UE can build the final mark on the first DRB after the PDU set information of an initial data set from a QoS flow PDU set is first identified from a complete PDU set. In another example, the UE can build the final mark on the first DRB upon receiving the RRC reconfiguration. In another example, the UE can build the final mark on the first DRB if it receives a PDU in a complete PDU set.

[0126] In some embodiments, the user equipment may additionally transmit the end mark on the first DRB after completing data transmission on the first DRB. For example, the UE may transmit the end mark on the first DRB to the NW after the identification of the PDU sets, PSI, data bursts of at least one QoS stream data is identified first.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first DRB may not be configured with PDU set handling, and the second DRB may be configured with PDU set handling. In some embodiments, the first PDU may be the initial data in the PDU set or the PDU set of the first PDU may be a complete PDU set.

[0128] In some embodiments, to determine the QoS flow mapping from the first DRB to the second DRB, the user equipment may additionally receive a reconfiguration message from a network device. The reconfiguration message is used to map the QoS flow from the first DRB to the second DRB. Based on the reconfiguration message, the user equipment can determine the QoS flow mapping from the first DRB to the second DRB. For example, the QoS flow remapping function to the DRB can be enabled by a special indication via NW, or configured implicitly by a QoS flow mapped from a DRB without Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 55 / 83 47 / 58 PDU cluster treatment for a DRB with PDU cluster treatment.

[0129] In general, the user equipment routes QoS flow packets to the first DRB for transmission without the user equipment-identified PDU set information. The user equipment routes packets with the identified QoS flow PDU set information to the second DRB from an initial packet with the user equipment-identified PDU set information. Additionally, the user equipment constructs an end-mark control PDU if a first packet with the PDU set information is identified by the UE and transmits the end-mark on the first DRB after completing data transmission on the first DRB.

[0130] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a device 800 that supports data handling based on the PDU set configuration according to aspects of this disclosure. The device 800 may be an example of an SMF 100 as described herein. The device 800 may support wireless communication with one or more network entities 102, UEs 104, or any combination thereof. The device 800 may include components for bidirectional communications, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a processor 802, a memory 804, a transceiver 806, and optionally, an I / O controller 808. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operationally, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0131] The 802 processor, the 804 memory, the 806 transceiver, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for carrying out various aspects of the present disclosure as described in this document. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 56 / 83 48 / 58 For example, the 802 processor, the 804 memory, the 806 transceiver, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

[0132] In some implementations, the 802 processor, the 804 memory, the 806 transceiver, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (for example, in a communications management circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in this disclosure. In some implementations, the 802 processor and the 804 memory coupled to the 802 processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (for example, the 802 processor may execute instructions stored in the 804 memory).

[0133] For example, the 802 processor can support wireless communication on the 800 device according to examples disclosed herein. The 802 processor can be configured to be operable to support a means of receiving, through the transceiver from a network device, a configuration associated with a set of protocol data units (PDUs) for a data radio carrier (DRB); receiving a PDU in a PDU set from a higher layer of user equipment; and initiating a discard timer associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU based on whether the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user equipment. The 802 processor can be further configured to operate to support Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 57 / 83 49 / 58 means for other actions described in FIG 2. The 802 processor can be configured to be operable to support a means for determining the mapping of a Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a first data radio carrier (DRB) to a second DRB; and routing a protocol data unit (PDU) of the QoS flow to the second DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set to the PDU is identified by the user equipment. The 802 processor can be further configured to operate to support means for other actions described in FIG 6.

[0134] The 802 processor may include an intelligent hardware device (for example, a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the 802 processor may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, a memory controller may be integrated into the 802 processor. The 802 processor may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (for example, the 804 memory) to enable the 800 device to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0135] The 804 memory may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The 804 memory may store computer-readable and computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed by the 802 processor, cause the 800 device to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transient, computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executable by the 802 processor. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 58 / 83 50 / 58 but it can cause a computer (for example, when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described here. In some implementations, 804 memory may include, among other things, a basic I / O system (BIOS) that can control basic hardware or software operation, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0136] The 808 I / O controller can manage input and output signals for the 800 device. The 808 I / O controller can also manage peripherals not integrated into the M02 device. In some implementations, the 808 I / O controller may represent a physical connection or port for an external peripheral. In some implementations, the 808 I / O controller may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MSWINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. In some implementations, the 808 I / O controller may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the 806 processor. In some implementations, a user may interact with the 800 device through the 808 I / O controller or through hardware components controlled by the 808 I / O controller.

[0137] In some implementations, the 800 device may include a single 810 antenna. However, in some other implementations, the 800 device may have more than one 810 antenna (i.e., multiple antennas), including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays, which may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The 806 transceiver may communicate bidirectionally, via one or more 810 antennas, wired or wireless links, as described herein. For example, the 806 transceiver may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The 806 transceiver may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more 810 antennas for transmission, and to Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, page 59 / 83 51 / 58 demodulate packets received from one or more antennas 810. The transceiver 806 may include one or more transmit chains, one or more receive chains, or a combination thereof.

[0138] A transmission chain can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmission chain may include at least one modulator to modulate data into a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes such as phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmission chain may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to a power level appropriate for wireless transmission. The transmission chain may also include one or more antennas to transmit the amplified signal into the air or to a wireless medium.

[0139] A receiving chain may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) via a wireless medium. For example, the receiving chain may include one or more 810 antennas to receive the signal over the air or wirelessly. A receiving chain may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. A receiving chain may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain the transmitted data by inverting the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. A receiving chain may include at least one decoder to decode and process the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pages 60 / 83 52 / 58

[0140] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a 900 processor that supports data handling based on the PDU set configuration according to aspects of this disclosure. The 900 processor may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. The 900 processor may include a 902 controller configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. The 900 processor may optionally include at least one 904 memory, such as an L1 / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally, or alternatively, the 900 processor may optionally include one or more 900 arithmetic logic units (ALUs). One or more of these components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0141] The 900 processor may be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receive, get, retrieve, transmit, send, forward, store, determine, identify, access, write, read) as described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., local memory or included in the processor chipset (e.g., the 900 processor) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), and others).

[0142] The 902 controller can be configured to manage and coordinate various operations (e.g., Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 61 / 83 53 / 58 signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the 900 processor to enable the 900 processor to support various operations as described in the examples herein. For example, the 902 controller can operate as a control unit for the 900 processor, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the 900 processor. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating the timing of operations.

[0143] Controller 902 can be configured to fetch (e.g., get, retrieve, receive) instructions from memory 904 and determine the subsequent instruction(s) to be executed to enable processor 900 to support various operations as described in examples herein. Controller 902 can be configured to track the memory address of instructions associated with memory 904. Controller 902 can be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, controller 902 can be configured to interpret the instruction and determine the control signals to be sent to other components of processor 900 to enable processor 900 to support various operations as described in examples herein. Additionally, or alternatively, controller 902 can be configured to manage the data flow within processor 900.The 902 controller can be configured to control data transfer between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and other functional units of the 900 processor.

[0144] Memory 904 may include one or more caches (e.g., local memory or memory included in the processor 900 or other Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 62 / 83 54 / 58 memory, such as RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementations, the 904 memory may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., local to the 900 processor). In some other implementations, the 904 memory may reside externally to the processor chipset (e.g., remote to the 900 processor).

[0145] Memory 904 can store computer-readable and executable code, including instructions that, when executed by processor 900, cause processor 900 to perform various functions described herein. The code can be stored in a non-transient, computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. Controller 902 and / or processor 900 can be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 904 to cause processor 900 to perform various functions. For example, processor 900 and / or controller 902 can be coupled to memory 904, and processor 900, controller 902, and memory 904 can be configured to perform various functions described herein. In some examples, processor 900 can include multiple processors, and memory 904 can include multiple memories.One or more of the multiple processors can be coupled to one or more of the multiple memories, which can be configured, individually or collectively, to perform various functions described herein.

[0146] One or more 900 ALUs can be configured to support various operations as described in the examples herein. In some implementations, one or more 900 ALUs may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the 900 processor). In some other implementations, one or more 900 ALUs may reside externally to the processor chipset (e.g., the 900 processor). One or more 900 ALUs can perform one or more calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of data. For example, one or more ALUs Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pages 63 / 83 55 / 58 900 ALUs can receive input operands and an operation code, which determines the operation to be performed. One or more 900 ALUs can be configured with a variety of logic and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate the data according to the operation. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more 900 ALUs can support logic operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR), not-OR (NOR), and not-AND (NAND), allowing one or more 900 ALUs to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0147] The 900 processor can support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. The 900 processor can be configured to, or be operable to, support a means of receiving, through the transceiver from a network device, a configuration associated with a set of protocol data units (PDUs) for a data radio carrier (DRB); receiving a PDU in a PDU set from a higher layer of user equipment; and initiating a discard timer associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service data unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU based on whether the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user equipment. The 902 processor can be further configured to operate to support means for other actions described in FIG 2.

[0148] Processor 900 can be configured to, or be operable to, support a means of determining the mapping of a Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a first data radio carrier (DRB) to a second DRB; and routing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) of the QoS flow to the second DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set to the PDU is identified by the user equipment. Processor 902 Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 64 / 83 56 / 58 can be further configured to operate in order to support means for other actions described in FIG 6.

[0149] It should be noted that the methods described here describe possible implementations and that the operations and steps may be rearranged or modified in other ways and that other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects of two or more methods may be combined.

[0150] The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or realized with a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0151] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code in a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, wiring, or combinations thereof. Features that implement functions also Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 65 / 83 57 / 58 can be physically located in various positions, including being distributed in such a way that parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0152] Computer-readable media includes non-transient computer storage media and communication media, including any means that facilitate the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transient storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, non-transient computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disc storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transient medium that can be used to transport or store desired program code media in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

[0153] As used herein, including in the claims, an article before an element is unrestricted and understood as referring to at least one of those elements or one or more of those elements. The terms a, at least one, one or more, and at least one of one or more may be interchangeable. As used in this document, including in the claims, or as used in a list of items (for example, a list of items preceded by a phrase such as at least one of or one or more of or one or both of) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase based on should not be interpreted as referring to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step that Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 66 / 83 58 / 58 is described as “based on condition A” and can be based on either condition A or condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same way as the phrase “based, at least in part, on”. Furthermore, as used herein, including in the claims, a “set” may include one or more elements.

[0154] The description here is provided to enable a subject matter expert to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a subject matter expert, and the generic principles set forth herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described in this document, but should be given the broader scope consistent with the principles and new features disclosed in this document. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, pp. 67 / 83

Claims

1 / 7 CLAIMS 1. User equipment (UE), characterized in that it comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, through the transceiver from a network device, a configuration associated with a Data Protocol Unit (PDU) set for a Data Radio Carrier (DRB); receive a PDU in a PDU set from an upper layer of the user equipment; and initiate a discard timer associated with a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU based on whether the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user equipment.

2. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the PDU set information comprises at least one of the following: a PDU set sequence number; an indication of the final PDU in the PDU set; a sequence number of a PDU within the PDU set; a PDU set size in bytes; or a PDU set importance level (PSI) of the PDU set.

3. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the discard timer comprises one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PSI level; or a second discard timer corresponding to a PSI level. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 68 / 83 2 / 7 4. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that initiating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, initiating one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PSI level; or a second discard timer corresponding to a standard PSI level.

5. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that initiating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: based on the determination that the PDU set for the PDU is not a complete PDU set, initiating one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PSI level; or a second discard timer corresponding to a standard PSI level.

6. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor is additionally led to: based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, consider the PDU as a PDU set.

7. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor is additionally led to: based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment, consider the PDU's PSI as a standard PSI. Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 69 / 83 3 / 7 8. User equipment, according to claim 1, characterized in that initiating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user equipment and the PDU set is not complete for all PDUs in the PDCP SDU PDU set by the UE, initiating one of the following: a first discard timer, which does not correspond to a PDU set importance level (PSI); or a second discard timer corresponding to a standard PSI level.

9. User equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that the PDU set information is not identified for all PDUs in the PDCP SDU PDU set by the UE, comprising: the PDU set information for the initial data in the PDU set is not identified or the PDU set for the PDCP SDU is not a complete PDU set.

10. User equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that the processor is additionally configured to: either additionally ignore the first discard timer if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU from a second set of PDUs; or initiate a second discard timer corresponding to a PSI level of the second set of PDUs if the PDCP SDU is a PDCP SDU from the second set of PDUs.

11. User equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that: the PDU set information for the first PDU in the second PDU set is identified by the user equipment; the PDCP SDU is an initial data point of the second PDU set; Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 70 / 83 4 / 7 the discard timer is the first discard timer; the PDU set is a first PDU set and the second PDU set follows the first PDU set; the second PDU set is a complete PDU set; or the first PDU set is not a complete PDU set.

12. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that initiating the discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU comprises: initiating a second discard timer associated with the PDCP SDU based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified, wherein a PSI level of the second discard timer is the PSI level of the PDU set for the PDU.

13. User equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that the processor is additionally configured to: determine whether the PDCP SDU is the initial data of the first set of PDUs or whether the PDCP PDU's set of PDUs is not a complete set of PDUs; based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is the initial data of the first set of PDUs or that the PDCP PDU's set of PDUs is a complete set of PDUs, initiate a second discard timer corresponding to which a PSI level is the PSI of the first set of PDUs for the PDU; or based on the determination that the PDCP SDU is not the initial data of the first set of PDUs or the PDCP PDU's set of PDUs is not a complete set of PDUs, not initiate a second discard timer until a first PDU of the set of PDUs is identified.

14. User equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that if the discard timer expires, the processor is additionally configured to: Petition 870250087930, dated 09 / 29 / 2025, p. 71 / 83 5 / 7 based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is identified and based on the determination that not all PDU set information for the PDUs in the PDU set is identified or the PDCP SDU PDU set is not a complete PDU set, discard one or more PDCP SDUs for which the PDU set information is identified, along with one or more PDUs corresponding to one or more PDCP SDUs.

15. User equipment, according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the processor is additionally configured to: based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified, transmit to the network device a report indicating that the PDU set information is not identified.

16. User equipment (UE), characterized in that it comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: determine the mapping of a Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a first data radio carrier (DRB) to a second DRB; and route a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) of the QoS flow to the second DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set to the PDU is identified by the user equipment.

17. User equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that the processor is additionally configured to: route a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for the PDU is not identified by the user equipment; or route a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU from the PDU set is not identified by the user equipment.

18. User equipment, according to claim 16, characterized in that the processor is additionally configured to: route a PDU from the QoS flow to the first DRB until a first PDU from a set of PDUs is identified by the user equipment or the PDU set is a complete set of PDUs.

19. A method performed by a user device, characterized in that it comprises: receiving, via the transceiver from a network device, a configuration associated with a Data Protocol Unit (PDU) set for a Data Radio Carrier (DRB); receiving a PDU in a PDU set from an upper layer of the user device; initiating a discard timer associated with a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) corresponding to the PDU based on whether the PDU set information for the PDU is identified by the user device.

20. A method implemented by a user device, characterized in that it comprises: determining the mapping of a Quality of Service (QoS) flow from a first data radio carrier (DRB) to a second DRB; and routing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) of the QoS flow to the second DRB based on the determination that the PDU set information for a first PDU of the PDU set is identified by the user device.

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