US 10,383,046 B2Granted

RAN-core pairing service

AssigneeVerizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

InventorsKalyani Bogineni, Ratul K. Guha, Jignesh S. Panchal, Niranjan B. Avula

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Abstract

A method, a device, and a non-transitory storage medium are described in which a radio access network slice and core network slice service is provided based on RAN-CN network slice pairing information. A radio access network slice and/or a core network slice uses the RAN-CN network slice pairing information to select network resources to support sessions of end devices. The RAN-CN network slice pairing information may include location information, radio access network slice information, core network slice information correlated to different types or applications or services available to end devices. The RAN-CN network slice pairing information may include information indicating current and available radio access network resources pertaining to the radio access network slices and threshold resources that may be used to support the different types of applications or services.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving, by a network device of a core network via a first radio access network (RAN) slice of an access network, a request for service from an end device that is attached to the core network;
determining, by the network device in response to the receiving, whether the end device is authorized to make the request;
obtaining, by the network device from a first network device in response to determining that the end device is authorized, RAN-CN network slice pairing information, wherein the RAN-CN network slice pairing information correlates RAN slices of the access network with core network slices of the core network based on location information pertaining to the RAN slices, available resources of the RAN slices, and different types of applications and services correlated to the core network slices;
determining, by the network device in response to the obtaining, whether the first RAN slice can support the request based on the obtained RAN-CN network slice pairing information, a type of application or service pertaining to the request, and location information pertaining to the first RAN slice;
selecting, by the network device in response to determining that the first RAN slice can support the request, a first core network slice of the core network slices based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information and the type of application or service pertaining to the request;
determining, by the network device, whether the first core network slice of the core network to which the end device is connected, can support the request based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information;
selecting, by the network device in response to determining that the first core network slice cannot support the request, a second core network slice of the core network that can support the request based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information;
and
transmitting, by the network device, a message that initiates an establishment of a connection between the end device and the second core network slice.

6 more elements

A network device comprising:

a communication interface;
a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions;
and
a processor, wherein the processor executes the instructions to:
receive, via the communication interface and a first radio access network (RAN) slice of an access network, a request for service from an end device that is attached to a core network and the network device is of the core network;
determine, in response to the receipt of the request, whether the end device is authorized to make the request;
obtain from a first network device, in response to determining that the end device is authorized, RAN-CN network slice pairing information, wherein the RAN-CN network slice pairing information correlates RAN slices of the access network with core network slices of the core network based on location information pertaining to the RAN slices, available resources of the RAN slices, and different types of applications and services correlated to the core network slices;
determine, in response to the obtainment, whether the first RAN slice can support the request based on the obtained RAN-CN network slice pairing information, a type of application or service pertaining to the request, and location information pertaining to the first RAN slice;
select, in response to a determination that the first RAN slice can support the request, a first core network slice of the core network slices based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information and the type of application or service pertaining to the request;
determine whether the first core network slice of the core network to which the end device is connected, can support the request based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information;
select in response to a determination that the first core network slice cannot support the request, a second core network slice of the core network that can support the request based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information;
and
transmit, via the communication interface, a message that initiates an establishment of a connection between the end device and the second core network slice.

10 more elements

A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor of a device, which when executed cause the device to:

receive via a first radio access network (RAN) slice of an access network, a request for service from an end device that is attached to a core network and the device is of the core network;
determine, in response to the receipt of the request, whether the end device is authorized to make the request;
obtain from a first network device, in response to a determination that the end device is authorized, RAN-CN network slice pairing information, wherein the RAN-CN network slice pairing information correlates RAN slices of the access network with core network slices of the core network based on location information pertaining to the RAN slices, available resources of the RAN slices, and different types of applications and services correlated to the core network slices;
determine, in response to the obtainment, whether the first RAN slice can support the request based on the obtained RAN-CN network slice pairing information, a type of application or service pertaining to the request, and location information pertaining to the first RAN slice;
select, in response to a determination that the first RAN slice can support the request, a first core network slice of the core network slices based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information and the type of application or service pertaining to the request;
determine whether the first core network slice of the core network to which the end device is connected, can support the request based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information;
select in response to a determination that the first core network slice cannot support the request, a second core network slice of the core network that can support the request based on the RAN-CN network slice pairing information;
and
transmit a message that initiates an establishment of a connection between the end device and the second core network slice.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/788,900Filed 20 Oct 2017
Published: US 2019/0124589 A125 Apr 2019
Granted: 13 Aug 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04W 48/18
Access restriction ; Network selection; Access point selection: selecting a network or a communication service
H04W 28/16
Network traffic management; Network resource management: central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g.…
H04W 36/0022
For data sessions of end-to-end connection: for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
H04W 36/322
By location or mobility data, e.g. speed data: by location data