# US 12,004,021 B2 · Communications method and apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,004,021 B2 - Document ID: US12004021B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/158,571 - Filed: 2021-01-26 - Published: 2021-05-20 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-30 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Huan Li; Hualin Zhu; Guowei Ouyang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12004021B2 ## CPC - H04W 36/0027: {for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections} - H04W 36/0033: {with transfer of context information} - H04W 36/1443: {between licensed networks} - H04W 48/16: Discovering, processing access restriction or access information - H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers - H04W 76/16: Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A communications method includes receiving, by a session management network element, a message for requesting to establish or modify a session, and determining, by the session management network element based on an access technology type corresponding to the session, whether to send a request message to an access management network element in the first communications network, where the request message requests the access management network element to allocate a connection identifier of a connection of the session in a second communications network. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: receiving a first message requesting to establish a session in a fifth generation (5G) network, wherein a connection of the session is a quality of service (QoS) flow; and determining, based on an access technology type corresponding to the session, whether to send, to an access management network element in the 5G network, a request message requesting to allocate a bearer identifier to a bearer of a fourth generation (4G) network, wherein the bearer corresponds to the QoS flow, and wherein determining whether to send the request message comprises: determining that the access technology type is a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access; and skipping sending the request message to the access management network element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises the access technology type from the access management network element. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, in a service request process, that the access technology type is changed from the non-3GPP access to a 3GPP access; sending the request message to the access management network element; and receiving the bearer identifier from the access management network element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising sending the bearer identifier to an access network device and a terminal device, wherein the terminal device requests to establish the session. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein sending the bearer identifier to the access network device and the terminal device comprises sending the bearer identifier to the access network device and the terminal device during a session modification procedure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising allocating a flow identifier to the QoS flow. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising sending N2 session management information comprising the bearer identifier and the flow identifier to an access network device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising sending N1 session management information comprising the bearer identifier and the flow identifier to a terminal device, wherein the terminal device requests to establish the session. ### Claim 9 An apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to be configured to: receive a first message requesting to establish a session in a fifth generation (5G) network, wherein a connection of the session is a quality of service (QoS) flow; and determine, based on an access technology type corresponding to the session, whether to send, to an access management network element in the 5G network, a request message requesting to allocate a bearer identifier to a bearer of a fourth generation (4G) network, wherein the bearer corresponds to the QoS flow, and wherein determining whether to send the request message comprises: determining that the access technology type is a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access; and skipping sending the request message to the access management network element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first message comprises the access technology type from the access management network element. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to be configured to: determine, in a service request process, that the access technology type is changed from the non-3GPP access to a 3GPP access; send the request message to the access management network element; and receive the bearer identifier from the access management network element. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to be configured to send the bearer identifier to an access network device and a terminal device, and wherein the terminal device requests to establish the session. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to be configured to send the bearer identifier to the access network device and the terminal device during a session modification procedure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to be configured to allocate a flow identifier to the QoS flow. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to be configured to send N2 session management information comprising the bearer identifier and the flow identifier to an access network device. ### Claim 16 A method comprising: receiving, by a session management network element, a message requesting to establish a session in a fifth generation (5G) network, wherein a connection of the session is a quality of service (QoS) flow; sending, by an access management network element, an access technology type corresponding to the session to the session management network element; receiving, by the session management network element, the access technology type; and determining, by the session management network element based on the access technology type, whether to send, to the access management network element, a request message requesting to allocate a bearer identifier to a bearer of a fourth generation (4G) network wherein the bearer corresponds to the QoS flow, and wherein determining whether to send the request message comprises: determining that the access technology type is a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access; and skipping sending the request message to the access management network element. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining, by the session management network element in a service request process, that the access technology type is changed from the non-3GPP access to a 3GPP access; sending, by the session management network element, the request message to the access management network element; and receiving, by the session management network element, the bearer identifier from the access management network element.