# US 12,225,119 B2 · Information sending method, key generation 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 12,225,119 B2 - Document ID: US12225119B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/011,698 - Filed: 2020-09-03 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2018-04-08 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: He Li; Jing Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225119B2 ## CPC - H04L 9/0866: {involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics} - H04W 12/0431: Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement - H04L 9/0819: {Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) (network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062)} - H04L 9/088: {Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms (network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068)} - H04L 9/3242: {involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC} - H04W 12/033: of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic - H04W 12/60: Context-dependent security - H04W 92/14: between access point controllers and backbone network device - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract An information sending method, a key generation method, and an apparatus, where a core network element first determines whether a terminal device needs to perform a key activation procedure, and then sends a first message to an access network element, where the first message indicates whether the access network element needs to send, to the terminal device, a second message to trigger the terminal device to perform the key activation procedure. After receiving the first message, the access network element determines, based on the first message, whether the second message needs to be sent to the terminal device, and sends the second message to the terminal device when the second message needs to be sent to the terminal device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information sending method comprising: sending, by an access network element and to an access and management function network element, a request message that comprises an explicit indication indicating whether an access stratum (AS) security mode command (SMC) procedure needs to be triggered; receiving, by the access and management function network element, the request message; determining, by the access and management function network element based on the explicit indication carried in the request message and based on a terminal device type of a terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure is to be performed by: determining that the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed when the terminal device type is an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) type; and determining that the AS SMC procedure does not need to be performed when the terminal device type is one of a massive machine type of communication (mMTC) type or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) type; sending, by the access and management function network element and when the AS SMC procedure is to be performed, an initial context setup request message to the access network element, wherein the initial context setup request message carries a necessary parameter for performing the AS SMC procedure; receiving, by the access network element, the necessary parameter from the access and management function network element; and sending, by the access network element based on the necessary parameter from the access and management function network element, an AS SMC message to a terminal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information sending method of claim 1, wherein the necessary parameter comprises a security context. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The information sending method of claim 1, wherein the necessary parameter is a root key (KgNB). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The information sending method of claim 1, wherein the necessary parameter triggers the AS SMC procedure. ### Claim 5 An information sending method implemented by an access and management function network element, wherein the information sending method comprises: receiving a request message from an access network element, wherein the request message comprises an explicit indication indicating whether an access stratum (AS) security mode command (SMC) procedure needs to be triggered; determining, based on the explicit indication carried in the request message and based on a terminal device type of a terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure is to be performed by: determining that the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed when the terminal device type is an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) type; and determining that the AS SMC procedure does not need to be performed when the terminal device type is one of a massive machine type of communication (mMTC) type or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) type; and sending, to the access network element and when the AS SMC procedure is to be performed, an initial context setup request message that carries a necessary parameter for performing the AS SMC procedure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The information sending method of claim 5, wherein the necessary parameter comprises a security context. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The information sending method of claim 5, wherein the necessary parameter is a root key (KgNB). ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The information sending method of claim 5, wherein the necessary parameter triggers the AS SMC procedure. ### Claim 9 An access and management function network element comprising: a communications interface; and a processor coupled to the communications interface and configured to: receive, using the communications interface, a request message from an access network element, wherein the request message comprises an explicit indication indicating whether an access stratum (AS) security mode command (SMC) procedure needs to be triggered; determine, based on the explicit indication carried in the request message and based on a terminal device type of a terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure is to be triggered by: determining that the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed when the terminal device type is an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) type; and determining that the AS SMC procedure does not need to be performed when the terminal device type is one of a massive machine type of communication (mMTC) type or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) type; and send, using the communications interface, to the access network element and when the AS SMC procedure is to be performed, an initial context setup request message, wherein the initial context setup request message carries a necessary parameter for performing the AS SMC procedure. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The access and management function network element of claim 9, wherein the necessary parameter comprises a security context. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The access and management function network element of claim 9, wherein the necessary parameter is a root key (KgNB). ### Claim 12 A communication system comprising an access network element and an access and management function network element, wherein: the access network element is configured to: send, to the access and management function, a request message that comprises an explicit indication indicating whether an access stratum (AS) security mode command (SMC) procedure needs to be triggered; the access and management function network element is configured to: receive the request message; determine, based on the explicit indication carried in the request message and based on a terminal device type of a terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure is to be performed by: determining that the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed when the terminal device type is an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) type; and determining that the AS SMC procedure does not need to be performed when the terminal device type is one of a massive machine type of communication (mMTC) type or an ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) type; send, when the AS SMC procedure is to be performed, an initial context setup request message to the access network element, wherein the initial context setup request message carries a necessary parameter for performing the AS SMC procedure; the access network element is further configured to: receive the necessary parameter from the access and management function network element; and send, based on the necessary parameter from the access and management function network element, an AS SMC message to a terminal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The communication system of claim 12, wherein the necessary parameter comprises at least one of a security context, a root key (KgNB), or the necessary parameter triggers the AS SMC procedure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The information sending method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by the access and management function network element, information related to the terminal device from one of a session management function (SMF) entity or a unified data management (UDM) entity, wherein determining based on the terminal device type of the terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed, comprises determining, based on the request message and the information related to the terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The information sending method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the access and management function network element, the type of the terminal device based on at least one of a field in the request message, subscription information of the terminal device in a unified data management (UDM) entity, or location information of the terminal device sent by a policy control function (PCF) entity. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The information sending method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the AS SMC procedure is to be performed comprises determining, by the access and management function network element, that bit information of the explicit indication matches a condition for the AS SMC procedure to be performed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The information sending method of claim 1, wherein the explicit indication indicates one of: the AS SMC procedure needs to be triggered, the AS SMC procedure is recommended to be triggered, or the AS SMC procedure does not need to be triggered. ### Claim 18 (depends on 5) The information sending method of claim 5, further comprising obtaining, by the access and management function network element, information related to the terminal device from one of a session management function (SMF) entity or a unified data management (UDM) entity, wherein determining based on the terminal device type of the terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed, comprises determining, based on the request message and the information related to the terminal device, whether the AS SMC procedure needs to be performed. ### Claim 19 (depends on 5) The information sending method of claim 5, further comprising determining, by the access and management function network element, the type of the terminal device based on at least one of a field in the request message, subscription information of the terminal device in a unified data management (UDM) entity, or location information of the terminal device sent by a policy control function (PCF) entity. ### Claim 20 (depends on 5) The information sending method of claim 5, wherein determining whether the AS SMC procedure is to be performed comprises determining, by the access and management function network element, that bit information of the explicit indication matches a condition for the AS SMC procedure to be performed. ### Claim 21 (depends on 5) The information sending method of claim 5, wherein the explicit indication indicates one of: the AS SMC procedure needs to be triggered, the AS SMC procedure is recommended to be triggered, or the AS SMC procedure does not need to be triggered.