# US 2018/0324665 A1 · Continuous communication routing for user device applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0324665 A1 - Document ID: US20180324665A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/032,335 - Filed: 2018-07-11 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-12-14 - Assignees: T-Mobile USA, Inc. - Applicants: T-Mobile USA, Inc. - Inventors: Sean Patrick MURPHY - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324665A1 ## CPC - H04W 72/56: based on priority criteria - H04W 36/0011: {for data sessions of end-to-end connection} - H04W 48/18: Selecting a network or a communication service - H04W 76/12: Setup of transport tunnels - H04W 76/15: Setup of multiple wireless link connections - H04L 65/1016: IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] - H04W 36/13: {Cell handover without a predetermined boundary, e.g. virtual cells} - H04W 36/1446: {wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed} - H04W 48/17: {Selecting a data network PoA [Point of Attachment]} - H04W 76/25: Maintenance of established connections - H04W 88/16: Gateway arrangements - 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 Continuous communication during network handovers may ensure the sending and receiving of mission-critical data by applications is performed without interruption using multiple communication networks. A request from an application to establish a communication session with an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core of a wireless carrier network for routing communication traffic to the IMS core may be received. Subsequently, an access point name (APN) designated by an APN parameter of the application may be determined. Accordingly, in response to a determination that the APN parameter designates a continuous link APN, the communication traffic may be routed via a communication session that seamlessly switches between a continuous link APN bearer on a radio access network of the wireless carrier network and a continuous link APN tunnel on a remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network. ## Claims ### Claim 1 One or more non-transitory computer-readable media of a user device storing computer-executable instructions that upon execution cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising: receiving a request from an application to establish a communication session with an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core of a wireless carrier network for routing communication traffic to the IMS core; determining an access point name (APN) designated by an APN parameter of the application; in response to a determination that the APN parameter designates a continuous communication APN, routing the communication traffic to via a first communication session that seamlessly switches between a continuous link APN bearer on a radio access network of the wireless carrier network and a continuous link APN tunnel on a remote network that connects to the wireless carrier network without interrupting the first communication session; and in response to a determination that the APN parameter designates a non-continuous communication APN, routing the communication traffic via a second communication session and a third communication session, in which the second communication session terminates prior to an establishment of the third communication session. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the second communication session is on an over-the-top (OTT) APN bearer of the radio access network, and the third communication session is on a non-APN routed communication connection established on the remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the acts further comprise: applying a billing scheme for the routing of the communication traffic through at least one of the continuous link APN bearer or the continuous link APN tunnel; and applying an additional billing scheme for the routing of the communication through at least the OTT APN bearer, wherein the billing scheme charges a user of the user device a higher fee than the additional billing scheme. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein terminating the second communication session and establishing the third communication session creates interruptions or delays that disrupts the routing of the communication traffic for application, and wherein routing the communication traffic via the first communication session eliminates the interruptions or the delays. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the wireless carrier network is 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-based network, and a remote network is a non-3GPP network, and wherein the remote network is a WiFi network or a satellite-based Broadband Global Area network (BGAN). ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the user device is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and the application is a control application of the UAV that provides flight telemetry information to a ground control device, and receives flight control commands from the ground control device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the application provides data communication services that affect operation of the user device, or affects health and safety of a person that is operating or impacted by the user device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the continuous link APN bearer is a dedicated APN bearer and the continuous link APN tunnel is a dedicated APN tunnel, wherein each of the dedicated APN bearer and the dedicated APN tunnel is for exclusively routing the communication sessions of the application on the user device or multiple instances of the application on multiple user devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the continuous link APN bearer is a shared APN bearer and the continuous link APN tunnel is a shared APN tunnel, wherein each of the shared APN bearer and the shared APN tunnel is for routing communication sessions of multiple applications that perform different functions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the continuous link APN bearer on the radio access network of the wireless carrier network and the continuous link APN tunnel on the remote network are guaranteed to be instantiated and available for routing the first communication session. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the routing the communication traffic via the first communication session includes: establishing the first communication session for the application to reach a network resource while the user device is on the radio access network of the wireless carrier network; routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN bearer between the radio access network and the IMS core of the wireless carrier network; receiving an indication that the user device switched to using the remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network; and routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN tunnel between the remote network and the ePDG of the wireless carrier network. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the routing the communication traffic via the first communication session includes: establishing the first communication session for the application to reach a network resource while the user device is on the remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network; routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN tunnel between the remote network and the ePDG of the wireless carrier network; receiving an indication that the user device switched to using the radio access network of the wireless carrier network; and routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN bearer between the radio access network and the IMS core of the wireless carrier network. ### Claim 13 A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving a request from an application on a user device to establish a communication session with an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core of a wireless carrier network for routing communication traffic to the IMS core; determining, via a connection manager on the user device, an application priority level indicated by an APN parameter of the application; in response to a determination that the APN parameter designates a first priority level, routing, via the connection manager, the communication traffic via a first communication session that seamlessly switches between a continuous link APN bearer on a radio access network of the wireless carrier network and a continuous link APN tunnel on a remote network that connects to a wireless carrier network without interrupting the communication session; and in response to a determination that the APN parameter designates a second priority level, routing, via the connection manager, the communication traffic via a second communication session and a third communication session, in which the second communication session terminates prior to an establishment of the third communication session. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the second communication session is on an over-the-top (OTT) APN bearer of the radio access network, and the third communication session is on a non-APN routed communication connection established on the remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the user device is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and the application is a control application of the UAV that provides flight telemetry information to a ground control device, and receives flight control commands from the ground control device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the continuous link APN bearer is a dedicated APN bearer and the continuous link APN tunnel is a dedicated APN tunnel, wherein each of the dedicated APN bearer and the dedicated APN tunnel is for exclusively routing the communication sessions of the application on the user device or multiple instances of the application on multiple user devices. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the continuous link APN bearer is a shared APN bearer and the continuous link APN tunnel is a shared APN tunnel, wherein each of the shared APN bearer and the shared APN tunnel is for routing communication sessions of multiple applications that perform different functions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the routing the communication traffic via the first communication session includes: establishing the first communication session for the application to reach a network resource while the user device is on the radio access network of the wireless carrier network; routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN bearer between the radio access network and the IMS core of the wireless carrier network; receiving an indication that the user device switched to using the remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network; and routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN tunnel between the remote network and the ePDG of the wireless carrier network. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the routing the communication traffic via the first communication session includes: establishing the first communication session for the application to reach a network resource while the user device is on the remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network; routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN tunnel between the remote network and the ePDG of the wireless carrier network; receiving an indication that the user device switched to using the radio access network of the wireless carrier network; and routing the first communication session through the continuous link APN bearer between the radio access network and the IMS core of the wireless carrier network. ### Claim 20 A user device, comprising: one or more processors; and memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising: receiving a request from an application to establish a communication session with an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core of a wireless carrier network for routing communication traffic to the IMS core; determining an access point name (APN) designated by an APN parameter of the OTT application; in response to a determination that the APN parameter designates a first APN, routing the communication traffic via a first communication session that seamlessly switches between a dedicated continuous link APN bearer on a radio access network of the wireless carrier network and a dedicated continuous link APN tunnel on a remote network that connects to wireless carrier network without interrupting the communication session; and in response to a determination that the APN parameter designates a second priority level, routing, via the connection manager, the communication traffic via a second communication session and a third communication session, in which the second communication session terminates prior to an establishment of the third communication session, wherein the second communication session is on an over-the-top (OTT) APN bearer of the radio access network, and the third communication session is on a non-APN routed communication connection established on the remote network that connects to an Evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) of the wireless carrier network.