# US 10,455,382 B2 · Apparatuses and methods for multiple presence reporting areas > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,382 B2 - Document ID: US10455382B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/775,058 - Filed: 2016-11-08 - Published: 2018-12-27 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-11 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Maria Belen Pancorbo Marcos; Roland Gustafsson; Josefin Karlsson; Åsa Larsen; Irene Martin Cabello; Ulf Mattsson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455382B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/24: Accounting or billing - H04L 12/14: Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework - H04L 12/1407: {Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture} - H04M 15/00: Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication {; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP} - H04M 15/66: {Policy and charging system} - H04M 15/8033: {location-dependent, e.g. business or home} - H04M 15/8038: {Roaming or handoff} - H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract Handling a plurality of Presence Reporting Areas, PRAs, may currently present inconsistencies between the PRAs active in a policy controller and those PRAs active in a network node handling UE mobility, e.g. MME/SGSN. To overcome these and other drawbacks, there are provided enhanced policy controller, network node and method of handling a plurality of PRAs. This method comprises selecting, at the policy controller, a plurality of applicable PRAs; transmitting from the policy controller, and receiving at the network node, the plurality of applicable PRAs; selecting, at the network node from the plurality of applicable PRAs, a number of PRAs to be active at the network node; and transmitting from the network node, and receiving at the policy controller, at least one of: an indication on whether a UE is inside or outside a PRA, and an indication on whether a PRA is or is not accepted to be active by the network node. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of handling a plurality of Presence Reporting Areas, PRAs, the method carried out by a policy controller in charge of policy control and/or charging decisions, and the method comprising: selecting a plurality of applicable PRAs identified by respective PRA identifiers, PRA-ids; transmitting, towards a network node, the plurality of applicable PRA-ids and, for each PRA-id, a priority assigned for a corresponding PRA; and receiving, from the network node, at least one of: an indication on whether a user equipment, UE, is inside or outside a PRA identified by a PRA-id; and an indication on whether a PRA, identified by a PRA-id in the plurality of PRA-ids, is or is not accepted by the network node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the applicable PRAs are selected per at least one of packet data network (PDN) connection basis and IP Connectivity Access Network, IP-CAN, session basis. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the plurality of applicable PRA-ids comprises transmitting, towards the network node and for each PRA-id, a list of elements composing the corresponding PRA. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the network node or from a further network node an indication on whether multiple PRAs are or are not supported. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of applicable PRA-ids is transmitted towards the network node via one or more further network nodes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more indications are received from the network node via one or more further network nodes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more further network nodes comprise any one of a packet data network gateway, PGW, and a serving gateway, SGW. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the policy controller is any one of a Policy and Charging Rules Function, PCRF, server and an Online Charging System; and wherein the network node is any one of a Mobility Management Entity, MME, a Serving GPRS Support Node, SGSN, an SGSN supporting a so-called S4 interface, hereinafter S4-SGSN, and a packet data network gateway, PGW. ### Claim 9 A method of handling a plurality of Presence Reporting Areas, PRAs, the method carried out by a network node in charge of handling mobility of user equipment, UE and the method comprising: receiving, from a policy controller, a plurality of applicable PRAs identified by respective PRA identifiers, PRA-ids, and for each PRA-id, a priority assigned for a corresponding PRA; selecting, from the plurality of applicable PRA-ids, a number of PRA-ids to be active at the network node; and transmitting, towards the policy controller, at least one of: an indication on whether a user equipment, UE, is inside or outside a PRA identified by a PRA-id; and an indication on whether a PRA, identified by a PRA-id in the plurality of PRA-ids, is or is not accepted to be active by the network node. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the active PRA-ids are selected per at least one of packet data network (PDN) connection basis and IP Connectivity Access Network, IP-CAN, session basis. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the active PRA-ids are selected taking into account a maximum number of PRA-ids supported by the network node. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the active PRA-ids are selected taking into account a priority assigned to each PRA-id at the network node. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the plurality of applicable PRA-ids comprises receiving, from the policy controller and for each PRA-id, a list of elements composing the corresponding PRA. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting towards a target network node the received plurality of applicable PRAs identified by the respective PRA identifiers, PRA-ids. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of applicable PRA-ids is received from the policy controller via one or more further network nodes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more further network nodes comprise any one of a packet data network gateway, PGW, and a serving gateway, SGW. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more indications are transmitted towards the policy controller via one or more further network nodes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the network node is any one of a Mobility Management Entity, MME, a Serving GPRS Support Node, SGSN, an SGSN supporting a so-called S4 interface, hereinafter S4-SGSN, and a packet data network gateway, PGW; and wherein the policy controller is any one of a Policy and Charging Rules Function, PCRF, server and an Online Charging System. ### Claim 19 A policy controller in charge of policy control and/or charging decisions, the policy controller configured to handle a plurality of Presence Reporting Areas, PRAs, and comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores processor-executable instructions, wherein the at least one processor interfaces with the at least one memory to execute the processor-executable instructions, whereby said policy controller is operable to: select, with a processor, a plurality of applicable PRAs identified by respective PRA identifiers, PRA-ids; transmit, towards a network node via a transmitter, the plurality of applicable PRA-ids and, for each PRA-id, a priority assigned for a corresponding PRA; and receive, from the network node via a receiver, at least one of: an indication on whether a user equipment, UE, is inside or outside a PRA identified by a PRA-id; and an indication on whether a PRA, identified by a PRA-id in the plurality of PRA-ids, is or is not accepted by the network node. ### Claim 20 A network node in charge of handling mobility of user equipment, UE, the network node configured to handle a plurality of Presence Reporting Areas, PRAs, and comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores processor-executable instructions, wherein the at least one processor interfaces with the at least one memory to execute the processor-executable instructions, whereby said network node is operable to: receive, from a policy controller via a receiver, a plurality of applicable PRAs identified by respective PRA identifiers, PRA-ids, and for each PRA-id a priority assigned for a corresponding PRA; select, with a processor, from the plurality of applicable PRA-ids, a number of PRA-ids to be active at the network node; and transmit, towards the policy controller via a transmitter, at least one of: an indication on whether a user equipment, UE, is inside or outside a PRA identified by a PRA-id; and an indication on whether a PRA, identified by a PRA-id in the plurality of PRA-ids, is or is not accepted to be active by the network node.