# US 2014/0192701 A1 · Identification of UE Counting Results in eMBMS > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0192701 A1 - Document ID: US20140192701A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/235,157 - Filed: 2012-07-06 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-29 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Markus Drevö - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140192701A1 ## CPC - H04W 24/10: Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} - H04L 12/1868: {Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments} - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04W 4/06: Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services - H04W 76/40: for selective distribution or broadcast - H04L 12/189: {in combination with wireless systems (selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06)} - H04W 72/30: Resource management for broadcast services - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Methods (400, 500) and apparatus (16, 24) are disclosed for reporting and processing MBMS counting results. According to one exemplary embodiment, a base station counting request received from a MCE includes an update time, and identifiers for one or more MBMS services (402, 502). The base station includes the update time with its reported counting results (410). The MCE uses the update time to identify the transmitted counting request (506), and ignores counting data for services not identified in the request (516). In the same or another embodiment, if the base station has not received MBMS counting results from its supported UEs for one or more of the identified services within a defined reporting window (406), the base station transmits an empty list of service identifiers to the MCE (408). The MCE correspondingly determines that the base station has not yet received MBMS counting results for one or more of the identified services based on receiving the empty list (508, 510). ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-12. (canceled) ### Claim 13 A method of reporting Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) counting results, comprising a base station configured for MBMS: receiving a base station counting request from a Multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), the base station counting request including an update time and an identifier for each of one or more MBMS services; transmitting corresponding user equipment (UE) counting requests to UEs supported by the base station, to determine if the UEs are either receiving or want to receive the one or more MBMS services; transmitting an empty list of service identifiers to the MCE if no counting results are received from the supported UEs within a defined reporting window for the one or more identified MBMS services; and transmitting, if counting results are received from the supported UEs for the one or more identified MBMS services within the defined reporting window, a report to the MCE, the report including: a determined quantity of UEs for each of the one or more identified services; the update time from the received request. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the update time is a Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) Update Time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13: wherein the one or more identified MBMS services includes a plurality of MBMS services; wherein the transmitting the empty list of service identifiers to the MCE list is also performed if no counting results are received within a defined reporting window for a single one of the plurality of MBMS services. ### Claim 16 A base station operative to support Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS), the base station comprising: a transceiver and one or more processing circuits that are jointly configured to: receive a base station counting request from a Multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), the base station counting request including an update time and an identifier for each of one or more MBMS services; transmit corresponding user equipment (UE) counting requests to UEs supported by the base station, to determine if the UEs are either receiving or want to receive the one or more MBMS services; transmit an empty list of service identifiers to the MCE if no counting results are received within a defined reporting window for the one or more identified MBMS services; transmit, if counting results are received from the supported UEs for the one or more identified MBMS services within the defined reporting window, a report to the MCE, the report including: a determined quantity of UEs for each of the one or more identified services; the update time from the received request. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The base station of claim 16, wherein the update time is a Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) Update Time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The base station of claim 16: wherein the one or more identified MBMS services includes a plurality of MBMS services; wherein the transceiver and one or more processing circuits are jointly configured to transmit the empty list of service identifiers to the MCE if no counting results are received within a defined reporting window for a single one of the plurality of MBMS services. ### Claim 19 A method of processing Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) counting results for individual MBMS services, the method comprising a Multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE): transmitting a base station counting request to a base station in a MBMS service area, the base station counting request including an update time and one or more MBMS service identifiers, the base station counting request requesting, for each of the identified MBMS services, a quantity of user equipment (UEs) that are either receiving or want to receive the identified MBMS service; receiving a counting report from the base station, the counting report including the update time; determining that the counting report corresponds to the base station counting request based on the update time in the counting report matching the update time in the base station counting request; ignoring any counting data included in the report that corresponds to services not identified in the transmitted request; determining that the base station did not receive counting results within a defined reporting window from its UEs for at least one of the one or more identified MBMS services if the report includes an empty list of service identifiers. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the update time is a Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) Update Time. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting an additional counting request to the base station if the counting report includes an empty list of service identifiers. ### Claim 22 A Multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE) operative to support Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS), the MCE comprising a transceiver and one or more processing circuits jointly configured to: transmit a base station counting request to a base station in a MBMS service area, the request including an update time and one or more MBMS service identifiers, the base station counting request requesting, for each of the identified MBMS services, a quantity of user equipment (UEs) that are either receiving or want to receive the identified MBMS service; receive a counting report from the base station, the counting report including the update time; determine that the counting report corresponds to the base station counting request based on the update time in the counting report matching the update time in the base station counting request; ignore any counting data included in the report that corresponds to services not identified in the transmitted request; determine that the base station did not receive counting results within a defined reporting window from its UEs for at least one of the one or more identified MBMS services if the report includes an empty list of service identifiers. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The MCE of claim 22, wherein the update time is a Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) Update Time. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The MCE of claim 22, wherein the transceiver and one or more processing circuits are jointly configured to transmit an additional counting request to the base station if the counting report includes an empty list of service identifiers.