Encrypted Network Reachability Contexts for IoT Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current IoT network architectures face scalability issues due to the overhead of maintaining contexts for billions of client devices, particularly when these devices are infrequently active, leading to resource constraints and increased signaling overhead.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that establishes a security context for client devices using encryption algorithms and integrity protection, generating encrypted network reachability contexts to reduce the amount of context information stored at network devices, allowing for efficient reconstruction of client device contexts when needed, thereby optimizing resource usage and minimizing signaling overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the network maintains full client device contexts for all connected devices, then network reachability and control capabilities are improved, but storage requirements and resource consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the client device context into two parts: a compressed context stored at the network device and a full context stored at the client device. This segmentation allows the network to maintain minimal reachability information while relying on the client device to store complete context data, thereby reducing network storage requirements while preserving network reachability capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a compressed copy of the client device context that contains only essential network reachability information. This compressed context is stored at the network device, while the full context remains at the client device. The copy enables the network to maintain control and reachability without storing complete context information, resolving the contradiction between reliability and storage requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the network stores complete context information for infrequently active devices, then context reconstruction capability is improved, but resource allocation efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides context storage responsibilities between network and client device. The network stores only compressed context sufficient for reachability, while the client device stores the full context. This segmentation enables efficient resource allocation since the network does not waste resources storing complete contexts for infrequently active devices, while context reconstruction remains feasible through the compressed stored information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a lightweight compressed context representation that requires minimal storage resources at the network. This compressed context acts as a temporary placeholder that enables reachability control without requiring persistent storage of complete context information, thereby improving resource allocation efficiency while maintaining necessary operational capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the network maintains contexts for billions of IoT devices, then device support capability is improved, but network function resource availability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the bulk of context storage requirements from the network and places them at the client device. The network retains only essential compressed context information needed for device support and control. This extraction enables the network to support billions of IoT devices without proportionally increasing network resource consumption, as each device manages its own context locally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments context management functions between network and client device. The network maintains compressed context for reachability control, while client devices maintain full context locally. This segmentation allows scalable device support capability while keeping network resource requirements manageable, as the network does not need to store complete contexts for all devices.
4Reliability
If the network stores full client device contexts, then security context availability is improved, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a compressed copy of the security context that contains only essential information needed for network control and reachability. This compressed security context is stored at the network device, while the complete security context remains at the client device. The copy reduces signaling overhead by minimizing the amount of context information that needs to be transmitted and managed at the network, while sufficient security context availability is maintained for control functions.
Data Source
AI summary
In an aspect, a network supporting a number of client devices may include a network device that establishes a security context and generates a client device context. The client device context includes network state information that enables the network to communicate with the client device. The network device generates one or more encrypted network reachability contexts based on the client device context, and transmits the one or more encrypted network reachability contexts to a network entity. The one or more encrypted network reachability contexts enable the network device to reconstruct the context for the client device when the network device receives a message to be transmitted to the client device from the network entity. As a result, the network device can reduce an amount of the context for the client device maintained at the network device in order to support a greater number of client devices.