A system and method for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network.

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to a system and method for broadcasting or multicasting content in a network. The system receives an establishment request to establish a broadcast channel via a UE communicatively coupled to the device, and authenticates the device or UE to establish the broadcast channel. The system determines whether the device or UE is authorized to establish the broadcast channel, and transmits a response corresponding to the request to the device or UE. The system receives a membership notification corresponding to a membership setup request associated with a membership from the device or UE, and transmits a membership confirmation response corresponding to the membership setup request. The system triggers authentication of the device or UE, service type identification, and paging of broadcast membership, multicast membership to initiate broadcasting by the device or UE. The system broadcasts or multicasts the content received from the device or UE upon successful triggered authentication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Part of the disclosure of this patent document includes, but is not limited to, materials that are the subject of intellectual property rights such as copyrights, designs, trademarks, IC layout designs, and / or trade dress protection, owned by Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred to as the owner in this specification). The owner has no objection to a complete copy of the patent document or patent disclosure being made by anyone when the patent document or patent disclosure appears in the documents and records of the Patent and Trademark Office, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner. The content of this patent document may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 26.346.

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for broadcasting or multicasting content in a network.

Background Art

[0003] The following description of related art may be intended to provide background information relevant to the field of the present disclosure. This section may include specific aspects of the art related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be recognized that this section is used only to enhance the reader's understanding of the present disclosure and is not used as an admission of prior art.

[0004] In general, broadcasting or multicasting can be a method of transmitting data from a source device to a destination device. A content provider or multicast / broadcast source can provide individual and continuous media, as well as service description and control data, to a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BMSC) to provide services in a single session. A content provider may provide media formats to the BMSC, typically via the xMB interface, and initiate services and sessions via the xMB interface. Furthermore, three different functional layers can be defined for the delivery of Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) based services, such as user services or user applications, delivery methods, and bearer services. An MBMS-aware application is a user-space application that communicates with an MBMS client via an API. An MBMS-aware application can be a user-space application that communicates with an MBMS client via an API. An MBMS client can be a function that implements the functions defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 26.346, and may expose the relevant functions to an MBMS-aware application by providing APIs and protocol-related methods.

[0005] A bearer provides a mechanism capable of transporting Internet Protocol (IP) data. One such type of bearer may be an MBMS bearer, which can be used to transport multicast and broadcast traffic in an efficient one-to-many manner and can be the foundation of MBMS-based services. MBMS bearers can be used in conjunction with the Unicast Packet Data Protocol (PDP) to provide full service capability. When delivering MBMS content to a receiving application, one or more delivery methods may be possible, such as download, streaming, transparent, and group communication. The delivery layer provides functions such as security and key distribution, reliability control through forward error correction techniques, and related delivery procedures such as file repair and delivery verification. The delivery method may utilize an MBMS bearer, and a point-to-point bearer may be utilized through a series of MBMS-related procedures. MBMS user services may enable applications, and different applications may impose different requirements when delivering content to MBMS subscribers and may use different MBMS delivery methods. For example, messaging applications such as Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) may use download delivery methods, streaming applications such as Packet-Switched Streaming Services (PSS) may use streaming delivery methods, and group communication applications such as Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) may use group communication delivery methods. Furthermore, MBMS user services may use one or more MBMS delivery methods simultaneously.

[0006] Furthermore, using xMB reference points, content providers can invoke procedures supported by the BMSC(s) to set up and manage MBMS user services from the BMSC to MBMS clients. The BMSC can define endpoints using all procedures supported by the xMB interface, which can be translated into SGmb procedures for the interface between the BMSC and the MBMS gateway (GW). The BMSC can forward received content for unicast delivery of appropriate functions (e.g., MBMS user service fallback). Additionally, in fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) networks, content providers are always located on the network infrastructure side, while MBMS clients and MBMS-aware applications (content receivers) can be located on the user equipment (UE) or device side. The UE can also function as a content source for broadcast or multicast content. However, before the UE can initiate any content forwarding to the BMSC, it may need to be authenticated by the BMSC. Also, the traditional approach requires forwarding local broadcast data to the BMSC and then back to the radio access network (RAN) to actually broadcast or multicast the content, which is time-consuming, unreliable, and inefficient for the system.

[0007] Therefore, in this field of technology, there is a need to provide robust, reliable, and efficient systems and methods for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Some of the purposes of this disclosure that at least one embodiment of this specification will satisfy are listed below herein.

[0009] In its general form, this disclosure provides a system and method for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network.

[0010] In one embodiment, the disclosure enables broadcasting or multicasting within a RAN and using a core network for a very limited number of functions, such as paging.

[0011] In another aspect, the disclosure avoids transferring local broadcast (LB) data to the BMSC and then returning it to the RAN for the actual broadcast or multicast of the content.

[0012] In another embodiment, the disclosure avoids the authentication and authorization (AA) typically performed by the BMSC for MBMS. Instead, since the user equipment (UE) is a content provider (CP) or content source (CS), embodiments of the Specified reuse authentication performed by the core network during the initial attach procedure or registration procedure.

[0013] In yet another aspect, the disclosure provides multiple local broadcast channels that can be set up to monitor emergencies. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] This summary of the invention is provided to introduce specific objects and embodiments of the invention in a simplified form, which will be further described in the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. This summary is not intended to identify the main features or scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0015] In one embodiment, the disclosure provides a system for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network. The system receives an establish request from at least one device to establish a broadcast channel via user equipment (UE) commutably coupled to at least one device. The establish request includes location granularity provided by the UE. Furthermore, upon receiving the establish request, the system authenticates at least one of the at least one device and UE to establish the broadcast channel. Furthermore, the system determines whether at least one of the at least one device and UE may be permitted to establish a broadcast channel with the network. The system then transmits a response corresponding to the request to at least one of the at least one device and UE, based on the authentication and authorization of at least one of the at least one device and UE. The response may be received from the network. Furthermore, upon receiving the response, the system receives a membership notice from at least one of the at least one device and UE corresponding to a membership setup request associated with the membership. The membership includes at least one of broadcast membership and multicast membership. Furthermore, upon setting up at least one of the broadcast membership and multicast membership based on the membership setup request, the system transmits a membership acknowledgment corresponding to the membership setup request. The system then triggers authentication for at least one device, UE, service type identifier, and at least one of the broadcast membership and multicast membership paging in order for at least one of the at least one device and UE to initiate a broadcast. Furthermore, if the triggered authentication is successful, the system broadcasts or multicasts the content received from at least one of the at least one device and UE.

[0016] In another aspect, the disclosure further provides a method for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network. The method includes receiving an establish request from at least one device to establish a broadcast channel via user equipment (UE) commutably coupled to at least one device. The establish request includes location granularity provided by the UE. Further, upon receiving the establish request, the method includes authenticating at least one of the at least one device and UE to establish a broadcast channel. Further, the method includes determining whether at least one of the at least one device and UE may be permitted to establish a broadcast channel with the network and a fifth-generation (5G) network. The method then includes transmitting a response corresponding to the request to at least one of the at least one device and UE based on the authentication and authorization of at least one of the at least one device and UE. The response may be received from the network. Further, upon receiving the response, the method includes receiving a membership notice from at least one of the at least one device and UE corresponding to a membership setup request associated with the membership. The membership includes at least one of a broadcast membership and a multicast membership. Furthermore, the method includes setting up at least one of broadcast membership and multicast membership based on a membership setup request, and transmitting a membership acknowledgment corresponding to the membership setup request. The method then includes triggering authentication of at least one device, UE, service type identifier, and at least one of the broadcast membership and multicast membership paging in order for at least one of the at least one device and UE to initiate a broadcast. The method also includes broadcasting or multicasting the content received from at least one of the at least one device and UE if the triggered authentication is successful.

[0017] The accompanying drawings incorporated herein and constituting part of the present invention illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems, and similar reference numerals throughout different drawings refer to the same parts. Components in the drawings are not necessarily proportional to the actual size, and instead, emphasis is placed on clearly illustrating the principles of this disclosure. Some drawings may use block diagrams to show components and may not show the internal circuitry of each component. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the inventions in such drawings include inventions of electrical components, electronic components, or circuits commonly used to implement such components. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] An exemplary network architecture according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, and the system of the present disclosure can be implemented in or using that network architecture to broadcast or multicast content. [Figure 2] This disclosure provides an exemplary detailed representation of a system for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network, according to embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 3] This disclosure provides an exemplary representation of an end-to-end multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) architecture for fourth-generation (4G) networks, according to embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 4A] This embodiment of the disclosure shows an exemplary sequence diagram representation for notifying user equipment (UE) capabilities and triggering authentication and authorization (AA) at a broadcast multicast service center (BMSC). [Figure 4B]Exemplary sequence diagram representation for collecting area information of Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBSFN) through a single frequency network related to Local Broadcast (LB) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 4C] Exemplary sequence diagram representation of Local Broadcast (LB) involving the entire area of Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBSFN) through a single frequency network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 4D] Exemplary sequence diagram representation for collecting information related to Local Multicast (LM) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 4E] Exemplary sequence diagram representation of Local Multicasting (LM) for all group members according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 5] Exemplary method flowchart showing a method for broadcasting or multicasting content in a network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. [Figure 6] An exemplary computer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, in which, or by using which, embodiments of the present invention can be utilized.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] The foregoing should become more apparent from the following more detailed description of the present invention.

[0020] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Some of the features described below can be used independently of each other or in any combination with other features. Individual features may not address all of the problems described above, or may only address some of the problems described above. Some of the problems described above may not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.

[0021] The following description provides only exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of the exemplary embodiments provides an explanation to those skilled in the art for implementing the exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described.

[0022] In the following description, specific details are given to provide a complete understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that multiple embodiments can be implemented without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments with unnecessary details. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0023] Furthermore, it should be noted that individual embodiments may be described as processes shown as flowcharts, flow diagrams, data flow diagrams, structural diagrams, or block diagrams. While flowcharts can describe operations as sequential processes, many operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. Moreover, the order of operations can be rearranged. When a process completes its operations, the process terminates, but there may be additional steps not included in the diagram. A process can correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to the function's return to the calling function or the main function.

[0024] The terms “exemplary” and / or “empirical” are used herein in the sense of “example, instance, or illustration.” To avoid misunderstanding, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. Furthermore, any embodiment or design described herein as “exemplary” and / or “empirical” should not necessarily be construed as being preferable or advantageous to other embodiments or designs, nor should it be meant to exclude equivalent and exemplary structures and techniques known to those skilled in the art. Moreover, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar terms are used in either embodiments or claims to describe an invention, such terms are intended to be comprehensive in the same manner as the term “comprising” as an open transitional term, without excluding any additional or other elements.

[0025] Any reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an instance," or "one instance" means that certain features, structures, or characteristics described in relation to an embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in one embodiment" appearing in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any preferred manner in one or more embodiments.

[0026] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the invention. Where used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural form unless the context otherwise explicitly indicates. Furthermore, the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used herein, specify the presence of the described features, integers, steps, actions, elements, and / or components, but are understood not to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, actions, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Where used herein, the terms “and / or” include any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant list items.

[0027] Various embodiments of this disclosure relate to systems and methods for broadcasting or multicasting content in a network. This disclosure enables broadcasting or multicasting within a RAN, and using the core network for a very limited number of functions such as paging. This avoids transferring local broadcast (LB) data to the BMSC and then back to the RAN for the actual broadcast or multicast of the content. This disclosure also avoids the authentication and authorization (AA) that is normally performed by the BMSC for MBMS. Instead, the embodiments herein reuse authentication performed by the core network during the initial attach or registration procedure, since the user equipment (UE) is the content provider (CP) or content source (CS). In the case of local broadcast (LB), the UE, acting as the CP or CS, generates local broadcast content and uploads the content to the eNB or gNB, thereby allowing the UE to successfully establish an RRC connection. Next, the eNB or gNB notifies all UEs within a cell (at its own cell level) and all UEs within all eNBs or gNBs belonging to the MBSFN area (at its own MBSFN level) regarding the allocation of local broadcast resources, and transmits the actual local broadcast data, for example, using a fourth-generation (4G) MCCH or MTCH channel. One use case is an enterprise application scenario where multiple local broadcast channels can be set up to monitor emergencies. Users can initiate broadcasts on such channels, and subscribers receive live video of the emergency. The feeds for triggering the broadcast channels may also originate from, for example, security cameras, and the decision to trigger a broadcast channel may result from situational analysis by, for example, one of the camera's artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) analysis tools.

[0028] Referring to Figure 1, which shows an exemplary network architecture for a content broadcasting or multicasting system (100) (also known as network architecture (100)), the system (110) of the present disclosure can be implemented in or using network architecture (100) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the exemplary network architecture (100) may be equipped with the system (110), which broadcasts or multicasts network content to users (102-1, 102-2, ..., 102-N) (individually referred to as users (102), and collectively referred to as users (102)) associated with one or more user equipment (UEs) (104-1, 104-2…104-N) (individually referred to as UE(104), and collectively referred to as the plurality of UE(104)). The network may include at least one of the following: a fourth-generation (4G) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network, a sixth-generation (6G) network, etc. The system (110) may further be operably coupled to computing devices (108) associated with entities (114). Entities (114) may include vendors, network operators, companies, organizations, universities, research facilities, corporations, defense facilities, or any other secure facilities. In some embodiments, the system (110) may also be associated with computing devices (108). Furthermore, the system (110) may also be communicatively coupled to one or more UEs (104) via a communication network (106). Furthermore, the network architecture (100) may include devices (118-1, 118-2, ..., 118-N) (individually referred to as devices (118), and collectively referred to as devices (118)). Devices (118) may be communicatively coupled to UEs (104). The device (118) may communicate directly with the system (110) using a suitable wireless interface, or it may communicate with the system (110) via the UE (104).

[0029] In some embodiments, UE(104) may include, but are not limited to, handheld wireless communication devices (e.g., mobile phones, smartphones, phablet devices, etc.), wearable computer devices (e.g., head-mounted display computer devices, head-mounted camera devices, wristwatch computer devices, etc.), global positioning system (GPS) devices, laptop computers, tablet computers, or other types of portable computers, media playback devices, portable game systems, and / or any other types of computer devices with wireless communication capabilities. In some embodiments, device(118) may include, but are not limited to, cameras, security cameras, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, depth cameras, object tracking cameras, red-green-blue (RGB) / RGB depth cameras, night vision cameras, infrared cameras, sensors, etc.

[0030] In some embodiments, one of the UE(104) may function as a content provider or content source. In another embodiment, device (118) may provide content to system (110) via UE(104). Alternatively, device (118) may provide content directly to system (110) via a wireless interface associated with device (118). In yet another embodiment, UE(104) may function as a content receiver, and one of the UE(104) may be a content provider or content source.

[0031] In some embodiments, the system (110) may be coupled to a centralized server (112). The centralized server (112) may also be operably coupled to one or more electronic devices (104) and computing devices (108) via a communication network (106). In some embodiments, the system (110) may also be associated with the centralized server (112). In some embodiments, the system (110) may be a standalone device and may be operably coupled to computing devices (108) and / or the centralized server (112). In another embodiment, the system (110) may be associated with computing devices (108) or the centralized server (112). The system (110) may be implemented in electronic devices, mobile devices, servers, etc., but is not limited to these. Such servers may include, but are not limited to, standalone servers, remote servers, cloud servers, dedicated servers, etc.

[0032] Figure 1 shows exemplary components of the network architecture (100), but in other embodiments, the network architecture (100) may include fewer components, different components, components in different arrangements, or additional functional components compared to the components shown in Figure 1. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components of the network architecture (100) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the network architecture (100).

[0033] For example, the network architecture (100) may include, but is not limited to, several layers (not shown in Figure 1), including a network platform (e.g., servers, databases), network infrastructure (e.g., fiber networks, cellular towers, cable networks, switches), computing devices (e.g., client devices, computers, smartphones, tablets), operating systems, applications (e.g., social networking applications, e-commerce applications, third-party applications, operator applications, telecommunications carrier applications), etc. The network platform may provide content and services to the UE (104) via the network infrastructure and computing devices. The computing devices may include device hardware (e.g., computers, smartphones, tablets) and may be associated with a specific data plan provided by one or more network operators.

[0034] In some embodiments, the system (110) may be a standalone device and may be communicatively coupled to a computing device (not shown in Figure 1) and / or a centralized server (not shown in Figure 1). In other embodiments, the system (110) may be associated with a computing device or a centralized server. The system (110) may be implemented in, but is not limited to, electronic devices, mobile devices, wireless devices, wired devices, servers, etc. Such servers may include, but is not limited to, standalone servers, remote servers, cloud servers, dedicated servers, etc.

[0035] The system (110) may also be operably coupled to a computing device associated with an entity (not shown in Figure 1). The entity may include a company, organization, network operator, vendor, university, research facility, enterprise, defense facility, or any other secure facility. Furthermore, the entity may analyze data or output from the system (110). In some embodiments, the system (110) may also be associated with a computing device. Furthermore, the system (110) may also be communicably coupled to a UE (104) via a communication network (106) of the network architecture (100). The communication network (106) may be a wired communication network and / or a wireless communication network.

[0036] The communication network (106) may include base stations or other access points (not shown in Figure 1) that provide wireless connectivity to a plurality of corresponding cells (not shown in Figure 1). The actual geographical range of the cells may depend, but not necessarily, on factors including geography, topology, environmental conditions, transmission power, or transmission power distribution, and may therefore be irregular or change over time.

[0037] The communication network (106) may include controllers (not shown in Figure 1) that can be used to configure cells for multicast / broadcast transmissions, such as unicast transmissions or multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) transmissions. As used herein, the term “multicast” may be used to mean the transmission of information through a channel or group of channels that can be received or accessed by multiple users, such as users (102) subscribing to an MBMS service. As used herein, the term “broadcast” may also be used to mean the transmission of information through a channel or group of channels that can be received or accessed by multiple users (102). Broadcast and multicast can be distinguished at least partially, as multicast may provide the ability for users to form multicast groups. As used herein, the term “broadcast / multicast session” should be understood to mean a session that can be used to carry broadcast or multicast transmissions. Examples of broadcast / multicast sessions may include, but are not limited to, MBMS sessions or evolving MBMS (eMBMS) sessions. Furthermore, a broadcast / multicast session does not necessarily carry either broadcast or multicast transmissions at any given time. This is because transmission may depend on available programming and individual user choices. Broadcasting or multicasting may be in contrast to unicast, where information may be transmitted from a base station or access point to a single user, and other users are not permitted or unable to access the unicast information. A cell may broadcast or unicast data to a user, such as a user (102). As used herein, the term “user” may refer to a wireless device, such as a user equipment (UE) (104), or a person who uses a wireless device to access the system (110).

[0038] Wireless communication standards such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE, LTE Advanced, 4G), Next Generation (NR, 5G), and 6G may support broadcasting services such as Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS) or Enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (eMBMS). An MBMS service broadcasts or multicasts data from a base station through an air interface on a channel that can be received by one or more users (102). eMBMS may be an enhanced version of MBMS that provides additional features such as architectural and physical layer extensions that enable the eMBMS service to transport multimedia information to user equipment (UE) (104). An eMBMS service can transmit information to user equipment by broadcasting or multicasting to the UE (104) in Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MB-SFN) mode. An SFN can generally be understood as a broadcast network in which two or more transmitters transmit the same signal simultaneously or concurrently over the same frequency channel. Using MB-SFN mode, the same information may be transmitted from all base stations in a selected group of cells or service area. Each base station in an MB-SFN area transmits the same time-matched content using the same resource block at the physical layer. Constructive combinations of signals transmitted by different base stations in an MB-SFN area enhance received signal strength and reduce interference within cells in the MB-SFN area.

[0039] In one embodiment, the system (110) may include one or more processors coupled to memory, which may store instructions that, when performed by one or more processors, cause the system (110) to broadcast or multicast content over a network. An exemplary representation of the system (110) for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown in Figure 2. In one aspect, the system (110) may include one or more processors(202). One or more processors(202) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, edge or fog microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuits, and / or any device that processes data based on operational instructions. Among several capabilities, one or more processors(202) may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the system (110)'s memory(204). The memory (204) may be configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be fetched and executed to create or share data packets through network services. The memory (204) may comprise any non-temporary storage device, including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM or flash memory.

[0040] In one embodiment, the system (110) may include an interface(s)(206). The interface(s)(206) may include interfaces for various types of interfaces, such as data input / output devices called I / O devices, storage devices, etc. The interface(s)(206) may facilitate communication of the system (110). The interface(s)(206) may also provide communication paths for one or more components of the system (110). Examples of such components, but not limited to, include processing units / engines(s)(208) and databases(210).

[0041] A processing unit / engine(s)(208) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of a processing engine(s)(208). In the examples described herein, such a combination of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming of a processing engine(s)(208) may be processor-executable instructions stored in a non-temporary machine-readable storage medium, and the hardware of a processing engine(s)(208) may include processing resources (e.g., one or more processors) that can execute such instructions. In this example, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that implement a processing engine(s)(208) when executed by the processing resources. In such an example, the system(110) may include a machine-readable storage medium that stores instructions and processing resources for executing instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the system(110) and the processing resources. In other examples, the processing engine(s)(208) may be implemented by electronic circuits.

[0042] The processing engine (208) may include one or more modules / engines selected from among the receiving module (212), authentication module (214), decision module (216), transmission module (218), trigger module (220), broadcasting module (222), and other modules (multiple) (224). The processing engine (208) may also be, but is not limited to, edge-based microservice event processing.

[0043] In one embodiment, UE(104) may be initially authenticated by a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BMSC) using one or more predefined procedures defined by at least one of a Mobility Management Entity (MME) associated with a 4G network and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) associated with a 5G network. The MME may be communicably coupled to UE(104) via an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and the BMSC may be communicably coupled to UE(104) via a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Gateway (MBMS-GW) and operationally coupled to a content provider. When UE(104) may be a content provider for initial authentication by the BMSC, the system (110) may receive an authentication and authorization (AA) request from UE(104) and transmit it to the MME during the initial attachment procedure of UE(104). The AA request may be transmitted by the MME to the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Gateway (MBMS-GW). The connection procedure for UE(104) includes a mandatory UE(104) network capability information element (IE). Furthermore, the system (110) may receive a Tracking Area Update (TAU) request from UE(104) and transmit it to the MME when UE(104) is a content provider. The TAU request includes an optional UE network capability information element (IE). In one embodiment, the UE network capability information element (IE) includes a UE content provider (CP) information element (IE). When the UE CP IE can be dynamically updated, UE(104) notifies the MME of the update by triggering the TAU procedure. The MME then notifies the BMSC of the update for further authentication and authorization of UE(104) as a content provider or content source.

[0044] Furthermore, system (110) may receive a Reauthentication Request (RAR) from the MBMS-GW and transmit it to the BMSC. Additionally, system (110) may transmit a RAR response from the BMSC to the MBMS-GW once authentication and authorization are successfully completed. Subsequently, system (110) may transmit the AA response received from the MBMS-GW to the MME. Furthermore, once the attach procedure or TAU is complete, system (110) may allow the UE to generate content and begin uploading content.

[0045] In one embodiment, the receiving module (212) may receive an establish request from at least one device (118) to establish a broadcast channel via a user equipment (UE) (104) communicably coupled to at least one device (118). The establish request may include location granularity provided by the UE (104). The establish request may include, but is not limited to, radio resource control (RRC) messages, non-access stratum (NAS) messages, etc. Furthermore, receiving an establish request from at least one device (118) to establish a broadcast channel may be based on an analysis of the circumstances in the environment of at least one device (118). The circumstances may be analyzed using at least one of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) analysis associated with at least one device (118).

[0046] In one embodiment, upon receiving an establishment request, the authentication module (214) may authenticate at least one of at least one device (118) and UE (104) in order to establish a broadcast channel.

[0047] In one embodiment, the determination module (216) may determine whether at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104) is permitted to establish a broadcast channel with the network.

[0048] In one embodiment, the transmission module (218) may transmit a response to a request to at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104) based on authentication and authorization of at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104). The response may be received from the network.

[0049] In one embodiment, upon receiving a response, the receiving module (212) may receive a membership notification from at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104) corresponding to a membership setup request associated with the membership. The membership may include, but is not limited to, broadcast membership, multicast membership, and the like.

[0050] In one embodiment, the transmission module (218) may, upon setting up at least one of broadcast membership and multicast membership based on a membership setup request, transmit a membership acknowledgment corresponding to the membership setup request.

[0051] In one embodiment, the trigger module (220) may trigger authentication of at least one device (118), UE (104), service type identification, and at least one paging of broadcast membership or multicast membership in order to initiate a broadcast by at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104). Membership may be deactivated by at least one of user-triggered deactivation and machine-type device-triggered deactivation.

[0052] In one embodiment, the broadcasting module (222) may broadcast or multicast content received from at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104) if the triggered authentication is successful. At least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104) may act as a content provider or content source, and the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) network infrastructure may be reused for broadcasting or multicasting content. When UE (104) generates content, the content may first be uploaded or streamed to a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BMSC) using an uplink (UL) connection, and the BMSC may decide whether to broadcast, multicast, or unicast based on one or more group subscriptions of each UE (104). When UE (104) may be at least one of the content provider or content source, UE (104) may generate at least one of local broadcast data and local multicast data and upload them to the RAN, and UE (104) has established a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the RAN. Local broadcast may include at least one of the following levels: cell-level area and multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBSFN) level area over a single-frequency network. Local multicast may include at least one of the following levels: family group level, friend group level, and corporate group level. Membership in the relevant group may be required at the local multicast level.

[0053] For example, local politicians can use their own cell-level local broadcasts to announce various schemes to the people of their respective constituencies / regions. Similarly, individuals at a local police station can broadcast warnings about thefts to the public, or use their own cell-level local broadcasts to warn the public about potential theft events. Likewise, local advertising agencies can advertise, local film industries can promote cinemas, and local politicians can use their own MBSFN area-level local broadcasts to announce development portfolios or development schemes to the public.

[0054] In one example, with local multicast, people can register themselves in family groups, friend groups, different departmental groups, or corporate groups, etc. Any data that can be generated locally by any member and that can be shared with the member's relational groups can be shared within the RAN itself using the local multicast scheme whenever possible. For example, scenarios or use cases that can be considered at the local broadcast (LB) level include their own cell level, their own MBSFN area level, etc. Local multicast (LM) levels include family group level, friend group level, corporate group level, etc.

[0055] In one embodiment, the system (110) may be, but is not limited to, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) system. In another embodiment, the on-site data capture, storage, matching, processing, decision-making, and operational logic may be coded using a microservices architecture (MSA), but is not limited to that. To support portability, multiple microservices may be containerized and event-based.

[0056] In one embodiment, the network architecture (100) is modular and can be flexible to adapt to any kind of change in the system (110), and can acquire proximity processing for the purpose of stock reestimation. Details of the system (110) configuration can be modified on the fly.

[0057] In one embodiment, the system (110) may be remotely monitored, ensuring complete security of the system's data, applications, and physical security. In another embodiment, data may be collected with utmost care, stored in a cloud-based data lake, and processed to extract actionable insights. Thus, aspects of predictive maintenance can be achieved.

[0058] In exemplary embodiments, the communication network (106) may include, but not limited to, at least part of one or more networks having one or more nodes that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or combine one or more messages, packets, signals, radio waves, voltage levels or current levels, or some combination thereof. The network may include, but not limited to, one or more wireless networks, wired networks, the Internet, intranets, public networks, private networks, packet-switched networks, circuit-switched networks, ad-hoc networks, infrastructure networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), cable networks, cellular networks, satellite networks, fiber optic networks, and some combination thereof.

[0059] In another exemplary embodiment, the centralized server (112) may include, but is not limited to, a standalone server, a server blade, a server rack, a server bank, a server farm, hardware supporting part of a cloud service or cloud system, a home server, hardware for launching a virtualized server, one or more processors that run code that functions as a server, one or more machines that perform server-side functions as described herein, at least some of the above, or one or more combinations thereof.

[0060] In some embodiments, the UE(104) or computing device(108) may communicate with the system(110) via a set of executable instructions residing in any operating system, including, but not limited to, Android®, iOS®, Kai OS®, etc. In some embodiments, the UE(104) may include, but not limited to, any electrical, electronic, electromechanical device or apparatus, or one or more of the above devices, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, laptop, general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, mainframe computer, or any other computing device, and the computing device may include, but not limited to, one or more built-in or externally coupled accessories, such as visual assistance devices such as cameras, audio assistance devices, microphones, keyboards, touchpads, touch-enabled screens, and input devices for receiving user input such as electronic pens. It should be recognized that the UE(104) is not limited to the devices mentioned, and a variety of other devices may be used. A smart computing device may be one of the appropriate systems for storing data and other personal / confidential information.

[0061] Figure 3 shows an exemplary representation of an end-to-end multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) architecture (300) for fourth-generation (4G) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] The UE(104) shown in Figure 3 may include, for example, an MBMS-aware application (302-1), an MBMS client (302-2), a UE modem (302-3), and a content provider / content source application (302-4). The UE modem (302-3) may be UE hardware capable of modulation and demodulation to communicate directly with the network infrastructure across the Uu interface. When in operation, the UE(104) or at least one device (118) may act as a content provider, and the MBMS network infrastructure may be repurposed for broadcast or multicast. The UE(104) may always be capable of generating content that can be broadcast or multicast from the network side. Furthermore, the UE(104) may be initially authenticated by the BMSC(304) using at least one predefined xMB-C interface procedure by either the MME(308) or the AMF. As a result, when UE(104) generates content, the content can first be uploaded or streamed to BMSC(304) using a normal UL connection. Furthermore, BMSC(304) decides whether to broadcast, multicast, or unicast the content based on one or more group joins. In addition, UE(104) can be authenticated by BMSC(304) directly using xMB-C interface-related procedures, or MME(308) can trigger UE authentication at BMSC(304) during the initial attach procedure using xMB-C interface-related procedures. MME(308) can be connected to UE(104) via E-UTRAN(310). BMSC(304) can be connected to UE(104) via MBMS-GW(312) and can be operationally coupled to content providers via SCEF(314). Furthermore, MBMS-GW(312) can communicate with BMSC(304) via the SGmb interface for control plane data.Therefore, the SGmb interface shall also include a new procedure for forwarding UE authentication and authorization (AA) requests as a content provider received from MME(308) to BMSC(304). MCE(306) may have a mapping between MBSFN areas and associated lists of one and more cells, which may be eNBs or gNBs. MME(308) may communicate with MBMS-GW(312) via the Sm interface.

[0063] UE(104) may generate an establishment request to establish a broadcast channel by providing location granularity to the radio access network (RAN). In one embodiment, the request may be generated by at least one device (118). The request may be, but is not limited to, an RRC, a NAS message, etc. In one example, at least one device (118) or UE(104) may authenticate and check, for example for authorization by a generating node B (gNB) (not explicitly shown in Figure 3) to set up at least one broadcast channel. The gNB may generate a response and transmit a response corresponding to the generated request. Furthermore, at least one device (118) or UE(104) may generate a membership notice corresponding to a membership setup request associated with a membership. The membership includes at least one of a broadcast membership and a multicast membership. When UE(104) sets up at least one of a broadcast membership and a multicast membership based on the membership setup request, it may receive a membership acknowledgment corresponding to the membership setup request. Authentication may be triggered for at least one device (118), UE (104), service type identification, and paging of at least one of broadcast membership and multicast membership to initiate a broadcast by at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104). Furthermore, if the triggered authentication is successful, UE (104) may broadcast or multicast the content received from at least one of the at least one device and UE.

[0064] Figure 4A shows an exemplary sequence diagram representation of an embodiment of the present disclosure for notifying user equipment (UE) capabilities and triggering authentication and authorization (AA) at a broadcast multicast service center (BMSC).

[0065] The UE network capability information elements can be determined as shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1]

[0066] The UE Content Providers (UE CPs) that need to be added to the UE Network Capability Information element may be represented in Table 1 above. Supported UE(104) capabilities (octet 10, bit 8) may be represented as "0", which may indicate that the UE Content Provider (UE CP) capability may not be supported. Furthermore, "1" in Table 1 may indicate that the UE Content Provider (UE CP) capability may be supported. The UE Network Capability Information element is mandatory in the "Attach Request" message and optionally present in the "Tracking Area Update" message. When UE(104) may be performing an initial attachment to the network, UE(104) may transmit a message to MME(308). When MME(308) receives the message, and the "UE CP" information element (IE) can be set to "1" in the "UE Network Capability" IE, UE(104) may also function as a Content Provider (CP). Therefore, MME(308) may decide to inform BMSC(304) of this for further authentication and authorization (AA) of UE(104) as a content provider (CP) or content source (CS).

[0067] Furthermore, when the UE CP IE can be dynamically updated, for example, when the UE CP can be updated from "0" to "1", the UE(104) may notify the MME(308) of this change by triggering a Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure. This allows the MME(308) to decide to inform the BMSC(304) of this change for further authentication and authorization (AA) of the UE(104) as a CP or CS.

[0068] Furthermore, UE certification and authorization (AA) by BMSC(304) can be presented as shown in Table 2 below. [Table 2]

[0069] The MME(308) can communicate with the MBMS-GW(312) via the Sm interface. The Sm interface may include a procedure that enables the MME(308) to initiate UE authentication and authorization (AA) as a content provider with BMSC(304) via the MBMS-GW(312). The MME(308) can transmit an MBMS UE CP AA REQUEST message to the MBMS-GW(312) to trigger authentication and authorization (AA) of the UE(104) as a content provider (CP). When the MBMS-GW(312) receives a success response from BMSC(304), the MME(308) transmits an MBMS UE CP AA response message to the MME(308) indicating that the authentication and authorization (AA) of the UE(104) as a content provider (CP) was successful.

[0070] Furthermore, the MBMS-GW(312) may communicate with the BMSC(304) via the SGmb interface for control plane data. Thus, the SGmb interface shall also include a new procedure for forwarding UE authentication and authorization (AA) requests as a content provider (CP) received from the MME(308) to the BMSC(304).

[0071] During operation, in step 402, UE(104) as a content provider may notify UE capability and trigger authentication and authorization (AA) using BMSC(304), which includes generating an attach request by UE(104) to MME(308) when UE CP=1 and UE(104) is a content provider.

[0072] In step (404), UE(104) may generate a tracking area update request and transmit it to MME(308) when UE CP=1. In step (406), MME(308) may transmit an MBMS UE CP AA request to MBMS-GW(312). In step (408), MBMS-GW(312) may transmit a re-authentication request (RAR) to BMSC(304) (via UE CP AA).

[0073] As a result, once authentication and authorization are successfully completed, in step (410), RAR(UE CP AA) may be transmitted from BMSC(304) to MBMS-GW(312). In step (412), MBMS-GW(312) may transmit the MBMS UE CP AA request to MME(308). Subsequently, in step (414), the attach or TAU may be completed, and UE(104) may be able to start generating content and uploading content.

[0074] Figure 4B shows an exemplary sequence diagram representation of an embodiment of the present disclosure for collecting area information of a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBSFN) over a single-frequency network related to a local broadcast (LB).

[0075] The sequence diagram may include local data sharing via a broadcast / multicast mechanism in the RAN. For example, in one embodiment, UE(104) may be a content provider (CP) or a content source (CS). UE(104) may upload local broadcast (LB) data to one of the eNB or gNB. The eNB or gNB stores the received local broadcast data until the broadcast transmission can be completed. The eNB or gNB notifies all UE(104) about the local broadcast via one of the SIB13 or MCCH interfaces. Furthermore, the eNB or gNB broadcasts the stored data to all UE(104) in the corresponding multiple cells via the MTCH interface.

[0076] In another embodiment, UE(104) may be CP or CS. UE(104) may upload local broadcast (LB) data to one of the eNB or gNB. The eNB or gNB may store the received local broadcast data until the broadcast transmission can be completed. The eNB or gNB requests a list of eNBs belonging to the MBSFN area to which this cell belongs by sending an M2AP:"MBSFN AREA INFO REQUEST" message to MCE(306). MCE(306) may have a mapping between MBSFN areas and an associated list of one or more eNBs or gNBs and cells. MCE(306) may collect the list of one or more eNBs or gNBs and cells under the requested MBSFN area and transmit the collected list to one of the eNBs or gNBs via M2AP:"MBSFN AREA INFO RESPONSE". Furthermore, one of the eNB or gNB may notify all UE(104) of local broadcasts via one of the SIB13 or MCCH, and may broadcast stored data via the MTCH interface to one of the eNB or gNB and all UEs of the list of multiple cells.

[0077] During operation, in step 418, UE(104) may successfully complete AA. In step (420), UE(104) may transmit an RRC connection request to eNB(416) when the establishment cause = mo-Data-LB410. In step 422, UE(104) may perform admission control. In step (424), eNB(416) may transmit an RRC connection setup to UE(104). In step (426), if the RRC connection setup is complete, UE(104) may transmit a notification to eNB(416). In step (428), eNB(416) may decide to allocate UL resources for local broadcast data. In step (430), eNB(416) may decide not to trigger the initial UE procedure for MME(308). In step (432), eNB(416) may reconfigure the RRC connection to UE(104). In step (434), UE(104) may notify eNB(416) of the completion of the RRC connection reconfiguration. As a result, in step (436), UE(104) uploads local broadcast data to eNB(416). In step (438), eNB(416) may store the local broadcast data. In step (440), eNB(416) may transmit an MBSFN area information request to MCE(306). As a result, in step (442), MCE(306) may collect a list of multiple eNBs, corresponding cells, and associated transport network layer (TNL) addresses with respect to the received MBSFN area ID. In step (444), MCE(306) may transmit an MBSFN area information response to eNB(416).

[0078] Figure 4C shows an exemplary sequence diagram representation of a local broadcast (LB) encompassing the entire area of ​​a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBSFN) over a single-frequency network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] In step (452-1), eNB-1(416-1) and eNB-2(416-2) may establish an X2 link. In step (452-2), eNB-1(416-1) may transfer local broadcast data to eNB-2(416-2). In step (452-3), eNB-2(416-2) may store the local broadcast data. In step (452-4), eNB-1(416-1) and eNB-N(416-N) may establish an X2 link. In step (452-5), eNB-1(416-1) may transfer local broadcast data to eNB-N(416-N). In step (452-6), eNB-N(416-N) may store the local broadcast data. Furthermore, the local broadcast timer may be started by eNB-1(416-1). As a result, in step (452-7), UE(104-2) may transmit a notice representing a local broadcast to eNB-2(416-2) via the SIB13 or MCCH interface. In step (452-8), UE(104-2) may transmit broadcast data to eNB-2(416-2). In step (452-9), UE(104-3) may transmit a notice representing a local broadcast to eNB-N(416-N) via the SIB13 or MCCH interface. In step (452-10), UE(104-3) may transmit broadcast data to eNB-N(416-N). After that, the local broadcast timer expires. In step (452-11), the X2 link is released between eNB-1(416-1) and eNB-2(416-2). In step (452-12), the X2 link is released between eNB-1 (416-1) and eNB-N (416-N).

[0080] In one embodiment, in a local multicast scenario, membership registration to a relevant group may be required. Typically, UE(104) may first need to either connect to the core network [in a 4G network] or register with the core network [in a 5G network] in order to use any service. Here, similarly, the order of multicast registration may also be the same. During the attach procedure or TAU procedure, UE(104) may indicate that it wants to become a member of a group such as LB-Family, LB-Friends, and / or LB-Corporates. A new IE "LB-Membership-Request" can be added in a 4G ATTACH REQUEST or TRACKING AREA UPDATE message, or a 5G REGISTRATION REQUEST message. Furthermore, UE(104) may indicate the type of membership and the name of the relevant group to MME(308). The MME or AMF stores this information for future use while creating the UE context. The MME(308) or AMF can associate LB membership with the eNB(416) and a list of multiple cells from the UE context. This is because the UE context has TA information where the UE(104) may currently be located, and this TA, along with the corresponding TNL information, can be mapped to the eNB and the list of multiple corresponding cells.

[0081] Table 3 below shows the UE context information in MME(308) [and similarly in AMF]. [Table 3]

[0082] Furthermore, when UE(104) generates local broadcast data and wants to upload it to eNB(416) or gNB, UE(104) may first need to establish an RRC connection. To do this, it is necessary to support a new "establishment cause". Therefore, a new enumeration type "mo-Data-LB" may be included in the establishment cause IE. This cause indicates to the eNB or gNB that only an RRC connection needs to be established for the purpose of local broadcasting.

[0083] When UE(104) may receive a "PAGING message" for a local broadcast type scenario, UE(104) may need to respond to the received paging. Therefore, UE(104) may need to establish an RRC connection and include a cause indicating that UE(104) may be responding to local broadcast paging. Thus, a new enumeration type "mt-Access-LB" may be included in the establishment cause IE. This cause indicates to the eNB or gNB that an RRC connection can be established in response to local broadcast paging. Furthermore, when the RRC connection establishment for local broadcast purposes is successfully completed while sending an "RRC SETUP COMPLETE message", UE(104) may include the IE "lb-Data-Available-Type". This serves two purposes. When the IE can be set to "LB-Own-Cell" or "LB-own-MBSFN-Area", the IE indicates to the eNB or gNB that it needs to allocate UL resources to upload local broadcast data, and also indicates to communicate with MCE(306) to obtain MBSFN-related information when the RRC establishment cause can be "mo-Data-LB". When the IE can be set to "LB-Family", "LB-Friends", or "LB-Corporates", the IE indicates to the eNB or gNB that it needs to allocate UL resources to upload local broadcast data, and also indicates to communicate with MME(308) or AMF to obtain multicast-related information when the RRC establishment cause can be "mo-Data-LB". When the IE can be set to "LB-Paging-Response", the IE indicates to the eNB or gNB that it needs to allocate DL resources to transmit stored local broadcast data when the RRC establishment cause can be "mt-Access-LB".

[0084] Furthermore, a new non-UE-related procedure, "Local Broadcast Paging," needs to be introduced to the S1 Application Protocol (S1AP) or Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP). The eNB or gNB sends a "LOCAL BROADCAST PAGING REQUEST message" to the MME(308) / AMF. This message carries LB-Family-Name, LB-Friends-Name, or LB-Corporates-Name. This message indicates to the MME(308) / AMF that a paging request needs to be sent to all relevant local broadcast group members. The MME(308) / AMF uses the group name in its UE context database to find all group members and initiates a paging request for each of these members. Within the paging request message, the MME(308) / AMF includes an IE "Paging Type" which can be set to "Local Broadcast."

[0085] Similarly, the RRC paging record could introduce a new IE "lb-Type-Paging" to indicate to the UE(104) that the current paging may be for a local broadcast. This helps the UE(104) select "mt-Access-LB" as the RRC establishment cause while initiating RRC connection establishment in response to paging for a local broadcast. Alternatively, instead of adding a new IE, it might be possible to add an additional enumeration type "lb" to the cn-Domain IE.

[0086] Figure 4D shows an exemplary sequence diagram representation of collecting information about local multicast (LM) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] In step (454-1), UE(104) may generate content for local broadcast. In step (454-2), UE(104) may transmit an RRC connection request to eNB(416), where the cause of establishment is mo-Data-LB. In step (454-3), eNB(416) may control admission. In step (454-4), eNB(416) may transmit the RRC connection setup to UE(104). In step (454-5), eNB(416) may transmit a notification of RRC connection completion to UE(104). In step (454-6), eNB(416) may decide to allocate UL resources for local broadcast data. In step (454-7), eNB(416) may also decide not to trigger the initial UE procedure for MME(308). In step (454-8), eNB(416) may transmit an RRC connection reconfiguration request to UE(104). In step (454-9), UE(104) may transmit a notification to eNB(416) once the RRC connection reconfiguration is complete. In step (454-10), UE(104) may upload local broadcast data to eNB(416). In step (454-11), local broadcast data may be stored by eNB(416). In step (454-12), eNB(416) may transmit a local broadcast information request to MME(308). In step (454-13), MME(308) may retrieve a list of all members of LB-Family Name in the UE context database and collect all lists of eNBs and corresponding TNL addresses associated with member UE(104). In step (454-14), the MME (308) may transmit a local broadcast information request to the eNB (416).

[0088] Figure 4E shows an exemplary sequence diagram representation of local multicasting (LM) for all group members according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0089] In step (456-1), eNB-1(416-1) may establish an X2 link with eNB-2(416-2), or in step (456-2), eNB-1(416-1) may transfer local broadcast data to eNB-2(416-2). In step (456-3), eNB-2(416-2) may store the local broadcast data. In step (456-4), eNB-1(416-1) may establish an X2 link with eNB-N(416-N), or in step (456-5), eNB-1(416-1) may transfer local broadcast data to eNB-N(416-N). In step (456-6), eNB-N(416-N) may store the local broadcast data. In step (456-7), eNB-1(416-1) may transmit a local broadcast packaging request to MME308. The request may be associated with LB-Family-Name. In step (456-8), MME308 may transmit a paging signal to eNB-1(416-1). In this case, the paging type is local broadcast.

[0090] Subsequently, the local broadcast timer may be started. In step (456-9), MME(308) may transmit a paging signal to eNB-N(416-N). At this time, the paging type is local broadcast. In step (456-10), eNB-2(416-2) may transmit a paging signal to UE(104-2). The paging record may be ue-identity, cn-Domain, Ib-Type-Paging. In step (456-11), eNB-N(416-N) may transmit a paging signal to UE(104-3). The paging record may be UE-identity, Core Network(CN)-Domain, LB-Type-Paging.

[0091] In step (456-12), UE(104-2) may transmit an RRC connection request to eNB-2(416-2). In step 738, the establishment cause is mt-Access-LB. As a result, in step (456-13), the SRB and DL DRB are established between UE(104-2) and eNB-2(416-2). In step (456-14), eNB-2(416-2) may transmit local broadcast data to UE(104-2) using the downlink (DL). In step (456-15), UE(104-3) may transmit an RRC connection request to eNB-N(416-N). In step (456-16), the SRB and DL DRB are established between UE(104-3) and eNB-N(416-N). In step (456-17), UE(104-3) may use DL to transmit local broadcast data to eNB-N(416-N). As a result, the local broadcast timer expires. In step (456-18), the X2 link may be released between eNB-1(416-1) and eNB-2(416-2). Furthermore, in step (456-19), the X2 link may be released between eNB-1(416-1) and eNB-N(416-N).

[0092] More specifically, a UE(104) acting as a content provider / source may upload local broadcast data to an eNB or gNB, as previously described. When an eNB or gNB receives an "RRC SETUP COMPLETE message" in which the IE can be set to "LB-FAMILY", "LB-FRIENDS", or "LB-CORPORATES" as "lb-Data-Available-Type", eNB-1(416-1) may trigger the S1AP or NGAP procedure "Local Broadcast Information". The eNB or gNB sends an S1AP or NGAP:LOCAL BROADCAST INFO REQUEST message in which the IE "LB-Family-Name" is set to "LB-FAMILY", "LB-FRIENDS", or "LB-CORPORATES". This helps the MME(308) or AMF to find all UE(104) that are part of this group in its UE context database. For each of these member UEs, the associated TA helps identify a list of eNBs and corresponding TNL data. The MME(308) or AMF then responds by sending an S1AP or NGAP:LOCAL BROADCAST INFO RESPONSE message to the eNBs or gNBs, along with the list of eNBs or gNBs and corresponding TNL data. Using this information, the eNBs or gNBs establish an X2 or Xn link with each of these eNBs or gNBs, and then forward the local broadcast data to each of these eNBs or gNBs, and the received data is then stored.

[0093] Here, the eNB or gNB transmits an S1AP or NGAP: "LOCAL BROADCAST PAGING REQUEST" message to the MME or AMF with the IE "lb-Family-Name" set to "LB-FAMILY", "LB-FRIENDS", or "LB-CORPORATES", and starts the timer "LOCAL BROADCAST TIMER". The MME(308) or AMF can then trigger paging separately for each of the group members. The MME or AMF sends an S1AP or NGAP: PAGING REQUEST message with the IE "Paging Type" set to "LOCAL BROADCAST" for each of the group members. The eNB or gNB then initiates RRC paging by creating paging records for these group UEs, including the IE "lb-Type-Paging". This indicates to the UE that an RRC connection establishment should be triggered by setting the establishment cause to "mt-Access-LB". Upon successful establishment of the RRC connection, the UE sends an RRC SETUP COMPLETE message with IE "lb-Data-Available-Type" set to "LB-Paging-Response". This indicates to the eNB or gNB that DL resources need to be allocated for the transmission of stored local broadcast data. The eNB or gNB then configures the UE for DRB establishment via the RRC reconfiguration procedure. Upon successful completion of the RRC reconfiguration procedure, the eNB or gNB transfers the stored local broadcast data to the UE. Finally, upon expiration of the "LOCAL-BROADCAST-TIMER", the original eNB or gNB links the X2 or Xn links with all associated eNBs or gNBs in the group, and then the stored local broadcast data is deleted.

[0094] Figure 5 shows an exemplary method flowchart illustrating a method (500) for broadcasting or multicasting content in a network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] As shown in Figure 5, Method (500) includes one or more blocks that demonstrate how to broadcast or multicast content over a network. Method (500) may be described in the overall context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions that perform multiple functions or implement abstract data types.

[0096] The order in which Method (500) may be described is not intended to be construed as a restriction, and any number of blocks of Method described may be combined in any order to implement Method (500). Furthermore, individual blocks may be removed from the Method without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, Method (500) may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0097] In block (502), method (500) may include a processor (202) receiving an establishment request from at least one device and establishing a broadcast channel via user equipment (UE) communicably coupled to at least one device, wherein the establishment request may include location granularity provided by the UE.

[0098] In block (504), method (500), upon receiving an establishment request by processor (202), may include authenticating at least one of at least one device (118) and UE (104) in order to establish a broadcast channel.

[0099] In block (506), method (500) may include determining by processor (202) whether at least one of at least one device (118) and UE (104) may be permitted to establish a broadcast channel with a network. The network includes at least one of a fourth-generation (4G) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network, a sixth-generation (6G) network, etc.

[0100] In block (508), method (500) may include, by processor (202), transmitting a response corresponding to a request to at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104) based on authentication and authorization of at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104). The response may be received from at least one of a network, which includes at least one of a fourth-generation (4G) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network, a sixth-generation (6G) network, etc.

[0101] In block (510), method (500) may include, upon receiving a response by processor (202), receiving a membership notice from at least one of at least one device (118) and UE (104) corresponding to a membership setup request associated with the membership, wherein the membership includes at least one of a broadcast membership and a multicast membership.

[0102] In block (512), the method (500) may include the processor (202) setting up at least one of a broadcast membership and a multicast membership based on a membership setup request, and then transmitting a membership acknowledgment corresponding to the membership setup request.

[0103] In block (514), method (500) may include triggering authentication by processor (202) for at least one of at least one device (118) and UE (104) to initiate a broadcast by at least one of the device (118) and UE (104), a service type identification, and authentication for at least one of broadcast membership and multicast membership paging.

[0104] In block (516), method (500) may include, if the triggered authentication is successful, broadcasting or multicasting content received from at least one of the at least one device (118) and UE (104) by the processor (202).

[0105] Figure 6 shows an exemplary computer system (400) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and embodiments of the present invention can be utilized in or using the computer system (400).

[0106] As shown in Figure 6, the computer system (600) may include an external storage device (610), a bus (620), main memory (630), read-only memory (640), a mass storage device (650), a communication port (660), and a processor (670). Those skilled in the art will recognize that the computer system may include two or more processors and communication ports. Examples of the processor (670) include, but are not limited to, Intel® Itanium® or Itanium 2 processors, or AMD® Opteron® or Athlon MP® processors, processors from Motorola® product lines, FortiSOC® system-on-chip processors, or other next-generation processors. The processor (670) may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present invention. The communication port (660) may be an RS-232 port used for modem-based dial-up connections, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a 1 Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or any other existing or next-generation port. The communication port (660) may be selected depending on the network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system connects. Memory (630) may be random access memory (RAM) or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read-only memory (640) may be any static storage device(s), such as a programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip for storing static information such as processor (670) boot or BIOS instructions. Mass storage (650) may be current or next-generation mass storage solutions that can be used to store information and / or instructions.Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, parallel advanced technology attachment (PATA) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (e.g., internal or external with Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or FireWire interfaces), such as products available from Seagate (e.g., Seagate Barracuda 782 family) or Hitachi (e.g., Hitachi Deskstar 13K800), one or more optical disks, and redundant array of inexpensive disk (RAID) storage, such as arrays of disks (e.g., SATA arrays) available from various vendors including Dot Hill Systems Corp., LaCie, Nexsan Technologies, Inc., and Enhance Technology, Inc.

[0107] The bus (620) connects the processor(s)(670) to other memory, storage, and communication blocks in a communicative manner. The bus (620) may be other buses for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems, such as Peripheral Interconnection (PCI) / PCI Expansion (PCI-X) buses, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB, etc., and a Front Side Bus (FSB) for connecting the processor(s)(670) to a software system.

[0108] Optionally, operator and management interfaces for, for example, displays, keyboards, and cursor control devices may also be coupled to the bus (620) to support direct interaction between the operator and the computer system. Other operator and management interfaces may be provided via a network connection connected through a communication port (660). The external storage device (610) may be any type of external hard drive, floppy drive, IOMEGA® Zip drive, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc rewritable memory (CD-RW), or digital video disc read-only memory (DVD-ROM). The components described above are intended to illustrate various possibilities only. In no way does the aforementioned exemplary computer system limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0109] Various embodiments of this disclosure relate to systems and methods for broadcasting or multicasting content in a network. This disclosure enables broadcasting or multicasting within a RAN, and using the core network for a very limited number of functions such as paging. This avoids transferring local broadcast (LB) data to the BMSC and then returning it to the RAN for the actual broadcast or multicast of the content. This disclosure also avoids the authentication and authorization (AA) that is normally performed by the BMSC for MBMS. Instead, since the user equipment (UE) is the content provider (CP) or content source (CS), the embodiments herein reuse the authentication performed by the core network during the initial attach or registration procedure. In the case of local broadcast (LB), the UE, acting as the CP or CS, generates local broadcast content and uploads the content to the eNB or gNB, thereby the UE has successfully established an RRC connection. Next, the eNB or gNB notifies all UEs within a cell (at its own cell level) and all UEs within all eNBs or gNBs belonging to the MBSFN area (at its own MBSFN level) regarding the allocation of local broadcast resources, and transmits the actual local broadcast data, for example, using a fourth-generation (4G) MCCH or MTCH channel. For different granularities of live user content delivery, mechanisms for establishing a local broadcast session or local multicast session on one or more wireless networks may be disclosed. One use case could be an enterprise application scenario where multiple local broadcast channels can be set up to monitor emergencies. Users can initiate broadcasts on such channels, and subscribers receive live video of the emergency.The feeds that trigger a broadcast channel may also originate from, for example, security cameras, and the decision to trigger a broadcast channel may arise from a situational analysis by, for example, one of the camera's artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) analysis tools.

[0110] While this specification places considerable emphasis on preferred embodiments, it should be recognized that many embodiments can be made without departing from the principles of the invention, and that many modifications may be made to the preferred embodiments. Since these and other modifications in the preferred embodiments of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, it should be clearly understood that the foregoing descriptions are not limiting to the invention but should be implemented merely as examples.

Claims

1. A system (110) for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network, Processor (202), The processor (202) is coupled to a memory (204), and the memory (204) provides the processor (202) with the memory (204) during execution. To establish a broadcast channel via a user equipment (UE) (104) communicably coupled to at least one device (118), the receiving of an establishment request from the at least one device (118), wherein the establishment request includes location granularity indicating the extent level of the area or group to which the broadcast or multicast is to be provided by the UE (104), Upon receiving the establishment request, the system authenticates at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) in order to establish the broadcast channel. Determining whether at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) is permitted to establish the network and the broadcast channel, Transmitting a response corresponding to the request to at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) based on authentication and authorization of at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104), wherein the response is received from at least one of the network, and the transmission is performed. Upon receiving the aforementioned response, the recipient receives a membership notification from at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) corresponding to a membership setup request associated with the membership, wherein the membership includes at least one of a broadcast membership and a multicast membership. When at least one of the broadcast membership and the multicast membership is set up based on the membership setup request, a membership acknowledgment corresponding to the membership setup request is transmitted. To initiate the broadcast by at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104), the following are triggered: authentication of the at least one device (118), the UE (104), service type identification, and paging of at least one of the broadcast membership and multicast membership, If the triggered authentication is successful, the content received from at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) will be broadcast or multicast, A system (110) including processor-executable instructions that cause the system to perform the following actions.

2. The system (110) according to claim 1, wherein the UE (104) is first authenticated by a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BMSC) (304) using one or more predefined procedures defined by at least one of a Mobility Management Entity (MME) (308) associated with a 4G network and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) associated with a 5G network, the MME (308) is communicably coupled to the UE (104) via an Evolutionary Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) (310), the BMSC (304) is communicably coupled to the UE (104) via a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Gateway (MBMS-GW) (312) and operationally coupled to a content provider.

3. In order to first authenticate by the BMSC (304), the processor (202) further: When the UE(104) is a content provider, the MME(308) receives an authentication and authorization (AA) request from the UE(104) for transmission during the initial attachment procedure of the UE(104), wherein the AA request is transmitted by the MME(308) to the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Gateway (MBMS-GW)(312), and the attachment procedure of the UE(104) includes the Network Capability Information Element (IE) of the UE(104), which is required. When the UE(104) is the content provider, the receiving of a Tracking Area Update (TAU) request from the UE(104) for transmission to the MME(308), wherein the TAU request includes an optional Network Capability Information Element (IE) of the UE(104), In order to transmit to the BMSC (304), a re-authentication request (RAR) is received from the MBMS-GW (312), When the authentication and authorization are successfully completed, a RAR response is transmitted from the BMSC (304) to the MBMS-GW (312), The AA response received from the MBMS-GW (312) is transmitted to the MME (308), Once the attachment procedure or the TAU is completed, the UE (104) is permitted to generate the content and begin uploading the content. The system (110) according to claim 2, further configured to perform the following:

4. The system (110) according to claim 3, wherein the network capability information element (IE) of the UE (104) includes a UE content provider (CP) information element (IE), and when the UE CP IE is dynamically updated, the UE (104) notifies the MME (308) of the update by triggering the TAU procedure, and the MME (308) then notifies the BMSC (304) of the update for further authentication and authorization of the UE (104) as a content provider or content source.

5. The system (110) according to claim 1, wherein receiving the establishment request to establish the broadcast channel from at least one device (118) is based on analyzing the circumstances in the environment of the at least one device (118), the circumstances being analyzed using at least one of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) analysis associated with the at least one device (118).

6. The system (110) according to claim 1, wherein the establishment request includes at least one of a radio resource control (RRC) message and a non-access layer (NAS) message.

7. The system (110) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) acts as a content provider or content source, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) network infrastructure is reused for broadcasting or multicasting the content, and when the UE (104) generates the content, the content is first uploaded or streamed to a broadcast multicast service center (BMSC) (304) using an uplink (UL) connection, and the BMSC (304) decides whether to broadcast, multicast or unicast the content based on one or more group subscriptions of each UE (104).

8. The system (110) according to claim 7, wherein when the UE (104) is at least one of the content provider and the content source, the UE (104) generates at least one of the local broadcast data and local multicast data and uploads it to the RAN, and the UE (104) establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the RAN.

9. The system (110) according to claim 8, wherein the local broadcast includes at least one of a cell-level area and a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBSFN) level area over a single frequency network, and the local multicast includes at least one of a family group level, a friend group level, and a corporate group level, and membership registration to the relevant group is required at the local multicast level.

10. The system (110) according to claim 1, wherein the membership becomes inactive by at least one of deactivation triggered by a user (102) and deactivation triggered by a machine-type device.

11. The system (110) according to claim 1, wherein the network includes at least one of a fourth-generation (4G) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network, and a sixth-generation (6G) network.

12. A method for broadcasting or multicasting content over a network, The system (110) receives an establishment request from the at least one device (118) by a processor (202) associated with the system (110) in order to establish a broadcast channel via a user equipment (UE) (104) communicably coupled to the at least one device (118), wherein the establishment request includes location granularity indicating the extent level of the area or group to which the broadcast or multicast is to be provided by the UE (104), and the receiving When the processor (202) receives the establishment request, it authenticates at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) in order to establish the broadcast channel, The processor (202) determines whether at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) is permitted to establish a network and the broadcast channel, The processor (202) transmits a response corresponding to the request to at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) based on authentication and authorization of at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104), wherein the response is received from the network, and the transmission is performed. Upon receiving the response, the processor (202) receives a membership notification from at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) corresponding to a membership setup request associated with the membership, wherein the membership includes at least one of a broadcast membership and a multicast membership. When the processor (202) sets up at least one of the broadcast membership and the multicast membership based on the membership setup request, it transmits a membership acknowledgment corresponding to the membership setup request. The processor (202) triggers authentication of the at least one device (118), the UE (104), service type identification, and paging of at least one of the broadcast membership and multicast membership in order for the broadcast to be initiated by at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104), When the authentication triggered by the processor (202) is successful, it broadcasts or multicasts the content received from at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104), Methods that include...

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the UE (104) is first authenticated by a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BMSC) (304) using one or more predefined procedures defined by at least one of a Mobility Management Entity (MME) (308) associated with a 4G network and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) associated with a 5G network, the MME (308) is communicably coupled to the UE (104) via an Evolutionary Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) (310), and the BMSC (304) is communicably coupled to the UE (104) via a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Gateway (MBMS-GW) (312) and operationally coupled to a content provider.

14. The initial authentication by the aforementioned BMSC(304) further means that The processor (202) receives an authentication and authorization (AA) request from the UE (104) for transmission to the MME (308) during the initial attachment procedure of the UE (104) when the UE (104) is a content provider, the AA request is transmitted by the MME (308) to the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Gateway (MBMS-GW) (312), and the attachment procedure of the UE (104) includes the essential UE Network Capability Information Element (IE), and the receiving of the request. The processor (202) receives a Tracking Area Update (TAU) request from the UE (104) for transmission to the MME (308) when the UE (104) is the content provider, wherein the TAU request includes an optional UE Network Capability Information Element (IE), The processor (202) receives a re-authentication request (RAR) from the MBMS-GW (312) for transmission to the BMSC (304), When the authentication and authorization are successfully completed by the processor (202), a RAR response is transmitted from the BMSC (304) to the MBMS-GW (312), The processor (202) transmits the AA response received from the MBMS-GW (312) to the MME (308), The processor (202) allows the UE (104) to generate the content and start uploading the content once the attachment procedure or the TAU is completed. The method according to claim 13, including the method described in claim 13.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the UE network capability information element (IE) includes a UE content provider (CP) information element (IE), and when the UE CP IE is dynamically updated, the UE (104) notifies the MME (308) of the update by triggering the TAU procedure, and the MME (308) then notifies the BMSC (304) of the update for further authentication and authorization of the UE (104) as a content provider or content source.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein receiving the establishment request to establish the broadcast channel from at least one device (118) is based on analyzing the circumstances in the environment of the at least one device (118), the circumstances being analyzed using at least one of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) analysis associated with the at least one device (118).

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the establishment request includes at least one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message and a Non-Access Layer (NAS) message.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the at least one device (118) and the UE (104) acts as a content provider or content source, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) network infrastructure is reused for broadcasting or multicasting the content, and when the UE (104) generates the content, the content is first uploaded or streamed to a broadcast multicast service center (BMSC) (304) using an uplink (UL) connection, and the BMSC (304) determines whether to broadcast, multicast or unicast the content based on one or more group subscriptions of each UE (104).

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein when the UE(104) is at least one of the content provider and the content source, the UE(104) generates at least one of local broadcast data and local multicast data and uploads it to the RAN, and the UE(104) establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the RAN.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the local broadcast includes at least one of a cell-level area and a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBSFN) level area over a single frequency network, and the local multicast includes at least one of a family group level, a friend group level, and a corporate group level, and membership registration to the relevant group is required at the local multicast level.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein the membership becomes inactive by at least one of deactivation triggered by a user (102) and deactivation triggered by a machine-type device.

22. The method according to claim 12, wherein the network includes at least one of a fourth-generation (4G) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network, and a sixth-generation (6G) network.

Images