Protection of Recovery Request Messages

Abstract

Embodiments of apparatuses, systems, and methods for a user equipment device (UE) and / or a cellular network to resume a connection are provided. To resume the connection, the UE may transmit a fully protected connection resume message. For example, the fully protected connection resume message may include protection for a resume cause field.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to wireless devices, and more particularly, to apparatuses, systems, and methods for protecting messages related to connection restoration. Background Art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. Wireless devices, especially wireless user equipment (UE), have become widespread. In addition, there are various applications (or apps) hosted on user devices that perform or rely on wireless communication, such as apps that provide messaging, email, browsing, video streaming, short videos, voice streaming, real-time gaming, or various other online services.

[0003] In some cases, a UE may suspend or release its connection to the network. Messages related to connection restoration may be vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks. Therefore, improvements in this area are desired. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Techniques, apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed for a user equipment (UE) and a cellular network to resume a suspended or released connection (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) connection). The UE and / or the network may determine support for exchanging messages related to resuming the connection (e.g., RRCResumeRequest) using a new format. After determining support, the connection may be released / suspended. The UE may transmit a message to the network to resume / re-establish the connection.

[0005] This summary of the invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above features are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as narrowing the scope or essence of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] A better understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein can be obtained when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0007] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in accordance with some embodiments;

[0008] Figure 2 A base station (BS) communicating with a user equipment (UE) device is shown in accordance with some embodiments;

[0009] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE is shown in accordance with some embodiments;

[0010] Figure 4Exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments;

[0011] Figure 5 Exemplary block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments;

[0012] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Example of a 5G NR base station (gNB) according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 8 Exemplary method of a protection restoration request message according to some embodiments; and

[0014] Figures 9 to 15 Exemplary aspects of restoring a connection according to some embodiments.

[0015] Although the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the present invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative forms falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Description

[0016] Acronyms

[0017] The following acronyms may be used in this patent application:

[0018] UE: User Equipment

[0019] BS: Base Station

[0020] gNB: Distributed Unit Logic Node Base Station (gNodeB)

[0021] NR: New Radio

[0022] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0023] VoLTE: Voice over Long Term Evolution

[0024] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0025] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0026] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0027] E-UTRAN: Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN

[0028] CN: Core Network

[0029] EPC: Evolved Packet Core

[0030] MME: Mobility Management Entity

[0031] HSS: Home Subscriber Server

[0032] SGW: Serving Gateway

[0033] PS: Packet Switching

[0034] CS: Circuit Switching

[0035] EPS: Evolved Packet Switching System

[0036] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0037] IE: Information Element

[0038] UL: Uplink

[0039] DL: Downlink

[0040] RS: Reference Signal

[0041] PLMN: Public Land Mobile Network

[0042] Terms

[0043] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0044] Memory medium - any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system that executes a program, or may be located in a different second computer system that is connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media located at different positions in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) executable by one or more processors.

[0045] Carrier medium - The memory medium as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0046] Programmable hardware elements - Include various hardware devices that include multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable functional blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinational logic components or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic components".

[0047] Computer system - Any of various types of computing systems or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network devices, Internet devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. Generally speaking, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to cover any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0048] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - Any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone TM , Android TM -based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM , Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), laptop computers, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), personal digital assistants, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is convenient for the user to carry and capable of performing wireless communication.

[0049] Wireless device - Any of various types of computer system devices that perform wireless communication. The wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or can be stationary or fixed in a certain location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0050] Communication device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication can be wired or wireless. The communication device can be portable (or mobile), or can be stationary or fixed in a certain location. A wireless device is an example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0051] Base station—The term "base station" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and is used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0052] Processing element—Refers to various elements or combinations of elements that can perform functions in a device such as a user equipment or a cellular network device. Processing elements can include, for example: a processor and associated memory, parts or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any one of the various combinations above.

[0053] Channel—The medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that since the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" used in the present invention can be considered to be used in a manner that conforms to the standards of the type of device to which the term is referred. In some standards, the channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel can be 22 MHz wide, while a Bluetooth channel can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards can include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards can define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0054] Frequency band—The term "frequency band" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a segment of the spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0055] Automatically - means that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the action or operation being directly specified or performed through user input. Thus, the term "automatically" is contrary to an operation being performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automated process can be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are "automatically" performed are not specified by the user, i.e., they are not performed "manually", where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a spreadsheet by selecting each field and providing input to specify information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is a manual filling of the spreadsheet, even though the computer system must update the spreadsheet in response to the user's actions. The spreadsheet can be filled out automatically by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on a computer system) analyzes the fields of the spreadsheet and fills out the spreadsheet without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the spreadsheet but does not participate in the actual filling of the spreadsheet (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but they are completed automatically). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by a user.

[0056] About - means close to the correct or exact value. For example, about can mean a value within 1% to 10% of the exact (or desired) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can depend on the application. For example, in some embodiments, "about" can mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, depending on the expectations or requirements of a particular application, the threshold can be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc.

[0057] Concurrent - means parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, or programs are executed in at least a partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency can be achieved using "strong" or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on corresponding computing elements; or using "weak parallelism" to achieve concurrency, where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., through time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0058] Configured to - Various components can be described as "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such an environment, "configured to" is a broad expression generally meaning "having" the "structure" to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently performing a task, the component can be configured to perform that task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad expression generally meaning "having" the "circuitry" to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently powered on, the component can be configured to perform a task. Generally, the circuitry forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuitry.

[0059] For ease of description, various components can be described as performing one or more tasks. Such a description should be interpreted to include the phrase "configured to". A component described as configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) for that component.

[0060] Figure 1 and Figure 2 — Communication system

[0061] Figure 1 FIG. shows a simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 1 the system shown is only one example of possible systems, and the features of the present disclosure can be implemented in any of the various systems as needed.

[0062] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102 that communicates with one or more user devices 106A, user device 106B, up to user device 106N via a transmission medium. Each user device can be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Thus, user device 106 is referred to as a UE or a UE device.

[0063] The base station (BS) 102 can be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site ("cellular base station") and may include hardware enabling wireless communication with UEs 106A through 106N.

[0064] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station can be referred to as a "cell". The base station 102 and the UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any one of various radio access technologies (RATs), which are also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an 'eNodeB' or 'eNB'. Note that if the base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a 'gNodeB' or 'gNB'.

[0065] As shown in the figure, the base station 102 can also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., among various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and / or the Internet). Thus, the base station 102 can facilitate communication between user devices and / or between a user device and the network 100. In particular, the cellular base station 102 can provide the UE 106 with various telecommunication capabilities such as voice, Short Message Service (SMS), and / or data services.

[0066] Base stations 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can thus provide a network as a cell, and this cell network can provide continuous or approximately continuous overlapping services to the UEs 106A - 106N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0067] Thus, although the base station 102 can act as the "serving cell" of the UEs 106A - 106N as shown in Figure 1 , each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and potentially be within its communication range) from one or more other cells (possibly provided by other base stations 102B - 102N), and these one or more other cells can be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells may also be able to facilitate communication between user devices and / or between a user device and the network 100. Such cells can include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or any various other granularities of cells providing service area sizes. Other configurations are also possible.

[0068] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a "gNB". In some embodiments, the gNB may be connected to a traditional evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or connected to a New Radio communication core (NRC) network. Additionally, a gNB cell may include one or more transmission and reception points (TRPs). Further, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0069] Note that UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, e.g., WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., Advanced Television Systems Committee-Mobile / Handheld (ATSC-M / H)), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0070] Figure 2 Shown is a user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 according to some embodiments. UE 106 may be a device having cellular communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer, or a tablet computer or indeed any type of wireless device.

[0071] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein or any part of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0072] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for a multiple-input, multiple-output or “MIMO” antenna system) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains using the foregoing hardware. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0073] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include any number of antennas and may be configured to transmit and / or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams) using the antennas. Similarly, BS 102 may also include any number of antennas and may be configured to transmit and / or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams) using the antennas. To receive and / or transmit such directional signals, the antennas of UE 106 and / or BS 102 may be configured to apply different “weights” to different antennas. The process of applying these different weights may be referred to as “precoding”.

[0074] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include separate transmit chains and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol that it is configured to communicate with. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols and one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5GNR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM) and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are possible.

[0075] In some embodiments, UE106 may communicate with multiple BS102 (e.g., in parallel). One or more BS 102 may constitute a radio access network (RAN).

[0076] Figure 3 —Block diagram of the UE

[0077] Figure 3 Shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 3 The block diagram of the communication device is only one example of a possible communication device. According to an embodiment, in addition to other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook or portable computing device), a tablet, and / or a combination of devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the set of components may be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 may be implemented as separate components or groups of components for various purposes. This set of components 300 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0078] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a docking station; a charging station; input devices such as a microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as a speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to mid-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0079] The cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 335 and 336 shown. The short-range to mid-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 337 and 338 shown. Alternatively, the short-range to mid-range wireless communication circuitry 329, in addition to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) being coupled to the antennas 337 and 338 or as an alternative, may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to the antennas 335 and 336. The short-range to mid-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0080] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR), which include and / or are (e.g., communicatively, directly or indirectly) coupled to dedicated processors and / or radio components. Additionally, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include a single transmit chain that can switch between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with the dedicated receive chain as well as the transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with the dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain.

[0081] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to work with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include various elements such as a display 360 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of various other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0082] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 having SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards) 345.

[0083] As shown, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor may execute program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuit may perform graphics processing and provide a display signal to the display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (the MMU 340 may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or be coupled to other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 304, short-range wireless communication circuitry 229, cellular communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or the display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0084] As described above, the communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. The communication device 106 may be configured to transmit a request attached to a first network node operating according to a first RAT and to transmit an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first network node and a second network node operating according to a second RAT. The wireless device may also be configured to transmit a request attached to the second network node. The request may include an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first and second network nodes. Additionally, the wireless device may be configured to receive an indication that a dual connection (DC) with the first and second network nodes has been established.

[0085] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing features for performing transmissions using multiplexing according to multiple radio access technologies in the same frequency carrier (e.g., and / or multi-frequency carriers) and various other techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described in the present invention. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described in the present invention.

[0086] Furthermore, as described in the present invention, the processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the processor 302. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more of the functions of the processor 302.

[0087] In addition, as described in the present invention, the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may each include one or more processing elements and / or processors. In other words, one or more processing elements / processors may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements / processors may be included in the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Thus, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Similarly, the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0088] Figure 4 —Block diagram of a base station

[0089] Figure 4 Exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. Note that, Figure 4 the base station is only one example of possible base stations. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuits or devices, and the MMU may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate these addresses into locations in a memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0090] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to a plurality of devices such as UE devices 106 to the telephone network as described above in Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0091] The network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured or alternatively configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices such as UE devices 106. In some cases, the network port 470 may be coupled to the telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0092] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a "gNB". In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a traditional Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network and / or connected to an NR Core (NRC) network. Additionally, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs). Further, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0093] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. Radio component 430 and at least one antenna 434 may be configured to act as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106. Antenna 434 may communicate with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0094] Base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multi-mode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies, e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.

[0095] As further described hereinbelow, base station 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting embodiments of the features described herein. The processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support embodiments of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of other components 430, component 432, component 434, component 440, component 450, component 460, component 470, the processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support embodiments of part or all of the features described herein.

[0096] In addition, as described in the present invention, one or more processors 404 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 404.

[0097] In addition, as described in the present invention, radio component 430 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, radio component 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430.

[0098] In some embodiments, BS 102 may provide access to a cellular network via 3GPP access and / or non-3GPP access. In some embodiments, BS 102 providing non-3GPP access may be referred to as an access point.

[0099] Figure 5 —Block diagram of a cellular communication circuit

[0100] Figure 5 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments is shown. Note that Figure 5The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely an example of a possible cellular communication circuit; other circuits, such as a circuit including or coupled to sufficient antennas for different RATs to perform uplink activities using separate antennas, are also possible. According to an embodiment, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As described above, in addition to other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices.

[0101] The cellular communication circuit 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 335a - 335b and 336 shown in ( Figure 3 ). In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit system 330 may include dedicated receive chains (which include and / or are (e.g., communicatively, directly or indirectly) coupled to dedicated processors and / or radio components) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as Figure 5 shown, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT, such as LTE or LTE-A, and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT, such as 5G NR.

[0102] As shown in the figure, the modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 communicating with the processors 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front end 530. The RF front end 530 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 530 may include a receive circuit (RX) 532 and a transmit circuit (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receive circuit 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335a.

[0103] Similarly, the modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 communicating with the processors 522. The modem 520 may communicate with the RF front end

[0104] 540. The RF front end 540 may include circuits for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 540 may include a receive circuit 542 and a transmit circuit 544. In some embodiments, the receive circuit 542 may communicate with a DL front end 560, which may include circuits for receiving radio signals via the antenna 335b.

[0105] In some embodiments, a switch (e.g., and / or combiner, multiplexer, etc.) 570 may couple the transmit circuit 534 to the uplink (UL) front end 572. Additionally, the switch 570 may couple the transmit circuit 544 to the UL front end 572. The UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via the antenna 336. Thus, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported via the modem 510), the switch 570 may be switched to a first state that allows the modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 534 and the UL front end 572). Similarly, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported via the modem 520), the switch 570 may be switched to a second state that allows the modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including the transmit circuit 544 and the UL front end 572).

[0106] In some embodiments, the modem 510 and the modem 520 may be configured to transmit simultaneously, receive simultaneously, and / or transmit and receive simultaneously. Thus, when the cellular communication circuit 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to both a first RAT (e.g., supported via the modem 510) and a second RAT (e.g., supported via the modem 520), the combiner 570 may be switched to a third state that allows the modems 510 and 520 to transmit signals according to the first RAT and the second RAT (e.g., via the transmit circuits 534 and 544 and the transmit circuitry of the UL front end 572). In other words, the modems may coordinate communication activities, and each modem may perform transmit and / or receive functions as needed at any time.

[0107] In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be configured to transmit, via a first modem, a request attached to a first network node operating according to a first RAT when the switch is in the first state, and to transmit, via the first modem, an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first network node and a second network node operating according to a second RAT when the switch is in the first state. The wireless device may also be configured to transmit, via a second radio component, a request attached to the second network node when the switch is in the second state. The request may include an indication that the wireless device is capable of maintaining substantially concurrent connections with the first and second network nodes. Additionally, the wireless device may be configured to receive an indication that a dual connection with the first and second network nodes has been established via the first radio component.

[0108] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing features that use multiplexing to perform transmissions according to multiple radio access technologies in the same frequency carrier and various other technologies described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein.

[0109] In some embodiments, processors 512, 522, etc. may be configured to implement or support the implementation of some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processors 512, 522, etc. may be configured as programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays or as application specific integrated circuits or combinations thereof. Additionally, as described in the present invention, processors 512, 522, etc. may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors 512, 522, etc. may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processors 512, 522, etc. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 512, 522, etc.

[0110] As described herein, modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing features that use multiplexing to perform transmissions according to multiple radio access technologies in the same frequency carrier and various other technologies described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), in combination with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336, processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the feature portions described herein.

[0111] Figures 6 to 7 — 5G NR architecture

[0112] In some specific implementations, fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications will initially be deployed in parallel with other wireless communication standards (e.g., LTE). For example, Figure 6 illustrates a possible stand-alone (SA) implementation of a Next Generation Core (NGC) network 606 and a 5G NR base station (e.g., gNB 604), a dual connection between LTE and 5G New Radio (5G NR or NR), such as according to Figure 7 the exemplary non-stand-alone (NSA) architecture shown, has been designated as part of the initial deployment of NR. Thus, as Figure 7 shown, the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network 600 can continue to communicate with current LTE base stations (e.g., eNB 602). In addition, the eNB 602 can communicate with the 5G NR base station (e.g., gNB 604) and can transfer data between the core network 600 and the gNB 604. In some cases, the gNB 604 may also at least have a user plane reference point with the EPC network 600. Thus, the EPC network 600 can be used (or reused), and the gNB 604 can act as additional capacity for user equipment, e.g., for providing increased downlink throughput to the UE. In other words, LTE can be used for control plane signaling, and NR can be used for user plane signaling. Thus, LTE can be used to establish a connection to the network, and NR can be used for data services. It should be understood that many other non-stand-alone architecture variants are possible.

[0113] Figure 8 - Protection of recovery request messages

[0114] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit one or more messages to the network to re-establish or resume a previously suspended / released connection, such as an RRC connection. For example, the UE may use an RRC Resume Request message for this purpose. Note that, as used herein, the term "RRC Resume Request" may include similar messages, such as RRC Resume Request1, etc.

[0115] One or more techniques can be used to protect various messages. For example, an authentication token such as a Media Access Control (MAC) token can be used to allow a receiver to verify a message. For example, the message can be based on symmetric encryption. According to some embodiments, ResumeMAC-I or short ResumeMAC-I can be used to protect the RRC ResumeRequest message. A transmitter (e.g., such as UE 106) and a receiver (e.g., such as BS 102 like gNB) can share the same shared key for the MAC-I. When the receiver obtains the message with ResumeMAC-I or short ResumeMAC-I, it can use the shared key to verify the MAC-I. If the verification using the shared key is successful, the receiver can determine that the resume request message associated with the MAC-I is genuine. Otherwise, the message may be regarded as a false message. Note that, for simplicity, the term "ResumeMAC-I" used herein can be understood to include short ResumeMAC-I and / or long / complete ResumeMAC-I.

[0116] However, according to some embodiments, some fields (such as the resume cause field in the RRC ResumeRequest message) may not be protected by ResumeMAC-I. Therefore, the integrity of the resume cause field in the RRC ResumeRequest message may not be provided. For example, this field may not be protected. Thus, a Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM) attack (e.g., via a fake base station or a fake UE) is possible, e.g., by modifying the resume cause from one value to another value. Such an attack may compromise the quality or type of service provided by the network to the UE. Additionally, in 5G, "RAN update" can be added as another value for the resume cause field. If an attacker were to modify the value of the resume cause field from "emergency" to "ran update", the network may not be able to detect the attack. Moreover, for example, when the UE is waiting to establish an emergency call, the network can (e.g., immediately) send the UE back to the inactive state (e.g., suspend / release the RRC connection).

[0117] In some proposals, for example, according to 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 33.809, the entire RRCResumeRequest should be considered as the input to ResumeMAC-I. In other words, all fields of the RRCResumeRequest (including the resume cause field) can be input into ResumeMAC-I and can thus be protected. Therefore, according to such a proposal, the "new" ResumeMAC-I can take the entire RRCResumeRequest message as input (e.g., for protection based on a token). Such a "new" ResumeMAC-I and / or the RRCResumeRequest message can be referred to as a fully protected connection resume message. In other words, the fully protected connection resume message can include the resume cause field as input to the MAC-I token. According to some embodiments, all fields of the connection resume message except the ResumeMAC-I part can be protected. In some embodiments, all fields of the fully protected connection resume message can be protected. In contrast, the "old" ResumeMAC-I may leave at least one field unprotected (e.g., the resume cause field and / or one or more other fields). The "old" ResumeMAC-I can only take the following inputs, for example, in accordance with 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.331, v.15.8.0, clause 7.4: sourcePhysCellID, targetCellIdentity, and source-c-RNTI. The sourcePhysCellID can be set to the physical cell identity of the primary cell (PCell) to which the UE was connected before the RRC connection was suspended. The targetCellIdentity can be an input variable for calculating resumeMAC-I, which can be set to the cell identity of the first public land mobile network (PLMN) identity included in the PLMN-identityinfoList broadcast in the system information block (SIB), e.g., SIB1 of the target cell (e.g., the cell that the UE is attempting to resume). The source-C-RNTI can be set to the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) that the UE had in the PCell to which it was connected before the RRC connection was suspended. However, the entire process of such a proposal, for example using the "new" ResumeMAC-I, may not be clarified at this time.

[0118] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an exemplary method of protecting messages related to connection resume according to some embodiments. Figure 8Aspects of the method can be implemented by the UE 106 communicating with the cellular network 100 (e.g., including one or more BSs 102), as illustrated and described with respect to the figures, or as needed, more generally in conjunction with any one of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the figures and other devices. For example, a processor (or processors) of the UE (e.g., processor 302, processors such as processor 512 and / or 522 associated with communication circuitry 329 or 330), a base station (e.g., in various possibilities, processor 404, or a processor associated with radio components 430 and / or communication link 432), or a network element (e.g., NGC 606, any component of the EPC 600, such as AMF, N3IWF, etc.) can cause the UE, base station, and / or network element to perform some or all of the illustrated method elements. For example, a baseband processor or an application processor of the UE can cause the UE to perform some or all of the illustrated method elements. Note that although at least some elements of the method are described in a way that involves using communication technologies and / or features associated with 3GPP specification documents, such a description is not intended to limit the present disclosure, and aspects of the method can be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. In various embodiments, some of the elements of the illustrated method can be executed simultaneously in a different order than shown, can be replaced by other method elements, or can be omitted. Additional method elements can also be executed as needed. As shown, the method can operate as follows.

[0119] According to some embodiments, the UE 106 can establish a connection (802) with the network 100 (e.g., a PLMN, which can operate according to a cellular standard such as NR). The connection can include an RRC connection. The UE and the network can exchange data and / or control information in the uplink and / or downlink directions.

[0120] According to some embodiments, the UE 106 and / or the network 100 can release the connection (804). The UE or the network can initiate the release. For example, the network can transmit an RRC release message to the UE, causing the UE to release the connection. Such an RRC release message can include configuration information related to the suspension of the connection (e.g., SuspendConfig). In various possibilities, this configuration information can include information related to how the UE can resume the connection.

[0121] According to some embodiments, the UE 106 may use a fully protected connection resume message to determine whether and / or how the network (or one or more BSs of the network) supports (e.g., and / or how the network configures the UE to use) a resume request (806). Among various possibilities, such determination may be made before connection establishment (e.g., before starting the connection establishment procedure), concurrently with connection establishment, after connection establishment, and before connection release, concurrently with connection release, or after connection release. In other words, 806 may occur before, after, or concurrently with 802 or 804, or may occur between 802 and 804. Among various possibilities, such determination may be based on an indication received from the network or based on a response of the network to a message transmitted by the UE.

[0122] Three examples are provided below of the UE receiving an indication from the network of network support (e.g., and / or configuring the UE to use) a fully protected connection resume message. Among various possibilities, such indication may be transmitted by the network in the form of an information element (IE), e.g., NewResumeMAC-I IE, RRCResumeRequest IE, or fully protected connection resume message IE.

[0123] As a first example, the UE may receive one or more SIBs or other broadcasts transmitted by one or more BSs of the network, and such SIB or other broadcast may include an indication of network support (or support by one or more BSs) for a resume request using a fully protected connection resume message. Among various possibilities, the UE may receive SIB1, which may include an indication of whether and / or how the network (or one or more BSs of the network) uses a fully protected connection resume message to support a resume request. Note that among various possibilities, such indication may be included in a different SIB (e.g., in addition to SIB1) or in the master information block (MIB). In some embodiments, such indication may be received before establishing an RRC connection. For example, the BS may broadcast such indication periodically, e.g., in a SIB. Such SIB may be received before establishing an RRC connection, while the RRC connection is active, or after the RRC connection is released (e.g., by the UE entering an inactive state or an idle state). Refer to Figure 10 This example is further illustrated and described.

[0124] As a second example, the UE may receive such indication from the network at a time associated with connection release. For example, the network may include such indication when releasing or suspending a connection or in association with releasing or suspending a connection. For example, the IE for such indication may be included in or with an RRCRelease message, a suspend configuration (e.g., SuspendConfig), etc. Refer toFigure 11 This example is further illustrated and described.

[0125] As a third example, the UE may receive an indication at multiple times. For example, the network may include such an indication in the SIB broadcast and RRC release. In other words, the network may include the indication as described in both the first example and the second example above. This may allow the UE to mitigate the likelihood of modifying the SIB message (e.g., MiTM attack). Thus, if the UE does not receive the indication in the RRC release (e.g., after receiving the indication in the SIB), the UE may determine that the network does not support fully protected connection resume messages (e.g., the UE may determine to use the old ResumeMAC-I). Refer to Figure 12 This example is further illustrated and described.

[0126] As described above, the UE may determine that the network supports (e.g., and / or the network configures the UE to use) fully protected connection resume messages based on the network's response to one or more messages sent by the UE. In other words, the UE may indicate to the network that the UE supports fully protected connection resume messages and may determine whether to use fully protected connection resume messages based on whether and how the network responds to the UE's indication. A network that does not support fully protected connection resume messages may have two options to respond to such an indication from the UE. As a first option, the network may configure the UE (e.g., at connection release, e.g., in SuspendConfig or RRCRelease) to use an old (e.g., non-fully protected) connection resume message, such as the old ResumeMAC-I. In this case, the UE may receive an explicit instruction to use the old format of the connection resume message. As a second option, the network may not modify its response to the message including the UE's indication based on the UE's indication. In other words, the network may not respond to the UE's indication. However, it should be noted that the network may respond to other aspects of the message transmitted by the UE, e.g., if the message includes information other than the UE's indication of support for fully protected connection resume messages. Thus, the UE may not receive a response from the network to its indication of support. Based on such lack of response and / or the explicit instruction to use the old format, the UE may determine that the network does not support fully protected connection resume messages. If the network does support fully protected connection resume messages, the network may (e.g., at connection release) configure the UE to use fully protected connection resume messages or otherwise reply with an indication that it supports the feature. Three examples of the UE providing such an indication to the network are provided below.

[0127] As a first example, the UE may include an indication when establishing security for, for example, the access stratum (AS). For example, when transmitting a security mode command (SMC) complete message, the UE may include an indication of its support for a fully protected connection resume message. Refer to Figure 13 This example is further illustrated and described.

[0128] As a second example, the UE may include an indication when registering with the network. For example, when transmitting a registration request message, the UE may include an indication of its support for a fully protected connection resume message. Refer to Figure 14 This example is further illustrated and described.

[0129] As a third example, the UE may include an indication when establishing security for, for example, the non-access stratum (NAS). For example, when transmitting an SMC complete message associated with the NAS, the UE may include an indication of its support for a fully protected connection resume message. Refer to Figure 15 This example is further illustrated and described.

[0130] According to some embodiments, the UE 106 may resume its connection (808) with the network 100. The UE may transmit a fully protected connection resume message (e.g., an RRC Resume Request using a new ResumeMAC-I) and / or a non-fully protected connection resume message (e.g., an RRC Resume Request using an old ResumeMAC-I). According to some embodiments, the UE may select whether to use a fully protected connection resume message and / or a non-fully protected connection resume message based on a determination of whether and how the network supports fully protected connection resume messages (e.g., as determined in 806). In other words, in response to determining that the network supports (or does not support) fully protected connection resume messages, the UE may (or may not) use a fully protected connection resume message to resume the connection. In some embodiments, even if the UE determines that the network does support fully protected connection resume messages, the UE may not use a fully protected connection resume message.

[0131] The UE and the network may exchange other messages related to resuming the connection. For example, according to some embodiments, the network may transmit an RRC resume message, and the UE may respond with an RRC resume complete message. The UE and the network may exchange data and / or control information in the uplink and / or downlink directions.

[0132] Figures 9 to 15 — Resume connection

[0133] Figures 9 to 15is a communication flow diagram showing the restoration of a connection between UE 106 and network 100 according to some embodiments. It should be understood that the communication flows in these figures may be Figure 8 examples of the method, but these examples are not restrictive. In various embodiments, some of the elements shown may be executed simultaneously in a different order than shown, may be replaced by other elements, or may be omitted. Additional elements may also be executed as needed.

[0134] As Figure 9 shown, UE 106 may receive an SIB or other message (902) broadcast by BS 102 of network 100. The SIB or other broadcast message may include configuration information related to restoring the connection. For example, such a broadcast message may indicate what procedure can be used to determine whether a fully protected connection restoration message is configured. In other words, the broadcast may identify what messages the UE and / or network can use to exchange indications regarding support and / or configuration of the connection restoration message. The UE may establish a connection with the network, such as an RRC connection (904). The UE and the network may establish the security of the AS, for example, by the network transmitting an AS SMC command (906) and the UE responding with an AS SMC complete (907). The UE and the network may perform the configuration (and / or reconfiguration) of the connection (e.g., RRC reconfiguration) (908). The UE may register with the network, for example, by transmitting an initial registration request (910), and the network may grant the registration, for example, by transmitting a registration acceptance (912). The network may indicate to the UE to protect the NAS, for example, by transmitting a NAS SMC command (914). The UE may establish NAS security and respond, for example, with a NAS SMC complete (916). The network may determine to release the connection (e.g., by transmitting an RRCRelease, possibly including SuspendConfig) (918).

[0135] After releasing the connection, the UE may operate in the inactive mode (920). When determining to restore the connection (e.g., to exchange data with the network), the UE may transmit a connection restoration message (922), such as an RRCResumeRequest. As described above, RRCResumeRequest1 or other types of RRC restoration requests may be appropriately used. In the illustrated example, the connection restoration message may not be fully protected (e.g., an old ResumeMAC-I may be used). However, it should be understood that, according to some embodiments, fully protected connection restoration messages and / or non-fully protected connection restoration messages may be used. For example, for a network that supports fully protected connection restoration messages, the UE may include a new ResumeMAC-I, while for a legacy network that may not support fully protected connection restoration messages, the UE may include only an old ResumeMAC-I.

[0136] The network may, for example, use ResumeMAC-I to verify a connection resume message (924). If the connection resume message is not successfully verified, the network may reject the request and / or may not resume the connection. However, in response to successfully verifying the resume request, the network may accept the request (926) by, for example, transmitting an RRC resume message. The UE may respond with a message indicating that the connection has been resumed (928) (e.g., RRC resume complete).

[0137] In Figure 8 some embodiments of the method, the UE may not determine that the network supports fully protected connection resume messages. For example, the UE and the network may not exchange signaling indicating that the network supports fully protected connection resume messages. In other words, according to some embodiments, 806 may not be performed. Thus, the UE may (e.g., at 922) use both the old ResumeMAC-I and the new ResumeMAC-I, for example, in the same RRC ResumeRequest message. The message may be described as: RRC ResumeRequest (old ResumeMAC-I + new ResumeMAC-I) / RRC ResumeRequest1 (old ResumeMAC-I + new ResumeMAC-I). In this way, the UE may not rely on any indication from the network as to whether the network supports verification of the new ResumeMAC-I, e.g., whether the network supports fully protected connection resume messages. If the network does not support fully protected connection resume messages, the network may only verify the old ResumeMAC-I and may ignore the new ResumeMAC-I. However, if the network supports fully protected connection resume messages, it may verify the new ResumeMAC-I.

[0138] Figure 10 An example is shown in which the network uses a broadcast message (such as SIB1) to provide an indication of its support for fully protected connection resume messages. As shown, according to some embodiments, the UE 106 may receive an SIB (1002) broadcast by the BS 102 of the network 100. The SIB may include an indication that the network supports fully protected connection resume messages, for example, as an IE or other message or field. For example, such an indication may be a fully protected connection resume message IE such as a New ResumeMAC-I IE or a similar element. Based on the broadcast (e.g., and / or the indication within the broadcast message), the UE may determine that the network supports fully protected connection resume messages, e.g., as described above with respect to 806. For example, the UE may determine to use fully protected connection resume messages in cases where the connection has been suspended and is to be resumed.

[0139] The UE and the network can continue with transmitting / receiving broadcasts, performing connection establishment, AS security, configuration, registration, NAS security, and connection release as described above with respect to 902-918 (note that these elements can be performed in a different order, one or more of the shown elements can be omitted, and / or additional elements can be performed). The UE can operate in the inactive mode as discussed above with respect to 920.

[0140] According to some embodiments, upon determining to resume the connection, the UE can transmit a connection resume message (1022). In response to a determination that the network supports (e.g., or has configured the UE to use) a fully protected connection resume message (e.g., as discussed above with respect to 806), the UE can use a fully protected connection resume message. As described above, the fully protected connection resume message can include a resume cause field as an input to the MAC-I token. If the UE does not determine that the network supports (or has configured the UE to use) a fully protected connection resume message, the UE can use a non-fully protected connection resume message.

[0141] The network can then verify the connection resume message (924), and the UE and the network can resume the connection (926 and 928) as described above.

[0142] Figure 11 An example is shown where the network uses a message associated with the connection release to provide an indication of its support for a fully protected connection resume message. As shown, the UE and the network can establish a connection, AS and NAS security, perform registration, and perform configuration as described above with respect to 902-916 (note that these elements can be performed in a different order, one or more of the shown elements can be omitted, and / or additional elements can be performed).

[0143] The network can determine to release the connection (e.g., by transmitting an RRCRelease, which may include SuspendConfig and an indication that the network supports a fully protected connection resume message) (1118). For example, the parameters of SuspendConfig can be used to configure the UE to use a fully protected connection resume message. It should be understood that the indication can be transmitted in any desired message and / or format associated with the connection release, e.g., in an RRCRelease or an associated message. For example, a fully protected connection resume message IE can be used. Additional configuration information related to the suspended connection can also be included.

[0144] In addition, it should be understood that a network or base station that supports fully protected connection recovery messages may configure the UE to use non-fully protected connection recovery messages (e.g., using the parameters of SuspendConfig), such as the old ResumeMAC-I. For example, if some elements of the network (e.g., one or more BSs) do not support the use of fully protected connection recovery messages, the network may not configure the use of fully protected connection recovery messages (even if it supports such use). For network management, consistent connection recovery messages between BSs that support and do not support fully protected connection recovery messages may be more convenient. Similarly, if some UEs operating on the network do not support fully protected connection recovery messages, the network that supports fully protected connection recovery messages may not configure the use of fully protected connection recovery messages.

[0145] The UE may operate in the inactive mode as discussed above with respect to 920. The UE may initiate connection recovery and may use fully protected or non-fully protected connection recovery messages (e.g., based on the determination of whether the network supports or configures fully protected connection recovery messages), as described above with respect to 1022. Then, the network may verify the connection recovery message (924), and the UE and the network may recover the connection (926 and 928), as described above.

[0146] Figure 12Shows an example of an indication in which the network uses both broadcast messages and messages associated with connection release to provide its support for fully protected connection resume messages. As shown, according to some embodiments, UE 106 may receive a SIB (1202) broadcast by BS 102 of network 100. The SIB may include an indication that the network supports fully protected connection resume messages, such as as an IE or other message or field. For example, such an indication may be a fully protected connection resume message IE such as a NewResumeMAC-I IE or a similar element. Additionally, the message may (e.g., in an IE or separately) include an indication that the network may confirm at connection release that the UE will use a fully protected connection resume message. In other words, according to some embodiments, the message may indicate that the UE should not use a fully protected connection resume message unless confirmed by the network during release. In other embodiments, the UE may be configured (e.g., based on a standard) to expect such a confirmation (e.g., and not use a fully protected connection resume message unless such a confirmation occurs), and the indication of this effect may not be included in the broadcast message. Based on the broadcast (e.g., and / or the indication within the broadcast message), the UE may preliminarily determine that the network supports fully protected connection resume messages and expect further confirmation, e.g., as described above with respect to 806. For example, the UE may determine to use a fully protected connection resume message in the case where the connection is suspended and about to be resumed, with confirmation at release.

[0147] The UE and the network may continue with transmitting / receiving broadcasts, performing connection establishment, AS security, configuration, registration, and NAS security, as described above with respect to 902-916 (note that these elements may be performed in a different order, one or more of the shown elements may be omitted, and / or additional elements may be performed).

[0148] The network may determine to release the connection (e.g., by transmitting an RRC Release, which may include SuspendConfig and an indication / confirmation that the network supports a fully protected connection resume message) (1218). In other words, the release message may confirm the preliminary indication (e.g., 1202). For example, the parameters of SuspendConfig may be used to configure the UE to use a fully protected connection resume message. It should be understood that the indication / confirmation may be transmitted in any desired message and / or format associated with the connection release, such as in an RRC Release or an associated message. For example, a fully protected connection resume message IE may be used. Additional configuration information related to the suspended connection may also be included. Furthermore, it should be understood that a network or base station that supports a fully protected connection resume message may (e.g., using the parameters of SuspendConfig) configure the UE to use a non-fully protected connection resume message, such as an old ResumeMAC-I. Similarly, such a network or base station may not confirm the preliminary indication (e.g., 1202). Thus, Figure 12 the technology may allow the network to maintain flexibility in determining whether to configure the UE to use a fully protected connection resume message upon connection release.

[0149] After the connection is released, the UE may operate in the inactive mode as discussed above with respect to 920. The UE may initiate connection resume and may use a fully protected or non-fully protected connection resume message (e.g., based on the determination of whether the network supports or configures a fully protected connection resume message), as described above with respect to 1022.

[0150] Then, the network may verify the connection resume message (924), and the UE and the network may resume the connection (926 and 928), as described above.

[0151] Figure 12 Examples include that if the network supports and / or configures a fully protected connection resume message, it may include an indication (e.g., a NewResumeMAC-IIE) in both the SIB and the SuspendConfig IE in the RRC Release message. For example, if the UE reads the IE in SIB1 and the SuspendConfig IE, it may use the new ResumeMAC-I when sending an RRC ResumeRequest message. If the UE does not read the IE in both SIB1 and the SuspendConfig IE, the UE may use the old ResumeMAC-I.

[0152] Figure 13Shows an example where the UE can use the AS SMC complete message to provide an indication to the network of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages, and in response, the network can provide an indication (or configuration) of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages. As shown, the UE and the network can transmit / receive broadcasts and establish a connection, as described with respect to 902 and 904. The network can transmit an AS SMC command as described in 906. According to some embodiments, the UE can respond with an AS SMC complete message (1307). The UE can include an indication of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages in the AS SMC complete message. This indication can be a field in the AS SMC complete message. For example, this indication can be the fully protected connection recovery message IE. Thus, the UE can determine whether the network supports (and / or configures the UE to use) fully protected connection recovery messages based on whether or how the network acknowledges or responds to this indication. Such a response or acknowledgment can be included in any later message (e.g., RRC reconfiguration in 908, registration acceptance in 912, NAS security in 914, and / or connection release in 918). Additionally, such a response or acknowledgment can be included in different messages. Among various possibilities, such a response or acknowledgment can be or include the fully protected connection recovery message IE and / or configuration information (e.g., in SuspendConfig).

[0153] The UE and the network can proceed to perform configuration, registration, NAS security, and connection release, as described above with respect to 908 - 918 (note that these elements can be performed in a different order, one or more of the shown elements can be omitted, and / or additional elements can be performed). Note that any of 908, 912, 914, and / or 918 can be modified to incorporate a response / acknowledgment from the network, as discussed above. The UE can operate in the inactive mode, as discussed above with respect to 920. The UE can initiate connection recovery and can use fully protected or non-fully protected connection recovery messages (e.g., based on the determination of whether the network supports or configures fully protected connection recovery messages), as described above with respect to 1022. Then, the network can verify the connection recovery message (924), and the UE and the network can recover the connection (926 and 928), as described above.

[0154] Figure 14Shows an example where the UE can use a registration request message to provide an indication of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages to the network, and in response, the network can provide an indication (or configuration) of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages. As shown, the UE and the network can broadcast / receive, establish a connection, protect the AS, and perform configuration as described with respect to 902-908 (note that these elements can be performed in a different order, one or more of the shown elements can be omitted, and / or additional elements can be performed). According to some embodiments, the UE can initiate registration (1410), for example, by transmitting a registration request. The UE can include an indication of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages in the registration request message. This indication can be a field in the registration request completion message. For example, this indication can be the fully protected connection recovery message IE. Thus, the UE can determine whether the network supports (and / or configures the UE to use) fully protected connection recovery messages based on whether or how the network acknowledges or responds to this indication. Such a response or acknowledgment can be included in any later message (e.g., registration acceptance in 912, NAS security in 914, and / or connection release in 918). Additionally, such a response or acknowledgment can be included in different messages. Among various possibilities, such a response or acknowledgment can be or include the fully protected connection recovery message IE and / or configuration information (e.g., in SuspendConfig).

[0155] The UE and the network can proceed to complete registration, perform NAS security, and connection release as described above with respect to 912-918 (note that these elements can be performed in a different order, one or more of the shown elements can be omitted, and / or additional elements can be performed). Note that any one of 912, 914, and / or 918 can be modified to incorporate the response / acknowledgment from the network as discussed above. The UE can operate in the inactive mode as discussed above with respect to 920. The UE can initiate connection recovery and can use fully protected or non-fully protected connection recovery messages (e.g., based on the determination of whether the network supports or configures fully protected connection recovery messages), as described above with respect to 1022. Then, the network can verify the connection recovery message (924), and the UE and the network can resume the connection (926 and 928), as described above.

[0156] Figure 15Shows an example where the UE can use the NAS SMC complete message to provide an indication to the network of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages, and in response, the network can provide an indication (or configuration) of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages. As shown, the UE and the network can broadcast / receive, establish a connection, protect the AS, perform configuration, perform registration, and broadcast / receive NAS SMC commands, as described with respect to 902-914 (note that these elements can be performed in a different order, one or more of the shown elements can be omitted, and / or additional elements can be performed). The UE can include an indication of its support for fully protected connection recovery messages in the NAS SMC complete message (1516). This indication can be a field in the NAS SMC complete message. For example, this indication can be a fully protected connection recovery message IE. Thus, the UE can determine whether the network supports (and / or configures the UE to use) fully protected connection recovery messages based on whether or how the network acknowledges or responds to this indication. Such a response or acknowledgment can be included in any later message (e.g., a connection release as in 918 or a different message). Among the various possibilities, such a response or acknowledgment can be or include a fully protected connection recovery message IE and / or configuration information (e.g., in SuspendConfig).

[0157] The UE and the network can proceed to perform the connection release as described above with respect to 918. Note that 918 can be modified to incorporate a response / acknowledgment from the network, as discussed above. The UE can operate in the inactive mode, as discussed above with respect to 920. The UE can initiate connection recovery and can use fully protected or non-fully protected connection recovery messages (e.g., based on the determination of whether the network supports or configures fully protected connection recovery messages), as described above with respect to 1022. Then, the network can verify the connection recovery message (924), and the UE and the network can resume the connection (926 and 928), as described above.

[0158] Additional Information and Examples

[0159] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments can be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments can be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as an ASIC. Still other embodiments can be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as an FPGA.

[0160] In some embodiments, the network may configure different UEs (or the same UE at different times) to use different types of connection recovery messages. For example, under some conditions (e.g., some types of UEs, some network load conditions, etc.), the network may configure the UE to use a non-fully protected connection recovery message, while under other conditions, the network may configure the UE to use a fully protected connection recovery message.

[0161] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, where if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to perform methods, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0162] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, where the memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0163] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly explained to the user.

[0164] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. The present disclosure is intended that the following claims be construed to cover all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At a user equipment (UE): Establish a connection with a network; Receive a broadcast message from the network including a first indication of a fully protected connection resume message supported by the network, wherein all fields in the fully protected connection resume message are protected except for the ResumeMAC-I part; Receive, in a radio resource control (RRC) release message with SuspendConfig, a second indication from the network that the network supports the fully protected connection resume message; Release the connection with the network; Determine that the network supports the fully protected connection resume message in response to both the first indication and the second indication; And In response to determining that the network supports the fully protected connection resume message: Transmit the fully protected connection resume message to the network; and Resume the connection with the network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fully protected connection resume message includes a resume reason field, and wherein the determination is based on information elements.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ResumeMAC-I part includes a token.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second indication is provided as a configuration in the RRC release message.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting an indication to the network that the UE supports the fully protected connection resume message.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the indication that the UE supports the fully protected connection resume message is transmitted when transmitting a security mode command (SMC) completion message.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the determination is based on a response from the network to the indication that the UE supports the fully protected connection resume message.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the second indication regarding support for the fully protected connection resume message is in response to the indication that the UE supports the fully protected connection resume message.

9. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: At a base station (BS) of a network: Establish a connection with a user equipment (UE); Transmit a broadcast message including a first indication of a fully protected connection resume message supported by the network, wherein all fields in the fully protected connection resume message are protected except for the ResumeMAC-I part; Transmit, in a radio resource control (RRC) release message with SuspendConfig, a second indication to the UE that the network supports the fully protected connection resume message; Release the connection with the UE; Receive the fully protected connection resume message from the UE; Verify the fully protected connection resume message; And Resume the connection with the UE.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the second indication is transmitted in response to an indication that the UE supports the fully protected connection resume message.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the ResumeMAC-I portion includes a token.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the second indication is provided as a configuration in the RRC release message.

13. The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising configuring a second UE to use a connection resume message that is not fully protected.

14. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause a user equipment device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-8.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising radio components operatively coupled to the processor.

16. A base station, the base station comprising a processor configured to cause the base station to perform the method according to any one of claims 9-13.

17. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising computer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-13.

Images