SCEF MBMS Group Membership Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for adding devices to a multicast group in a network fail to accurately distinguish between authorized and active devices, leading to inefficiencies as servers assume device membership without verifying active listening status, and expose underlying transport details, which complicates data delivery.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system and method that manages device membership by receiving requests from servers to add devices to groups, sending authorization replies, querying device status, and checking device activation, while hiding underlying transport details from the server, using a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) to handle data delivery efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the SCEF presumes device membership upon server request, then the server can quickly add devices to the multicast group, but the accuracy of membership status deteriorates because the device may not actually join or activate the group
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the SCEF sends notifications to the server about actual device join and activation status. The server can query the SCEF to obtain accurate membership information, and the SCEF provides feedback when devices actually join or deactivate from the MBMS group, resolving the contradiction between quick addition and accurate status tracking
Solution Approach 2:
The SCEF acts as an intermediary between the server and devices, managing the actual MBMS group membership. It receives addition requests from the server, communicates with devices to verify actual join status, and provides accurate membership information back to the server, thus maintaining both fast processing and high accuracy
2Ease of operation
If the server is exposed to underlying transport details of MBMS, then the server can directly control multicast delivery, but the system complexity increases and the desired objective of hiding transport details is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex MBMS transport management functions from the server and places them in the SCEF. The server only needs to send simple addition requests and query for status, while the SCEF handles the complex interactions with MBMS groups, transport details, and device activation status, thus maintaining ease of operation while reducing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The SCEF serves as an intermediary that shields the server from underlying MBMS transport complexities. It manages multicast group details, transport protocols, and device activation status internally, exposing only simplified interfaces to the server for adding and querying devices, thereby hiding complexity while maintaining operational capability
3Measurement precision
If the device contacts the SCEF to query multicast group information, then the device can obtain accurate group details, but the device must know when to contact the SCEF which adds operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the SCEF proactively send notifications to devices when they should join the MBMS group. The device receives advance notification with instructions to contact the SCEF and obtain group information, eliminating the need for the device to autonomously determine when to query, thus maintaining accuracy while simplifying operation
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application is directed to an apparatus on a network including a non- transitory memory having executable instructions for configuring membership of a group, and a processor that is operably coupled to the non-transitory memory. The processor is configured to receive a request from a server to add a device to the group. The processor is also configured to send a reply to the server that the device is authorized to join the group. The processor is further configured to receive a query request from the server. Further, the processor checks the status of the device based on the query request. The present application is also directed to a networked system including a server and an apparatus in communication with the server. The present application is also directed to a method for configuring membership of a group.