User Plane Connection Deactivation for Session Threshold Limits

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication technologies waste signaling resources and increase service establishment delays due to session reestablishment when the maximum number of activated user plane connections is reached, leading to inefficient handling of sessions in narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) and other cellular networks.

Innovation Solution

A method to deactivate user plane connections for sessions exceeding a threshold, using indication messages to manage network elements for efficient resource allocation, reducing the number of active sessions and minimizing reestablishment overhead.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the terminal device releases one or more sessions to reduce the quantity of sessions with activated user plane connections, then the quantity threshold is satisfied, but session reestablishment is needed causing signaling waste and service establishment delay

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequantity of sessions with activated user plane connectionVSAvoidservice establishment delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The network element proactively deactivates user plane connections before the terminal device needs to release sessions, by sending a deactivation indication message when detecting that the quantity of sessions with activated user plane connections exceeds the threshold. This preliminary action prevents the need for subsequent session release and reestablishment operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the user plane connection deactivation function from the terminal device's session release process and implements it as a separate network element operation. The network element independently deactivates user plane connections by sending indication messages, separating this function from the terminal's session management to avoid unnecessary session release and reestablishment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Quantity of substance

If the terminal device releases one or more sessions to reduce the quantity of sessions with activated user plane connections, then the quantity threshold is satisfied, but signaling is wasted due to session reestablishment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequantity of sessions with activated user plane connectionVSAvoidsignaling waste

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The network element proactively deactivates user plane connections before the terminal device needs to release sessions, by sending a deactivation indication message when detecting that the quantity of sessions with activated user plane connections exceeds the threshold. This preliminary action prevents the need for subsequent session release and reestablishment operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the user plane connection deactivation function from the terminal device's session release process and implements it as a separate network element operation. The network element independently deactivates user plane connections by sending indication messages, separating this function from the terminal's session management to avoid unnecessary session release and reestablishment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4075859B1Deactivation of a user plane connection in case of a maximum number of sessions

Publication Date: 2026.03.11 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

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AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide a session processing method and apparatus. The session processing method includes: When a quantity of sessions of a terminal device that each have an activated user plane connection is not less than a quantity threshold, the terminal device determines to deactivate a user plane connection of at least one first session, where the sessions that each have the activated user plane connection include the at least one first session. The terminal device sends a first request message to a first network element, where the first request message includes indication information, and the indication information indicates to deactivate the user plane connection of the at least one first session. According to embodiments of this application, signaling waste can be reduced, and a service establishment delay can be shortened.