CN106256147B - Method and apparatus to facilitate network traffic - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a User Equipment (UE) in communication with an evolved Node-b (enb) on a network, the UE comprising: EPS bearers, at least one of which is configured with a TFT, wherein the TFT comprises the one or more packet filters; a transceiver to transmit traffic to an eNB over an LTE network, the traffic having packets; and logic for configuring one or more packet filters for upstream transmission with an indicator, wherein the indicator is used to identify whether a packet in the traffic is attended or unattended. Also described is a public data network gateway (PGW) comprising: logic to associate a packet filter in an upstream traffic flow with a packet filter in a downstream traffic flow; and logic for marking packets as attended or unattended, respectively, in the downstream traffic flow, when a packet filter of the upstream traffic flow is identified as attended or unattended.

Description

Method and apparatus to facilitate network traffic

Priority declaration

The present application claims U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 61/953,662 filed 3/14/2014, U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 61/933,872 filed 1/31/2014, and U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 61/933,866 filed 1/30/2014, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, in accordance with 35 U.S. C.119 (e).

Background

Mobile wireless networks experience significant changes in traffic load. For example, the number of connected devices present on the network may vary in response to events, time of day, and the like. Similarly, emergency situations may create spikes in communications or damage to the network infrastructure, thereby reducing the amount of traffic that the network can handle. In some cases, heavy loading may be managed using congestion control (also referred to as an access control function or access control) that may restrict certain devices or certain traffic from using the network, thereby increasing the likelihood that important traffic will be transmitted.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the disclosure, which, however, should not be taken to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments, but are for explanation and understanding only.

Fig. 1A illustrates a bearer service architecture for processing data traffic according to categories of interest and categories of non-interest for User Equipment (UE) and/or applications, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1B illustrates a UE operable to process data traffic according to categories of interest and categories of non-interest, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1C illustrates an evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node b (enb) operable to process data traffic according to categories of interest and categories of non-interest, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates a table of packet filter component type identifiers having an attention indicator identifier defined in a reserved portion of the packet filter component type identifiers, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates a table of packet filter component type identifiers having application attention indicator identifiers defined in a reserved portion of the packet filter component type identifiers, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates a packet filter that routes packet traffic flows according to whether a packet is identified as being attended or not attended, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates a table of packet filter component type identifiers having an application type and an attention indicator identifier, where the application type and attention indicator identifier are defined in a reserved portion of the packet filter component type identifiers, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates a table of packet filter component type identifiers having an application type and an application attention indicator identifier defined in a reserved portion of the packet filter component type identifiers, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flow diagram for managing traffic according to whether a packet is identified as attended or unattended, according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates a flow diagram for managing traffic according to whether a packet is identified as attended or unattended, according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates a UE having means capable of managing traffic according to whether a packet is identified as being attended or not attended, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Currently, many access control functions are used in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) to selectively disable or block devices or traffic types from being used on the network. 3GPP is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations, known as organizational partners. Currently, there are a number of ways for a network to perform congestion control.

For example, Access Class Barring (ACB) allows the network to bar the user equipment CUE) from initial Random Access Channel (RACH) access to a particular cell. Service Specific Access Control (SSAC) is another example of allowing a network to prohibit UE voice or video originated access to Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia services (IMS). New work items in 3GPP are studying new methods of performing congestion control based on application information. These new work items in 3GPP include: intelligent congestion mitigation (SCM), application specific congestion control for data communications (ACDC), and User Plane (User Plane) congestion management (UPCON).

SCM and ACDC combine existing mechanisms to provide a mechanism for a network to control a User Equipment (UE) attempting to access the network, depending on the type of service or application that the user wants to initiate. Here, a UE is any device used directly by an end user to communicate. The device may be a handheld phone, a laptop computer equipped with a mobile broadband adapter, or any other device. The UE is connected to a base station node b (enodeb) as specified in the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)125/136 series and 3GPP 25/36 series specifications. The UE roughly corresponds to a Mobile Station (MS) in a global system for mobile communications (GMS).

The SCM addresses only UEs in idle mode, while the ACDC addresses both UEs in idle mode and UEs in connected mode (in connected mode, the UE is already connected running one service (e.g., voice) and the UE wants to start a new service (e.g., video)). UPCON, on the other hand, addresses UEs in connected mode that experience user plane congestion. The goals of UPCON are: user plane traffic is managed when Radio Access Network (RAN) congestion occurs. Therefore, one problem is that: an appropriate user plane traffic flow to be congestion managed is selected. The method of selecting an appropriate user plane traffic flow to be subject to congestion management may affect one or more subscribers, one or more applications, or one or more types of traffic.

One way to manage user plane congestion is to control the overall traffic of a given subscriber without further consideration of the nature of that subscriber's traffic flow. A second candidate attribute that identifies traffic to manage is the application type. Some application types require near real-time processing of traffic, while other application types may be relatively less sensitive to time. In user plane congestion conditions, less time sensitive application traffic should be controlled before more time sensitive application traffic.

Another way to manage congestion is to control certain types of traffic. Applications may involve multiple types of traffic (e.g., a social networking application may involve a user browsing among friends' posts and then streaming videos posted by the friends). Thus, the approach may affect some types of traffic for a given application (but not other applications). This therefore appears to be more granular than application-based user plane traffic management. Another aspect of traffic management is whether the user is interested in (attribute) a particular application. Creating controls that allow combining various types of traffic with information about application attention (attenance) may be an effective way to improve the quality of experience for the user and the user's perception of network performance.

The solution currently discussed in 3GPP for UPCON is to perform congestion control based on the application type and the ongoing traffic type in the cell. Part of the UPCON objective is to limit the amount of traffic that is not of interest by handling congestion based on the amount of traffic that is of interest (attended) versus the amount of traffic that is not of interest (unartended).

Some embodiments describe methods and apparatus for handling congestion in a network based on attended traffic and unattended traffic. In some embodiments, the UE is responsible for blocking the unfocused traffic when requested by the network and/or based on the configuration. In some embodiments, the UE is configured according to a blocked application.

For example, an application may be blocked when the network sends an indication, when the application is listed as exempt, and/or by default action for applications that are not explicitly identified. In some embodiments, if an application is being blocked and identified as not being of interest, the UE internally blocks Uplink (UL) traffic generated by the application. In some embodiments, the UE does not block UL traffic generated by an application if the application is exempt from blocking or identified as being of interest.

In some embodiments, mechanisms are described for congestion control based on whether an application is classified as attended or unattended. In some embodiments, a general indicator is defined that identifies whether the UE is of interest. For example, a UE attention indicator is defined and used to assist the network in filtering unattended traffic or attended traffic. In some embodiments, the value of the UE attention indicator may be determined when the display screen of the UE is turned off, or using feedback from the user or a sensor in the UE. In some embodiments, an indicator and associated hardware (e.g., registers) are defined within the UE that allows the UE to track via the indicators which applications are attended applications and which are unattended applications.

In some embodiments, the indicator of interest may be any indicator generated by the UE. For example, the attention indicator may be generated by an Operating System (OS), an application, hardware, and the like. In some embodiments, in addition to existing methods and indicators that assist the network in classifying traffic, an indicator of user interest is used by the network to further efficiently classify traffic. The method may be used for congestion control, prioritizing traffic, rate shaping functions, etc.

In some embodiments, the method for congestion control is applicable to the UL, since the UE knows whether the UE generated traffic is of interest or not. In some embodiments, the method of congestion control is applicable to Downlink (DL) situations of UE-pull based applications. UE pull based applications are such applications: the UE sends a request and as a result of the request, a DL transmission occurs.

For example, many such applications are running on a UE: periodically, without user interaction, pull data from the network (e.g., email, etc.),

Etc.). In this case, the requested UL traffic may not be very large, but the DL traffic that may result from the periodic update may be large. In some embodiments, by blocking UL requests using the attended/unattended indicator, the UE substantially blocks DL responses as well.

In the following description, numerous details are discussed to provide a more thorough explanation of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form (rather than in detail) in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present disclosure.

Note that in the respective drawings of the embodiments, signals are represented by lines. Some lines may be bold to indicate more basic signal paths and/or have arrows at one or more ends to indicate the primary information flow direction. Such indication is not intended to be limiting. Rather, lines are used in connection with one or more exemplary embodiments to facilitate easier understanding of circuits or logic cells. Any represented signal required by design needs or preferences may actually include one or more of: the signal may travel in either direction and may be implemented with any suitable type of signal scheme.

Throughout the specification, and in the claims, the term "connected" means a direct electrical or wireless connection between the things that are connected, without any intermediate device. The term "coupled" means a direct electrical or wireless connection between the things that are connected or an indirect connection through one or more passive or active intermediary devices. The meaning of "a", "an", and "the" includes plural references. The meaning of "in.

The terms "substantially," "near," "about," "near," and "about" generally refer to being within +/-20% of a target value. The use of the ordinal terms "first," "second," and "third," etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence (temporally, spatially), in ranking, or in any other manner, unless explicitly stated.

Fig. 1A illustrates a bearer service architecture 100 for processing data traffic according to categories of interest and categories of non-interest for a UE and/or application, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Architecture 100 includes UE101, evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node b (enb)102, Serving Gateway (SGW)103, Public Data Network (PDN) Gateway (GW) (i.e., PGW)104, Mobility Management Entity (MME)105, Home Subscriber Server (HSS)106, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) application (App.) server or Domain Name System (DNS) App. server 107, router 108, firewall 109, and internet 110.

In some embodiments, the UE101 is any device used directly by an end user to communicate. The UE101 may be a handheld phone, a laptop computer equipped with a mobile broadband adapter, or any other device. The UE101 is connected to a base station node B/eNodeB 102 as specified in the ETSI 125/136 series and 3GPP 25/36 series specifications. The UE101 roughly corresponds to a Mobile Station (MS) in a global system for mobile communications (GMS). In some embodiments, the UE101 may have a register to store UE interest indicators to assist the network in filtering unattended traffic or attended traffic. Various bearers (i.e., carriers) are used to provide end-to-end services from the UE to, for example, the internet. An embodiment of the UE101 is described with reference to FIG. 1B.

Referring back to FIG. 1A, E-UTRAN node B102 (also known as evolved node B, abbreviated eNodeB or eNB) is an element in the E-UTRA of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, and E-UTRAN node B102 is an evolution of the element node B in the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) of UMTS. UMTS is a third generation mobile cellular network system based on the global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard. UMTS is hardware connected to a mobile telephone network that communicates directly with UEs, similar to a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a GSM network. Traditionally, the node bs have minimal functionality and are controlled by a Radio Network Controller (RNC). However, with the eNB102, there is no separate controller element. This simplifies the architecture and allows for less response time.

The enbs 102 interface with a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core, also referred to as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), as well as other enbs (not shown). For example, the eNB102 uses the S1-AP protocol for control plane traffic over the S1-MME interface with the MME. The eNB102 also uses the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP-U), which is a typical IP-based protocol of the GPRS core network protocol for user plane traffic over the S1-U interface with the SGW. The S1-MME and S1-U interfaces are collectively referred to as the S1 interface, and the S1 interface represents the interface from the eNB102 to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). An embodiment of the eNB 102/102 a/b/C/d is described with reference to FIG. 1C.

Referring back to fig. 1A, the interface between SGW 103 and MME 105 is S11. SGW 103 terminates the interface to the RAN and routes data packets between the RAN and the EPC. Furthermore, the SGW 103 may be a local mobility anchor for inter-eNB handover and may also provide an anchor for inter-3 GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, billing, and some policy enforcement. The MME 105 is functionally similar to the control plane of a legacy Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN). The MME 105 manages mobility aspects in terms of access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The interface between MME 105 and HSS 106 is S6 a. The interface between PGW104 and router 108 is an SGi. The interface between the router 108 and the firewall 109 is the SGi.

PGW104 terminates the SGi interface to the Packet Data Network (PDN). PGW104 routes data packets between the EPC and an external PDN (not shown) and may be a key node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The PGW104 may also provide an anchor point for mobility in non-LTE access scenarios. The external PDN may be any kind of IP network as well as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) domain. PGW104 and SGW 103 may be implemented in one entity node or in different entity nodes.

An UL (uplink) Traffic Flow Template (TFT) in the UE101 binds traffic flows or Service Data Flows (SDFs) to Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearers (i.e., carriers) in the UL direction. By including multiple upstream packet filters in the UL TFT, multiple traffic flows can be multiplexed onto the same EPS bearer.

The DL (downlink) TFT in the PGW104 binds the traffic flow to the EPS bearer in the DL direction. By including multiple downstream packet filters in the DL TFT, multiple traffic flows can be multiplexed onto the same EPS bearer.

In EPC (not explicitly labeled), enhanced radio access bearers (E-RABs) transport packets of EPS bearers between UE101 and SGW 103. When an E-RAB is present, there is a one-to-one mapping between the E-RAB and the EPS bearer.

The data radio bearer transports packets of the EPS bearer between the UE101 and the eNB 102. When there is a data radio bearer, there is a one-to-one mapping between the data radio bearer and the EPS bearer/E-RAB. S1 carries packets conveying the E-RAB between eNB102 and SGW 103. S5/S8 carries packets transporting the EPS bearer between the SGW 103 and PGW 104.

The UE101 stores a mapping between UL packet filters and data radio bearers to create a binding relationship between traffic flows and data radio bearers in the UL direction. The PGW104 stores the mapping between DL packet filters and S5/S8a bearers to create a binding relationship between traffic flows in the DL direction and S5/S8a bearers. The eNB102 stores a one-to-one mapping between data radio bearers and S1 bearers to create a binding relationship between data radio bearers and S1 bearers in both UL and DL directions. The SGW 103 stores a one-to-one mapping between S1 bearers and S5/S8a bearers to create a binding relationship between S1 bearers and S5/S8a bearers in both UL and DL directions.

The PDN connection includes several EPS bearers, each EPS bearer (except the default EPS bearer) having a Traffic Flow Template (TFT) associated with it. The default EPS bearer may have a TFT, but it may not require a TFT. When the UE needs to send a UL user data packet, the UE checks packet filters among all TFTs to check whether there is one TFT among the TFTs that matches the user data packet. Each packet filter is accompanied by a packet filter estimation priority. In some embodiments, the UE101 checks the packet filter starting with the packet filter with the highest estimated priority. Once the UE101 finds a match, it delivers the user data packet to the corresponding associated EPS bearer for UL transmission. The same process occurs in PGW104 for the DL direction. Packets that do not match any packet filter are then left to the default bearer.

In some embodiments, traffic flow is also controlled according to a UE101 attention indicator or application attention indicator, wherein the UE101 attention indicator or application attention indicator indicates whether packets in the traffic are attended or unattended. Here, the traffic of interest generally refers to traffic data generated when a user (e.g., of the UE 101) is interacting with and actively using any application (e.g., on the UE 101). The term unfocused traffic generally refers to traffic data generated when a user is not actively using an application (e.g., by the UE 101) while traffic is being generated.

In some embodiments, PGW104 includes logic to bind packet filters in upstream traffic flows with packet filters in downstream traffic flows. In some embodiments, PGW104 includes logic to: the logic marks packets of downstream traffic as attended or unattended in the downstream traffic flow when an associated packet filter of the upstream traffic flow is identified as attended or unattended accordingly. In some embodiments, the eNB102 applies the flag to perform downlink packet scheduling. In some embodiments, the eNB102 notifies the UE101 of congestion, wherein the UE101 prioritizes traffic flows in response to the notification.

Classifying traffic as background traffic or non-background traffic may not capture whether the traffic is attended or not attended. The term background traffic is generally used to classify the type of application that is always running in the background. However, there are applications that sometimes run in the background and other times do not, in which case they cannot be classified as background. For example,

the application may run in the background to receive updates while the user passes

When an application is talking, the generated traffic is not background traffic.

Various embodiments describe several ways to manage traffic by using information related to the fact that: the application may be attended to or unattended.

In some embodiments, a first class identifier is defined that identifies whether the UE101 is of interest. This identifier is referred to herein as an attention identifier. In some embodiments, the attention identifier may indicate whether the traffic is attention traffic or attention-free traffic. For example, traffic data generated when the display of the UE101 is off may be classified as unattended traffic, while traffic data generated via feedback from a user of the UE101 or sensors in the UE101 may be classified as attended traffic.

In some embodiments, categories of various types of traffic data may be defined by communication standards, user preferences, system operators, etc. as being of interest or not of interest. For example, it may be that the hardware sensor continuously senses how the user uses the device; it may be that the OS in the device determines whether the user is interacting with the application; it may also be that the software running the algorithm classifies the traffic as attended or unattended; whether a given flow shall be considered as attended or unattended in different situations may be preconfigured in the device, or the user may have a preconfiguration of whether a given flow shall be considered as attended or unattended in different situations in the device, etc.

In some embodiments, a second indicator is defined, which may be a new function created within the UE101 to track via the second indicator which applications are attended applications and which applications are unattended applications. The second indicator is referred to herein as an application focus indicator. In some embodiments, the user attention indicator may be combined with any existing method of assisting the network to more effectively classify traffic. For example, the user attention identifier may be combined with an application type indicator, wherein the application type indicator indicates the type of application being used.

In some embodiments, the indicator of interest is on a per-UE 101 basis rather than on a per-application basis. Consider an example of this: an application is running in each of the two UEs, which makes the UEs active. For example, when a user is driving in real-time, one UE is running a Global Positioning System (GPS) application for a friend's house; and another UE is downloading the movie to enable the user to watch the movie later off-line. However, both applications are web traffic, the user is viewing a GPS map on the UE screen for the driving situation, but the user may not be viewing the video downloaded by the other UE, and the application may be running in the background. In this example, traffic congestion on the network may be managed by assigning a higher priority to the GPS application than the application that is downloading the movie, since once the user clicks on the download link or button, the movie downloading application is not used on the UE screen.

In some embodiments, the UE101 sends an attention indicator to the network (i.e., eNB102, SGW 103, and other components of the UL path) to indicate whether the user is actually interacting with the device (e.g., actively using the phone). In such embodiments, when the indicator is set to true (true), the network may consider that the UE101 is waiting for a response. In some embodiments, certain traffic data may be prioritized over other traffic data according to the polarity of the indicator of interest. In some embodiments, traffic data may be delayed in the case of congestion when the attention indicator is not set.

Although embodiments are described with reference to setting the attention indicator to a logic 1 (i.e., true) to indicate that the traffic data is attention traffic data and setting the attention indicator to a logic 0 (i.e., false) to indicate that the traffic data is not attention traffic data, the process may be reversed. For example, in some embodiments, no indication (i.e., when the attention indicator is set to logic 0) may mean that the UE is an interested UE and the traffic associated with the interested UE is high priority traffic. The absence of an indication may also imply that the UE is an unattended UE and that traffic associated with the unattended UE is lower priority traffic.

In some embodiments, the indicator of interest is sent by the UE101 to the network. In some embodiments, the OS or hardware or middleware or other application(s) generates an attention indicator. In some embodiments, the network requests an attention indicator. In some embodiments, the attention indicator is periodically sent to the network. For example, the indicator of interest is provided to the network based on a setting of the UE101 or a configurable setting from the network.

In some embodiments, a focus indicator is associated with each application that is running on the UE 101. For example, each application running on the UE101 can indicate whether the user of the UE101 is currently using the UE101 (i.e., whether the traffic data sent by the UE101 is traffic data that is of interest or traffic data that is not of interest). This indication may help the network identify which application packets need to have a higher priority.

In some embodiments, the UE101 includes means (and/or associated methods performed by the means) for sending the indicator of interest to the network. Such a method may be, for example, part of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message when the UE101 is initially starting to connect with the peer application. Optionally, the UE101 may include some label within a packet at the protocol stack level (e.g., in a Media Access Control (MAC) header) to indicate whether a packet entering the channel is of interest or not. Some embodiments describe methods or schemes for a network to discover whether particular services or traffic data are of interest or are not of interest. In some embodiments, the OS or hardware or other application generates an application attention indicator. In some embodiments, the application focus indicator may be used to prioritize applications running on the UE101 to manage network traffic congestion.

For example, if two applications discussed with reference to the example of two applications running on two different UEs, respectively, are used by the same UE, the user will be interested in the GPS screen. In such an example, the application focus indicator is likely to indicate that the GPS traffic data has a higher priority relative to the movie download application.

Currently, each TFT is associated with an EPS bearer. In some embodiments, attention indicator(s) (e.g., UE attention indicator or application attention indicator) are instead added in the packet filter, thereby also being able to identify whether the traffic flow is of interest or not. In some embodiments, methods are described for performing traffic congestion control on the UL and DL using a new packet filter component. In addition, new packet filter parameters/components may be used by the UE101 and the network to assist in several other functions such as prioritizing traffic, data rate shaping, and the like.

Fig. 1B illustrates a UE 120 (e.g., UE 101) operable to process data traffic according to a category of interest and a category of non-interest, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 1B having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

In some embodiments, UE 120 may include physical layer (PHY) circuitry 122, Media Access Control (MAC) circuitry 123, a processor 124, a memory 125, and packet filter(s) 126. In order not to obscure the embodiments, a high level simplified architecture of the UE 120 is described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other components (not shown) may be used in addition to those shown to form a complete UE. In some embodiments, the PHY layer circuitry 122 includes a transceiver 127 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from the eNB102, other enbs, other UEs, or other devices using one or more antennas 201. In some embodiments, MAC circuitry 123 is used to control access to the wireless medium. In some embodiments, the processor 124 and memory 125 are arranged to perform the operations described with reference to some embodiments.

In some embodiments, antenna 121 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including a multi-stage antenna, a dipole antenna, a loop antenna, a patch antenna, a microstrip antenna, a coplanar waveguide antenna, or other type of antenna suitable for transmission of Radio Frequency (RF) signals. In some multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) embodiments, the antennas 121 are separated to benefit from spatial diversity. FIG. 9 depicts another embodiment of the UE 101.

Fig. 1C illustrates an eNB 130 (e.g., eNB 102) operable to process data traffic according to categories of interest and categories of non-interest, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 1C having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

In some embodiments, eNB 130 may include PHY layer circuitry 132, MAC circuitry 133, processor 134, and memory 135. In order not to obscure the embodiments, a high level simplified architecture of the eNB is described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other components (not shown) may be used in addition to those shown to form a complete eNB. In some embodiments, the PHY layer circuitry 132 includes a transceiver 137 for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from the eNB102, other enbs, other UEs, or other devices using one or more antennas 301. In some embodiments, MAC circuit 133 is used to control access to the wireless medium. In some embodiments, the processor 134 and memory 135 are arranged to perform the operations described with reference to some embodiments.

In some embodiments, antennas 131 may include one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas, including multi-stage antennas, dipole antennas, loop antennas, patch antennas, microstrip antennas, coplanar waveguide antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some MIMO embodiments, antennas 131 are separated to benefit from spatial diversity.

Although UE 120 and eNB 130 are each described as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements and/or other hardware elements. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a functional element may refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements. Examples of software and/or hardware configuration elements may include a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), one or more microprocessors, a DSP, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), and so forth.

Fig. 2 illustrates a table 200 showing packet filter component type identifiers having an attention indicator identifier, wherein the attention indicator identifier is defined in a reserved portion of the packet filter component type identifier, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 2 having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

Table 200 illustrates a conventional packet filter composition plus an identifier for an attention indicator, according to some embodiments. The components of the packet filter include an IPv4 remote address type (00010000), an IPv4 local address type (00010001), an IPv6 remote address type (00100000), an IPv6 remote address/prefix length type (00100001), an IPv6 local address/prefix length type, a protocol identifier/next header type (00110000), a single local port type (01000000), a local port range type (01000001), a single remote port type ((01010000), a remote port range type ((01010001), a security parameter index type (01100000), a service type/traffic class type (01110000), and a flow label type (10000000). in some embodiments, the attention indicator is defined using the reserved portion 201 of a legacy packet filter. although embodiments define the attention indicator identifier with "10000001", other identifier values may be used to define the attention indicator, as long as the identifier value is a unique identifier in the packet filter identifier.

Fig. 3 illustrates a table 300 showing packet filter component type identifiers with application attention indicator identifiers, wherein an attention indicator identifier is defined in a reserved portion of a packet filter component type identifier, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 3 having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

Table 300 illustrates a conventional packet filter composition (similar to table 200) plus an identifier for an application attention indicator, according to some embodiments. Although embodiments define the application attention indicator identifier with "10000010," other identifier values may be used to define the application attention indicator, as long as the identifier value is a unique identifier in the packet filter identifier.

Fig. 4 illustrates a front end of a system 400 in which a packet filter routes a packet traffic flow according to whether the packet is identified as attended or unattended, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 4 having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

In some embodiments, the front end of the system 400 of the UE101 includes a packet 401, packet filter(s) 402, and a TFT 403. The function of packet filter 402 (e.g., as defined by table 200 and table 300) is to examine packet 401 and match information in the packet (shown as one box of packet 401) to the filter content. Based on the match, the packet filter 402 assigns the packet to a particular traffic flow.

Each EPS bearer illustrated with reference to fig. 1A is associated with a quality of service (QoS). The TFT 403 is always allocated to a dedicated bearer and is not needed in the default bearer. In some embodiments, the TFT 403 includes one or more packet filters. Thus, the packet filter maps to the EPS bearer. The relationship can be expressed as:

the system 400 is a simplified example in which portions of the UE101 send packets 401 to one or more packet filters 402, the one or more packet filters 402 routing the packets to different traffic flows according to the packet filter contents. In this example, five packets are shown and numbered 1 through 5. Here, the packet 401 having the pattern (pattern) is a packet indicating that the attention indicator is high (i.e., the packet is a part of the attention traffic data), and the packet 401 not having the pattern is a packet indicating that the attention indicator is low (i.e., the packet is a part of the non-attention traffic data). The same example may apply to the application attention indicator such that packets with patterns are packets indicating that the application attention indicator is high (i.e., the packet is part of the traffic data of interest) and packets without patterns are packets indicating that the application attention indicator is low (i.e., the packet is part of the traffic data of no interest).

In some embodiments, if a packet has a pattern, the packet is destined for traffic flow 1 of TFT 403. In some embodiments, if a packet does not have a mode, the packet is destined for traffic flow 2 of TFT 403. In some embodiments, the packet filter 402 examines the packet and compares it to the filter content (in this case, whether the filter content is a pattern that indicates whether the packet is attended or unattended), and routes the packet accordingly. In LTE, packet filter composition such as IP address and port number allows the UE101 and PGW104 to filter each packet. In some embodiments, the packet filter 402 allows multiple services to be mapped to the same EPS bearer. In some embodiments, the packet filter 402 is applied in the UE101 in the UL direction and in the PGW104 in the DL direction.

In some embodiments, the packet filter 402 is configured in the UE101 and the network (currently defined in the PGW104, but the packet filter may be done in other network nodes such as the eNB 102). In some embodiments, each packet filter is associated with a new indicator of the feature of interest of the packet from that filter; the indicator may be configured with two options, one with a focus indicator equal to "focused" and the other with a focus indicator equal to "unfocused". This means that the same traffic flow may be mapped to different packet filters depending on whether the user is currently paying attention to the application (e.g., looking at the application); or depending on the nature of the packets mapped to the packet filter, the same packet filter may be a focused filter or a non-focused filter. Based on this information, packets may be routed to different traffic flows within the same EPS bearer.

Fig. 5 illustrates a table 500 showing packet filter component type identifiers having an application type and an attention indicator identifier, wherein the application type and attention indicator identifier are defined in a reserved portion of the packet filter component type identifiers, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 5 having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

In some embodiments, congestion control may be performed on a per packet filter basis for handling congestion in the UL. In some embodiments, for the congestion control mechanism working with this mechanism (i.e. using the attended/unattended indicator (s)), two new parameters in the reserved area 501 may be defined for the packet filter, one giving the attended indicator and the other the congestion level/priority (i.e. application type).

In some embodiments, to handle congestion in the DL of the UL, different packet filters may be mapped to different EPS bearers. For example, if two bearers are established, the attended traffic may be mapped to one bearer and the unattended traffic may be mapped to the other bearer. In some embodiments, to perform congestion control in the UL, the eNB102 may control traffic based on EPS bearers, or based only on packet filters. In some embodiments, for the DL, the eNB102 knows which packets are mapped to which bearer, and the eNB102 maps packets from the flow to the same bearer in the DL. In some embodiments, the eNB knows directly those packets are destined for the services of interest or the services of no interest, since the bearer is allocated with the traffic of interest or the traffic of no interest.

Some applications require immediate delivery (i.e., no delay in delivery). For example, applications sending voice or voice over IP require immediate delivery. Some applications require immediate attention only when the user is currently focused on the application. For example, in spam: if the user does not sign up for an advertisement, the advertisement may be considered to be unattended and the advertisement may be the lowest priority traffic. In some embodiments, traffic congestion may be managed by combining the type of application with the indicator of interest in the packet filter.

Table 500 illustrates a conventional packet filter composition (similar to tables 200 and 300) adding an identifier for the application type (10000001) and the attention indicator (10000010) in the reserved area 501, according to some embodiments. Although embodiments define the application type identifier with "10000001" and the attention indicator with "10000010", other identifier values may be used to define the application type and attention indicator as long as the identifier value is a unique identifier in the packet.

Fig. 6 illustrates a table 600 that illustrates a packet filter component type identifier having an application type and an application attention indicator identifier, where the application type and the application attention indicator identifier are defined in a reserved portion of the packet filter component type identifier, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 6 having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

Table 600 shows a conventional packet filter composition (similar to tables 200 and 300) adding identifiers for application type (10000001) and application focus indicator (10000010) in reserved area 601 according to some embodiments. Although embodiments define the application type identifier with "10000001" and the application attention indicator with "10000010", other identifier values may be used to define the application type and application attention indicator identifier as long as the identifier value is unique within the packet.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flow diagram 700 for managing traffic according to whether a packet is identified as attended or unattended, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 7 having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

Although the blocks in the flow chart with reference to fig. 7 are shown in a particular order, the order of the actions may be modified. Thus, the illustrated embodiments may be performed in a different order, and some acts/blocks may be performed in parallel. Some of the operations and/or blocks listed in fig. 7 are optional according to certain embodiments. The ordering of the blocks is presented for clarity and is not intended to specify the order of operations that the blocks must follow. Further, operations from the respective flows may be used in various combinations.

At block 701, the UE-based attention indicator is configured in the reserved portion 201 of the packet filter identifier, as shown with reference to table 200. In some embodiments, the packet filter 402 for the UL (e.g., 126 in UE 120) is configured with an indicator of interest. In some embodiments, the identifier of the indicator of interest may be stored in a register. The identifier of the attention indicator is unique among the identifiers of the packet filter identifiers. The identifier for the attention indicator is similar to a pointer for the attention indicator that tells the packet filter 402 whether packets associated with the UE traffic data 401 are of interest or not.

At block 702, one or more packet filters 402 identify a value associated with the attention indicator to determine whether the packet is of interest or not. In some embodiments, based on this criteria, traffic data 401 is managed via packet filter 402 and bearers, thereby managing network traffic congestion. In some embodiments, the UE101 maps the traffic to the appropriate packet filter 402, taking into account the indicator.

At block 703, the packet filter 402 is mapped to a different EPS bearer according to the attention indicator. Various EPS bearers are described with reference to fig. 1A. Referring back to fig. 7, in some embodiments, based on the criteria and whether packets in traffic 401 are classified as attended or unattended, traffic data 401 is managed via packet filter 402 and EPS bearer, managing network traffic congestion. In some embodiments, the network notifies the UE101 of congestion, and the UE101 then prioritizes the traffic flows.

In some embodiments, the application type indicator is configured in a reserved portion 501 of the packet filter identifier, as shown with reference to table 500. The identifier of the application type indicator may be stored in another register than the register storing the indicator of interest. The identifier of the application type indicator is unique among the identifiers of the packet filter identifiers. The identifier for the application type indicator is similar to a pointer to the application type indicator that informs the packet filter 402 of the congestion level or priority of the application running on the UE 101. In some embodiments, one or more packet filters 402 identify a value associated with an application type indicator to determine a congestion level or priority of an application.

In some embodiments, the application attention indicator is configured in a reserved portion 301 of the packet filter identifier, as shown with reference to table 300. The identifier of the application attention indicator may be stored in a unique register. The identifier of the application attention indicator is unique among the identifiers of the packet filter identifiers. In some embodiments, the identifier for the application attention indicator is similar to a pointer to the indicator that tells the packet filter 402 whether the packet associated with the application traffic data 401 is attended or unattended. In some embodiments, the one or more packet filters 402 identify a value associated with the application attention indicator to determine whether a packet in the traffic data 401 is attended or unattended. In some embodiments, based on the criteria and the value associated with the application type identifier, traffic data is managed via the packet filter 402 and the EPS bearer, thereby managing network traffic congestion.

At block 704, the network determines whether the traffic flow in the UL is of interest based on the configuration of the UE 101. At block 705, the network notifies the UE101 of any congestion, so the UE101 can consider re-prioritizing the traffic flows. At block 706, the UE101 prioritizes the traffic flows according to the notification. At block 707, in some embodiments, the network prioritizes traffic flows between UEs and within one UE (e.g., UE 101).

Fig. 8 illustrates a flow chart 800 for managing traffic according to whether a packet is identified as attended or unattended, according to some embodiments of the disclosure. Although the blocks in the flow chart with reference to fig. 8 are shown in a particular order, the order of the actions may be modified. Thus, the illustrated embodiments may be performed in a different order, and some acts/blocks may be performed in parallel. Some of the operations and/or blocks listed in fig. 8 are optional according to some embodiments. The ordering of the blocks is presented for clarity and is not intended to specify the order of operations that the blocks must follow. Further, operations from the respective flows may be used in various combinations.

At block 801, the UE101 configures the packet filter 402 for UL transmissions with an indicator of interest. At block 802, the UE101 maps the traffic 401 to the appropriate packet filter 402 according to the attention indicator defined in the reserved portion(s) 201/301 of the packet filter identifier described with reference to tables 200 and 300. Depending on the bearer configuration, different functions are performed for uplink and downlink. At block 803, it is determined whether there is one EPS and TFT.

If it is determined that the system has a single EPS bearer and TFT, then at block 804, the UE101 prioritizes the packets of interest in the traffic flow of interest for uplink transmission. In some embodiments, in the case of one EPS bearer and one TFT, each IP address/port number is mapped as being attended or unattended, but may not be mapped as both. In the UL, in some embodiments, the UE101 prioritizes packets 401 (in the traffic flow of interest) that are of interest to the TFT 403 based on information about congestion provided by the network.

In the DL, the entity responsible for filtering packets (e.g., PGW104, but may reside somewhere else) binds packet filters in the UL traffic flow to packet filters in the DL traffic flow (e.g., by reading IP addresses and port numbers in the UL and mapping them to DL packet filters), as shown with reference to block 805. In some embodiments, packets belonging to a DL traffic flow that are of interest in the associated UL are also considered to be of interest. In some embodiments, the network prioritizes the packets of interest relative to the packets not of interest.

If it is determined that the system has multiple EPS bearers, the UE101 selects different EPS bearers for the packet flow of interest and the packet flow of no interest for uplink transmission at block 806. In the case of multiple EPS bearers, in some embodiments, a given IP address/port number is mapped to either the care or care not taken, and the UE101 can select which one to use. In some embodiments, in the UL, the UE101 has two EPS bearers to select from-one is concerned and the other is not. In some embodiments, at each given time, for each application, the UE101 selects one of the EPS bearers to use. In some embodiments, the UE101 may use two EPS bearers simultaneously. In some embodiments, the UE101 gives different priority to each EPS bearer when there is congestion. In some embodiments, the UE101 prioritizes packets of interest in traffic flows of interest and maps the packets to EPS bearers of interest.

In the DL, the entity responsible for filtering packets (e.g., PGW 104) associates packets sent in the UL EPS bearer of interest with the DL (based on the UL category), as described with reference to block 807. The association allows the network to prioritize packets of interest over packets not of interest.

Fig. 9 illustrates a UE 1600 having means capable of managing traffic according to whether a packet is identified as being attended or not attended, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. It is pointed out that those elements of fig. 9 having the same reference numbers (or names) as the elements of any other figure can operate or function in any manner similar to that described, but are not limited to such.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE 1600 may be a smart device or a computer system or SoC capable of managing traffic according to whether a packet is identified as being attended or unattended. FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile device in which a flat interface connector may be used. In one embodiment, computing device 1600 represents a mobile computing device, such as a computing tablet, mobile phone or smart phone, wireless-enabled e-reader, or other wireless mobile device. It will also be understood that certain components are shown generally, and not all components of such a device are shown in the computing device 1600.

In one embodiment, the computing device 1600 includes a first processor 1610 with a capability to manage traffic according to whether a packet is identified as attended or unattended according to some embodiments discussed. Other blocks of the computing device 1600 may also include apparatus capable of managing traffic with packets identified as being attended or unattended according to some embodiments. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may also include a network interface, e.g., a wireless interface, in 1670, such that system embodiments may be incorporated into a wireless device (e.g., a cell phone or personal digital assistant).

In one embodiment, processor 1610 (and/or processor 1690) may include one or more physical devices such as microprocessors, application processors, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, or other processing devices. The processing operations performed by processor 1610 include executing an operating platform or operating system on which applications and/or devices run. The processing operations include: operations by a human user or other device related to I/O (input/output); operations related to power management; and/or operations related to connecting computing device 1600 to another device. The processing operations may also include operations related to audio I/O and/or display I/O.

In one embodiment, computing device 1600 includes audio subsystem 1620, audio subsystem 1620 representing hardware (e.g., audio hardware and audio circuits) and software (e.g., drivers, code) components associated with providing audio functionality to the computing device. The audio functions may include speaker and/or headphone output and microphone input. Devices for such functions can be integrated into computing device 1600, or connected to computing device 1600. In one embodiment, a user interacts with the computing device 1600 by providing audio commands that are received and processed by processor 1610.

Display subsystem 1630 represents hardware (e.g., display device) and software (e.g., driver) components that provide visual and/or tactile display for user interaction with computing device 1600. Display subsystem 1630 includes display interface 1632, which display interface 1632 includes the particular screen or hardware device used to provide the display to the user. In one embodiment, display interface 1632 includes logic separate from processor 1610 to perform at least some processing related to display. In one embodiment, display subsystem 1630 includes a touch screen (or touch pad) device that provides both output and input to a user.

I/O controller 1640 represents hardware devices and software components related to user interaction. I/O controller 1640 is operable to manage hardware that is part of audio subsystem 1620 and/or display subsystem 1630. In addition, I/O controller 1640 illustrates connection points for other devices connected to computing device 1600, through which a user may interact with the system. For example, devices that may be attached to the computing device 1600 may include a microphone device, a speaker or stereo system, an audio system or other display device, a keyboard or keypad device, or other I/O devices for particular applications such as card readers or other devices.

As described above, I/O controller 1640 can interact with audio subsystem 1620 and/or display subsystem 1630. For example, input through a microphone or other audio device can provide input or commands for one or more applications or functions of the computing device 1600. Further, audio output may be provided instead of or in addition to display output. In another example, if display subsystem 1630 includes a touch screen, the display device also acts as an input device, which may be managed, at least in part, by I/O controller 1640. Additional buttons or switches may also be present on computing device 1600 to provide I/O functions managed by I/O controller 1640.

In one embodiment, I/O controller 1640 manages devices such as accelerometers, cameras, light sensors or other environmental sensors, or other hardware that may be included in computing device 1600. The input may be part of direct user interaction, or may be providing environmental input to the system, affecting its operation (e.g., filtering noise, adjusting a display for brightness detection, applying a flash to a camera, or other features).

In one embodiment, computing device 1600 includes power management 1650 that manages battery power usage, charging the battery, and features related to power saving operations. Memory subsystem 1660 includes memory devices for storing information in computing device 1600. The memory may include non-volatile (state does not change if power to the memory device is interrupted) and/or volatile (state is indeterminate if power to the memory device is interrupted) memory devices. Memory subsystem 1660 can store application data, user data, music, photos, files, or other data, as well as system data (whether long-term or temporary) related to the execution of the applications and functions of the computing device 1600.

Elements of embodiments may also be provided as a machine-readable medium (e.g., memory 1660) for storing computer-executable instructions (e.g., instructions to implement any other processes discussed herein). The machine-readable medium (e.g., memory 1660) may include, but is not limited to, flash memory, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, Phase Change Memory (PCM), or other type of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic or computer-executable instructions. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be downloaded as a computer program (e.g., BIOS) which may be transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way of data signals via a communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection).

Connectivity 1670 includes hardware devices (e.g., wireless and/or wired connectors and communication hardware) and software components (e.g., drivers, protocol stacks) to enable the computing device 1600 to communicate with external devices. Computing device 1600 may be different devices, such as other computing devices, wireless access points or base stations, and peripherals such as headsets, printers, or other devices.

Connectivity 1670 may include a variety of different types of connectivity. For purposes of overview, computing device 1600 is shown with a cellular connection 1672 and a wireless connection 1674. Cellular connectivity 1672 refers generally to cellular network connectivity provided by wireless bearers, such as those provided via GSM (global system for mobile communications) or variants or derivations, CDMA (code division multiple access) or variants or derivations, TDM (time division multiplexing) or variants or derivations, or other cellular service standards. Wireless connectivity (or wireless interface) 1674 refers to wireless connectivity that is not cellular, and may include personal area networks (e.g., bluetooth, near field, etc.), local area networks (e.g., Wi-Fi), and/or wide area networks (e.g., WiMax), or other wireless communications.

Peripheral connections 1680 include hardware interfaces and connectors, as well as software components (e.g., drivers, protocol stacks) to make peripheral connections. It will be understood that computing device 1600 may be a peripheral device ("to" 1682) to other computing devices, as well as having peripheral devices ("from" 1684) connected to computing device 1600. Computing device 1600 typically has a "docking" connector to connect to other computing devices, e.g., for purposes of managing (e.g., downloading and/or uploading, changing, synchronizing) content on computing device 1600. In addition, a docking connector may allow computing device 1600 to connect to certain peripherals that allow computing device 1600 to control content output to, for example, an audiovisual system or other systems.

In addition to proprietary docking connectors or other dedicated connection hardware, the computing device 1600 may make peripheral connections 1680 via generic or standard-based connectors. Common types may include Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors (a USB connector may include any number of different hardware interfaces), displayports including minidisplayport (mdp), High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), firewire, or other types.

Reference in the specification to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "some embodiments," or "other embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments. The various appearances of "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "some embodiments" are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. If the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic "may", "might", or "could" be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claims refer to "a" or "an" element, that does not mean there is more than one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to "an additional" element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.

Furthermore, the particular features, structures, functions, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, a first embodiment may be combined with a second embodiment as long as the features, structures, functions, or characteristics associated with the two embodiments are not mutually exclusive.

While the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic ram (dram)) may use the discussed embodiments. The embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims.

Furthermore, well known power/ground connections to Integrated Circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the presented figures for simplicity of illustration and discussion, and so as not to obscure the disclosure. Moreover, arrangements may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the disclosure, and also in view of the fact that specifics with respect to implementation of such block diagram arrangements are highly dependent upon the platform within which the present disclosure is to be implemented (i.e., such specifics should be well within purview of one skilled in the art). When specific details (e.g., circuits) are set forth in order to describe example embodiments of the disclosure, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the disclosure can be practiced without, or with variation of, these specific details. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.

The examples below relate to other embodiments. The details of the examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments. All optional features of the apparatus described herein may also be implemented in terms of methods or processes.

For example, a UE is provided, comprising: a transmitter to transmit traffic to the eNB over the network, the traffic having packets from one or more applications; and logic for configuring one or more packet filters for upstream transmission with an indicator, wherein the indicator is to identify whether the one or more applications are attended or unattended, wherein at least one of the EPS bearers is configured with a TFT, and wherein the TFT comprises the one or more packet filters. In some embodiments, the UE further includes logic for mapping traffic to the packet filter according to the indicator. In some embodiments, the UE further comprises logic operable to prioritize uplink packets from the one or more applications of interest relative to uplink packets from the one or more applications not of interest.

In some embodiments, the UE further includes logic to bind the packet to a packet filter of the one or more packet filters according to the indicator. In some embodiments, the UE further comprises logic to assign a priority to at least one of the at least two EPS bearers such that the EPS bearers for packets from the one or more applications of interest have a higher priority than the EPS bearers for packets from the one or more applications not of interest. In some embodiments, the transmitter is operable to transmit the value of the indicator to the network periodically or upon request.

In some embodiments, the indicator is a reserved identifier of the plurality of packet filter type identifiers. In some embodiments, the UE includes logic to configure a reserved identifier of the plurality of packet filter type identifiers. In some embodiments, the indicator is part of an RRC message or MAC header.

In another example, an eNB is provided that includes: a receiver to receive traffic from a UE over a network, the traffic having packets from one or more applications; logic for binding packet filters of the one or more packet filters of the upstream traffic flow with packet filters of the downstream traffic flow, wherein at least one of the EPS bearers is configured with TFTs, and wherein the TFTs comprise the one or more packet filters; logic for classifying one or more applications of the downstream traffic flow as attended or unattended according to a configuration of the bundled packet filters of the upstream traffic flow.

In some embodiments, the eNB further includes logic to notify the UE of the congestion, wherein the UE prioritizes the uplink traffic flows in response to the notification. In some embodiments, the configuration of the bound packet filter indicates whether the bound packet filter is classified as being focused or unfocused to filter packets according to one or more applications. In some embodiments, the eNB further includes logic to prioritize downlink packets of interest from one or more applications of interest relative to downlink packets from one or more applications of no interest. In some embodiments, the logic for binding packet filters compares the IP address in the upstream packet filter with the IP address in the downstream packet filter.

In another example, a PGW is provided, comprising: logic to bind packet filters in the upstream traffic flow with packet filters in the downstream traffic flow; and logic for marking packets of downstream traffic as attended or unattended, respectively, in the downstream traffic stream when an associated packet filter in the upstream traffic stream is identified as attended or unattended. In some embodiments, the logic for binding packet filters compares the IP address in the upstream packet filter with the IP address in the downstream packet filter. In some embodiments, the eNB applies the flag to perform downlink packet scheduling. In some embodiments, the eNB notifies the UE of the congestion, and wherein the UE prioritizes the uplink traffic flows in response to the notification.

In another example, a method is provided, the method comprising: configuring a TFT associated with at least one of the EPS bearers, wherein the TFT includes one or more packet filters; configuring one or more packet filters for upstream transmission with an indicator identifying whether one or more applications are attended or unattended; and mapping packets from the one or more applications to a packet filter of the one or more packet filters according to the indicator. In some embodiments, the method comprises: the value of the indicator is sent to the network periodically or upon request.

In some embodiments, the method comprises: the indicator is configured as a reserved identifier of a plurality of packet filter type identifiers. In some embodiments, the indicator is part of an RRC message or MAC header. In some embodiments, the method comprises: when the indicator identifies that the associated application is of interest, packets for uplink transmission are prioritized. In some embodiments, the method further comprises: a priority is assigned to at least one of the at least two EPS bearers such that EPS bearers for the concerned application have a higher priority than EPS bearers for the unfocused application.

In another example, a machine-readable storage medium is provided having machine-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method in accordance with the above-described method.

In another example, a UE is provided that includes: means for configuring a TFT associated with at least one of the EPS bearers, wherein the TFT includes one or more packet filters; means for configuring one or more packet filters for upstream transmission with an indicator that indicates whether one or more applications are attended or unattended; and means for mapping packets from the one or more applications to a packet filter of the one or more packet filters according to the indicator.

In some embodiments, the UE comprises: for sending the value of the indicator to the network periodically or upon request. In some embodiments, the UE comprises: means for configuring the indicator as a reserved identifier of a plurality of packet filter type identifiers. In some embodiments, the indicator is part of an RRC message or MAC header. In some embodiments, the UE comprises: means for prioritizing the packets for uplink transmission when the indicator identifies that the associated application is of interest. In some embodiments, the UE further comprises: means for assigning a priority to at least one of the at least two EPS bearers such that EPS bearers for an application of interest have a higher priority than EPS bearers for an application not of interest.

The abstract is provided to enable the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit the meaning or scope of the claims. The following claims are included in the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims (23)

1. A user equipment, UE, in communication with an evolved Node-B, eNB, over a network, the UE comprising:

a transmitter to transmit traffic to the eNB over the network, the traffic having packets from one or more applications; and

a processor to:

configuring one or more packet filters for uplink transmissions with an indicator, wherein the indicator is used to identify whether the one or more applications are attended or not attended, and wherein the application is unattended if a display screen of the UE is off or the application is not being displayed on the display screen of the UE; and

mapping the traffic to the packet filter according to whether the indicator has a value indicating that a display of the UE is off or that the application is not being displayed on the display of the UE; wherein at least one of the evolved packet system EPS bearers is configured with a traffic flow template TFT, and wherein the TFT comprises the one or more packet filters.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to: upstream packets from one or more applications of interest are prioritized relative to upstream packets from one or more applications not of interest.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to: binding packets to packet filters of the one or more packet filters according to the indicator.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to: a priority is assigned to at least one of the at least two EPS bearers such that EPS bearers for packets from one or more applications of interest have a higher priority than EPS bearers for packets from one or more applications not of interest.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit the value of the indicator to the network periodically or upon request.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the indicator is a reserved identifier of a plurality of packet filter type identifiers.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to: configuring the retained identifier of the plurality of packet filter type identifiers.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the indicator is part of a radio resource control, RRC, message or a media access control, MAC, header.

9. An evolved Node-B, eNB, to communicate with a user equipment, UE, over a network, the eNB comprising:

a receiver to receive traffic from the UE over the network, the traffic having packets from one or more applications; and

a processor to:

binding a packet filter of the one or more packet filters of the upstream traffic flow with a packet filter of the downstream traffic flow, wherein at least one of the Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearers is configured with a Traffic Flow Template (TFT), and wherein the TFT comprises the one or more packet filters; and

classifying one or more applications for the downstream traffic flow as attended or unattended according to a configuration of bundled packet filters of the upstream traffic flow, wherein the applications are unattended if a display of the UE is off or the applications are not being displayed on the display of the UE, wherein the configuration of bundled packet filters indicates whether the bundled packet filters filter packets according to whether the one or more applications are classified as being off or not being displayed on the display of the UE.

10. The eNB of claim 9, wherein the processor is further to: causing notification of congestion to the UE, wherein the UE prioritizes the upstream traffic flow in response to the notification.

11. The eNB of claim 9, wherein the processor is further to: downstream packets of interest from one or more applications of interest are prioritized relative to downstream packets from one or more applications not of interest.

12. The eNB of claim 9, wherein the processor is further to: the IP address in the upstream packet filter is compared to the IP address in the downstream packet filter.

13. An apparatus for a public data network, PDN, gateway, PGW, the apparatus comprising:

means for binding packet filters in the upstream traffic flow with packet filters in the downstream traffic flow; and

means for marking packets of downlink traffic as not being attended to in the downlink traffic flow, respectively, when an associated packet filter in the uplink traffic flow is associated with an application running on a user equipment, UE, when a display screen of the UE is closed or with an application running on the UE but not displayed on the UE,

wherein the associated packet filter of the upstream traffic flow is identified as not being attended to for traffic flows associated with applications that are running on the UE when a display screen of the UE is closed, or for traffic flows associated with applications that are running on the UE but are not displayed on the UE.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for binding packet filters comprises: means for comparing the IP address in the upstream packet filter with the IP address in the downstream packet filter.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein an evolved Node-B (eNB) applies the flag to perform downlink packet scheduling.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein an evolved Node-B (eNB) notifies a User Equipment (UE) of congestion, and wherein the UE prioritizes the uplink traffic flow in response to the notification.

17. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, of communicating with an evolved Node-B, eNB, on a network, the method comprising:

configuring a traffic flow template TFT associated with at least one of the evolved packet System EPS bearers, wherein the TFT includes one or more packet filters;

configuring one or more packet filters for uplink transmission with an indicator identifying whether one or more applications are attended or unattended, wherein an application is unattended if a display screen of the UE is off or the application is not being displayed on the display screen of the UE; and

mapping packets from the one or more applications to packet filters of the one or more packet filters according to whether the indicator has a value indicating that a display of the UE is off or that the application is not being displayed on the display of the UE.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising: periodically or upon request, sending the value of the indicator to the network.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising: configuring the indicator as a reserved identifier of a plurality of packet filter type identifiers.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the indicator is part of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message or a Media Access Control (MAC) header.

21. The method of claim 17, comprising: prioritizing the packets for uplink transmission when the indicator identifies that the associated application is of interest.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising: a priority is assigned to at least one of the at least two EPS bearers such that EPS bearers for the concerned application have a higher priority than EPS bearers for the unfocused application.

23. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any of claims 17 to 22.

Images