Determining ambient IoT device response content

Abstract

A method may be used by an ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). The method comprises obtaining reader configuration information that includes an identity of at least one reader and information that indicates a type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader. The method comprises receiving a communication request message from a first reader that comprises a first reader identity. The method may comprise determining what information to send to the first reader based on the reader configuration information and the communication request message. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) only. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) and application data. The method may comprise sending a response message to the first reader comprising the determined information.

Description

DETERMINING AMBIENT loT DEVICE RESPONSE CONTENTCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 574,375, filed April 4, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND

[0002] The inventory procedure is one of the introduced procedures that are used with Ambient loT devices. When the Ambient loT device is attached to specific assets or facilities, the network might probe these devices through specific readers to obtain certain information such as location, asset status, reporting data, etc. A readers may be an intermediate node (e.g., wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU)) or a radio access network (RAN) node. Typically, the exchange in the inventory procedure is a limited amount of data in both directions. Many inventory use cases are introduced and described in, for example, 3GPP TR22.840, TS 22.369, and TR 23.700-13.SUMMARY

[0003] A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may be configured to receive configuration information regarding a reader. The WTRU may be configured to receive a communication request message from the reader. The WTRU may be configured to send a response message to the reader. Information in the response message may be based on the received configuration information. The configuration information may comprise a reader identity and a reader type. The WTRU may be configured to determine whether application data may be sent to the reader, based on the received configuration information. The configuration information may comprise information regarding what application data may be sent to the reader. The configuration information may be pre-configured in the WTRU in a universal subscriber identity module (USIM). The WTRU may be configured to receive a pre-configuration request message from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) that comprises the configuration information. The WTRU may be configured to send a pre-configuration response message to the AMF, that indicates a successful configuration. The communication request message from the reader may comprise reader information and a WTRU identity. The reader information may comprise a reader identity, a reader type, requested information, a WTRU application identity and an application type. The response message may be further based on the reader information. The response message may include a WTRU identity. The response message may include both a WTRU identity and application data. The response message may include a rejection message that comprises rejection cause information. The WTRU may be configured to, on a condition that the response message includes application data, determine which application data to include in the response message, based on the configuration information.

[0004] A method may be used by an ambient Internet of Things (AloT) wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). The method may comprise obtaining reader configuration information. The reader configuration information may include an identity of at least one reader and information that indicates a type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader. The method may comprise receiving a communication request message from a first reader. The communication request message may comprise a first reader identity. The method may comprise determining what information to send to the first reader based on the reader configuration information and the communicationrequest message. The method may comprise sending a response message to the first reader comprising the determined information. The reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader may comprise at least one of: a reader type, a reader data type permission, a WTRU application identification (ID), a WTRU application type, an inventory type indicator, time validity information, or location validity information. The communication request message may further comprise at least one of: a reader type, requested information, a WTRU identity, a WTRU application identification (ID), an application type, or an inventory type indicator. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) only. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) and application data. The application data may be based on the reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader. The application data may include all or part of requested information from the first reader. The determined information may be an indication that the first reader is not permitted to receive information from the WTRU. The reader configuration information may be pre-configured in the WTRU in a universal subscriber identity module (USIM). The reader configuration information may be received from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). The first reader may be a radio access network (RAN) reader.

[0005] An ambient Internet of Things (AloT) wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may be configured to obtain reader configuration information. The reader configuration information may include an identity of at least one reader and information that indicates a type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader. The AloT WTRU may be configured to receive a communication request message from a first reader. The communication request message comprises a first reader identity. The AloT WTRU may be configured to determine what information to send to the first reader based on the reader configuration information and the communication request message. The AloT WTRU may be configured to send a response message to the first reader comprising the determined information. The reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader may comprise at least one of: a reader type, a reader data type permission, a WTRU application identification (ID), a WTRU application type, an inventory type indicator, time validity information, or location validity information. The communication request message may further comprise at least one of: a reader type, requested information, a WTRU identity, a WTRU application identification (ID), an application type, or an inventory type indicator. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) only. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) and application data. The application data may be based on the reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader. The application data may include all or part of requested information from the first reader. The determined information may be an indication that the first reader is not permitted to receive information from the WTRU. The reader configuration information may be pre-configured in the WTRU in a universal subscriber identity module (USIM). The reader configuration information may be received from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). The first reader may be a radio access network (RAN) reader.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals in the figures indicate like elements, and wherein:

[0007] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0008] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0009] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0010] FIG. 1D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0011] FIG. 2 shows an example method for determining a message response to a reader request;

[0012] FIG. 3 shows an example procedure for determining response content; and

[0013] FIG. 4 shows an example method for determining a message response to a reader request.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word discrete Fourier transform Spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a station (STA), may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronicsdevice, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0016] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNode B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a next generation NodeB, such as a gNode B (gNB), a new radio (NR) NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0017] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and the like. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (M IMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0018] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0019] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0020] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0021] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0022] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0023] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0024] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellularbased RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0025] The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0026] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. Forexample, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0027] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multimode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0028] FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0029] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0030] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0031] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0032] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0033] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0034] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0035] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / ordetermine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0036] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor and the like.

[0037] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a halfduplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the DL (e.g., for reception)).

[0038] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0039] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0040] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 10, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0041] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0042] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0043] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0044] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0045] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0046] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0047] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0048] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0049] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0050] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0051] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0052] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11ac.802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, forexample, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0053] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the available frequency bands remains idle.

[0054] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0055] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0056] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0057] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum.- IQ -The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0058] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0059] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, DC, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0060] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0061] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types ofservices being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, and the like. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0062] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183bmay select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IPbased, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0063] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0064] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local DN 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0065] In view of FIGs. 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of FIGs. 1A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0066] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0067] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0068] The following abbreviations and acronyms may be referred to:AloT Ambient-power enabled loTAF Application FunctionAMF Access and Mobility Management FunctionNEF Network Exposure FunctionNF Network FunctionR-19 Release-19RAN Radio Access NetworkSUCI Subscriber Concealed IdentifierUDM Unified Data ManagementUE User Equipment

[0069] An Ambient loT device may be a WTRU. The terms device, Ambient loT device, and WTRU may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. This disclosure describes actions that may be taken by an AMF. The actions that are described as being performed by the AMF may alternatively be performed by an AloT controller. This disclosure describes actions that may be taken by an NEF. The actions that are described as being performed by the NEF may alternatively be performed by an AloT controller. The actions that are described as being performed by the AMF and NEF may alternatively all be performed by an AloT controller.

[0070] The following traffic types for Ambient loT devices are to be studied: DT: Device-terminated; and DO-DTT: Device-originated - device-terminated triggered.

[0071] The following two connectivity topologies as defined in 3GPP TR 38.848 are to be studied: Topology 1 : BS <--> Ambient loT device; Topology 2: BS <-> intermediate node <--> Ambient loT device. A WTRU may act as an intermediate node that is under the network control.

[0072] In some scenarios such as shipping containers with inventory tags, the tags may be ambient loT devices. These tags (entities) allow keeping an association between physical entities (e.g., inventory items) and a digital record in a management system. The tags may operate in different modes. The tags may operate in a mode where they respond to an inventory request with only a device identifier. This mode is useful when the system only needs to check for the location of the tag. The tags may also operate in a mode where they respond to an inventory request with both a device identifier and an application payload. The application payload may include information about the contents of the container or the state of the container (e.g. a temperature). This mode is useful when the system needs to check for the location of the tag and also gather application specific information such as the contents of container, the state of the container (e.g., cold tracking), etc.

[0073] It may not be desirable to use certain readers to send application payloads to the network. The owner of the tag may not trust certain readers to read or save the application payloads that are transmitted by the tags. In other words, the reader might not be authorized to receive certain application payloads. However, the owner of the tag may allow the tag to transmit the tag identifier via some of the readers that it does not trust to read or save the application payloads. This owner of the tag may allow this because these “less-trusted” readers are useful when the location of the tag needs to be determined.

[0074] In the current system, there is no procedure for the ambient loT device (i.e. a tag) to determine whether to respond to an inventory request with both an Ambient loT device identifier and an application payload or only an Ambient loT device identifier.

[0075] A solution is disclosed to allow the WTRU, AloT device in this case, to determine the response content that should be sent in response to a request from a reader. In an embodiment, the WTRU may receive one or more configurations (e.g. configuration information) from the network regarding a readers' permissions and privileges. The configuration information may include a readers' identities and the type of data the reader is permitted to receive for this WTRU. The configuration information may also include the type of data that the reader is able to handle (i.e. receive and process) for certain applications. The reader may be permitted to receive certain types of data for each application.

[0076] When the WTRU receives an inventory request from a reader, the WTRU may check the reader identity and, based on the reader's identity, may determine the data type that may be sent through this reader or it may determine that no data may be sent to the reader. The WTRU may decide that only the WTRU identity may be sent to the reader.

[0077] The WTRU may check the reader type and may determine the type of data that may be sent through this reader based on the reader type.

[0078] The WTRU may check the WTRU application ID or WTRU application type to determine the IDs or types of applications the reader may receive data from. A WTRU application may be an application in the WTRU which provides a payload that is requested in the inventory request. For example, if the request is for information about container content, this may by associated with a logistic application in the WTRU.

[0079] FIG. 2 shows an example method 200 of a WTRU determining a message response to a request (e.g. inventory request) from a reader. The WTRU may receive configuration information 210. The configuration information may include information that may be used to identify a reader or readers, for example a reader identity and / or a reader type. The configuration information may include information that may be used to determine if application data may be sent to a reader. If the configuration information indicates that application data may be sent to a reader, additional information may be included to identify what application data may be sent to the reader. The configuration information may pre-configured in the WTRU, for example, stored in the Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), preconfigured in memory of the WTRU, or configured in the WTRU in some other fashion (e.g. hard-wired). The configuration may be sent by a network entity (e.g. AMF). If the configuration information is sent to the WTRU by the AMF, the WTRU may receive a pre-configuration request from the AMF. The pre-configuration request may include the configuration information. The WTRU may send a pre-configuration response to the AMF. The pre-configuration response may indicate that the configuration is complete (i.e. successful).

[0080] The WTRU may receive a communication request message from a reader 220. The communication request message may include information about the reader and the identity of the WTRU. The information about the reader may be a reader identity, reader type, requested information, WTRU application ID, and / or an application type.

[0081] The WTRU may send a response message to the reader 230. The WTRU may use the information about the reader and the received / pre-configured configuration information to determine whether to send a response that includes only the WTRU identifier, the WTRU identifier and application data, or a rejection message. The rejectionmessage may include rejection information (e.g. a rejection cause code). The rejection message may be sent to indicate that the reader is not permitted to obtain information from the WTRU. When the WTRU determines to include application data in the response, the WTRU may use the received / pre-configured configuration information to determine which application data (i.e. for which application or which application type) to include in the response.

[0082] The WTRU may determine, based on the received / pre-configured configuration information that no response should be sent (i.e. not even a rejection message). Instead of a reader identifier, an inventory type tag may be used in this procedure.

[0083] FIG. 3 shows an example procedure for determining response content. A WTRU may determine a reader permission(s) based on received or pre-configured configuration information. Based on available information and the configuration information in the WTRU, the WTRU may determine that certain types of data may be sent to the reader while other types of data may not be sent to the reader.

[0084] The WTRU may receive configuration information, or be pre-configured with information, regarding identifications and / or permissions associated with a reader, or a plurality of readers.

[0085] The configuration information may be preconfigured in the WTRU 305 (e.g., stored in a USIM, preconfigured in memory of the WTRU, or configured in the WTRU in some other fashion (e.g. hard-wired)).

[0086] The WTRU may receive the configuration information from a network entity (e.g. AMF) 315. The configuration information may be included in a device pre-configuration information request message. The device preconfiguration information request message may be sent from the AMF to the WTRU through a RAN reader.

[0087] A UDM may send configuration information to the AMF 310. The configuration information may be sent in a device pre-configuration information request message. The configuration message may include reader identities. The configuration message may include readers' permissions such as the type of data the WTRU is allowed to handle. The configuration message may include readers types, such as intermediate node and RAN node, which the WTRU may use to check or determine if the requested data or payload may be sent to a certain reader type such as an intermediate node or RAN Node. The WTRU may not be permitted to send some payload types through or to certain reader types. The configuration message may include WTRU Application ID(s) such as application number or application FQDN, which the WTRU may use to check or determine if the reader may receive data from certain applications in the WTRU. The configuration message may include WTRU Application type(s) such as logistic applications or monitoring applications, which the WTRU may use to check or determine if the reader may receive data from certain types of applications in the WTRU. The configuration message may include an inventory type indicator, which may be a value sent by the AF to indicate to the WTRU that the reader is allowed to handle and receive certain data types for this request. The configuration message may include validity information for time and location (i.e. only when the validity conditions are met, the AloT device may be allowed to provide the information to the reader). The UDM may be triggered to send the configuration information to the WTRU based on a message that is sent by the AF to the UDM or by notification from the UDR that the WTRU's subscription information has been updated.

[0088] The WTRU may send a confirmation message to the AMF 320. The confirmation message may indicate that the configuration information has been received and is complete. The AMF may send a confirmation message to the UDM 325.

[0089] The AF may send an inventory request message to the AMF 330. The inventory request message may be sent though the NEF. The inventory request message may include, for example, the targeted WTRU(s) identity and / or type, requested data, WTRU application ID, and / or WTRU application type. Alternatively, the AF may send, in the inventory request message, an inventory type indication. A value of the inventory type indication may indicate to the WTRU that the reader is allowed to receive certain information types.

[0090] Upon receiving the inventory request message 330, the AMF may perform a reader selection 335. The reader selection may be based on a WTRU location. The reader selection may be based on the WTRU location such as the service area ID. The reader selection may be based on a WTRU type, for example, Ambient loT device type and long / short range devices. The reader selection may be based on a WTRU power level. The selection may be based on a specific power threshold where, for example, a reader may select to serve the WTRU instead of the RAN node due to power limitations in the WTRU. The AMF may have knowledge about the power level based on prior measurements. The AMF may receive a WTRU power category or characteristics for example, a device with no battery, from the UDM. The reader selection may be based on a supported communication mode (e.g. protocol). The reader may be selected based on the supported communication mode in the WTRU, for example, if the WTRU supports only a backscattering mode, the reader should support this mode as well.

[0091] The AMF may send an information request message 340 to the selected reader. The information request message may include, for example, the WTRU identity, location, and / or requested information. The reader may receive the information request from the AMF. The information request message may include an inventory type indicator.

[0092] The reader may send an information request message 345 to the WTRU. This information request message may include, for example, the reader identity, reader type, WTRU identity, requested information, and / or the WTRU application ID and type. The reader may send, if presented in the AMF information request message, the inventory type indicator. The WTRU may receive the information request message.

[0093] The WTRU may check or determine the reader's information (e.g. permissions) using the configuration information to confirm the next action 350. The WTRU may check or determine the reader identity, such as a subscriber concealed identifier (SUCI), and the corresponding permissions and type of data that may be sent to this reader. The WTRU may check or determine the reader type and the corresponding type of data that may be sent to this reader based on its type. For example, the WTRU may not be permitted to send certain WTRU application information to a reader that has an intermediate node type. The WTRU may check or determine the WTRU application ID and decide or determine if the reader is permitted to receive information from certain WTRU applications. The WTRU may check or determine the WTRU Application type and check or determine if the reader is permitted to receive data associated with certain applications types in the WTRU, such as logistics types. The WTRU may check or determine if the request from the reader has an inventory type indicator. If the inventory type indicator is present in the request, the WTRU may check or determine the corresponding data type that becomes permitted to be sent to the reader based on the inventory type indicator value (e.g. data privilege).

[0094] The WTRU may send an information response message 355 to the reader. The information response message may include the requested information (i.e., WTRU identifier and / or application data). The information response message may include part of the requested data in case the reader is allowed to receive certain types of information only. The information response message may be or include a reject response or indication in case thereader is not allowed to receive any of the requested information. Whether the WTRU responds with only the WTRU Identifier or both the WTRU Identifier and application data may be determined by the WTRU based on the configuration information. When application data is included in the information response message, what application data is included in the information response message is determined based on the configuration information that was configured.

[0095] The reader may send an information response message to the AMF 360.

[0096] FIG. 4 shows an example method 400 for determining a message response to a reader request.

[0097] An AloT WTRU may receive or obtain reader configuration information 410. The reader configuration information may include an identity of at least one reader. The reader configuration information may include information that indicates a type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader. The reader configuration information may include a reader type. The reader configuration information may include a reader data type permission. The reader configuration information may include a WTRU application identification (ID). The reader configuration information may include a WTRU application type. The reader configuration information may include an inventory type indicator. The reader configuration information may include time validity information. The reader configuration information may include location validity information. The reader configuration information may be preconfigured in the WTRU in a universal subscriber identity module (USIM). The reader configuration information may be received from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). The first reader may be a radio access network (RAN) reader.

[0098] The AloT device may receive a communication request message from a first reader 420. The communication request message may include a first reader identity. The communication request message may include a reader type. The communication request message may include requested information. The communication request message may include a WTRU identity. The communication request message may include a WTRU application identification (ID). The communication request message may include an application type. The communication request message may include an inventory type indicator.

[0099] The AloT WTRU may determine what information to send to the first reader 430. The AloT WTRU may determine what information to send to the first reader based on the reader configuration information and the communication request message. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) only. The determined information to send to the first reader may be a WTRU identification (ID) and application data. The application data may be based on the reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader. The application data may include all or part of requested information from the first reader. The determined information may be an indication that the first reader is not permitted to receive information from the WTRU.

[0100] The AloT WTRU may send a response message to the first reader comprising the determined information 440.

[0101] A method may be used by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). The method may comprise receiving configuration information regarding a reader. The method may comprise receiving a communication request message from the reader. The method may comprise sending a response message to the reader. The information in the response message may be based on the received configuration information. The configuration information may comprise a reader identity and a reader type. The method may comprise determining whether application data may besent to the reader, based on the received configuration information. The configuration information may comprise information regarding what application data may be sent to the reader. The configuration information may be preconfigured in the WTRU in a universal subscriber identity module (USIM). The method may comprise receiving a preconfiguration request message from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) that comprises the configuration information. The method may comprise sending a pre-configuration response message to the AMF, that indicates a successful configuration. The communication request message from the reader may comprise reader information and a WTRU identity. The reader information may comprise a reader identity, a reader type, requested information, a WTRU application identity, and an application type. The response message may be further based on the reader information. The response message may include a WTRU identity. The response message may include both a WTRU identify and application data. The response message may include a rejection message that comprises rejection cause information. On condition that the response message includes application data, the method may comprise determining which application data to include in the response message, based on the configuration information. The WTRU may be an ambient internet of things (loT) device.

[0102] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer- readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:

1. A method for use in an ambient Internet of Things (AloT) wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: obtaining reader configuration information, wherein the reader configuration information includes an identity of at least one reader and information that indicates a type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader; receiving a communication request message from a first reader, wherein the communication request message comprises a first reader identity; determining what information to send to the first reader based on the reader configuration information and the communication request message; and sending a response message to the first reader comprising the determined information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader comprises at least one of: a reader type, a reader data type permission, a WTRU application identification (ID), a WTRU application type, an inventory type indicator, time validity information, or location validity information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication request message further comprises at least one of: a reader type, requested information, a WTRU identity, a WTRU application identification (ID), an application type, or an inventory type indicator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined information to send to the first reader is a WTRU identification (ID) only.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined information to send to the first reader is a WTRU identification (ID) and application data, wherein the application data is based on the reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the application data includes all or part of requested information from the first reader.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined information is an indication that the first reader is not permitted to receive information from the WTRU.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reader configuration information is pre-configured in the WTRU in a universal subscriber identity module (USIM).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reader configuration information is received from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reader is a radio access network (RAN) reader.

11. An ambient Internet of Things (AloT) wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising: a transceiver; and a processor, wherein: the transceiver is configured to obtain reader configuration information, wherein the reader configuration information includes an identity of at least one reader and information that indicates a type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader; the transceiver is further configured to receive a communication request message from a first reader, wherein the communication request message comprises a first reader identity; the processor is configured to determine what information to send to the first reader based on the reader configuration information and the communication request message; and the transceiver is further configured to send a response message to the first reader comprising the determined information.

12. The AloT WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader comprises at least one of: a reader type, a reader data type permission, a WTRU application identification (ID), a WTRU application type, an inventory type indicator, time validity information, or location validity information.

13. The AloT WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the communication request message further comprises at least one of: a reader type, requested information, a WTRU identity, a WTRU application identification (ID), an application type, or an inventory type indicator.

14. The AloT WTRU of claim 11, wherein the determined information to send to the first reader is a WTRU identification (ID) only.

15. The AloT WTRU of claim 11, wherein the determined information to send to the first reader is a WTRU identification (ID) and application data, wherein the application data is based on the reader configuration information that indicates the type of information that the WTRU is permitted to send to the at least one reader.

16. The AloT WTRU of claim 15, wherein the application data includes all or part of requested information from the first reader.

17. The AloT WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the determined information is an indication that the first reader is not permitted to receive information from the WTRU.

18. The AloT WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the reader configuration information is pre-configured in the WTRU in a universal subscriber identity module (USIM).

19. The AloT WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the reader configuration information is received from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

20. The AloT WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the first reader is a radio access network (RAN) reader.

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