NEF RDS Port Release for Sleep-State NIDD Terminals

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for managing Reliable Data Service (RDS) ports in non-Internet Protocol (IP) data delivery face challenges such as failed reservations or releases due to terminal devices being in a sleep state or HTTP timeouts, and issues arise when an Application Function (AF) requests the release of ports not created by itself.

Innovation Solution

A method and network node are introduced to manage RDS ports dynamically, allowing an indication for confirmation with terminal devices, enabling efficient and flexible reservation or release of RDS port resources based on the indication, and notifying the AF of currently reserved ports.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If the terminal device is in a sleep state during port reservation or release, then power consumption is reduced, but the port management operation fails

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidport management operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by buffering port management requests and delaying their execution until the terminal device is in an active state. The NEF stores the reservation or release requests and only processes them when the terminal device becomes reachable, ensuring operation success while allowing the device to remain in sleep state for extended periods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The NEF acts as an intermediary between the AF and the terminal device, mediating port management operations. It receives requests from the AF, determines whether the terminal device is in sleep state, and either buffers the request or forwards it appropriately, thus resolving the conflict between power saving and operation reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the processing time of RDS protocol messages is extended to handle sleep state devices, then operation reliability is improved, but HTTP timeout occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation reliabilityVSAvoidHTTP timeout
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assessment of the terminal device's state before initiating time-consuming port management operations. By checking whether the device is in sleep state beforehand, the system can buffer requests appropriately and avoid HTTP timeouts caused by extended processing times.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the NEF receives status information about the terminal device and uses this feedback to determine the appropriate action. When the device is in sleep state, the feedback triggers request buffering; when active, it triggers immediate processing, thus avoiding timeout issues.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If the AF is notified of all port management operations, then information completeness is improved, but notification complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidnotification complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The notification mechanism uses local quality by differentiating notification behavior based on the specific operation type and terminal device state. Successful operations trigger notifications to the AF, while operations on sleep state devices are buffered without immediate notification, reducing unnecessary notification complexity while maintaining information completeness for relevant operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4730908A2Port management
Publication Date: 2026.04.22 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
  • EP4730908A2 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4730908A2 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4730908A2 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a method (200) in a Network Exposure Function, NEF. The method (200) includes: receiving (210), from an Application Function, AF, a request for dynamically releasing a Reliable Data Service, RDS, port resource in association with a Non - Internet Protocol 'IP' Data Delivery, NIDD, configuration, the request containing an indication indicating whether the releasing of the RDS port resource requires confirmation with the terminal device; and transmitting (220), to the AF, a response to the request.