US 10,945,103 B2Granted

Dynamic network slice-switching and handover system and method

AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.

InventorsVenson Shaw, Sangar Dowlatkhah

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Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving a request to allow a wireless device accessing a network service by a first portion of a network to access the service via a second portion of the network operating within a different spectral region, wherein control operations are separate from data forwarding operations and configured to facilitate a forwarding of user data via the data forwarding operations. The first and second wireless spectral regions are different ones of managed and unmanaged spectral regions. The request is evaluated and a redirection of the forwarding of the user data facilitated via the data forwarding operations to the second portion of the network, responsive to the request, the request being initiated via the control operations, without interrupting the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor;
and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
receiving a request to allow a mobile device accessing a mobile service via a first wireless access point operating within a first radio frequency spectrum, to access the mobile service via a second wireless access point operating within a second radio frequency spectrum, wherein control plane operations are separate from data plane operations and configured to facilitate a forwarding of user data via the data plane operations, wherein the first radio frequency spectrum comprises one of a managed frequency spectrum and an unmanaged frequency spectrum, and wherein the second radio frequency spectrum comprise a different one of the managed frequency spectrum and the unmanaged frequency spectrum;
evaluating the request to allow the mobile device to access the mobile service via the second wireless access point, to obtain an evaluation;
and
facilitating a redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data plane operations to the second wireless access point, responsive to the request, the request being initiated via the control plane operations, without interrupting the forwarding of the user data via the data plane operations of the first wireless access point.

4 more elements

A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a processing system including processor, a request to allow a mobile device accessing a mobile service via a first portion of a wireless network operating within a first radio frequency spectrum, to access the mobile service via a second portion of the wireless network operating within a second radio frequency spectrum, wherein control operations are separate from data forwarding operations and configured to facilitate a forwarding of user data via the data forwarding operations, wherein the first radio frequency spectrum comprises one of a managed frequency spectrum and an unmanaged frequency spectrum, and wherein the second radio frequency spectrum comprise a different one of the managed frequency spectrum and the unmanaged frequency spectrum;
evaluating, by the processing system, the request to allow the mobile device to access the mobile service via the second portion of the wireless network, to obtain an evaluation;
and
initiating, by the processing system, a redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations to the second portion of the wireless network, responsive to the request, the request being initiated via the control operations, without interrupting the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations of the wireless network.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/733,653Filed 3 Jan 2020 · continuation
Priority: 9 May 2017
Published: US 2020/0145792 A17 May 2020
Granted: 9 Mar 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H04W 4/08
Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective…:…
H04L 41/0896
Configuration management of networks or network elements: bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities
H04L 41/122
Discovery or management of network topologies: of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation…
H04L 67/1051
Group management mechanisms: group master selection mechanisms

Family

Application15/590,656Parent of this continuation · filed 9 May 2017
Application16/287,678Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Feb 2019
US 10,257,668 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Apr 2019
US 2020/0145792 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 May 2020
US 10,555,134 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0332442 A1Published application
US 2019/0200174 A1Published application
US 10,945,103 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.