US 11,039,359 B1 · Wireless communication device handovers between wireless communication network slices

Abstract

A wireless network control system facilitates a handover of User Equipment (UE) from a source network slice to a target network slice. The source slice delivers an internet-access service to the UE using a Quality-of-Service level and access restrictions. The UE detects a handover trigger and exchanges handover signaling with the source network slice. A hardware-trust controller verifies a hardware identification code embedded in the UE responsive to the handover signaling. A distributed ledger generates a slice template to implement the QoS and access restrictions for the UE in the target network slice in response to the handover signaling and the hardware-trust verification. The signaling circuitry transfers the slice template to the target slice. The target slice delivers internet-access service to the UE using the QoS and the restrictions in response to the slice template.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of operating a wireless network control system to facilitate a handover of wireless User Equipment (UE) from a source wireless network slice to a target wireless network slice, the method comprising:

signaling circuitry exchanging handover signaling for the wireless UE with at least one of the source wireless network slice and the target wireless network slice, wherein the source wireless network slice delivers a wireless internet-access service to the wireless UE using an internet-access Quality-of-Service (QoS) level and an internet-access restriction;
responsive to the handover signaling, hardware-trust circuitry verifying a hardware identification code embedded in the UE;
responsive to the handover signaling and the hardware-trust verification, distributed ledger circuitry generating a slice template to implement the internet-access QoS level and the internet-access restriction in the target wireless network slice and recording handover metadata in a blockchain format;
and
the signaling circuitry transferring the slice template to the target wireless network slice, wherein the target wireless network slice delivers the wireless internet-access service to the wireless UE using the internet-access QoS level and the internet-access restriction responsive to the slice template.

2 more elements

A wireless network control system to facilitate a handover of wireless User Equipment (UE) from a source wireless network slice to a target wireless network slice, the wireless network control system comprising:

signaling circuitry configured to exchange handover signaling for the wireless UE with at least one of the source wireless network slice and the target wireless network slice, wherein the source wireless network slice delivers a wireless internet-access service to the wireless UE using an internet-access Quality-of-Service (QoS) level and an internet-access restriction;
hardware-trust circuitry configured to verify a hardware identification code embedded in the UE responsive to the handover signaling;
distributed ledger circuitry configured to generate a slice template to implement the internet-access QoS level and the internet-access restriction in the target wireless network slice and record handover metadata in a blockchain format responsive to the handover signaling and the hardware-trust verification;
and
the signaling circuitry configured to transfer the slice template to the target wireless network slice, wherein the target wireless network slice delivers the wireless internet-access service to the wireless UE using the internet-access QoS level and the internet-access restriction responsive to the slice template.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Wireless communication device handovers between wireless communication network slices

Life of this patent

Wireless communication device handovers between wireless communication network slices

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20