# US 11,116,029 B2 · Mobility management entity, network entity, and method and computer readable medium therefor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,116,029 B2 - Document ID: US11116029B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/345,833 - Filed: 2017-07-31 - Published: 2019-08-15 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-31 - Assignees: NEC Corporation - Applicants: NEC Corporation - Inventors: Takanori Iwai; Nobuhiko Itoh; Ling Xu; Kenki Takagi; Toshiyuki Tamura; Tomoaki Hokao; Naoaki Suzuki; Hisashi Futaki; Sadafuku Hayashi; Kazuki Eguchi; Kouichi Kimura; Hiroki Aoki; Hideki Bessho; Yoshinori Watanabe; Tooru Kikuchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11116029B2 ## CPC - H04W 76/27: Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states - H04W 8/26: Network addressing or numbering for mobility support - H04W 68/005: {Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication} - H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers - H04W 88/08: Access point devices - H04W 88/18: Service support devices; Network management devices - H04W 88/14: Backbone network devices - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A network entity (5) sends, to a mobility management entity (6) or a subscriber server (9), a request message in order to configure the mobility management entity (6) to report a second identifier to be used by a radio access network node (2) for identifying a radio terminal (1). Further, the network entity (5) receives the second identifier from the mobility management entity (6) directly or through the subscriber server (9) and communicates with the radio access network node (2) by using the second identifier. It is thus, for example, possible to allow an MEC server (or an MEC application hosted on the MEC server) and the radio access network (RAN) node to directly exchange therebetween control messages regarding a specific radio terminal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A network entity comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: send, to a mobility management entity or a subscriber server, a request message in order to configure the mobility management entity to report a second identifier to be used by a radio access network node to identify a radio terminal that establishes a radio connection with the radio access network node, the radio access network node being different from the network entity; receive the second identifier from the mobility management entity directly or through the subscriber server, the second identifier including one or any combination of a C-RNTI, an MME UE S1AP ID, an eNB UE S1AP ID, an S1 S-GW TEID, and an S1 eNB TEID; and communicate with the radio access network node by using the second identifier. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to associate the second identifier with a first identifier to be used by a service, an application, or the network entity for identifying the radio terminal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the network entity functions as a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) specified in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the network entity functions as an edge server that provides at least one of computing resources and storage resources for edge computing regarding a service or application directed to the radio terminal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the request message causes the mobility management entity or the subscriber server to continuously report a change in the second identifier, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an updated value of the second identifier from the mobility management entity directly or through the subscriber server each time the second identifier is changed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The network entity according to claim 5, wherein the second identifier is changed due to a mobility of the radio terminal, or due to a state transition of the radio terminal between a connected mode and an idle mode. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive, from the mobility management entity or the radio access network node, a notification indicating an occurrence of a state transition of the radio terminal between a connected mode and an idle mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the radio access network node is a radio access network node to which the radio terminal is connected, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, if the radio access network node to which the radio terminal is connected is changed, receive a notification indicating a change of the radio access network node from the mobility management entity, from a radio access network node before the change, or from a radio access network node after the change. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The network entity according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, if the second identifier is changed due to a mobility of the radio terminal involving a change of the mobility management entity, receive an updated value of the second identifier from an old mobility management entity before the mobility or from a new mobility management entity after the mobility. ### Claim 10 A mobility management entity comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: receive, from a network entity directly or through a subscriber server, a request message in order to configure the mobility management entity to report a second identifier to be used by a radio access network node to identify a radio terminal that establishes a radio connection with the radio access network node, the radio access network node being different from the network entity; and send the second identifier to the network entity directly or through the subscriber server, the second identifier including one or any combination of a C-RNTI, an MME UE S1AP ID, an eNB UE S1AP ID, an S1 S-GW TEID, and an S1 eNB TEID. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The mobility management entity according to claim 10, wherein the network entity functions as a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) specified in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The mobility management entity according to claim 10, wherein the network entity functions as an edge server that provides at least one of computing resources and storage resources for edge computing regarding a service or application directed to the radio terminal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The mobility management entity according to claim 10, wherein the request message causes the mobility management entity or the subscriber server to continuously report a change in the second identifier, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to send an updated value of the second identifier to the network entity directly or through the subscriber server each time the second identifier is changed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The mobility management entity according to claim 13, wherein the second identifier is changed due to a mobility of the radio terminal, or due to a state transition of the radio terminal between a connected mode and an idle mode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The mobility management entity according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to notify the network entity of an occurrence of a state transition of the radio terminal between a connected mode and an idle mode. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The mobility management entity according to claim 10, wherein the radio access network node is a radio access network node to which the radio terminal is connected, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, if the radio access network node to which the radio terminal is connected is changed, notify the network entity of a change of the radio access network node. ### Claim 17 A method in a network entity, the method comprising: sending, to a mobility management entity or a subscriber server, a request message in order to configure the mobility management entity to report a second identifier to be used by a radio access network node to identify a radio terminal that establishes a radio connection with the radio access network node, the radio access network node being different from the network entity; receiving the second identifier from the mobility management entity directly or through the subscriber server, the second identifier including one or any combination of a C-RNTI, an MME UE S1AP ID, an eNB UE S1AP ID, an S1 S-GW TEID, and an S1 eNB TEID; and communicating with the radio access network node by using the second identifier. ### Claim 18 A method in a mobility management entity, the method comprising: receiving, from a network entity directly or through a subscriber server, a request message in order to configure the mobility management entity to report a second identifier to be used by a radio access network node to identify a radio terminal that establishes a radio connection with the radio access network node, the radio access network node being different from the network entity; and sending the second identifier to the network entity directly or through the subscriber server, the second identifier including one or any combination of a C-RNTI, an MME UE S1AP ID, an eNB UE S1AP ID, an S1 S-GW TEID, and an S1 eNB TEID.