Traffic Offload Network Element Bearer Type Notification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current traffic offload network elements in mobile communication systems inefficiently process data packets and waste system resources due to incorrect offload policy starting, as they cannot obtain the bearer type, leading to increased core network burden and resource wastage.

Innovation Solution

A method where the mobility management unit notifies the traffic offload network element of the bearer type during radio bearer establishment or modification, allowing the traffic offload network element to determine if data offload should be initiated, and to release local access bearers when necessary, thereby optimizing data offload policies and reducing core network load.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the traffic offload network element processes all data packets without bearer type information, then it cannot correctly determine offload policy, but this causes system resource wastage and increased core network burden

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoffload policy determination accuracyVSAvoidsystem resource wastage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The mobility management unit performs preliminary action by notifying the traffic offload network element of the bearer type in advance during radio bearer establishment or modification. This allows the traffic offload network element to correctly determine offload policies before data transmission begins, eliminating the need to process all packets without proper classification and thereby preventing system resource wastage while maintaining accurate offload policy determination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the mobility management unit notifies the traffic offload network element of bearer type, then offload policy determination becomes accurate, but this increases signaling overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoffload policy determination accuracyVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The notification of bearer type is merged with existing signaling messages during radio bearer establishment or modification procedures. By integrating the bearer type information into already-necessary signaling exchanges rather than creating separate dedicated signaling messages, the solution achieves accurate offload policy determination while minimizing additional signaling overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the traffic offload network element processes all bearers, then it ensures comprehensive data handling, but this increases processing complexity and resource consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata handling completenessVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The traffic offload network element uses bearer type information to segment data handling into distinct categories: bearers requiring offload processing and bearers requiring core network transmission. This segmentation allows the element to apply appropriate processing only to relevant bearers, ensuring comprehensive data handling for the correct subset while reducing overall processing complexity and resource consumption by excluding unnecessary bearers from complex offload processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2469930B1Method, system and transmission distribution network element for indicating data-distribution
Publication Date: 2016.06.22 ZTE CORP
  • EP2469930B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2469930B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2469930B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present invention provides a method and system for indicating data offload, and a traffic offload network element, the method comprises: when a radio bearer is established or modified, a mobility management unit of a core network notifies a traffic offload network element of the bearer type of the bearer to determine whether to start the data offload. Through the present invention, the judgment operation of the core network is simplified. In addition, under the situation that the core network side determines whether to start local access function, the traffic offload network element also can correctly start a routing policy.