User equipment behavior in mobile communications when receiving a notification message in an unavailable period

Abstract

Technologies related to behavior of a user equipment (UE) in mobile communications when receiving a notification message during an unavailable period are described. An apparatus (e.g., a user equipment) receives a notification message from a network when a condition exists. The apparatus sends a notification response message to the network over a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project access indicating that the user equipment is unable to initiate a traffic request procedure or a registration procedure over a 3rd Generation Partnership Project access.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to Indian Patent Application No. 202421010695, filed on February 15, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically to the behavior of a user equipment (UE) receiving notification messages during an unavailability period in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] In the current third-generation partnership program (3 rd In wireless communications (such as mobile communications) under the Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification, the network can request user equipment (UE) through a notification procedure (e.g., by sending a NOTIFICATION message via 3GPP access) to re-establish user plane resources for Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions related to non-3GPP access on 3GPP access, or to transmit 5G session management (5G5) related to non-3GPP access through 3GPP access when the UE is in 5GMM-IDLE mode on non-3GPP access and in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode on 3GPP access. th Generation Session Management (5GSM) downlink signaling messages. Additionally, when a user equipment (UE) is in 5GMM-CONNECTED mode on a non-3G Partner Program access network, and one of the following occurs: the UE is in 5GMM-IDLE mode on a 3G Partner Program access network when it is not in mobile-initiated connection-only (MICO) mode, or the UE is in 5GMM-IDLE mode with a suspend indication on a 3G Partner Program access network when it is not in MICO mode, the network may also request the UE to re-establish user plane resources for the PDU session or transmit downlink signaling related to the 3G Partner Program access network through a notification procedure (e.g., sending a NOTIFICATION message through a non-3G Partner Program access network).

[0005] However, when an unavailability period is activated in a user equipment (UE), the UE may receive NOTIFICATION messages via non-3G Partner Program access. This can lead to asynchrony between non-3G Partner Program access and 3G Partner Program access, or it may occur during the overlap between unavailability period activation and the notification process. Therefore, there is a need for a behavioral solution in mobile communications for UEs receiving notification messages during unavailability periods. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following abstract is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following abstract aims to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Some embodiments will be further elaborated in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following abstract is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide solutions or strategies for addressing the problems described herein. More specifically, the various solutions proposed in this disclosure are believed to provide solutions to the behavior of user equipment receiving notification messages during unavailable periods in mobile communications. It is believed that implementations of one or more of the solutions proposed herein can solve or alleviate the aforementioned problems.

[0008] In one aspect, a method may involve a user equipment receiving a notification message from a network when conditions are present. The method may also involve the user equipment sending a notification response message to the network via a non-3G Partner Program access, indicating that the user equipment is unable to initiate a service request or registration process via the 3G Partner Program access.

[0009] In another aspect, an apparatus may include a transceiver configured for wireless communication and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may receive notification messages from the network when certain conditions are met. The processor may also send notification response messages to the network via non-3G Partner Program access, indicating that the user equipment is unable to initiate a service request or registration process via 3G Partner Program access.

[0010] It is worth noting that although the content described herein may be set against the backdrop of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as fifth-generation (5G) / New Radio (NR) / Beyond Fifth-Generation (B5G) mobile communications, the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, fourth-generation (4G) / Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), and non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings are included in this disclosure to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and form part of it. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the disclosure.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example network environment in which various solutions and schemes related to this disclosure can be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example communication system, consistent with an implementation of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the second example process, which conforms to the implementation of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claims of this application are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the subject matter of the claims and may be implemented in various forms. This disclosure may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of this disclosure exhaustive and complete, and to fully communicate the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0016] Overview

[0017] According to embodiments of this disclosure, various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions are involved in receiving notification messages during unavailable periods in mobile communications. According to this disclosure, several possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more solutions can be implemented in combination.

[0018] Figure 1 An example of a network environment 100 is provided, in which various solutions and schemes of the present disclosure can be implemented. Figures 2-3 Examples of implementing various proposed solutions according to this disclosure are provided in network environment 100. The following descriptions of the various proposed solutions are in conjunction with... Figures 1-3 It was carried out.

[0019] See Figure 1 Network environment 100 may involve a user equipment 110, such as a mobile device or smartphone, wirelessly communicating with a wireless network 120 as part of a communication network. Wireless network 120 may be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) encompassing 5G / New Radio (NR) and 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE) domains. User equipment 110 may initially communicate wirelessly with wireless network 120 via a base station or network node 125 (e.g., eNB, gNB, or transmit-receive point, TRP). Within network environment 100, user equipment 110 and wireless network 120 may implement various schemes relating to the behavior of the user equipment when receiving notification messages during periods of unavailable mobile communication, as described herein.

[0020] It is worth noting that although the various proposed solutions may be described separately below, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposed solutions may be used in combination or implemented in combination. Of course, each proposed solution may also be used or implemented independently. In addition, as used in this article, the lower layer may refer to the layer below the radio resource control (RRC) layer in the 5G Mobility Management (5GMM) protocol stack, such as the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio control link (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, physical (PHY) layer, etc.

[0021] According to the proposed scheme in this disclosure, when one or more conditions are met, in response to a NOTIFICATION message from the wireless network 120, user equipment 110 can access via non-3GPP and send a NOTIFICATIONRESPONSE message, indicating that user equipment 110 cannot initiate a service request process or registration process through 3GPP access. Alternatively, user equipment 110 can ignore the notification message. The one or more conditions may include: (1) an unavailability period activated due to discontinuous coverage; and / or (2) an unavailability period activated due to one or more other reasons (e.g., an upper-layer triggering event of user equipment 110 causing user equipment 110 to become unavailable); and / or (3) an access stratum (AS) deactivated due to discontinuous coverage; and / or (4) user equipment 110 is about to activate an unavailability period.

[0022] According to the proposed scheme, the notification process can be initiated by the wireless network 120 sending a notification message to the user equipment 110 via a non-3G Partner Plan access. The access type indicates 3G Partner Plan access, and the unavailability period is activated on the 3G Partner Plan access of the user equipment 110, or when the user equipment 110 is in MICO mode. In the response, the user equipment 110 can ignore the notification message, or the user equipment 110 can send a notification response message via a non-3G Partner Plan access, indicating that the user equipment 110 cannot initiate a service request process or registration process via the 3G Partner Plan access.

[0023] Exemplary Implementation

[0024] Figure 2 An example of a communication system 200 is provided, having at least one exemplary device 210 and one exemplary device 220, according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Devices 210 and 220 are each capable of performing various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein related to the behavior of user equipment receiving notification messages during unavailable periods in mobile communications, including the schemes described above related to various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods, including network environment 100, and the processes described below.

[0025] Devices 210 and 220 can each be part of an electronic device, which can be a network device or user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110), such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, an in-vehicle device or vehicle, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, devices 210 and 220 can each be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or mobile phone. Devices 210 and 220 can also each be part of a machine-type device, which can be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a non-mobile or fixed device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, devices 210 and 220 can each be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. When implemented as a network device, device 210 and / or device 220 may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE, LTE-Advanced, or LTE-Advanced Pro network, or in a gNB or TRP in a 5G network, a New Radio (NR) network, or an Internet of Things network.

[0026] In some embodiments, devices 210 and 220 may each take the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more complex instruction-set computing (CISC) processors, or one or more reduced instruction-set computing (RISC) processors. In all the above embodiments, devices 210 and 220 may each be implemented as network devices or user equipment. Devices 210 and 220 may each include... Figure 2At least some components are shown, such as processor 212 and processor 222. Devices 210 and 220 may each also include one or more other components unrelated to the solutions presented in this disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device). Therefore, for the sake of brevity, these components of devices 210 and 220 are... Figure 2 It is not shown in the text, nor is it described below.

[0027] In one aspect, each of processors 212 and 222 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more Complex Instruction Set Computer Processors (CISC processors) or Reduced Instruction Set Computer Processors (RISC processors). That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processors 212 and 222, each of processors 212 and 222 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in others, according to this disclosure. In another aspect, each of processors 212 and 222 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) and include electronic components, such as, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more transformers, which are configured and arranged according to this disclosure to achieve a particular purpose. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processors 212 and 222 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks according to various implementations of this disclosure, including tasks related to user equipment behavior when receiving notification messages during unavailable periods in mobile communications.

[0028] In some implementations, device 210 may further include a transceiver 216 coupled to processor 212. Transceiver 216 may be capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, transceiver 216 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of wireless networks employing different radio access technologies (RATs). In some implementations, transceiver 216 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 216 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some implementations, device 220 may further include a transceiver 226 coupled to processor 222. Transceiver 226 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, transceiver 226 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of user equipment / wireless networks employing different RATs. In some implementations, transceiver 226 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. In other words, transceiver 226 can be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

[0029] In some implementations, device 210 may further include a memory 214 coupled to and accessible by processor 212 for storing data. In some implementations, device 220 may further include a memory 224 coupled to and accessible by processor 222 for storing data. Each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, each of memories 214 and 224 may contain a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0030] Each of devices 210 and 220 may be a communication entity capable of communicating using various schemes proposed according to this disclosure. For the purpose of illustration and without limitation, the following describes the capabilities of device 210 as a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110) and device 220 as a network node (e.g., network node 125) of a network (e.g., a wireless network 120 of a 5G / New Radio (NR) mobile network) in the context of example flow 300.

[0031] Example Process

[0032] Figure 3An example flow 300 according to an implementation of this disclosure is shown. Flow 300 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, flow 300 may represent one aspect of proposed concepts and schemes related to the behavior of a user equipment when receiving a notification message during an unavailable period in mobile communications, according to the content of this disclosure. Flow 300 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more flow blocks 310 and 320. Although represented as discrete flow blocks, the individual flow blocks of flow 300 may be divided into more flow blocks, merged into fewer flow blocks, or omitted, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the flow blocks / sub-flow blocks of flow 300 may be arranged according to... Figure 3 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more process blocks / sub-process blocks of process 300 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 300 can be implemented by devices 210 and 220, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 300 is described below in the context of device 210 as a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110) and device 220 as a communication entity (e.g., a network node or base station, such as network node 125) of a network (e.g., wireless network 120). Process 300 may begin with process block 310.

[0033] At 310, process 300 may involve the processor 212 of device 210 receiving a notification message from a network (e.g., via wireless network 120, where device 220 is a network node 125) through transceiver 216 when certain conditions are present. Process 300 may continue from 310 to 320.

[0034] At 320, process 300 may involve the processor 212 of device 210 sending a notification response message to the network via transceiver 216 for access through non-3rd Generation Partner Program, indicating that the user equipment cannot initiate a service request process or registration process through 3rd Generation Partner Program access.

[0035] In some implementations, this condition may involve unavailable cycles activated due to discontinuous coverage.

[0036] In some implementations, the condition may involve an unavailability cycle activated due to one or more reasons other than discontinuous coverage. For example, the condition may involve an event triggered by an upper layer that renders device 210 unavailable.

[0037] In some implementations, this condition may involve an access layer that is deactivated due to discontinuous coverage.

[0038] In some implementations, this condition may involve the unavailable period being activated by the user device.

[0039] Additional Notes

[0040] The topics described herein sometimes demonstrate different components contained within or connected to other different components. It should be understood that such architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components that achieves the same function is considered "associated" in order to achieve the desired functionality. Therefore, any two components combined in this document to achieve a specific function can be considered "associated" with each other to achieve the desired functionality, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can be considered "operationally connected" or "operationally coupled" to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be suchly associated can be considered "operationally coupled" to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operational coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0041] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert plural to singular and / or singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural permutations may be explicitly listed herein.

[0042] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein, particularly in appended claims, such as the body portion of appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “at least having,” and the word “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific quantity introduced in a claim has an explicit intent, that intent will be explicitly stated in the claim; otherwise, there is no such intent. For example, for ease of understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the content of the claim. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as introducing the content of a claim with the indefinite article “a” or “one” limiting any particular claim containing that content to containing only one such content, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “one,” for example, “a” and / or “one” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to definite articles used to introduce the content of a claim. Furthermore, even if a specific number of the introduced elements are explicitly stated in the claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as at least the stated number. For example, stating only "two elements" without any other modifiers means at least two elements, or two or more elements. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C, etc.", such structures are generally intended to be interpreted in a way that is understood by those skilled in the art. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems with only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and systems where A, B, and C are present simultaneously. Similarly, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C, etc.", such structures are generally intended to be interpreted in a way that is understood by those skilled in the art. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems with only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and systems where A, B, and C are present simultaneously. Those skilled in the art will also understand that virtually any disjunctive words and / or phrases appearing in the specification, claims, or drawings, when presenting two or more alternative terms, should be understood to include the possibility of including one, any, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibility of including "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0043] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of this disclosure have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The user equipment's processor receives notification messages from the network when certain conditions are met. as well as The processor sends a notification response message to the network via non-3rd Generation Partner Program access, indicating that the user equipment cannot initiate a service request process or registration process via 3rd Generation Partner Program access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes an unavailable period activated due to discontinuous coverage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes an unavailable period activated due to one or more reasons other than discontinuous coverage.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the condition includes an event triggered by an upper layer that renders the user equipment unusable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes an access layer deactivated due to discontinuous coverage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition includes the unavailability period being activated by the user equipment.

7. An apparatus that can be implemented in a user equipment, comprising: The transceiver is configured to perform wireless communication; as well as A processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform a plurality of operations, including: This transceiver receives notification messages from the network when certain conditions are met. as well as The transceiver sends a notification response message to the network via non-3rd Generation Partner Program access, indicating that the user equipment cannot initiate a service request process or registration process via 3rd Generation Partner Program access.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the condition includes an unavailable period activated due to discontinuous coverage.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the condition includes an unavailable period activated due to one or more reasons other than discontinuous coverage.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the condition includes an event triggered by an upper layer that renders the user equipment unusable.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the condition includes an access layer deactivated due to discontinuous coverage.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the condition includes the unavailable period being activated by the user equipment.

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