Network sharing of electronic devices in cellular networks with supported network slicing

Abstract

A first user equipment (UE) (102) is configured to establish a first network sharing connection (114-1) with a second UE (104) and to establish a second network sharing connection (114-2) with at least a third UE (104-2). The first UE (102) identifies a plurality of network slices (118) provided by a network (100). The first UE (102) selects at least a first network slice (118-1) for the second UE (104-1) and selects at least a second network slice (118-2) for the at least third UE (104-2). The first UE (102) wirelessly transmits data for the second UE (104-1) through at least the first network slice (118-1) using a first upstream link (116-1). The first UE (102) wirelessly transmits data for the at least third UE (104-2) through at least the second network slice (118-2) using a second upstream link (116-2). A first upstream link (116-1) and a second upstream link (116-2) are maintained concurrently.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Tethering is a technology that provides network communications for a first device (or multiple devices) through a second device. For example, a first device and a second device may be configured with hardware and software that allow the first device to establish a wired or wireless network (tethering) connection with the second device. The first device transmits a network request to the second device via a tethering connection. The second device relays the network request received from the first device to the appropriate network destination using a communication channel established by the second device with a network such as a cellular network. When the second device receives data associated with the first device, the second device forwards the data to the second device via the tethering connection. In this way, tethering allows the first device to access the services of the network using the network connection of the first device. Summary of the invention

[0002] According to one aspect, a method performed by a first user equipment (UE) includes establishing a first network sharing connection with at least a second UE. A plurality of network slices provided by a network are identified. At least a first network slice is selected from the plurality of network slices for use by at least the second UE. Data for at least the second UE is wirelessly transmitted through at least the first network slice using a first upstream link. In at least some embodiments, the first upstream link is one of: a physical upstream link or a logical upstream link carried by the physical upstream link.

[0003] In at least some embodiments, a second network slice is selected from a plurality of network slices for use by the first UE, and data for the first UE is wirelessly transmitted through the second network slice using a second upstream link. The first upstream link exists concurrently with the second upstream link. In at least some embodiments, the second upstream link is one of the following: a physical upstream link or a logical upstream link carried by the physical upstream link.

[0004] In at least some embodiments, selecting at least the first network slice includes obtaining a context associated with at least one of the at least second UE or the at least first network slice. Comparing the context with selection criteria of one or more network slice selection policies. Selecting at least the first network slice in response to comparing the context with selection criteria of the one or more network slice selection policies. In at least some embodiments, at least one of the one or more network selection policies is received from at least the second UE.

[0005] In at least some embodiments, selecting at least the first network slice further comprises determining that the context satisfies a selection criterion of at least one of the one or more network slice selection policies. At least the first network slice is selected in response to the context satisfying the selection criterion of the at least one network slice selection policy. In at least some embodiments, at least the first network slice is separate and different from a second network slice used by the first UE, and the first upstream link is separate and different from a second upstream link used by the first UE to wirelessly transmit data through the second network slice.

[0006] In at least some embodiments, selecting at least the first network slice further comprises determining that the context fails to satisfy a selection criterion of any of the one or more network slice selection policies, and selecting at least the first network slice in response to the context satisfying any of the one or more network slice selection policies. At least the first network slice is a default network slice used by the first UE, and the first upstream link is a default upstream link used by the first UE to wirelessly transmit data over the default network slice.

[0007] In at least some embodiments, the method further includes establishing a second network sharing connection with a third UE. Selecting at least a second network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the third UE. Wirelessly transmitting data for the third UE through at least the second network slice using a second upstream link. In at least some embodiments, at least the second network slice is separate and distinct from at least the first network slice, and maintaining the first upstream link concurrently with the second upstream link.

[0008] In at least some embodiments, the method further includes: selecting a second network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by at least a second UE; and wirelessly transmitting data for at least the second UE through the second network slice using a second upstream link. In at least some embodiments, the second network slice is separate and distinct from at least the first network slice, and the first upstream link is maintained concurrently with the second upstream link.

[0009] In at least some embodiments, selecting at least the first network slice includes transmitting information associated with the plurality of network slices. Receiving a selection of at least the first network slice from at least the second UE in response to transmitting the information. Selecting at least the first network slice in response to receiving the selection from at least the second UE.

[0010] In at least some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving a request to release at least the first network slice from at least a second UE, and releasing at least the first network slice in response to receiving the request.

[0011] In at least some embodiments, the method further includes determining a context for the first network sharing connection, and allocating one or more resources to the first network sharing connection based on the one or more policies and the context for the first network sharing connection.

[0012] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium embodies an executable instruction set for manipulating at least one of a processor and one or more radio frequency modems of a user equipment to perform the method of one or more embodiments described herein.

[0013] According to yet another aspect, a first user device includes one or more radio frequency (RF) modems, a processor coupled to the one or more RF modems, and at least one memory storing executable instructions. The one or more RF modems are configured to communicate wirelessly with at least one network. The executable instructions are configured to manipulate at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems to establish a first network sharing connection with at least a second user device (UE), identify a plurality of network slices provided by the network, and select at least a first network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by at least the second UE.

[0014] In at least some embodiments, the processor and at least one of the one or more RF modems are further manipulated to wirelessly transmit data for at least a second UE over at least the first network slice using the first upstream link.

[0015] In at least some embodiments, the processor and at least one of the one or more RF modems are further manipulated to select a second network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the first UE, and to wirelessly transmit data for the first UE through the second network slice using a second upstream link.

[0016] In at least some embodiments, at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems is further manipulated to maintain the first upstream link concurrently with the second upstream link.

[0017] In at least some embodiments, the processor and at least one of the one or more RF modems are further manipulated to select at least the first network slice by obtaining a context associated with at least the second UE or at least the first network slice, comparing the context with selection criteria of one or more network slice selection policies, and selecting at least the first network slice in response to comparing the context with the selection criteria of the one or more network slice selection policies.

[0018] In at least some embodiments, at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems is further manipulated to select at least the first network slice by determining that the context satisfies a selection criterion of at least one network slice selection policy of the one or more network slice selection policies, and selecting at least the first network slice in response to the context satisfying the selection criterion of the at least one network slice selection policy. In at least some embodiments, at least the first network slice is separate and distinct from a second network slice used by the first UE, and the first upstream link is separate and distinct from a second upstream link used by the first UE to wirelessly transmit data through the second network slice. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present disclosure may be better understood, and its numerous features and advantages may become apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numbers in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

[0020] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system employing a host UE implementing network slicing for network sharing client user equipment (UE) devices in accordance with some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a network slice selection policy implemented by a host UE in a network sharing configuration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a UE for implementing network slicing for network sharing client UE devices according to some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 4 and Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating example operations for implementing network slicing for network sharing UE devices according to some embodiments.

[0024] Figure 6 and Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for implementing network slicing for network sharing UE devices according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Network sharing enables devices that may not have the hardware or software resources to establish a connection with a given network to still access the network through another capable device. For example, a first user equipment (UE) device, such as a tablet or laptop, may not have the hardware / software to connect to a cellular network. However, the first UE device can establish a wired or wireless network sharing connection (downstream link) with a second UE device, such as a smart phone, which is able to establish a connection (upstream link) with a cellular network. The network sharing connection enables the first UE device to access the services of the cellular network through the network connection of the second UE device.

[0026] As data and bandwidth allocations for end users increase, network sharing has become a more viable and useful option for accessing the Internet through cellular networks. However, network sharing technologies are generally not configured to implement the latest advances in cellular networks. One such advancement is network slicing, which defines different categories of services and provides end-to-end logical networks (network slices) for these services across multiple parts of a cellular network. Network slicing allows network services customized based on the requirements of different use cases. Services provided by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) cellular network can be implemented using network slices instantiated and managed by the network management system of the 5G NR cellular network. In at least some embodiments, network slices define service categories in a cellular network and can be viewed as end-to-end logical networks across multiple parts of a cellular network. Each network slice provides quality of service customized for use cases associated with the network slice, such as low latency, guaranteed bandwidth, support for long battery life Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. In addition, a network slice can have dedicated resources in a single network operator's network or across multiple network operators' networks. End-to-end network slices can include radio access network (RAN) slices and / or core slices.

[0027] When a tethering connection is made between UE devices, typically only one upstream link is established with the cellular network. Furthermore, conventional tethering techniques are typically not configured to maintain a network slice mapping for data traffic over the tethering connection. The combination of a single upstream link and the lack of a network slice mapping results in a single common network slice being used for the tethering connection, regardless of the number of client UE devices being tethered to the host UE device or the services being accessed by the client devices. As such, conventional tethering techniques are typically unable to take advantage of the different network slices provided by the cellular network.

[0028] The present disclosure describes embodiments of systems and methods for implementing multiple concurrent network slices for network sharing connections. In at least some embodiments, a host UE device establishes a connection with a cellular network. As part of the connection process, the cellular network sends network slice information to the host UE device. The network slice information identifies available network slices provided by the cellular network. In other embodiments, the host UE device obtains network slice information while in idle mode during radio / cell search or at some other time point before connecting to the cellular network. The network slice information includes information such as a unique identifier for each available network, device and service requirements, capabilities, etc. In at least some embodiments, the host UE device selects a default network slice from the available network slices for accessing the cellular network. The host UE device may select a default network slice, for example, based on the context of the host UE device and / or the capabilities / requirements of the available network slices. For example, the host UE may select a default network slice based on one or more of the following: the device type of the host UE device, the executing application, the requested service, or the latency requirement. In other embodiments, the cellular network selects a default network slice for the host UE device based on, for example, the context of the host UE device.

[0029] One or more client UE devices establish a network sharing connection with a host UE device. The network sharing connection may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. In at least some embodiments, the network sharing connection is established before or after the host UE device has selected a default network slice. In response to having established a network sharing connection, the host UE device determines one or more network slices to be used for each of the one or more client UE devices. For example, in at least some embodiments, the host UE device maintains and utilizes a network slice selection policy (or rule) to select a network slice (or multiple network slices) for each client UE device. In at least some embodiments, the selection policy indicates which network slice to select for the client UE device based on, for example, the context of the client UE device or a network slice request received from the client UE device. For example, a first selection policy may indicate that if the client UE device is an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a first network slice is selected. In another example, a second selection policy may indicate that when a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network sharing connection is established between the host UE device and the client UE device, a second network slice is selected. Different selection policies may have different levels of granularity for selection criteria.

[0030] In at least some embodiments, different network slices are assigned to client UE devices at different times. In other embodiments, multiple different network slices are assigned to client UE devices concurrently. In addition, different network slices can be assigned to different devices based on a network slice selection policy. Once a network slice has been selected for each client UE device, if an upstream link has not yet been established, the host UE device establishes an upstream link for the selected network slice. In at least some embodiments, the upstream link includes a physical link or a virtual / logical link. For example, a physical upstream link such as a packet data network (PDN) connection can support multiple network slices through network routing / rules, protocol data unit (PDU) assignments, etc. In this way, a single physical upstream link can support multiple logical upstream links for different network slices. Therefore, in at least some embodiments, a physical upstream link can be established for the selected network slice, or a logical upstream link can be established for the selected network slice. Any data associated with the client UE device is transmitted and received through the assigned network slice instead of the default network slice. In this way, the technology described herein provides a host UE device to establish multiple upstream links (physical and / or logical) to implement concurrent network slicing for network sharing client UE devices in a cellular network. Data or data associated with a network-sharing client UE device can benefit from the networking resources, computing resources, and storage resources allocated and configured for the network slice that carries the data.

[0031] For ease of illustration, the following techniques are described in an example context in which one or more UE devices and a radio access network (RAN) implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs) including at least a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) standard (e.g., third generation partnership project (3GPP) release 15, 3GPP release 16, etc.) (hereinafter, "5G NR" or "5G NR standard"). However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to networks configured with 5GNR RATs, but rather the techniques described herein may be applied to any combination of different RATs employed at UE devices and RANs. It should also be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to any specific network configuration or architecture described herein for implementing network slicing (or equivalent techniques) with respect to network sharing connections, but rather the techniques described herein may be applied to any configuration of a RAN in which a host UE device can establish multiple concurrent upstream links to implement different network slices for network sharing client UE devices. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and contexts described herein, but rather the techniques described herein may be applied to any network environment in which a host UE device implements network slicing for network sharing client UE devices.

[0032] Figure 1An example mobile cellular network 100 is illustrated that employs a group of network sharing UE devices 102, 104 implementing network slicing according to some embodiments. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to cellular networks 100, and the techniques described herein are applicable to other types of wireless communication systems. As shown, the cellular network 100 includes multiple UE devices 102, 104, one or more RANs 106, and a core network 108. Figure 1 Further shown is one or more external networks 110, such as the Internet or a public switched telephone network (PSTN), coupled to the cellular network 100 via the core network 108. It should be appreciated that the cellular network 100 may include Figure 1 Additional components not shown.

[0033] The UE devices 102, 104 may include any of a variety of electronic devices capable of wired and / or wireless communications, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, a smart watch or other wearable computing device, a car or other vehicle that employs wireless communication services (e.g., for navigation, providing entertainment services, in-vehicle mobile hotspots, etc.), a gaming device, a media device, an IoT device (e.g., a sensor node, a controller / actuator node, or a combination thereof), and another device capable of wired and / or wireless communications. In at least one embodiment, the RAN 106 may be accessed using, for example, a 5G NR RAT and connected to one or more other RANs (not shown) via at least a core network 108. The RAN 106 implementing the 5G NR RAT may be referred to as a 5G NR RAN or an NR RAN. An example of a core network 108 in a 5G NR cellular network is a fifth generation core (5GC) network.

[0034] Each RAN 106 includes one or more base stations 112 that are operable to wirelessly communicate with UE devices 102, 104 within signal range, where each or a combination of the base stations 112 defines the coverage of a single "cell" for the RAN 106. In at least some embodiments, the base stations 112 are implemented in macro cells, micro cells, small cells, pico cells, etc. or any combination thereof. Consistent with the terminology adopted by the 5GNR standard, the base stations 112 implementing the 5G NR RAT are referred to herein as "5G Node B 112" or "gNB 112". As is known in the art, the base stations 112 operate as an "air interface" to establish a radio frequency (RF) wireless communication link with the UE devices 102, 104, which can be implemented as any suitable type of wireless communication link. These wireless communication links are then used as data and voice paths between the UE devices 102, 104 and the core network 108 coupled to one or more external networks 110 for providing various services to the UE devices 102, 104. Examples of these services include voice services via circuit-switched networks or packet-switched networks, messaging services such as Simple Messaging Service (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), multimedia content delivery, presence services, etc. In at least some embodiments, multiple wireless communication links are aggregated in carrier aggregation to provide higher data rates for UE devices 102, 104. Multiple wireless communication links from multiple base stations 112 can be configured for coordinated multi-point (CoMP) communication with UE devices 102, 104. In addition, in at least some embodiments, the multiple wireless communication links are configured for single RAT) or multi-RAT dual connectivity (MR-DC).

[0035] Figure 1 An example configuration of a cellular network 100 that implements network slicing for network sharing connections between UE devices 102, 104 is further illustrated. In at least some embodiments, one or more client UE devices 104 (illustrated as 104-1 to 104-3) establish a network sharing connection 114 (illustrated as 114-1 to 114-3) with a host UE device 102. The network sharing connection 114 (also referred to as a downstream link 114) can be established using wired or wireless technology. For example, the wired connection between the host UE device 102 and the client UE device 104 can be made using a universal serial bus (USB) connection, an Ethernet connection, etc. The wireless connection can be made using, for example, Wi-Fi (i.e., one or more of the IEEE 802.11 wireless standards), Bluetooth, etc. Near field communication (NFC) etc.

[0036] The network sharing connection 114 enables the client UE device 104 to access the core network 108 and the external network 110 through the communication link 116 (also referred to as the upstream link 116) established between the host UE device 102 and the core network 108 through the RAN 106. For example, the client UE devices 104 transmit network requests to the host UE device 102 through their respective network sharing connections 114. The host UE device 102 relays the network requests received from the client UE device 104 through the RAN 106 and the core network 108 to the appropriate destination using the upstream link 116 established by the host UE device 102. The host UE device 102 also receives data associated with one or more client UE devices 104 from, for example, the external network 110 through the upstream link 116. The host UE device 102 transmits the received data to the appropriate client UE device 104 through the network sharing connection 114. In at least some embodiments, the data includes a single data packet, multiple data packets, a data stream, a data burst, and the like.

[0037] In a traditional network sharing configuration, the host UE device is typically not configured to maintain a network slice mapping for data services connected via the network sharing. In this way, the host UE typically establishes a single common upstream link with the 5G NR core network 108 for all connected client UE devices. Therefore, only the default network slice currently used by the host UE device can be used for the client UE device. However, as described in more detail below, in some embodiments, the host UE device 102 can establish multiple concurrent upstream links 116 (illustrated as 116-1 to 116-4) and use the upstream links 116 to access multiple network slices 118 for network sharing client UE devices 104. In at least some embodiments, one or more upstream links 116 are physical upstream links. In other embodiments, one or more concurrent upstream links 116 are logical upstream links carried over physical upstream links.

[0038] In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 obtains network slice information 120 associated with the network slice 118 of the core network 108. Figure 1The core network 108 is shown to include a plurality of network slices 118 (illustrated as network slices 118-1 through 118-4). Throughout the description, network slice 118-1 is referred to as a default network slice, and network slices 118-2 through 118-4 are referred to as non-default network slices. Examples of network slices 118 include network slices configured for 5G NR enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), 5G ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), 5G NR massive machine type communications (mMTC), massive Internet of Things (MIoT), etc. The cellular network 100 may include any number of network slices 118 and combinations of network slices 118, including Figure 1 Those not shown in .

[0039] In at least some embodiments, the network slice information 120 includes a list or other data structure representing the available network slices 118, and information such as identifiers, device requirements and application / service requirements, capabilities, service level agreements (SLAs), configured resources, etc. for each available network slice 118. In at least some embodiments, the network slice information 120 is obtained by the host UE device 102 from a user, a network operator, a base station 112, one or more core network components 122, an external network 110, etc. In one example, the network slice information 120 is obtained by the host UE device 102 as part of an attachment process with the cellular network 100. In another example, the host UE device 102 obtains the network slice information 120 while in idle mode during a radio / cell search or at some other point in time before attaching to the cellular network 100.

[0040] In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 selects the default network slice 118-1 based on, for example, a context 124 (also referred to as context information 124) of the host UE device 102 and / or one or more selection policies (SPs) 126 described below. In other embodiments, a component 122 of the RAN 106 or core network 108 that manages the network slice 118 selects the default network slice 118-1 for the host UE device 102. For example, the host UE device 102 may transmit a network slice access request along with the context 124 of the host UE device 102 to one or more network components 122, such as a network slice management component. The network slice management component uses the context 124 of the host UE device 102 to select the default network slice 118-1 for the host UE device 102.

[0041] In at least some embodiments, the context 124 of the UE device indicates various parameters / attributes of the UE device. Examples of context information include network sharing connection parameters, such as link type (e.g., wired or wireless, USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.). etc.), link frequency, channel, etc.; client UE device type (e.g., smart phone, tablet computing device, laptop computer, vehicle, IoT device, gaming device, etc.); media access control (MAC) address of UE devices 102, 104; source Internet Protocol (IP) address of data associated with UE devices 102, 104; destination IP address of data associated with UE devices 102, 104; communication port associated with data of UE devices 102, 104; application and / or service on UE devices 102, 104 requesting data; latency requirements of UE devices 102, 104; mobility state of UE devices 102, 104 (e.g., in a vehicle, stationary, on a pedestrian, traveling above or below a speed threshold, etc.); type and / or size of data being transmitted and / or requested by UE devices 102, 104, etc.

[0042] In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 activates the selected default network slice 118-1 by sending an access request to the RAN 106 and / or one or more core network components 122 for access to the selected default network slice 118-1. After the host UE device 102 has been authenticated and granted access to the default network slice 118-1, the host UE device 102 uses the default upstream link 116-1 to access the default network slice 118-1 and related services. Data associated with the default network slice 118-1 is wirelessly transmitted (e.g., transmitted and / or received) by the host UE device 102 via the default upstream link 116-1. In at least some embodiments, the wireless communication of data may include one or both of transmitting data or receiving data. The host UE device 102 may establish an upstream link 116-1 with the cellular network 100 before or after selecting the default network slice 118-1. The host UE device 102 may implement various mechanisms and techniques for establishing an upstream link 116 and accessing a network slice 118, such as those described in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; System Architecture for 5G Systems; Phase 2 (Release 15).

[0043] In addition to selecting and accessing the default network slice 118-1, the host UE device 102 selects and accesses one or more network slices 118 for the client UE device 104. In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 uses a set of one or more network slice selection policies 126 (such as the illustrated network slice selection policies 126-1 and 126-2) to determine which network slice 118 to select and use for a given client UE device 104. In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 obtains the network slice selection policy 126 (hereinafter, for brevity, referred to as "selection policy 126") from a user, a network operator, one or more client UE devices 104, a base station 112, a component 122 of the core network 108, an external network 110, etc. In one example, the client UE device 104 transmits the one or more selection policies 126 to the host UE device 102 using the network sharing connection 114. In at least some embodiments, the selection policy 126 includes, for example, an identifier 128 of the network slice 118 and criteria 130 for each network slice 118 that governs the selection and utilization of the network slice 118 for the client UE device 104. The host UE device 102 may store and access the selection policy 126 locally and / or remotely.

[0044] In at least some embodiments, the selection policy 126 is a global selection policy 126-1 that is applied to one or more client UE devices 104. In other embodiments, one or more selection policies 126 are UE-specific selection policies 126-2 defined or configured for a particular client UE device 104. If the client UE device 104 is associated with a UE-specific selection policy 126-2, the host UE device 102 may use the UE-specific selection policy 126-2 to select a network slice 118 for the client UE device 104 instead of using the global selection policy 126-1. In at least some embodiments, the selection criteria 130 of the selection policy 126 may be defined from the perspective of the UE devices 102, 104, and / or the network slice 118. For example, the global selection policy 126-1 may indicate that if the context 124 of the client UE device 104 satisfies the selection criteria 130, the associated network slice 118 may be selected only for the client UE device 104. In another example, the UE-specific selection policy 126-2 may include selection criteria 130 that indicate a specific slice context 132 (e.g., parameters, attributes, capabilities, etc.) of the network slice 118 to be selected for a given client UE device 104. In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 may use the selection policy 126 to select the default network slice 118-1. In addition, in at least some embodiments, a user or application executing on the host UE device 102 or the client UE device 104 may update the selection policy 126 defined for the client UE device 104.

[0045] In addition to the selection criteria 130, in at least some embodiments, the selection policy 116 also includes resource allocation information for the network sharing connection 114. For example, the selection policy 126 may indicate specific resources for allocation to any client UE 104 or one or more specific client UE devices 104 for a given network sharing context. For example, the selection policy 126 may indicate that for a network sharing context in which one or more client UE devices 104 connect to the host UE 102 using a Wi-Fi link, resources such as specific channels, frequencies, buffer sizes, etc. are to be allocated to the one or more client UE devices 104. In at least some embodiments, the resource allocation information may be included in a separate and distinct policy from the selection policy 126.

[0046] Figure 2 Shown as Figure 11 to 226-4. In at least some embodiments, each network slice selection policy 226 (or, for brevity, referred to herein simply as a "selection policy 226") includes an identifier 230 and a selection criterion 228. The identifier 230 uniquely identifies the network slice 118 associated with the selection policy 226. The selection criterion 228 is used by the host UE device 102 to determine whether the associated network slice 118 is selected and used for the client UE device 104. For example, the first selection policy 226-1 associated with the first network slice 118-1 includes a unique identifier "NS_1", and the selection criterion 228 includes a "default" value. In this example, the "default" value indicates that when no other network slice 118 can be selected for the client UE device 104, the first network slice 118-1 is designated as the default network slice 118 selected for the client UE device 104. For example, if the current context 124 of the client UE device 104 does not satisfy the selection criteria 228 defined for the non-default network slices 118-2 to 118-4, the host UE device 102 selects the default network slice 118-1 for the client UE device 104. Alternatively, the host UE device 102 may determine that the context 124 of the client UE device 104 satisfies the selection criteria 228 for the default network slice 118-1 and select the default network slice 118-1 based on the determination. In an embodiment where the selection criteria 228 are to be satisfied by the network slice 118, the host UE device 102 selects the default network slice 118-1 when the remaining network slices 118-2 to 118-4 do not satisfy the selection criteria 228, as compared to the client UE device 104.

[0047] The second selection policy 226-2 associated with the second network slice 118-2 includes a unique identifier "NS_2" and selection criteria "A, B, and C". In this example, the host UE device 102-2 selects and utilizes the second network slice 118-2 when conditions A, B, and C are met. Depending on how the second selection policy 226-2 is configured, these conditions are to be met by the client UE device 104 or the second network slice 118-2.

[0048] The third selection policy 200-3 associated with the third network slice 118-3 includes a unique identifier "NS_3", a first set of selection criteria "A, B, C, D, and E", and a second set of selection criteria "If !A but X, Y, or Z, then B, D, F, and G". In this example, the third selection policy 226-3 of the third network slice 118-3 includes a more complex set of selection criteria 206 than the second selection policy 226-2 of the second network slice 118-2. For example, if the client UE device 104 satisfies conditions A, B, C, D, and E, the host UE device 102 selects the third network slice 118-3 for the client UE device 104. The third selection policy 226-3 also provides an additional rule stating that if condition A is not met but conditions X, Y, or Z are met, then if conditions B, D, F, and G are also met, then the third network slice 118-3 can be selected. For example, condition A can indicate that the device type of the client UE device 104 should be a tablet computing device. Conditions B, C, D, and E may be specific conditions based on the client UE device 104 being a tablet computing device. However, in this example, the third network slice 118-3 is not limited to tablet computing devices. Therefore, the second set of selection criteria includes conditions indicating that if the client UE device 104 is not a tablet computing device (condition A) but is a gaming device, a smart phone, or a wearable computing device (condition X, Y, or Z), the third network slice 118-3 may be selected for the client UE device 104 if additional conditions B, D, G, and G are met.

[0049] The fourth selection policy 226-4 associated with the fourth network slice 118-4 includes a unique identifier "NS_N" and selection criteria "A, D, D1, and N". In this example, when conditions A, A1, D, and N are met, the host UE device 102-2 selects and utilizes the fourth network slice 118-4. In this example, not only must condition D be met, but sub-condition D1 of condition D must also be met. For example, condition D may indicate that the network sharing connection type between the host UE device 102 and the client UE devices 104-1 to 104-3 should be a Wi-Fi-based link, and sub-condition D1 may indicate that the Wi-Fi-based link should utilize a 5 gigahertz (GHz) frequency. It should be noted that the embodiments are not limited to the selection criteria 228 that must be met by the client UE device 104. For example, the selection criteria 228 may indicate specific parameters or attributes of the network slice 118 to be selected for a given client UE device 104 (e.g., latency, bandwidth, service, SLA, etc.).

[0050] The selection criteria 228 may be similar to the UE device context parameters listed above. For example, the selection criteria 228 may include network sharing connection parameters such as link type (e.g., wired or wireless, USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.). etc.), link frequency, channel, etc.; client UE device type; media access control (MAC) address; source Internet Protocol (IP) address of data associated with the client UE device 104; destination IP address of data associated with the client UE device 104; communication port associated with data of the client UE device 104; application and / or service on the client UE device 104 requesting data; mobility state of the client UE device 104 (e.g., in a vehicle, stationary, on a pedestrian, traveling above or below a speed threshold, etc.); combinations thereof, etc.

[0051] Return to reference Figure 1 In at least some embodiments, the network slice selection policy 126 may include additional information about the management of the selection policy 126. For example, the selection policy 126 may indicate that the client UE device 104 is authorized or not authorized to update the selection rules or criteria of the selection policy 126; the client UE device 104 needs or does not need to be authorized to update the selection rules or criteria; the client UE device 104-1 is allowed or not allowed to request its current network slice 118 or request a new network slice 118; the client UE device 104-1 needs or does not need to be authorized to request / release a network slice 118; the user of the host UE device 102 or the client UE device 104-1 can or can not be shown the details of the selection policy 126 or only a general overview; and so on. In other embodiments, the additional information may be maintained or accessed separately from the selection policy 126.

[0052] In at least some embodiments, in response to the client UE device 104 establishing a network sharing connection (downstream link) 114 with the host UE device 102 or upon receiving a request from the client UE device 104 to access the cellular network 100, the host UE device 102 determines one or more network slices 118 for the client UE device 104. As part of the network slice 118 selection process, or prior to the network slice 118 selection process, the host UE device 102 obtains a current context 124 of the client UE device 104 for which a network slice 118 is to be selected. For example, the host UE device 102 may analyze the selection policy 126 and identify a type of context information 124 for determining which network slice 118 may be selected for the client UE device 104. For example, after analyzing the selection policy 126 for the third network slice 118-3, the host UE device 102 determines that context information 124 such as device type, network sharing connection type, network sharing connection frequency, and data type is needed to determine whether the third network slice 118-3 may be selected for the client UE device 104. The host UE device 102 then communicates with the client UE device 104 to obtain the context information 124. However, in at least some embodiments, this context information 124 and other context information 124 have already been provided to the host UE device 102 as part of establishing the tethering connection 114. As such, the context 124 of the client UE device 104 may be automatically provided to the host UE device 102 by the client UE device 104, and / or the host UE device 102 may query the client UE device 104 for the context information 124.

[0053] In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 compares the context 124 of the client UE device 104 with the selection criteria 130 of the selection policy 126 to determine whether the context 124 satisfies the selection criteria 130 of one or more network slices 118. If the context 124 of the client UE device 104 satisfies the selection criteria 130 of the network slice 118, the host UE device 102 selects the network slice 118 for the client UE device 104 and establishes an upstream link 116 with the cellular network 100 to wirelessly transmit data through the selected network slice 118. In other embodiments, the upstream link 116 may be established before selecting the network slice 118. In at least some embodiments, if the context 124 of the client UE device 104 satisfies the selection criteria 130 of two or more network slices 118, the host UE device 102 selects two or more network slices 118 for the client UE device 104. The host UE device 102 establishes a separate upstream link 116 for each of the two or more network slices 118 to wirelessly transmit data through the selected network slice 118. If the context 124 of the client UE device 104 does not satisfy the selection criteria 130 of the non-default network slices 118-2 through 118-4, then in at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 selects the default network slice 118-1 for the client UE device 104. In this embodiment, data associated with the client UE device 104 is wirelessly transmitted over the default network slice 118-1 using the default upstream link 116-1.

[0054] In at least some embodiments, instead of (or in addition to) analyzing the context 124 of the client UE device 104 with respect to the selection policy 126, the host UE device 102 analyzes the context 132 (also referred to as context information 132) of the network slice 118 with respect to the selection policy 126. For example, the selection policy 126 may include selection criteria 130 based on the context 132 of the network slice 118. For example, the selection criteria 130 may indicate specific attributes and / or parameters of the network slice 118 to be selected for a given client UE device 104, such as latency, bandwidth, provided services, SLA, etc.

[0055] In addition, in at least some embodiments, the client UE device 104 requests one or more specific network slices 118 or types of network slices 118 by sending a request to the host UE device 102 using the network sharing connection 114. For example, the host UE device 102 can broadcast / send a list of available network slices 118 provided by the cellular network to one or more client UE devices 104 via the network sharing connection 114, a network or application layer protocol, etc. A user, application, or service of the client UE device 104 can select one or more available network slices 118. The client UE device 104 then sends a request to the host UE device 102 identifying the requested network slice 118. The host UE device 102 proceeds to select the requested network slice 118 for the client UE device 104. In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 implements one or more selection policies 126 to determine whether the requested network slice 118 is available for the client UE device 104.

[0056] The above-described network slice 118 selection technique is performed for each client UE device 104, resulting in multiple concurrent upstream links 116 being established for one or more client UE devices 104. The concurrent upstream links 116 enable multiple different network slices 118 to be used for the UE device 104. For example, Figure 1 The host UE device 102 is shown to have established multiple concurrent upstream links 116-1 to 116-4. In this example, the first (default) upstream link 116-1 is a default upstream link for use with the first (default) network slice 118-1. The host UE device 102 utilizes the default upstream link 116-1 and the default network slice 118-1 to wirelessly transmit its data. Figure 1 The host UE device 102 is also shown to have selected a default network slice 118-1 for the first client UE device 104-1. Therefore, data associated with the first client UE device 104-1 is also wirelessly transmitted through the default network slice 118-1 using the default upstream link 116-1. The host UE device 102 has selected a second network slice 118-2 for the second client UE device 104-2 and established a second upstream link 116-2. Therefore, data associated with the second client UE device 104-2 is wirelessly transmitted through the second network slice 118-2 using the second upstream link 116-2.

[0057] The third network slice 118-3 and the fourth network slice 118-4 have been selected by the host UE device 102 for the third client UE device 104-3. In this example, separate upstream links 116-3 and 116-4 have been established for each of the third network slice 118-3 and the fourth network slice 118-4. Therefore, some data associated with the third client UE device 104-3 is wirelessly transmitted through the third network slice 118-3 using the third upstream link 116-3, while other data associated with the third client UE device 104-3 is wirelessly transmitted through the fourth network slice 118-4 using the fourth upstream link 116-4. For example, different applications or services on the third client UE device 104-3, such as live gaming and background downloading, can benefit from using different network slices 118-3, 118-4 at the same time. Data associated with the gaming application / service may be wirelessly transmitted through the third network slice 118-3 using the third upstream link 116-3, while data associated with the application / service downloading files in the background may be wirelessly transmitted through the fourth network slice 118-4 using the fourth upstream link 116-4.

[0058] In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 establishes a separate upstream link 116 for each network slice 118 selected for the client UE device 104. In other embodiments, if the host UE device 102 selects the same network slice 118 for multiple client UE devices 104, a common upstream link 116 is established for at least two of the multiple client UE devices 104 for wirelessly transmitting data. In this embodiment, the common upstream link 116 is shared between at least two client UE devices 104 for wirelessly transmitting data through the common network slice 118.

[0059] In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 may change the network slice 118 selected for the client UE device 104 based on a change in the context 124 of the client UE device 104. For example, a network slice 118 may initially be selected for the client UE device 104-3 based on a context 124 indicating that a game is currently being played on the client UE device 104-3. However, after the user has finished playing the game, the host UE device 102 may request a high-definition video stream. Therefore, the host UE device 102 releases the initial network slice 118 and the initial upstream link 116 serving the gaming application, and selects a new network slice 118 and establishes a new upstream link 116 to serve the high-definition video stream. In at least some embodiments, if an upstream link 116 associated with the newly selected network slice 118 has already been established for another client UE device 104-2, the host UE device 102 may use the upstream link 116 for the client UE device 104-3.

[0060] In at least some embodiments, the client UE device 104 may request to release its current network slice 118 and / or activate a new network slice 118. For example, the second client UE device 104-2 may send a request to the host UE device 102 to release the second network slice 118-2 activated for the second client UE device 104-2 using the network sharing connection 114-2. The host UE device 102 then proceeds to deactivate the second network slice 118-2 and, in at least some embodiments, the associated upstream link 116-2. If the second client UE device 104-2 has requested a new network slice 118, the host UE device 102 activates the new network slice 118 for the second client UE device 104-2 according to the network slice selection techniques described above and establishes a new upstream link 116 if necessary.

[0061] Figure 3 An example device diagram 300 of a UE device 102 (or 104) is illustrated. In various aspects, the device diagram 300 describes a UE device that can implement various aspects of network slicing for a network sharing client UE device. For clarity, the UE device 102 may include Figure 3 In at least some embodiments, the UE device 102 includes an antenna 302, a radio frequency (RF) front end 304, and one or more RF transceivers 306 (e.g., a 3GPP fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) transceiver 306-1 and a 5G NR transceiver 306-2) for communicating with the base station 112 in the RAN 106, such as a 5G RAN and / or E-UTRAN. In at least some embodiments, the UE device 102 also includes one or more additional transceivers 306-3, such as a local wireless network transceiver, for communicating with other UE devices 104, such as those in a network sharing configuration with the UE device 102, via one or more local wireless networks (e.g., WLAN, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), personal area network (PAN), wireless fidelity direct (Wi-Fi-Direct), IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee, Thread, mmWave, etc.). In at least some embodiments, the RF front end 304 couples or connects the LTE transceiver 306-1, the 5G NR transceiver 306-2, and the local wireless network transceiver 306-3 to the antenna 302 to facilitate various types of wireless communications.

[0062] In at least some embodiments, the antenna 302 of the UE device 102 includes an array of multiple antennas configured similarly or differently from each other. In at least some embodiments, the antenna 302 and the RF front end 304 are tuned to and / or can be tuned to one or more frequency bands, such as those defined by 3GPP LTE, 3GPP 5GNR, IEEE WLAN, IEEE WMAN or other communication standards. In at least some embodiments, the antenna 302, the RF front end 304, the LTE transceiver 306-1, the 5G NR transceiver 306-2 and / or the local wireless network transceiver 306-3 are configured to support beamforming (e.g., analog, digital or hybrid), or in-phase and quadrature (I / Q) operations (e.g., I / Q modulation or demodulation operations) for transmission and reception of communications with the base station 112. For example, the antenna 302 and the RF front end 304 operate in sub-gigahertz bands, sub-6 GHz bands, and / or above-6 GHz bands defined by 3GPP LTE, 3GPP 5G NR, or other communication standards.

[0063] In at least some embodiments, antenna 302 includes one or more receiving antennas positioned in a one-dimensional shape (e.g., a line) or a two-dimensional shape (e.g., a triangle, a rectangle, or an L-shape) for implementations including three or more receiving antenna elements. While a one-dimensional shape enables measurement of one angular dimension (e.g., an azimuth or an elevation angle), a two-dimensional shape enables measurement of two angular dimensions (e.g., both an azimuth and an elevation angle). Using at least a portion of antenna 302, UE device 102 can form a beam that is steered or unsteered, wide or narrow, or shaped (e.g., as a hemisphere, a cube, a fan, a cone, or a cylinder). One or more transmitting antennas may have an unsteered omnidirectional radiation pattern, or may produce a wide steerable beam. Any of these techniques enables UE device 102 to transmit radar signals to illuminate a large volume of space. In some embodiments, the receiving antenna generates thousands of narrow steering beams (e.g., 2000 beams, 4000 beams, or 6000 beams) using digital beamforming to achieve the desired level of angular accuracy and angular resolution.

[0064] In at least some embodiments, the UE device 102 includes one or more sensors 308 that are implemented to detect various characteristics, such as temperature, power supplied, power usage, battery status, etc. The sensors 308 may include any one or a combination of temperature sensors, thermistors, battery sensors, and power usage sensors.

[0065] The UE device 102 also includes at least one processor 310 and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 312 (CRM 312). In at least some embodiments, the processor 310 is a single-core processor or a multi-core processor composed of various materials such as silicon, polysilicon, high-K dielectrics, copper, etc. The computer-readable storage medium described herein excludes propagation signals. In at least some embodiments, the CRM 312 includes any suitable memory or storage device, such as a random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or flash memory that can be used to store device data 314 of the UE device 102. The device data 314 includes, for example, user data, multimedia data, beamforming codebooks, applications, and / or an operating system of the UE device 102, which can be executed by the processor 310 to implement user plane communications, control plane signaling, and user interaction with the UE device 102.

[0066] In at least some embodiments, the CRM 312 also includes a communication manager 316. Alternatively or additionally, in at least some embodiments, the communication manager 316 is implemented in whole or in part as hardware logic or circuitry that is integrated or separate from other components of the UE device 102. In at least some embodiments, the communication manager 316 configures the RF front end 304, the LTE transceiver 306-1, the 5G NR transceiver 306-2, and / or the local wireless network transceiver 306-3 to perform one or more wireless communication operations.

[0067] In at least some embodiments, the CRM 312 further includes a network sharing manager 318, a network slice (NS) selection manager 32, device context information 124, network slice context information 132, selection policy 126, etc. Alternatively or additionally, in at least some embodiments, one or more of these components are implemented in whole or in part as hardware logic or circuitry that is integrated or separate from other components of the UE device 102. In at least some embodiments, the network sharing manager 318 and the network slice selection manager 320 configure the RF front end 304, transceiver 306, processor 310, and / or other components of the UE device 102 to implement the techniques described herein for utilizing network slices with the network sharing client UE device 104.

[0068] Figure 4 and Figure 5 Together, an example ladder diagram depicting data and control transactions between devices participating in a network sharing connection network slice according to at least some embodiments is illustrated. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to Figure 4 and Figure 5404 , the RAN 106 transmits 404 network slice (NS) information 120 to the host UE device 102. The network slice information 120 includes, for example, a list of available network slices 118 and a context 132 for each available network slice 118, such as parameters, attributes, capabilities, requirements, etc. of the network slice 118.

[0069] In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 selects 406 a first (default) network slice 118-1 from the available network slices 118. In other embodiments, the RAN 106 or the core network component 122 selects the default network slice 118-1 for the host UE device 102. The host UE device 102 establishes 408 a default upstream link 116-1 and activates the default network slice 118-1. In some embodiments, the default upstream link 116-1 may be established before selecting the default network slice 118-1. The first client UE device 104-1 establishes 410 a first network sharing connection 114-1 with the host UE device 102. At least the second client UE device 104-2 also establishes 412 a second network sharing connection 114-3 with the host UE device 102. In at least some embodiments, one or more of the client UE devices 104 may establish a network sharing connection 114 with the host UE device 102 before selecting or activating the default network slice 118-1.

[0070] In at least some embodiments, the first client UE device 104-1 requests 414 access to the cellular network 100. The request may be, for example, an explicit request or an implicit request, such as for transmission of a data stream. In response to receiving the request, in this example, the host UE device 102 selects 416 a default network slice 118-1 for the first client UE device 104-1 based on a network slice selection policy and a context 124 of the first client UE device 104-1 and / or a context 132 of a network slice 118. For example, the context 124 of the first client UE device 104-1 may not satisfy any non-default network slice 118, resulting in the selection of the default network slice 118-1. The first client UE device 104-1 transmits 418 a first data stream to the host UE device 102 using the first network shared connection 114-1. The host UE device 102 receives the first data stream through the default network slice 118-1 using the default upstream link 116-1 and transmits 420 the first data stream. The host UE device 102 receives 422 the second data stream via the default network slice 118-1. The host UE device 102 determines that the second data stream is for the first client UE device 104-1 and transmits 424 the second data stream to the first client UE device 104-1 using the first network sharing connection 114-1.

[0071] In at least some embodiments, the second client UE device 104-2 requests 426 access to the cellular network 100. The request may be, for example, an explicit request or an implicit request, such as the transmission of a data stream. In response to receiving the request, the host UE device 102 selects 428 one or more network slices for the second client UE device 104-2, in this example, selecting a second network slice 118-2 and a third network slice 118-3 for the second client UE device 104-2. For example, the context 124 of the second client UE device 104-2 may indicate that two applications (or services) - such as music streaming and a game - are being executed on the second client UE device 104-2. Therefore, the host UE device 102 selects the second network slice 118-2 to wirelessly transmit data associated with the first application, and selects the third network slice 118-3 for wirelessly transmitting data associated with the second application. In some embodiments, a network slice 118 is selected for each application.

[0072] The host UE device 102 establishes 430 a second upstream link 116-2 and a third upstream link 116-3, and activates the second network slice 118-2 and the third network slice 118-3. The second upstream link 116-2 is associated with the second network slice 118-2, and the third upstream link 116-3 is associated with the third network slice 118-3. In this example, the first upstream link 116-1, the second upstream link 116-2, and the third upstream link 116-4 are concurrently active or maintained. The second client UE device 104-2 transmits 432 a third data stream to the host UE device 102 using the second network shared connection 114-2. The second client UE device 104-2 also transmits 434 a fourth data stream to the host UE device 102 using the second network shared connection 114-2.

[0073] The host UE device 102 receives a third data stream through the second network slice 118-2 using the second upstream link 116-2 and transmits 336 the third data stream. The host UE device 102 receives a fourth data stream through the third network slice 118-3 using the third upstream link 116-3 and transmits 438 the fourth data stream. In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 determines which upstream link 116 and network slice 118 are associated with the data stream based on the context of the data stream received, for example, from the client UE device 104. The context of the data stream includes, for example, the type of data being transmitted, the application / service associated with the data, the source IP address, the destination IP address, etc. The host UE device 102 receives 440 the fifth data stream through the second network slice 118-2. The host UE device 102 also receives 442 the sixth data stream through the third network slice 118-3. The host UE device 102 determines that the fifth data stream is for the second client UE device 104-2, and transmits 444 the fifth data stream to the second client UE device 104-2 using the second network sharing connection 114-2. The host UE device 102 also determines that the sixth data stream is for the second client UE device 104-2, and transmits 446 the sixth data stream to the second client UE device 104-2 using the second network sharing connection 114-2.

[0074] Figure 6 and Figure 7 An example method 600 of implementing a network slice for a network sharing client UE device 104 by a host UE device 102 is illustrated in flowchart form. The techniques described in the example method 600 have been previously described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to Figure 6 and Figure 7 One or more operations may be performed in an order different from that shown, and multiple operations may be performed in parallel.

[0075] In response to the host UE device 102 determining that the network sharing mode should be enabled, the method 600 is initiated. In response to the determination, at box 602, the host UE device 102 enables the network sharing mode. At box 604, the host UE device 102 attaches to the cellular network 100. At box 606, the host UE device 102 determines whether the cellular network 100 is a 5G NR independent (SA) network. If the result of the determination is negative (e.g., the cellular network 100 is an LTE network or a 5G NR non-independent (NSA) network), then at box 608, the host UE device 102 uses the default upstream link 116-1 and the default network slice 118-1 for all network sharing client UE devices 104. The host UE device 102 continues this configuration until it is determined at box 610 that network sharing is no longer enabled. When it is determined that network sharing is no longer enabled, the process ends at box 612.

[0076] If the host UE device 102 determines that the cellular network 100 is a 5G NR SA network, then at box 614, the host UE device 102 obtains network slice information 120. In at least some embodiments, the network slice information 120 includes a list 601 of available network slices 118 and context information 132 for each available network slice 118. At box 616, the host UE device 102 selects a default network slice 118-1 based on the network slice information 120. At box 618, the host UE device 102 establishes a default upstream link 116-1 and activates the default network slice 118-1. At box 620, the host UE device 102 establishes a network sharing (downstream) link 114 with one or more client UE devices 104. In response to having established one or more network sharing connections 114, at box 622, the host UE device 102 broadcasts a list 601 of available network slices 118 and context information 132 (e.g., capabilities) for each network slice 118.

[0077] At block 624, the host UE device 102 determines whether a network slice selection is received from the client UE device 104. If a network slice selection is not received from the client UE device 104, the process continues to Figure 7 However, if a network slice selection is received, then at block 628, the host UE device 102 updates the one or more network slice selection policies 126 to indicate that the host UE device 102 has requested one or more specific network slices 118 or network slice types. The process then continues to Figure 7At block 626, the host UE device 102 also determines whether a network slice selection policy 126 is received from the client UE device 104. If a network slice selection policy 126 is not received from the client UE device 104, the process continues to Figure 7 However, if a network slice selection policy 126 is received, then at block 628, the host UE device 102 updates / customizes one or more network slice selection policies 126 based on the network slice selection policy 126 received from the client UE device 104. The process then continues to Figure 7 Frame 630.

[0078] At block 630, the host UE device 102 analyzes one or more network slice selection policies 126 to select a network slice 118 for one or more client UE devices 104. The selection policy 126-1 may include a global selection policy and / or a UE-specific selection policy 126-2. If the client UE device 104 provides selection data 603, such as a network slice selection and / or a customized selection policy, the host UE device 102 analyzes the selection data 603 when selecting the network slice 118. In at least some embodiments, the host UE device 102 analyzes the selection criteria 130 of the selection policy 126 in view of the context 124 of the client UE device 104 and / or the context 132 of the network slice 118.

[0079] At box 632, the host UE device 102 determines whether the selection criteria 130 of any selection policy associated with the non-default network slices 118-2 to 118-4 have been satisfied. If the result of this determination is negative, then at box 634, the host UE device 102 selects the default network slice 118-1. At box 636, the host UE device 102 continues to transmit and receive data for the client UE device 104 through the default network slice 118-1 using the default upstream link 116-1. If the selection criteria 130 are satisfied for one or more selection policies 126, then at box 638, the host UE device 102 selects one or more non-default network slices 118-2 to 118-4 for the client UE device 104. At box 640, the host UE device 102 establishes an upstream link 116-2 to 116-4 for each of the selected non-default network slices 118-2 to 118-4. At box 642, the host UE device 102 continues to use the associated upstream links 116-2 to 116-4 to transmit and receive data for the client UE device 104 through one or more selected non-default network slices 118-2 to 118-4.

[0080] At block 644, the host UE device 102 determines whether the client UE device 104 has requested to release the network slice 118. If the client UE device 104 has requested to release the network slice 118, then at block 646, the host UE device 102 releases the network slice 118, and the flow proceeds to block 648. If the client UE device 104 has not requested to release the network slice 118, then at block 648, the host UE device 102 determines whether the client UE device 104 has requested to activate a new network slice 118. If the client UE device 104 has requested to activate a new network slice 118, the flow returns to block 630, and the host UE device 102 determines whether the requested network slice 118 can be selected for the client UE device 104. If the client UE device 104 has not requested a new network slice 118, then at block 650, the host UE device 102 determines whether network sharing is still enabled. If network sharing is still enabled, flow returns to block 636 or block 640, and the host UE device 102 continues to transmit and receive data for the client UE device 104 over the selected network slice 118 using the associated upstream link 116. If network sharing is no longer enabled, the process ends at block 652.

[0081] In some embodiments, certain aspects of the above-mentioned technology are implemented by one or more processors of a processing system that executes software. The software includes one or more executable instruction sets stored or otherwise tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The software may include instructions and certain data that, when executed by one or more processors, manipulate one or more processors to perform one or more aspects of the above-mentioned technology. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media may include, for example, magnetic or optical disk storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as flash memory, caches, random access memories (RAMs), or other one or more non-volatile storage devices, etc. The executable instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be source code, assembly language code, object code, or another instruction format that is interpreted or otherwise executable by one or more processors.

[0082] Computer-readable storage media include any storage media or combination of storage media that can be accessed by a computer system during use to provide instructions and / or data to the computer system. Such storage media may include, but are not limited to, optical media (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), Blu-ray disks), magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, magnetic tapes, or magnetic hard drives), volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or cache), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory), or micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based storage media. Computer-readable storage media may be embedded in a computing system (e.g., system RAM or ROM), fixedly attached to a computing system (e.g., a magnetic hard drive), removably attached to a computing system (e.g., an optical disk or universal serial bus (USB)-based flash memory), or coupled to a computer system via a wired or wireless network (e.g., network accessible storage (NAS)).

[0083] Note that not all activities or elements described above in the general description are required, a part of a specific activity or device may not be required, and one or more additional activities may be performed, or elements other than those described may be included. In addition, the order in which the activities are listed is not necessarily the order in which they are performed. In addition, these concepts have been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. Therefore, the description and drawings are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0084] The benefits, other advantages and solutions to the problems have been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to the problems and any features that may make any benefit, advantage, or solution appear or become more significant should not be interpreted as the key, necessary, or essential features of any or all claims. In addition, the specific embodiments disclosed above are merely illustrative, because the disclosed subject matter can be modified and practiced in different but equivalent ways that are obvious to those skilled in the art who benefit from the teachings of this article. Except as described in the appended claims, it is not intended to limit the details of the structure or design shown herein. Therefore, it is obvious that the specific embodiments disclosed above can be changed or modified, and all such changes are considered to be within the scope of the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the protection sought herein is set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a host user equipment UE, comprising: establishing a first network sharing connection between the host UE and at least one client UE; identifying multiple network slices provided by the network; selecting at least a first network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the at least one client UE to communicate with the network via the host UE; as well as Data for the at least one client UE is transmitted using the at least first network slice.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Data for the at least one client UE is wirelessly transmitted over the at least first network slice using a first upstream link.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: selecting a second network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the host UE; as well as Data for the host UE is wirelessly transmitted through the second network slice using a second upstream link.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: The first upstream link is maintained concurrently with the second upstream link.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Selecting the at least first network slice comprises: obtaining a context associated with at least one of the at least one client UE or the at least first network slice; comparing the context to selection criteria of one or more network slice selection policies; and The at least first network slice is selected in response to comparing the context with the selection criteria of the one or more network slice selection policies.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: At least one of the one or more network selection policies is received from the at least one client UE.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Selecting the at least first network slice further comprises: determining that the context satisfies a selection criterion of at least one of the one or more network slice selection strategies; and selecting the at least first network slice in response to the context satisfying the selection criteria of the at least one network slice selection policy; wherein the at least first network slice is separate and distinct from a second network slice used by the host UE, and Therein, the first upstream link is separate and different from a second upstream used by the host UE to wirelessly transmit data through the second network slice.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Selecting the at least first network slice further comprises: determining that the context fails to satisfy the selection criteria of any of the one or more network slice selection strategies; and selecting the at least first network slice in response to the context satisfying any one of the one or more network slice selection policies, wherein the at least first network slice is a default network slice used by the host UE, and The first upstream link is a default upstream link used by the host UE to wirelessly transmit data through the default network slice.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Establishing a second network sharing connection with another client UE; selecting at least a second network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the further client UE to communicate with the network via the host UE; as well as wirelessly transmitting data for the further client UE over the at least second network slice using a second upstream link, wherein the at least second network slice is separate and different from the at least first network slice, and The first upstream link and the second upstream link are maintained concurrently.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting a second network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the at least one client UE; as well as wirelessly transmitting data for the at least one client UE over the second network slice using a second upstream link, wherein the second network slice is separate and different from the at least first network slice, and The first upstream link and the second upstream link are maintained concurrently.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Selecting the at least first network slice comprises: transmitting information associated with the plurality of network slices; receiving, from the at least one client UE, a selection of the at least first network slice in response to transmitting the information; and The at least first network slice is selected in response to receiving the selection from the at least one client UE.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the at least one client UE, a request to release the at least first network slice; as well as Releasing the at least first network slice in response to receiving the request.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: determining a context of the first network sharing connection; as well as One or more resources are allocated to the first network sharing connection based on one or more policies and the context of the first network sharing connection.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying an executable set of instructions for manipulating at least one of a processor and one or more radio frequency modems of a user equipment to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A host user equipment UE, comprising: one or more radio frequency (RF) modems configured to communicate wirelessly with at least one network; a processor coupled to the one or more RF modems; as well as at least one memory storing executable instructions configured to operate at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems to: establishing a first network sharing connection between the host UE and at least one client UE; identifying multiple network slices provided by the network; selecting at least a first network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the at least one client UE to communicate with the network via the host UE; as well as Data for the at least one client UE is transmitted using the at least first network slice.

16. The host user device of claim 15, wherein: The at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems is further operated to: Data for the at least one client UE is wirelessly transmitted over the at least first network slice using a first upstream link.

17. The host user device of claim 15, wherein: The at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems is further operated to: selecting a second network slice from the plurality of network slices for use by the host UE; and Data for the host UE is wirelessly transmitted through the second network slice using a second upstream link.

18. The host user device of claim 17, wherein: The at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems is further operated to: The first upstream link is maintained concurrently with the second upstream link.

19. The host user device according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein: The at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems is manipulated to select the at least first network slice by: obtaining a context associated with at least one of the at least one client UE or the at least first network slice; comparing the context to selection criteria of one or more network slice selection policies; as well as The at least first network slice is selected in response to comparing the context with the selection criteria of the one or more network slice selection policies.

20. The host user device of claim 19, wherein: The at least one of the processor and the one or more RF modems is manipulated to select the at least first network slice by: determining that the context satisfies a selection criterion of at least one network slice selection strategy of the one or more network slice selection strategies; as well as selecting the at least first network slice in response to the context satisfying the selection criteria of the at least one network slice selection policy; wherein the at least first network slice is separate and distinct from a second network slice used by the host UE, and Therein, the first upstream link is separate and different from a second upstream used by the host UE to wirelessly transmit data through the second network slice.

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