Method and device for paging control

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and devices. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method includes: receiving information indicating whether busy indication functionality is supported at a user equipment, wherein the busy indication functionality is associated with at least one of core network (CN) paging or radio access network (RAN) paging. In addition, a cause value indicating a busy indication between Xn interfaces may be used to determine whether a path switch should be performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication techniques, and more particularly, to paging control in wireless communication systems. Background Art

[0002] A wireless communication device (eg, a cellular phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) that may include two or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) may be referred to as a multi-SIM wireless communication device.

[0003] Generally speaking, in an environment employing a radio access technology (RAT), a SIM may correspond to at least one subscription. For example, a multi-SIM wireless communication device may have a first SIM associated with a first subscription and a second SIM associated with a second subscription. The first SIM and the second SIM may share the same hardware component, such as a radio frequency component or a baseband component. In this scenario, during a specific time period, a multi-SIM wireless communication device having a single transmit / receive (TX / RX) chain may monitor only a single wireless network.

[0004] When one SIM of a multi-SIM wireless communication device is in an ongoing service (e.g., a voice call), another SIM of the multi-SIM wireless communication device may receive a paging message from a corresponding base station (BS). If the wireless communication device decides to respond to the paging message, the voice call may be interrupted. However, if the wireless communication device does not respond to the paging message, the network may waste more paging resources. For example, the network may escalate paging across a larger area.

[0005] There is a need to handle paging control between a multi-SIM wireless communication device and a network or BS in a wireless communication system. Summary of the invention

[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method. The method may include: receiving information related to busy indication functionality at a user equipment. The busy indication functionality may be associated with at least one of core network (CN) paging or radio access network (RAN) paging. The method may include transmitting an indicator from a non-access stratum (NAS) layer of the user equipment to an access stratum (AS) layer of the user equipment indicating that multiple user identity modules of the user equipment are activated.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the information may be broadcast by a base station. In an embodiment of the present application, the information may include an indicator having at least one bit, and the indicator may indicate one of the following: whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported; and whether the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported.

[0008] In another embodiment of the present application, the information may include an information element (IE) indicating one of the following: whether busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported; whether busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported; and whether busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. The value of the IE may be an enumeration type.

[0009] In another embodiment of the present application, the method may include, when the information includes parameters associated with the busy indication functionality, determining that the busy indication functionality is supported. Determining that the busy indication functionality is supported may include determining one of: supporting a busy indication functionality for CN paging; supporting a busy indication functionality for RAN paging; and supporting a busy indication functionality for both CN paging and RAN paging.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the information may be received via a non-access stratum (NAS) message, and the information indicates whether a busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported.

[0011] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the information may be received via radio resource control (RRC) dedicated signaling, and the information indicates one of: whether busy indication functionality for CN paging is supported; whether busy indication functionality for RAN paging is supported; and whether busy indication functionality for both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. The RRC dedicated signaling may include an RRC release message, and the RRC release message includes a suspension configuration information element (IE).

[0012] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method. The method may include: receiving a system information block (SIB); and when the SIB does not include a parameter associated with the busy indication functionality, determining that the busy indication functionality associated with at least one of core network (CN) paging or radio access network (RAN) paging is not supported.

[0013] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method. The method may include: transmitting information related to busy indication functionality. The busy indication functionality may be associated with at least one of core network (CN) paging or radio access network (RAN) paging.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may include receiving an indicator of busy indication functionality indicating whether CN paging is supported from a CN entity. The CN entity may include at least one of an access and mobility management function (AMF) node or an operation administration and maintenance (OAM) node.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, transmitting the information may include broadcasting the information. In an embodiment of the present application, the broadcast information may include an indicator having at least one bit, and the indicator indicates one of the following: whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported; and whether the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported.

[0016] In another embodiment of the present application, the broadcast information may include an information element (IE) indicating one of the following: whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported; and whether the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. The value of the IE may be an enumeration type.

[0017] In another embodiment of the present application, when the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported, the broadcast information may include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality, and when the busy indication functionality of CN paging is not supported, the broadcast information does not include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality.

[0018] In another embodiment of the present application, when the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported, the broadcast information may include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality, and when the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is not supported, the broadcast information does not include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality.

[0019] In another embodiment of the present application, when the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported, the broadcast information may include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality, and when the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is not supported, the broadcast information does not include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality.

[0020] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may include receiving a non-access stratum (NAS) message from a CN entity including the information indicating whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported. Transmitting the information may include forwarding the NAS message to a user equipment.

[0021] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, transmitting the information may include transmitting the information via radio resource control (RRC) dedicated signaling. The information may indicate one of: whether busy indication functionality for CN paging is supported; whether busy indication functionality for RAN paging is supported; and whether busy indication functionality for both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. The RRC dedicated signaling may include an RRC release message, the RRC release message including a suspension configuration information element (IE).

[0022] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method. The method may include: receiving a radio access network (RAN) paging from a base station; and when a busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported, transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) resumption request message including a busy indication to the base station. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may include transmitting an RRC message including a non-access stratum (NAS) service request message to the base station. The NAS service request message may include a busy indication.

[0023] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method. The method may include: transmitting a radio access network (RAN) paging to a user equipment (UE); receiving a radio resource control (RRC) resumption request message including a busy indication from the UE; and transmitting a retrieve UE context request message including a cause value indicating the busy indication to a last serving base station of the UE.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may include: receiving a retrieve UE context response message from the last serving base station; and transmitting a path switch request message including the busy indication to an access and mobility management function (AMF) node. The method may include: transmitting a message including the busy indication to a user plane function (UPF) node.

[0025] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may include: receiving an RRC message including a non-access stratum (NAS) service request message from the user equipment. The NAS service request message may include the busy indication. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may include: receiving a retrieve UE context failure message from the last serving base station; and forwarding the NAS service request message to an access and mobility management function (AMF) node via the last serving base station. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may include: receiving a retrieve UE context response message from the last serving base station; and forwarding the NAS service request message to an access and mobility management function (AMF) node.

[0026] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method. The method may include: transmitting a radio access network (RAN) page; and receiving a retrieve UE context request message including a cause value indicating a busy indication in response to the RAN page from a base station.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present application, the method may include transmitting a UE context retrieval failure message to the base station; and transmitting a message including the busy indication to at least one of an access and mobility management function (AMF) node or a user plane function (UPF) node.

[0028] In another embodiment of the present application, the method may include transmitting a retrieval UE context failure message to the base station; receiving a NAS service request message including the busy indication from the base station; and forwarding the NAS service request message to an access and mobility management function (AMF) node.

[0029] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides an apparatus. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus includes: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium in which computer-executable instructions are stored; at least one receiving circuit system; at least one transmitting circuit system; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuit system, and the at least one transmitting circuit system, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-executable instructions are configured to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure together with the at least one processor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present disclosure can be obtained, the description of the present disclosure is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered to limit its scope.

[0031] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described;

[0032] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary procedure for configuring busy indication functionality according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary procedure for configuring busy indication functionality according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary procedure for configuring busy indication functionality according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 8a flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0039] Fig. 9 An example block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be achieved by different embodiments that are intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 1 A wireless communication system 100 is illustrated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0042] refer to Figure 1 , the wireless communication system 100 may include a number of wireless communication devices (WCDs) 110a, a number of base stations (BSs) 120a, 120b, and 120c, a number of radio access networks (RANs) 121a and 121b, a number of core networks (CNs) 130a and 130b, and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140. It is contemplated that the wireless communication system 100 may include any number of wireless communication devices, base stations, networks, and / or network components.

[0043] Each of BS 120a, BS 120b, and BS 120c may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one WCD (e.g., WCD 110a) to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as CN 130a and / or CN 130b. Each of BS 120a, BS 120b, and BS 120c may, for example, operate based on a standard protocol, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), New Radio (NR), or other suitable protocols. For example, BS 120a, BS 120b, and BS 120c may include an eNB or a gNB. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, with the development of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and communication technology, the terms listed in the specification may change, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0044] BS 120a may be part of RAN 121a, which may also include other BSs and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. In addition, BS 120b and BS 120c may be part of RAN 121b, which may also include other BSs and / or network elements (not shown). Figure 1Each of BS 120a, BS 120b, and BS 120c may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals in a particular geographic area, which may be referred to as a cell ( Figure 1 BSs may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0045] RAN 121a may communicate with CN 130a, and RAN 121b may communicate with CN 130b. RAN 121a and RAN 121b may employ the same or different radio access technologies (RATs). For example, RAN 121a may employ Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) radio technology, and RAN 121b may employ NR radio technology. Each of CN 130a and CN 130b may include multiple core network components, such as a user plane function (UPF) ( Figure 1 Not shown), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) ( Figure 1 not shown) or Mobility Management Entity (MME) ( Figure 1 Not shown) and Operations Administration and Maintenance (OAM) nodes ( Figure 1 The CN can be used as a WCD to access the PTSN 140 and / or other networks ( Figure 1 The RAN may communicate with the AMF node via the N2 interface and may communicate with the UPF node via the N3 interface.

[0046] The wireless communication device 110a may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WCD 110a may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a consumer electronic device, a smart watch, and the like. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that as technology develops and advances, the terms described in the present disclosure may change, but should not affect or limit the principles and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0047] WCD 110a may include one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) that enable the WCD to access one or more separate wireless communication networks. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , WCD 110a may be configured to communicate with a first SIM card ( Figure 1 121a via BS 120a, or by means of a second SIM card (not shown) in WCD 110a. Figure 1Although WCD 110a is shown connected to RAN 121a and RAN 121b, in other examples (not shown), WCD 110a may establish additional network connections using additional RATs.

[0048] Each of the first and second SIMs may be associated with a wireless communication system. For example, the first or second SIM may be represented by a SIM card corresponding to a GSM system, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) card corresponding to a UMTS system, a Removable User Identity Module (RUIM) card or a CDMA Subscriber Identity Module (CSIM) card corresponding to a CDMA2000 communication system, a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) corresponding to a 5G (NR) communication system, a wireless network card corresponding to an IEEE 802.11x wireless local area network (WLAN), or other suitable modules that can identify a user.

[0049] A WCD that includes multiple SIMs and is connected to two or more networks with two or more SIMs active at a given time may be a multiple SIM multiple active (MSMA) communication device. An example MSMA communication device may be a dual SIM dual active (DSDA) communication device, which may include two SIMs. Both SIMs may remain active. In some cases, for example, when a user of a DSDA communication device may only insert one SIM card into the device or activate only one SIM card, only one SIM card may be activated. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-access stratum (NAS) layer of the WCD may transmit an indicator indicating that multiple SIMs of the WCD are activated to an access stratum (AS) layer (e.g., RRC layer) of the WCD.

[0050] On the other hand, a WCD that has multiple SIMs and connects to two or more networks with one SIM active at a given time is a Multi-SIM Multi-Standby (MSMS) communication device. An example of an MSMS communication device may be a Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSD). A DSDS communication device may include two SIMs and may register the communication device to a single (same) public land mobile network (PLMN) using a single radio front end and baseband or to two different PLMNs using two SIMs, respectively.

[0051] In a multi-SIM wireless communication device (e.g., a MSMS communication device), multiple SIMs may share a common set of radio frequency (RF) resources (e.g., an RF transceiver) of the wireless communication device. For example, a DSDS communication device may support subscription service #A enabled by SIM A and subscription service #B enabled by SIM B. At a certain time, only one of subscription service #A and subscription service #B may use the RF resources to communicate with the corresponding wireless network. However, the embodiments described herein may also be applicable to multi-SIM wireless communication devices, in which each of the multiple SIMs is associated with a separate RF resource, in which one of the multiple SIMs is active and the others are deactivated.

[0052] According to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), from the network’s perspective, a UE (e.g. Figure 1 The WCD 110a in the UE may be in one of the following states at a given time: RRC-IDLE state, RRC_CONNECTED state and RRC_INACTIVE state. In the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE has no RRC connection with the radio access network (RAN). However, the RAN remains connected to the core network of the UE. Therefore, the RRC_INACTIVE state can achieve energy saving under acceptable access delay. The specific characteristics of the RRC-IDLE state, RRC_CONNECTED state and RRC_INACTIVE state are defined in the 3GPP specifications.

[0053] The UE may be in an idle mode corresponding to the RRC_IDLE state, an inactive mode corresponding to the RRC_INACTIVE state, or a connected mode corresponding to the RRC_CONNECTED state. Figure 1 , from the perspective of RAN 121a (or BS 120a), WCD 110a may be in an inactive mode; or from the perspective of RAN 121b (or BS 120b), WCD 110a may be in an inactive mode.

[0054] In some other 3GPP application scenarios, such as LTE / EPS (Evolved Packet System) access optimized for CIoT (Cellular Internet of Things), similar to the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE may be in a suspended RRC connection state. The embodiments described in the present disclosure regarding the RRC_INACTIVE state are also applicable to the suspended RRC connection state.

[0055] In a wireless communication system, a UE may need to register with the network to receive services. For example, when the UE is powered on, the UE may perform an initial registration with the wireless communication system. A UE in idle mode may also need to register its presence in a registration area periodically or when entering a new tracking area (TA). A registration area is an area in which a UE can roam without performing location registration. When the core network wants to exchange data or control signaling with an idle UE, the core network may trigger a paging procedure for the idle UE.

[0056] Similarly, a UE in inactive mode may need to perform RAN-based Notification Area (RNA) updates periodically (hereinafter "periodic RNA updates") or when the UE moves out of a configured RNA (i.e., triggered by a change in RNA). RNA may allow a base station to know the rough location of a UE in inactive mode (inactive UE). RNA may include one or more cells or one or more RAN areas and may be configured to the UE by a RAN node (e.g., a base station) using, for example, dedicated signaling or message broadcasting. When the RAN wants to exchange data or control signaling with an inactive UE, the RAN node may trigger a paging procedure for the inactive UE within the UE's RNA.

[0057] For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the last serving BS receives DL (downlink) data of an inactive UE from a CN entity, the last serving BS may page a cell associated with an RNA configured to the UE. For example, the last serving BS may request the BSs in the RNA to page the UE. The UE may receive a paging message from one of the BSs in the RNA and may attempt to recover from an inactive state.

[0058] When one SIM (e.g., SIM A) in a multi-SIM UE is in an ongoing service, another SIM (e.g., SIM B) of the UE may receive a paging message from a corresponding base station (BS). If the UE decides to respond to the paging message, the service associated with SIM A may be interrupted. However, if the UE does not respond to the paging message, the network may waste more paging resources to obtain a response. Therefore, a solution is needed to handle paging control between a multi-SIM UE and a network or BS in a wireless communication system.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the core network may support busy indication functionality. In other words, busy indication functionality for CN paging may be supported. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RAN may support busy indication functionality. In other words, busy indication functionality for RAN paging may be supported. The busy indication functionality allows the UE to transmit a busy indication to the network as a response to paging. For example, when the busy indication functionality for RAN paging or CN paging is supported, the UE may transmit a busy indication to the network to avoid wasting paging resources.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the busy indication functionality is configurable. For example, the network (e.g., BS or CN) may configure whether the UE supports the busy indication functionality for CN paging and / or RAN paging. In these embodiments, a procedure for configuring the busy indication functionality is required. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the busy indication functionality may be supported or not supported by default. When the busy indication functionality is supported, a procedure for transmitting the busy indication is required.

[0061] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a technical solution for configuring busy indication functionality, and a technical solution for transmitting a busy indication in a wireless communication system (e.g., a 5G communication system). More details about embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in the text below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Figure 2 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 200 for configuring busy indication functionality according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary procedure 200 may be applied to configure busy indication functionality for CN paging, busy indication functionality for RAN paging, or a combination thereof. The details described in all the above embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 2 The embodiments shown in .

[0063] refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN entity 230 may transmit an indicator to the BS 220 in operation 211 (indicated as an option by a dotted line). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the indicator may indicate whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN entity 230 may be used as an access and mobility management function (AMF) node of the CN. The CN entity 230 and the BS 220 may communicate via the N2 interface. For example, the CN entity 230 may be used as Figure 1 AMF of CN 130a, and BS 220 can be used as Figure 1 BS 120a in; or CN entity 230 can be used as Figure 1 AMF of CN 130b, and BS220 can be used as Figure 1 BS 120b or BS 120c in.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN entity 230 may be used as an operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) node of the CN. For example, the CN entity 230 may be used as Figure 1 The OAM of CN 130a in the BS 220 can be used as Figure 1 BS 120a in; or CN entity 230 can be used as Figure 1The OAM of CN 130b in the BS 220 can be used as Figure 1 BS 120b or BS 120c in.

[0066] Still reference Figure 2 , in operation 213, BS 220 may transmit system information. For example, BS 220 may broadcast system information, such as a system information block (SIB).

[0067] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the broadcast system information may include information related to the busy indication functionality. The information related to the busy indication functionality may be associated with at least one of the CN paging or the RAN paging. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the information related to the busy indication functionality may be based on an indicator from the CN entity 230.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the broadcast information may include an indicator having at least one bit. The indicator in the broadcast information may indicate one of the following: whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported; or whether the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. For example, the indicator may have one bit and may have a value of "1" or a value of "0" to indicate whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported.

[0069] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the broadcast information may include an information element (IE), such as a busy support IE. The value of the IE may be an enumeration type. For example, the possible values ​​of the IE may be enumerated as {TRUE, FALSE}. The value of the IE equal to the enumeration type TRUE may indicate one of the following: busy indication functionality supporting CN paging; busy indication functionality supporting RAN paging; or busy indication functionality supporting both CN paging and RAN paging. The value of the IE equal to the enumeration type FALSE may indicate one of the following: busy indication functionality not supporting CN paging; busy indication functionality not supporting RAN paging; or busy indication functionality not supporting CN paging or RAN paging.

[0070] In some other examples, the possible values ​​of the Busy Support IE may be enumerated as {TRUE}. The value of the IE equal to the enumeration type TRUE may indicate that the busy indication functionality is supported. When the busy indication functionality is not supported, the broadcast information may not include the Busy Support IE. For example, the broadcast information not including the Busy Support IE may indicate that the busy indication functionality of CN paging is not supported, and the broadcast information including the Busy Support IE equal to the enumeration type TRUE may indicate that the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported. In another example, the broadcast information not including the Busy Support IE may indicate that the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is not supported, and the broadcast information including the Busy Support IE equal to the enumeration type TRUE may indicate that the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported. In yet another example, the broadcast information not including the Busy Support IE may indicate that the busy indication functionality of CN paging or RAN paging is not supported, and the broadcast information including the Busy Support IE equal to the enumeration type TRUE may indicate that the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 220 may broadcast a single indicator or a busy support IE (or the like) to indicate whether the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. For example, BS 220 may receive an indicator (e.g., indicator #A') from CN entity 230 indicating whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported. BS 220 may broadcast a SIB including an indicator #C to indicate one of the following: busy indication functionality that supports both CN paging and RAN paging, and busy indication functionality that does not support CN paging or RAN paging. Indicator #C is based on indicator #A'. In some other examples, the signal indicator #C may indicate one of the following: busy indication functionality that supports both CN paging and RAN paging; busy indication functionality that supports CN paging and does not support RAN paging; busy indication functionality that does not support CN paging and busy indication functionality that supports RAN paging; and busy indication functionality that does not support CN paging or RAN paging.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 220 may broadcast a separate indicator or a separate busy support IE (or the like) to indicate whether the busy indication functionality for CN paging is supported and whether the busy indication functionality for RAN paging is supported. For example, BS 220 may receive an indicator (e.g., indicator #A') from CN entity 230 indicating whether the busy indication functionality for CN paging is supported. BS 220 may broadcast a SIB including an indicator #A indicating whether the busy indication functionality for CN paging is supported, and an indicator #B indicating whether the busy indication functionality for RAN paging is supported. Indicator #A is based on indicator #A'. A separate indicator for the busy indication functionality may be advantageous because finer granularity may be achieved.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported may be determined based on an indicator received from the CN entity 230 .

[0074] The above embodiments involving indicators indicating support for busy indication functionality may be referred to as "explicit indication" methods. The following embodiments not involving such indicators may be referred to as "implicit indication" methods.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, whether the busy indication functionality is supported may be implicitly indicated in the broadcast information. For example, when the busy indication functionality is supported, the broadcast information may include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality. When the busy indication functionality is not supported, the broadcast information may not include any parameters associated with the busy indication functionality. For example, such parameters may include the maximum number of transmissions of the busy indication. In this way, a UE receiving the broadcast information (e.g., SIB) may determine whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging or RAN paging is supported based on whether the broadcast information includes parameters associated with the busy indication functionality.

[0076] For example, when the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported, the broadcast information may include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality; and when the busy indication functionality of CN paging is not supported, the broadcast information may not include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality. The parameters associated with the busy indication functionality may be parameters specific to the CN busy indication functionality (e.g., the maximum number of transmissions of a busy indication in response to CN paging) or general busy indication functionality parameters (e.g., the maximum number of transmissions of a busy indication in response to CN paging or RAN paging).

[0077] In some other examples, when the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported, the broadcast information may include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality; and when the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is not supported, the broadcast information may not include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality. The parameters associated with the busy indication functionality may be parameters specific to the RAN busy indication functionality (e.g., the maximum number of transmissions of the busy indication in response to RAN paging) or general busy indication functionality parameters.

[0078] In some other examples, when the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported, the broadcast information may include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality; and when the busy indication functionality of CN paging or RAN paging is not supported, the broadcast information may not include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality. The parameters associated with the busy indication functionality may be parameters specific to the CN or RAN busy indication functionality or general busy indication functionality parameters.

[0079] Still reference Figure 2 ,UE( Figure 2The UE (not shown) may receive broadcast information from BS 220 and may determine whether to support the busy indication functionality of CN paging or RAN paging based on the broadcast information. When the busy indication functionality of CN paging or RAN paging is supported, the UE may determine to transmit a busy indication to the network as a response to the CN paging or RAN paging.

[0080] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary procedure 200 may be changed, and some operations in the exemplary procedure 200 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, when the exemplary procedure 200 is employed to configure the busy indication functionality of RAN-only paging, operation 211 may be eliminated.

[0081] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 300 for configuring busy indication functionality according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 The embodiments shown in .

[0082] refer to Figure 3 , at the beginning, UE 310 may initiate a non-access stratum (NAS) message registration procedure to 5GS (5G system) or EPS (Evolved Packet System). For example, at operation 311, UE 310 may transmit a NAS message (e.g., a NAS registration request message, a tracking area update (TAU) or the like) to BS 320. At operation 313, BS 320 may forward (transparently transmit) the NAS message to CN entity 330.

[0083] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 310 may be used as Figure 1 BS 320 can be used as WCD 110a in Figure 1 The CN entity 330 may serve as an AMF node or an MME node of the CN 130a or the CN 130b.

[0084] Still reference Figure 3 At operation 315, the CN entity 330 may transmit a NAS message (e.g., a NAS registration accept message or the like) to the BS 320. The NAS message may include information related to the busy indication functionality. For example, the NAS message may indicate whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the busy indication may be supported per CN entity (e.g., AMF) or per PLMN.

[0085] At operation 317, BS 320 may forward the NAS message to UE 310. After receiving the NAS message, the NAS layer of UE 310 may inform the AS layer of UE 310 whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported. UE 310 may determine whether to transmit a busy indication to the network as a response to CN paging based at least on the NAS message.

[0086] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 300 may be changed, and some operations in the exemplary process 300 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0087] Figure 4 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 400 for configuring busy indication functionality according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary procedure 400 may be applied to configure busy indication functionality for CN paging, busy indication functionality for RAN paging, or a combination thereof. The details described in all the above embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 4 The embodiments shown in .

[0088] refer to Figure 4 In operation 411, UE 410 may be in a connected mode. For example, UE 410 may communicate with a BS (eg, BS 420). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 410 may be used as Figure 1 BS 420 can be used as WCD 110a in Figure 1 BS 120a, BS 120b or BS 120c in.

[0089] Still reference Figure 4 , in operation 413, BS 420 may transmit RRC dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC release message) to UE 410. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, RRC dedicated signaling may include information related to busy indication functionality. The information related to busy indication functionality may be associated with at least one of CN paging or RAN paging. For example, the information related to busy indication functionality may indicate one of the following: whether busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported; whether busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported; and whether busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported.

[0090] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 420 may receive a message from a CN entity ( Figure 4 (not shown) receiving the busy indication functionality of the CN paging, which is similar to the configuration of Figure 2 Operation 211 is not described and is therefore omitted here. Information related to the busy indication functionality may be based on configuration from the CN entity.

[0091] For example, BS 420 may transmit an RRC release message to UE 410 to configure UE 410 to an inactive mode (or suspended mode) or an idle mode. The RRC release message may include an indicator indicating whether busy indication functionality is supported.

[0092] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the RRC release message indicates that the busy indication functionality is supported, the UE 410 may determine that the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. When the RRC release message indicates that the busy indication functionality is not supported, the UE 410 may determine that the busy indication functionality of CN paging or RAN paging is not supported.

[0093] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RRC release message may include a suspend configuration IE. The suspend configuration IE may be used to indicate whether the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported. In some instances, the remainder of the RRC release message may be used to indicate whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported. In some other instances, the remainder of the RRC release message may be used to indicate whether the busy indication functionality of both CN paging and RAN paging is supported. For example, when the suspend configuration IE indicates that the busy indication functionality is supported, the UE 410 may determine that the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported. When the suspend configuration IE indicates that the busy indication functionality is not supported, the UE 410 may determine that the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is not supported. When the RRC release message excluding the suspend configuration IE indicates that the busy indication functionality is supported, the UE 410 may determine that the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported. When the RRC release message excluding the suspend configuration IE indicates that the busy indication functionality is supported, the UE 410 may determine that the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported.

[0094] Still reference Figure 4 In response to the RRC release message, the UE 410 may transition to an inactive mode (or a suspended mode) or an idle mode in operation 415. When the UE 410 is in the inactive mode and supports the busy indication functionality of RAN paging, the UE 410 may transmit a busy indication to the network as a response to the RAN paging. When the UE 410 is in the idle mode and supports the busy indication functionality of CN paging, the UE 410 may transmit a busy indication to the network as a response to the CN paging.

[0095] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary process 400 may be changed, and some operations in the exemplary process 400 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] When the busy indication functionality is supported, a busy indication may be transmitted from the UE to the network. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the busy indication may be included in an RRC message. In these embodiments, a new IE (e.g., a busy indication IE) may be introduced into the RRC message. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the busy indication may be included in a NAS message. More details about embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in the text below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0097] Figure 5 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 500 for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary procedure 500 may be applied to responding to a RAN paging message. Figure 5 The embodiments shown in .

[0098] refer to Figure 5 , at the beginning, UE 510 may communicate with a base station (e.g., BS 520b), which is a serving base station or a current serving base station of UE 510. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 510 may transition to an inactive mode (or a suspended mode). As mentioned above, an inactive UE 510 may be configured with a RAN-based notification area (RNA), and an RNA update may be performed periodically or when UE 510 moves out of a configured RNA.

[0099] In certain scenarios, for example, when BS 520b receives DL signaling or DL ​​data for an inactive UE 510 from the core network, BS 520b may need to reach UE 510 and may page UE 510. For example, BS 520b may page UE 510 in a cell of BS 520b within a configured RNA, and if the configured RNA includes cells of other base stations, other base stations may be requested to page UE 510.

[0100] In some instances, the inactive UE 510 may move out of the coverage of BS 520b and may move into the coverage of another base station (e.g., BS 520a). In operation 511, BS 520b may request BS 520a to page UE 510. In operation 513, BS 520a may page UE 510. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RAN paging message may include a cause value associated with the type of mobile terminal (MT) service. The type of MT service may include voice call service, emergency service, game service, short message service (SMS), etc. Different MT services may have different priorities. For example, emergency service may have the highest priority, and voice call service may have a higher priority than SMS. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the RAN paging message may not include a paging cause.

[0101] Upon receiving the paging message from the BS 520a, the UE 510 may determine whether to respond to the paging message. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported, the UE 510 may determine to respond to the paging message with a busy indication.

[0102] For example, UE 510 may be a multi-SIM wireless communication device (eg, Figure 1 110a in UE 510). UE 510 may be able to support subscription service #A with SIM A, and support subscription service #B with SIM B. Assuming that SIM B of UE 510 can receive a paging message from BS 520a, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 510 may verify whether there is an active or ongoing service on SIM A, and whether to reject the RAN paging.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the access stratum (AS) of the UE 510 may forward the paging cause to the non-access stratum (NAS) layer of the UE 510, which may determine whether to respond to the network with a busy indication. In some instances, when SIM A of the UE 510 is in an ongoing service, the UE 510 may determine to transmit a busy indication in response to a paging message of SIM B. In some instances, the determination to transmit a busy indication may be based on the priority of the MT service indicated by the paging cause. For example, when SIM A of the UE 510 is in a voice call and a paging message of SIM B of the UE 510 is associated with an SMS having a lower priority than the voice call, the UE 510 may determine to transmit a busy indication in response to the paging message. In another instance, when the paging message of SIM B of the UE 510 is associated with an emergency service having a higher priority than the voice call, the UE 510 may accept the paging message and switch to a network associated with SIM B. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NAS layer of the UE 510 may transmit an indicator indicating that multiple SIMs of the UE are activated to the AS layer of the UE 510 .

[0104] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 510 may transmit a busy indication in an RRC message in response to a paging message from BS 520a. For example, UE 510 may be restored from an inactive mode and may transmit an RRC restoration request message to BS 520a in operation 515. BS 520b becomes the last serving base station of UE 510, and BS 520a becomes the serving base station or current serving base station of UE 510. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RRC restoration request message may include a cause value indicating a busy indication.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RRC recovery request message may include the identity of UE 510. The identity of UE 510 may be a recovery ID configured by the last serving base station (e.g., BS 520b) in the RRC release message. The recovery ID may include information about the last serving base station (e.g., BS 520b). For example, the recovery ID may include an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI).

[0106] In operation 517, BS 520a may transmit a request (e.g., a retrieve UE context request message) for acquiring the UE context of UE 510 to the last serving base station (e.g., BS 520b) of UE 510. BS 520a and BS 520b may communicate with each other via an Xn interface. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the retrieve UE context request message may include the identity of UE 510.

[0107] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the Retrieve UE Context Request message may include a cause value in the RRC Recovery Request message. For example, the Retrieve UE Context Request message may include an IE indicating an RRC Recovery Cause. The IE may be an enumerated type. For example, the possible values ​​of the IE may be enumerated as {RNA-UPDATE, BUSY INDICATION, ...}. A value of the IE equal to the enumeration type RNA-UPDATE may indicate that the UE is recovering from an inactive state to perform an RNA update. A value of the IE equal to the enumeration type BUSYINDICATION may indicate that the UE is recovering from an inactive state to indicate that the UE is busy.

[0108] After receiving the request for obtaining the UE context, BS 520b may identify the busy indication and may determine not to relocate the UE context. BS 520b may store information related to the recovery cell, such as the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and the physical cell identifier (PCI), for use in the next recovery attempt. In operation 519, BS 520b may transmit a retrieval UE context failure message to BS 520a. The retrieval UE context failure message may include an encapsulated RRC release message. The RRC release message may include a suspend configuration. In operation 521, BS 520a may transmit an RRC release message to UE 510.

[0109] When the UE is busy, it would be beneficial not to relocate the UE context of the UE because the signaling associated with the path switching procedure can be skipped. However, in some other embodiments, when the BS identifies that the UE is busy, the BS may still determine to relocate the UE context.

[0110] Still reference Figure 5, BS 520b may communicate with a core network including multiple CN entities (e.g., CN entity 530a and CN entity 530b). CN entity 530a may be used as an AMF node, and CN entity 530b may be used as a UPF node. BS 520b may transmit a message indicating that UE 510 is busy to the core network, such as to one or both of CN entity 530a and CN entity 530b. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, in operation 523 (represented as an option by a dotted line), BS 520b may transmit a message indicating that UE 510 is busy to CN entity 530a. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in operation 525 (represented as an option by a dotted line), BS 520b may transmit a message indicating that UE 510 is busy to CN entity 530b. The message may include an indicator indicating that UE 510 is busy. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 520b may not transmit a message indicating that UE 510 is busy to the core network.

[0111] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in exemplary procedure 500 may be changed, and some operations in exemplary procedure 500 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, as mentioned above, one or both of operations 523 and 525 may be eliminated.

[0112] Figure 6 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 600 for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary procedure 600 may be applied to responding to a RAN paging message. Figure 6 The embodiments shown in .

[0113] refer to Figure 6 , at the beginning, the UE 610 may communicate with a base station (e.g., BS 620b), which is a serving base station or a current serving base station of the UE 610. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE 610 may be converted into an inactive mode (or a suspended mode). As mentioned above, the inactive UE 610 may be configured with a RAN-based notification area (RNA), and the RNA update may be performed periodically or when the UE 610 moves out of the configured RNA.

[0114] In certain scenarios, for example, when BS 620b receives DL signaling or DL ​​data for an inactive UE 610 from the core network, BS 620b may need to reach UE 610 and may page UE 610. For example, BS 620b may page UE 610 in a cell of BS 620b within a configured RNA, and if the configured RNA includes cells of other base stations, other base stations may be requested to page UE 610.

[0115] In some instances, the inactive UE 610 may move out of the coverage of BS 620b and may move into the coverage of another base station (e.g., BS 620a). In operation 611, BS 620b may request BS 620a to page UE 610. In operation 613, BS 620a may page UE 610. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RAN paging message may include a cause value associated with a type of mobile terminal (MT) service. The type of MT service may include a voice call service, an emergency service, a gaming service, a short message service (SMS), etc. Different MT services may have different priorities. For example, an emergency service may have the highest priority, and a voice call service may have a higher priority than SMS. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the RAN paging message may not include a paging cause.

[0116] Upon receiving the paging message from the BS 620a, the UE 610 may determine whether to respond to the paging message. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported, the UE 610 may determine to respond to the paging message with a busy indication.

[0117] For example, UE 610 may be a multi-SIM wireless communication device (eg, Figure 1 110a in UE 610). UE 610 may be able to support subscription service #A with SIM A, and support subscription service #B with SIM B. Assuming that SIM B of UE 610 can receive a paging message from BS 620a, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 610 may verify whether there is an active or ongoing service on SIM A, and whether to reject the RAN paging.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the access stratum (AS) of the UE 610 may forward the paging cause to the non-access stratum (NAS) layer of the UE 610, which may determine whether to respond to the network with a busy indication. In some instances, when SIM A of the UE 610 is in an ongoing service, the UE 610 may determine to transmit a busy indication in response to a paging message of SIM B. In some instances, the determination to transmit a busy indication may be based on the priority of the MT service indicated by the paging cause. For example, when SIM A of the UE 610 is in a voice call, and the paging message of SIM B of the UE 610 is associated with an SMS having a lower priority than the voice call, the UE 610 may determine to transmit a busy indication in response to the paging message. In another instance, when the paging message of SIM B of the UE 610 is associated with an emergency service having a higher priority than the voice call, the UE 610 may accept the paging message and switch to a network associated with SIM B. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NAS layer of the UE 610 may transmit an indicator indicating that multiple SIMs of the UE are activated to the AS layer of the UE 610 .

[0119] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UE 610 may transmit a busy indication in an RRC message in response to a paging message from BS 620a. For example, UE 610 may recover from an inactive mode and may transmit an RRC recovery request message to BS 620a in operation 615. BS 520b becomes the last serving base station of UE 610, and BS 620a becomes the serving base station or current serving base station of UE 610. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RRC recovery request message may include a cause value indicating a busy indication.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RRC recovery request message may include the identity of UE 610. The identity of UE 610 may be a recovery ID configured by the last serving base station (e.g., BS 620b) in the RRC release message. The recovery ID may include information about the last serving base station (e.g., BS 620b). For example, the recovery ID may include an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI).

[0121] In operation 617, BS 620a may transmit a request (e.g., a retrieve UE context request message) for acquiring the UE context of UE 610 to the last serving base station (e.g., BS 620b) of UE 610. BS 620a and BS 620b may communicate with each other via an Xn interface. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the retrieve UE context request message may include the identity of UE 610.

[0122] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the Retrieve UE Context Request message may include a cause value in the RRC Recovery Request message. For example, the Retrieve UE Context Request message may include an IE indicating an RRC Recovery Cause. The IE may be an enumerated type. For example, the possible values ​​of the IE may be enumerated as {RNA-UPDATE, BUSY INDICATION, ...}. A value of the IE equal to the enumeration type RNA-UPDATE may indicate that the UE is recovering from an inactive state to perform an RNA update. A value of the IE equal to the enumeration type BUSYINDICATION may indicate that the UE is recovering from an inactive state to indicate that the UE is busy.

[0123] After receiving the request for acquiring the UE context, BS 620b may identify the busy indication and may determine to relocate the UE context of UE 610. In operation 619, BS 620b may transmit a retrieve UE context response message to BS 620a. The retrieve UE context response message may include the UE context of UE 610.

[0124] BS 620a may communicate with a core network including multiple CN entities (e.g., CN entity 630a and CN entity 630b). CN entity 630a may be used as an AMF node, and CN entity 630b may be used as a UPF node. In operations 621 and 623, BS 620a may perform a path switching process for UE 610. In operation 621, BS 620a may transmit a path switching request message of UE 610 to the core network (e.g., CN entity 630a). The path switching request message may indicate that UE 610 is busy. For example, the path switching request message may include a busy indication. In operation 623, CN entity 630a may transmit a path switching request response to BS 620a. The path switching request response may include the identity of UE 610.

[0125] In operation 625, in the case where BS 620a determines to send UE 610 to an inactive state, BS 620a may transmit an RRC release message to UE 610. The RRC release message may include a suspension configuration. The suspension configuration may include at least one of the following: a full length of a recovery ID, a short length of a recovery ID, a paging cycle, RNA information, a timer value of a periodic RNA update timer, and a next hop link count. The definition of the above parameters is defined in the 3GPP technical specification. The recovery ID (e.g., I-RNTI) may be allocated by BS 620a. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 620a may determine to send UE 610 to a connected state, and may transmit a connection setup message to UE 610. In operation 627, BS 620a may transmit a UE context release message to BS 620b. The release message may trigger the release of UE resources for UE 610 at BS 620b.

[0126] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in operation 629 (indicated as an option by a dotted line), BS 620b may transmit a message indicating that UE 610 is busy to CN entity 630b. The message may include an indicator indicating that UE 610 is busy. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, BS 620a may not transmit a message indicating that UE 610 is busy to CN entity 630b.

[0127] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary procedure 600 may be changed, and some operations in the exemplary procedure 600 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, as mentioned above, operation 629 may be eliminated.

[0128] Figure 7 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 700 for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary procedure 700 may be applied to responding to a RAN paging message. Figure 7 The embodiments shown in .

[0129] Some operations in the exemplary process 700 are similar to Figure 5 For example, the operations in the exemplary process 500 are as follows. Figure 5 The above description of operations 511 to 521 in can also be applied to Figure 7 Operations 711 to 721 in . Figure 7 The UE 710, BS 720a, BS 720b, CN entity 730a, CN entity 730b in the embodiment may be used as Figure 5 UE510, BS 520a, BS 520b, CN entity 530a, and CN entity 530b.

[0130] refer to Figure 7 , UE 710 may generate a NAS message (e.g., a NAS service request message) including a busy indication, and may encode the NAS service request message into an RRC message. For example, assuming that SIM B of UE 710 may receive a paging message from BS 720a, a NAS layer associated with SIM B may generate a NAS service request message including a busy indication and deliver the message to an AS layer (e.g., an RRC layer) associated with SIM B. The AS layer may encode the NAS service request message into an RRC message. In operation 723, UE 710 may transmit an RRC message including the NAS service request message to BS 720a.

[0131] In response to receiving the RRC message, BS 720a may forward the NAS service request message to the last serving base station (e.g., BS 720b) ​​in operation 725. BS 720b may communicate with a core network including a plurality of CN entities (e.g., CN entity 730a and CN entity 730b). CN entity 730a may serve as an AMF node, and CN entity 730b may serve as a UPF node. In operation 727, BS 720b may forward the NAS service request message to the core network (e.g., CN entity 730a). CN entity 730a may identify a busy indication in the NAS service request message, and may know that UE 710 is busy.

[0132] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN entity 730a may transmit a message indicating that the UE 710 is busy to the CN entity 730b in operation 729 (indicated as an option by a dotted line). The message may include an indicator indicating that the UE 710 is busy. The message may include an indicator indicating that the UE 710 is busy. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN entity 730a may not transmit a message indicating that the UE 710 is busy to the CN entity 730b.

[0133] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary procedure 700 may be changed, and some operations in the exemplary procedure 700 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, as mentioned above, operation 729 may be eliminated.

[0134] Figure 8 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 800 for handling a paging message according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary procedure 800 may be applied to responding to a RAN paging message. Figure 8 The embodiments shown in .

[0135] Some operations in the exemplary process 800 are similar to Figure 6 For example, the operations in the exemplary process 600 are as follows. Figure 6 The above description of operations 611 to 627 in can also be applied to Figure 8 The only difference between operations 811 to 827 in 821 is that, in operation 821, the path switch request message to the core network (e.g., CN entity 830a) may not include a busy indication. Instead, UE 810 may generate a NAS message (e.g., a NAS service request message) including a busy indication, and may encode the NAS service request message into an RRC message. In operation 829, UE 810 may transmit an RRC message including the NAS service request message to BS 820a.

[0136] For example, assuming that SIM B of UE 810 may receive a paging message from BS 820a, the NAS layer associated with SIM B may generate a NAS service request message including a busy indication and may deliver the message to the AS layer associated with SIM B. The AS layer (e.g., RRC layer) may encode the NAS service request message into an RRC message.

[0137] BS 820b may communicate with a core network including a plurality of CN entities (e.g., CN entity 830a and CN entity 830b). CN entity 830a may serve as an AMF node, and CN entity 830b may serve as a UPF node. In response to receiving the RRC message, BS 820a may forward a NAS service request message in the RRC message to the core network (e.g., CN entity 830a) in operation 831. CN entity 830a may identify a busy indication in the NAS service request message, and may know that UE 810 is busy.

[0138] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN entity 830a may transmit a message indicating that the UE 810 is busy to the CN entity 830b in operation 833 (indicated as an option by a dotted line). The message may include an indicator indicating that the UE 810 is busy. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the CN entity 830a may not transmit a message indicating that the UE 810 is busy to the CN entity 830b.

[0139] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sequence of operations in the exemplary procedure 800 may be changed, and some operations in the exemplary procedure 800 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, as mentioned above, operation 833 may be eliminated.

[0140] Fig. 9 An example block diagram illustrating a device 900 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0141] As in Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , the apparatus 900 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium ( Fig. 9 ), receiving circuit system 902, transmitting circuit system 904, and coupling to non-transitory computer readable medium ( Fig. 9 ), a processor 909 of a receiving circuit system 902 and a transmitting circuit system 904. The apparatus 900 may be a BS, a WCD (eg, a UE), or a CN entity (eg, an MME, an AMF, or a UPF).

[0142] Although in this figure, elements such as processor 909, transmit circuit system 904, and receive circuit system 902 are described in the singular, the plural may be contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, receive circuit system 902 and transmit circuit system 904 are combined into a single device, such as a transceiver. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, apparatus 900 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0143] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions thereon to cause the processor to implement operations related to the UE as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 909 interacts with the receiving circuit system 902 and the transmitting circuit system 904 to perform operations related to Figure 1 WCD depicted and about Figures 2 to 8 Depicted is the operation of a UE.

[0144] For example, the receiving circuit system 902 may receive information related to busy indication functionality at the UE. The busy indication functionality may be associated with at least one of CN paging or RAN paging. In some other examples, the receiving circuit system 902 may receive a SIB at the UE. When the SIB does not include parameters associated with the busy indication functionality, the processor 909 may determine that the busy indication functionality associated with at least one of CN paging or RAN paging is not supported. In yet another example, the receiving circuit system 902 may receive RAN paging from a base station at the UE. When the busy indication functionality of RAN paging is supported, the transmitting circuit system 904 may transmit an RRC recovery request message including a busy indication to the base station.

[0145] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store thereon computer-executable instructions to cause a processor to implement the method for a BS as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 909 interacts with the receiving circuit system 902 and the transmitting circuit system 904 to perform the method for a BS. Figures 1 to 8 The operation of the BS is depicted in FIG.

[0146] For example, the transmitting circuit system 904 may transmit information related to the busy indication functionality. The busy indication functionality is associated with at least one of CN paging or RAN paging. In some other examples, the transmitting circuit system 904 may transmit the RAN paging to the UE. The receiving circuit system 902 may receive an RRC recovery request message including the busy indication from the UE. The transmitting circuit system 904 may further transmit a retrieve UE context request message including a cause value indicating the busy indication to the last serving base station of the UE. In other examples, the transmitting circuit system 904 may transmit the RAN paging. The receiving circuit system 902 may receive a retrieve UE context request message including a cause value indicating the busy indication in response to the RAN paging from the base station.

[0147] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions thereon to cause a processor to implement the method for a BS as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 909 performs the following steps when the receiving circuit system 902 and the transmitting circuit system 904 interact. Figures 1 to 8 The operations of the CN entity depicted in .

[0148] For example, the transmit circuitry 904 may transmit an indicator indicating whether the busy indication functionality for CN paging is supported. In some other examples, the transmit circuitry 904 may transmit a NAS message indicating whether the busy indication functionality for CN paging is supported.

[0149] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the steps of the methods described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps of the methods may reside as one or any combination or group of codes and / or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium that may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0150] Although the present disclosure has been described with specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent that many alternatives, modifications and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in other embodiments, the various components of the embodiments may be interchangeable, added or replaced. In addition, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, a person of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0151] In this document, the term "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment comprising a series of elements not only comprises the elements, but also may comprise other elements not explicitly listed or inherent to the process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of more constraints, elements beginning with "one" or the like do not exclude the presence of additional equivalent elements in the process, method, article or equipment comprising the elements. In addition, the term "another" is defined as at least the second or more. The term "having" and the like as used herein are defined as "comprising.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: Information related to a busy indication functionality of a network is received at a user equipment (UE), wherein the busy indication functionality is associated with at least one of core network (CN) paging or radio access network (RAN) paging, and the information related to the busy indication functionality of the network indicates whether the at least one of CN paging or RAN paging supports the busy indication functionality.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information comprises an indicator having at least one bit, and the indicator indicates one of: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information comprises an information element (IE) indicating one of: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the value of the IE is equal to an enumeration type of true.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the information includes parameters associated with the busy indication functionality, it is determined that the busy indication functionality is supported.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the busy indication functionality is supported comprises determining one of: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is received via a non-access stratum (NAS) message, and the information indicates whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is received via radio resource control (RRC) dedicated signaling, and the information indicates one of the following: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the RRC dedicated signaling comprises an RRC release message, and the RRC release message comprises a suspension configuration information element (IE).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the busy indication functionality is a reject page that the UE is configured to send in response to a paging message.

11. A device for wireless communication, comprising: Receiving circuit system; Transmitting circuit system; as well as a processor, coupled to the receive circuitry and the transmit circuitry, configured to cause the apparatus to: Information related to a busy indication functionality of a network is received at a user equipment (UE), wherein the busy indication functionality is associated with at least one of core network (CN) paging or radio access network (RAN) paging, and the information related to the busy indication functionality of the network indicates whether the at least one of CN paging or RAN paging supports the busy indication functionality.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the information comprises an indicator having at least one bit, and the indicator indicates one of: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information comprises an information element (IE) indicating one of: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the value of the IE is equal to an enumeration type of true.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the busy indication functionality is supported when the information includes parameters associated with the busy indication functionality.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein to determine that the busy indication functionality is supported, the processor is configured to determine one of: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the information is received via a non-access stratum (NAS) message, and the information indicates whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the information is received via radio resource control (RRC) dedicated signaling, and the information indicates one of: whether the busy indication functionality of the CN paging is supported; whether the busy indication functionality of the RAN paging is supported; or Whether the busy indication functionality of both the CN paging and the RAN paging is supported.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the busy indication functionality is a reject page that the UE is configured to send in response to a paging message.

20. A device for wireless communication, comprising: Receiving circuit system; Transmitting circuit system; as well as a processor, coupled to the receive circuitry and the transmit circuitry, configured to cause the apparatus to: Information related to a busy indication functionality of a network is transmitted to a user equipment UE, wherein the busy indication functionality is associated with at least one of core network CN paging or radio access network RAN ​​paging, and the information related to the busy indication functionality of the network indicates whether the at least one of CN paging or RAN paging supports the busy indication functionality.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processor coupled to the receive circuitry and the transmit circuitry is configured to receive an indicator from a CN entity of whether the busy indication functionality of CN paging is supported.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the CN entity comprises at least one of an access and mobility management function (AMF) node or an operations administration and maintenance (OAM) node.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the busy indication functionality is a reject page that the UE is configured to send in response to a paging message.

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