System and method for re-establishing PDU session during network failure

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system (108) and a method for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network (106). The system (108) receives a service accept message from a network (106). The system (108) detects an absence of an Information Element (IE) comprising a PDU session status in the service accept message. In response to the detection, the system (108) frequently sends a service request message to the network (106) for a predetermined number of attempts and intervals. The system (108) detects that the network (106) fails to append the IE comprising the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts. Based on the detection, the system (108) performs a PDU session release and re-establishes the PDU session with the network (106).

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RE-ESTABLISHING PDU SESSION DURING NETWORK FAILURERESERVATION OF RIGHTS

[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to intellectual property rights such as but are not limited to, copyright, design, trademark, integrated circuit (IC) layout design, and / or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred as owner). The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner.FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a field of wireless communications and network management systems, and specifically to a system and a method for re-establishing Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions in mobile or wireless networks during instances of a network failure, ensuring continuous and reliable connectivity for a User Equipment (UE).BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0003] The following description of the related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section is used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of the prior art.

[0004] Fifth Generation of Mobile Telephony, commonly known as 5G or 5GS, is a system defined by a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The 3GPP specifies an air interface, and protocols and network interfaces that enable the entire mobile system, including call and session control, mobility management, and service provisioning. Structurally, the 5G system uses similar elements to previous generations. For example, User Equipment (UE) includes a mobile station and a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), a Next Generation-Radio Access Network (NG-RAN), and a core network (5GC). A primary entity of the NG-RAN is a gNB, where g stands for 5G and NB stands for NodeB, aterm inherited from 3G to refer to a radio transmitter. The radio interface is termed NR-Uu where NR stands for New Radio.

[0005] The 5GC is represented by an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) entity. The UPF handles user data, and the AMF handles signalling and manages access to the UE and the RAN. The 5GC also includes additional entities. A reference point between the access network and the core network is called NG, with Uu being another term carried over from previous generations. The gNB may be further divided into a gNB-Central Unit (gNB-CU) and one or more gNB-Distributed Units (gNB-DU), connected by a Fl interface.

[0006] In some cases, the UE gets stuck in a data / Voice over New Radio (VoNR) failure in case of missing Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session status inclusion (PSI status) field in a service accept message. The PDU session status Information Element (IE) is provided to indicate a state of each PDU session that can be identified by a PDU session identity. The UE sends a service request with PSI indication under PDU status inclusion “IE” as 1 (supported) to the network, and based on this, the network is supposed to send a service accept message with the inclusion of PSI indication (supported) under PDU status inclusion “IE” as 1 depending on the context maintained at a Session Management Function (SMF).

[0007] The network may send the PSI as 1 or 0 under PDU session status depending on the context maintained at the network (AMF and SMF) during this procedure. 0 indicates that the 5GSM state of the corresponding PDU session is PDU SESSION INACTIVE. 1 indicates that the 5GSM state of the corresponding PDU session is not PDU SESSION INACTIVE. Depending on the PSI status, the UE may re-activate respective PDU. If the PSI is set as 0 in the PDU status inclusion, then UE must re-activate the PDU.

[0008] However, several problems arise when the network fails to include the PDU session status inclusion “IE” in the service accept message. The network deletes the PDU but the same may not get propagated to the UE due to any failure in the network. The UE may not know, if the established PDU is released by the network. The UE continues to send the service request with PDU session status inclusion =1 with respective PSI as 1 in the PDU session status, but in response the UE receives the service accept message with missing PDU session status inclusion “IE” (0). Due to this state, the UE remains in the data / VoNR failure for an indefinite period of time in absence of any active PDU bearer.

[0009] There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an improved system and a method to re-establish PDU sessions during the network failure by overcoming the limitations of the prior art(s).OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are listed herein below.

[0011] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network.

[0012] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system to detect an absence of an Information Element (IE) including a PDU session status in a service accept message received from the network.

[0013] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system to frequently send a service request message to the network for a predetermined number of attempts at predetermined time intervals.

[0014] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system to perform a PDU session release and re-establish the PDU session with the network when the network fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts.SUMMARY

[0015] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0016] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network. The system includes one or more processors and a memory operatively coupled to the one or more processors. The memory includes processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the one or more processors to receive a service accept message from a network. The one or more processors detect an absence of an Information Element (IE) including a PDU session status in the service accept message. In response to the detection, the one or more processors frequently send a service request message to the network for a predetermined number of attempts with predetermined intervals. The one or more processors detect that the network fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts with predetermined intervals. Based on the detection, the one or more processors perform a PDU session release and re-establish the PDU session with the network.

[0017] In an embodiment, the one or more processors may frequently send the service request message to the network for the predetermined number of attempts at predetermined time intervals.

[0018] In an embodiment, the memory includes processor-executable instructions, which on execution, may cause the one or more processors to monitor a first service accept message received from the network after sending a first service request message to the network.

[0019] In an embodiment, the one or more processors may detect an absence of an IE including a PDU session status in the first service accept message, and based on the detection, the one or more processors may send a second service request message to the network at a predetermined time interval.

[0020] In an embodiment, the one or more processors may perform the PDU session release by being configured to send a PDU session release request to the network and receive a PDU session release accept message from the network.

[0021] In an embodiment, the one or more processors may re-establish the PDU session by being configured to send a PDU session establishment request to the network and receive a PDU session establishment accept message from the network.

[0022] In an embodiment, the memory includes processor-executable instructions, which on execution, may cause the one or more processors to store the PDU session status in a database associated with the system upon successful re-establishment of the PDU session.

[0023] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for re-establishing PDU session during a failure in a network. The method includes receiving, by one or more processors associated with a system, a service accept message from a network. The method includes detecting, by the one or more processors, an absence of an IE including a PDU session status in the service accept message. In response to the detection, the method includes frequently sending, by the one or more processors, a service request message to the network for a predetermined number of attempts with predetermined intervals. The method includes detecting, by the one or more processors, that the network fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts. Based on the detection, the method includes performing, by the one or more processors, a PDU session release, and re-establishing, by the one or more processors, the PDU session with the network.

[0024] In an embodiment, the method may include frequently sending, by the one or more processors, the service request message to the network for the predetermined number of attempts at predetermined time intervals.

[0025] In an embodiment, the method may include monitoring, by the one or more processors, a first service accept message received from the network after sending a first service request message to the network.

[0026] In an embodiment, the method may include detecting, by the one or more processors, an absence of an IE including a PDU session status in the first service accept message, and based on the detection, sending, by the one or more processors, a second service request message to the network at a predetermined time interval.

[0027] In an embodiment, performing, by the one or more processors, the PDU session release may include sending, by the one or more processors, a PDU session release request to the network, and receiving, by the one or more processors, a PDU session release accept message from the network.

[0028] In an embodiment, re-establishing, by the one or more processors, the PDU session may include sending, by the one or more processors, a PDU session establishment request to the network, and receiving, by the one or more processors, a PDU session establishment accept message from the network.

[0029] In an embodiment, the method may include storing, by the one or more processors, the PDU session status in a database associated with the system upon successful re-establishment of the PDU session.

[0030] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that cause a processor to receive a service accept message from a network, and detect an absence of an Information Element (IE) comprising a PDU session status in the service accept message. In response to the detection, the processor frequently sends a service request message to the network for a predetermined number of attempts for a predetermined interval, detect that the network fails to append the IE comprising the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts, and based on the detection, perform a PDU session release and re-establish the PDU session with the network.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes the disclosure of electrical components, electronic components, or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) for implementing a system for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram (200) of a system for reestablishing a PDU session during a failure in a network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a sequential diagram for implementing an example method (300) for re-establishing a PDU session during a failure in a network, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system (400) in which or with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address all of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.

[0038] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.

[0039] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced 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 in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0040] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

[0041] The word “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements.

[0042] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0043] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0044] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network. The system receives a service accept message from the network. The system detects an absence of an Information Element (IE) including a PDU session status in the service accept message. In response to the detection, the system frequently sends a service request message to the network for a predetermined number of attempts. The system detects that the network fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts. Based on the detection, the system performs a PDU session release and re-establish the PDU session with the network.

[0045] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail with reference to FIGs. 1-4.

[0046] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) for implementing a system (108) for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 1, by way of example and not by not limitation, the exemplary network architecture (100) may include a plurality of computing devices (104-1, 104-2... 104-N), which may be individually referred as the computing device (104) and collectively referred as the computing devices (104). The computing device (104) may be smart devices operating in a smart environment, for example, Internet of Things (loT)devices. The computing devices (104) may be associated with a plurality of users (102-1, 102-2... 102-N). The plurality of users (102-1, 102-2... 102-N) may be individually referred as the user (102) and collectively referred as the users (102). It may be appreciated that the computing device (104) may be interchangeably referred to as a User Equipment (UE).

[0048] In an embodiment, the UE (104) may include smart devices operating in a smart environment, for example, an Internet of Things (loT) system. The UE (104) may be, for example, but are not limited to, a set-up box, a smart television (TV), a streaming media player, a media centre personal computer (PC), and so on. In an embodiment, the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, smart phones, smart watches, smart sensors (e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical, magnetic, etc.), networked appliances, networked peripheral devices, networked lighting system, communication devices, networked vehicle accessories, networked vehicular devices, smart accessories, tablets, smart television (TV), computers, smart security system, smart home system, other devices for monitoring or interacting with or for the users and / or entities, or any combination thereof.

[0049] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected devices, that can integrate seamlessly with each other and / or with a central server or a cloud-computing system or any other device that is network-connected.

[0050] In an embodiment, the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, a handheld wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a phablet device, and so on), a wearable computer device (e.g., a head-mounted display computer device, a headmounted camera device, a wristwatch computer device, and so on), a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or any type of portable computer, a media playing device, a portable gaming system, and / or any other type of computer device with wireless communication capabilities, and the like. In an embodiment, the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, any electrical, electronic, electromechanical, or an equipment, or a combination of one or more of the above devices such as virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, a laptop, a general-purpose computer, a desktop, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, a mainframe computer, or any other computing device, wherein the UE (104) may include one or more in-built or externally coupled accessories including, but not limited to, a visual aid device such as a camera, an audio aid, a microphone, a keyboard, and input devices for receiving input from the user (102) or the entity such as a touch pad, a touch enabled screen, an electronic pen, and the like.

[0051] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the UE (104) may not be restricted to the mentioned devices and various other devices may be used.

[0052] In an embodiment, the UE (104) may communicate with a system (108) through a network (106). In an embodiment, the system (108) may be associated with the UE (104). The network (106) may include, by way of example but not limitation, at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes, that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or a combination thereof, etc. one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, some combination thereof, or so forth. The network (106) may include, by way of example but not limitation, one or more of: a wireless network, a wired network, an internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a packet-switched network, a circuit-switched network, an ad hoc network, an infrastructure network, a public-switched telephone network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, some combination thereof.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, the system (108) may be associated with the UE (104). The system (108) may receive a service accept message from a network (106). The system (108) may detect a presence or an absence of an Information Element (IE) including a PDU session status in the service accept message. In response to the detection, the system (108) may frequently send a service request message to the network (106) for a predetermined number of attempts. The system (108) may detect that the network (106) fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts. Based on the detection, the system (108) may perform a PDU session release and re-establish the PDU session with the network (106).

[0054] Although FIG. 1 shows exemplary components of the network architecture (100), in other embodiments, the network architecture (100) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG. 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).

[0055] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram (200) of a system (108) for reestablishing a PDU session during a failure in a network (106), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] In an embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 2, the system (108) may be associated with the UE (104). The system (108) may include one or more processors (202). The one or more processors (202) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors,microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and / or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processors (202) may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (204) of the system (108). The memory (204) may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service. The memory (204) may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as Random-Access Memory (RAM), or non-volatile memory such as an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), a flash memory, and the like.

[0057] In an embodiment, the system (108) may also include an interface(s) (206). The interface(s) (206) may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I / O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) (206) may facilitate communication of the system (108) with various devices coupled to it. The interface(s) (206) may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the system (108). Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) (208) and a database (210).

[0058] In an embodiment, the processing engine(s) (208) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) (208). In examples, described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) (208) may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the one or more processors (202) may include a processing resource, to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) (208). In such examples, the system (108) may comprise the machine -readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the system (108) and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) (208) may be implemented by an electronic circuitry.

[0059] In an embodiment, the database (210) may include data that may be either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the processors (202) or the processing engine(s) (208) or the system (108). In an embodiment, the database (210) may store data received from the UE (104).

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing engine(s) (208) may include one or more engines selected from any of a data ingestion engine (212) and other units / engines (214). The other units / engines (214) may include, but are not limited to, a monitoring engine, a determination engine, and the like.

[0061] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), receive a service accept message from a network (106). In an embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), detect an absence of an Information Element (IE) including a PDU session status in the service accept message. In an embodiment, in response to the detection, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), frequently send a service request message to the network (106) for a predetermined number of attempts. The one or more processors (202) may frequently send the service request message to the network (106) for the predetermined number of attempts at predetermined time intervals.

[0062] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), monitor a first service accept message from the network (106) after sending a first service request message to the network (106). Further, the one or more processors (202) may detect an absence of an IE including a PDU session status in the first service accept message. Based on the detection, the one or more processors (202) may send a second service request message to the network (106) at a predetermined time interval, and receive a second service accept message from the network (106). If the second service accept message does not include the IE including the PDU session status, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), continue the process for ‘n’ attempts, where ‘n’ may be for example, but not limited to, 5.

[0063] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), detect that the network (106) fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts. In an embodiment, based on the detection, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), perform a PDU session release. The one or more processors (202) may perform the PDU session release by sending a PDU session release request to the network (106), and receiving a PDU session release accept message from the network (106).

[0064] In an embodiment, based on the detection that the network (106) fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts, the one or more processors (202) may, via the data ingestion engine (212), re-establish the PDU session with the network (106). The one or moreprocessors (202) may re-establish the PDU session by sending a PDU session reestablishment request to the network (106), and receiving a PDU session re-establishment accept message from the network (106).

[0065] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may store the PDU session status in the database (210) associated with the system (108) upon successful reestablishment of the PDU session, and notify the user (102) regarding the successful reestablishment of the PDU session.

[0066] Although FIG. 2 shows exemplary components of the system (108), in other embodiments, the system (108) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG.2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the system (108) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the system (108).

[0067] FIG. 3 illustrates a sequential diagram for implementing an example method (300) for re-establishing a PDU session during a failure in a network (106), in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0068] With reference to FIG. 3, at 302, the method (300) may include receiving, by the system (108) associated with the UE (104), a service accept message from the network (106).

[0069] At 304, the method (300) may include detecting a presence or an absence of an IE including a PDU session status in the service accept message.

[0070] At 306 and 308, the method (300) may include frequently sending a service request message to the network (106) for a predetermined number of attempts with predetermined interval. That is, the method (300) may include sending a first service request message to the network (106), and receiving a first service accept message from the network (106).

[0071] At 310, the method (300) may include monitoring and detecting the presence or absence of the IE including the PDU session status in the first service accept message received from the network (106).

[0072] At 312 and 314, based on the detection that the first service accept message does not include the IE including the PDU session status, the method (300) may include sending a second service request message to the network (106), and receiving a second service accept message from the network (106). Further, the method (300) may include monitoring and detecting the presence or absence of the IE including the PDU session statusin the second service accept message received from the network (106). Based on the detection, the method (300) may include sending the service request message for a predetermined number of attempts (1-n).

[0073] At 316, the method (300) may include detecting that the network (106) fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts.

[0074] At 318, the method (300) may include performing a PDU session release, and re-establishing the PDU session with the network (106), when the network (106) fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts. This may avoid a situation where the UE (104) remains in a data / VoNR failure state for an indefinite period of time in absence of any active PDU bearer, and facilitate the UE (104) to recover from the indefinite data / VoNR failure state effectively.

[0075] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system (400) in which or with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 4, the computer system (400) may include an external storage device (410), a bus (420), a main memory (430), a read-only memory (440), a mass storage device (450), a communication port(s) (460), and a processor (470). A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer system (400) may include more than one processor (470) and communication ports (460). The processor (470) may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication port(s) (460) may be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem-based dialup connection, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. The communication ports(s) (460) may be chosen depending on a network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system (400) connects.

[0077] In an embodiment, the main memory (430) may be a Random-Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. The read-only memory (440) may be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chip for storing static information e.g., start-up or basic input / output system (BIOS) instructions for the processor (470). The mass storage device (450) may be any current or future mass storage solution, which can be used to store information and / or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are notlimited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Firewire interfaces).

[0078] In an embodiment, the bus (420) may communicatively couple the processor(s) (470) with the other memory, storage, and communication blocks. The bus (420) may be, e.g., a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB, or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects the processor (470) to the computer system (400).

[0079] In another embodiment, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g., a display, keyboard, and cursor control device may also be coupled to the bus (420) to support direct operator interaction with the computer system (400). Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through the communication port(s) (460). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system (400) limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be implemented merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0081] The present disclosure re-establishes a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network.

[0082] The present disclosure detects an absence of an Information Element (IE) including a PDU session status in a service accept message received from the network.

[0083] The present disclosure frequently sends a service request message to the network for a predetermined number of attempts at predetermined time intervals.

[0084] The present disclosure performs a PDU session release and re-establishes the PDU session with the network when the network fails to append the IE including the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts.

[0085] The present disclosure avoids data / Voice over New Radio (VoNR) failure due to mismatch of PDU status on the UE and the network, thereby improving user experience.

[0086] The present disclosure ensures continuous and reliable connectivity for a User Equipment (UE).

Claims

We Claim:

1. A system (108) for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network (106), the system (108) comprising:one or more processors (202); anda memory (204) operatively coupled to the one or more processors (202), wherein the memory (204) comprises processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the one or more processors (202) to:receive a service accept message from a network (106);detect an absence of an Information Element (IE) comprising a PDU session status in the service accept message;in response to the detection, frequently send a service request message to the network (106) for a predetermined number of attempts for a predetermined interval;detect that the network (106) fails to append the IE comprising the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts; andbased on the detection, perform a PDU session release and re-establish the PDU session with the network (106).

2. The system (108) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors (202) are to frequently send the service request message to the network (106) for the predetermined number of attempts at predetermined time intervals.

3. The system (108) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the memory (204) comprises processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the one or more processors (202) to monitor a first service accept message received from the network (106) after sending a first service request message to the network (106).

4. The system (108) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the one or more processors (202) are to detect an absence of an IE comprising a PDU session status in the first service accept message, and based on the detection, send a second service request message to the network (106) at the predetermined time interval.

5. The system (108) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors (202) are to perform the PDU session release by being configured to send a PDU session release request to the network (106), and receive a PDU session release accept message from the network (106).

6. The system (108) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors (202) are to re-establish the PDU session by being configured to send a PDU session establishment request to the network (106), and receive a PDU session establishment accept message from the network (106).

7. The system (108) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory (204) comprises processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the one or more processors (202) to store the PDU session status in a database (210) associated with the system (108) upon successful re-establishment of the PDU session.

8. A method for re-establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session during a failure in a network (106), the method comprising:receiving, by one or more processors (202) associated with a system (108), a service accept message from a network (106);detecting, by the one or more processors (202), an absence of an Information Element (IE) comprising a PDU session status in the service accept message;in response to the detection, frequently sending, by the one or more processors (202), a service request message to the network (106) for a predetermined number of attempts;detecting, by the one or more processors (202), that the network (106) fails to append the IE comprising the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts; andbased on the detection, performing, by the one or more processors (202), a PDU session release, and re-establishing, by the one or more processors (202), the PDU session with the network (106).

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein frequently sending, by the one or more processors (202), the service request message to the network (106) for the predetermined number of attempts at predetermined time intervals.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, comprising monitoring, by the one or more processors (202), a first service accept message received from the network (106) after sending a first service request message to the network (106).

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein comprising detecting, by the one or more processors (202), an absence of an IE comprising a PDU session status in the first service accept message, and based on the detection, sending, by the one or more processors (202), a second service request message to the network (106) at a predetermined time interval.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein performing, by the one or more processors (202), the PDU session release comprises sending, by the one or more processors (202), a PDU session release request to the network (106), and receiving, by the one or more processors (202), a PDU session release accept message from the network (106).

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein re-establishing, by the one or more processors (202), the PDU session comprises sending, by the one or more processors (202), a PDU session establishment request to the network (106), and receiving, by the one or more processors (202), a PDU session establishment accept message from the network (106).

14. The method as claimed in claim 8, comprising storing, by the one or more processors (202), the PDU session status in a database associated with the system (108) upon successful re-establishment of the PDU session.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that cause a processor to:receive a service accept message from a network (106);detect an absence of an Information Element (IE) comprising a PDU session status in the service accept message;in response to the detection, frequently send a service request message to the network (106) for a predetermined number of attempts for a predetermined interval;detect that the network (106) fails to append the IE comprising the PDU session status in the service accept message within the predetermined number of attempts; andbased on the detection, perform a PDU session release and re-establish the PDU session with the network (106).

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