KR101496202B1 - Allocating network identifiers to access terminals - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides embodiments of a method of assigning network identifiers to access terminals. One embodiment of the method includes assigning a fixed length identifier to an access terminal on an initial entry of an access terminal to a network. The access terminal is identified by one of a plurality of mode-dependent identifiers of communication over the air interface between the access terminal and the network. The mode-dependent identifier is selected based on the mode of operation of the access terminal. The method also includes providing a fixed length identifier to one or more entities of the network.

Description

ALLOCATING NETWORK IDENTIFIERS TO ACCESS TERMINALS < RTI ID = 0.0 >

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61 / 356,826, filed on June 21, 2010, entitled "Method for Managing IEEE 802.16m Advanced MS States and Identifiers in a Wireless Network."

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61 / 356,861 filed on June 21, 2010, entitled "Method for IEEE 802.16m Paging Operation in Networks Simultaneously Supporting Legacy and Advanced Mss" U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 150,307, filed June 1, 2011, which is the listing number 2100.047900.

The disclosed invention relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to wireless communication systems.

Conventional wireless communication systems utilize a network of base stations or other access nodes to provide wireless connectivity to a wide and frequent mobile population of access terminals. Each access terminal may be permanently assigned to the mobile unit or identified with a wireless communication system by an identifier that is "burned in. &Quot; For example, implementations of WiMAX release 1 based on standards and protocols defined by IEEE 802.16e (2009) may use a fixed 48-bit mobile station identifier (ID) to identify the access terminals of the network. MS-ID). The MS-ID is typically installed and programmed by the manufacturer of the access terminal in the form of a media access control (MAC) identifier. As another example, wireless communication systems operating according to Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and / or Universal Mobile Telecommunication Services (UMTS) standards and / or protocols may use 64-bit Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > (IMSI) < / RTI >

A conventional mobile station identifier is used to wirelessly identify an access terminal in the network. For example, the mobile station identifier may be transmitted over the R6 network interfaces between the base stations and the access serving network gateways (ASN-GWs), through the R3 network interface between the ASN-GW and the AAA server, May be included in the headers of messages transmitted in the network, such as messages transmitted via R8 network interfaces between neighboring base stations, R4 interfaces between two ASN-GWs, and so on. As another example, access terminals may be paged wirelessly by transmitting a hashed value derived from an identifier, e.g., a 24-bit hash of a 48-bit identifier may be paged Lt; / RTI > The mobile station identifier may also be used directly as a pointer to mobile station context information stored in one or more network nodes associated with a particular call associated with a particular mobile station status.

The access terminals may also be associated with different identifiers in different environments. For example, WiMAX networks operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.16m standards and protocols may use a set of identification numbers in the range of 10 bits to 72 bits depending on the operating state of the access terminal, Can be identified. Thus, an identifier used wirelessly by the network can be used as an operating mode changes, for example, when the access terminal performs an initial network entry, is fully authenticated and activated, and then sleeps, dormant, as it moves between idle, active, or other operating states. Thus, the wireless communication system may be adapted to transmit messages exchanged in the network, such as messages transmitted via R3, R4, R6, R8, and other interfaces, as well as identifiers used to identify the access terminal The recognition of the value shall be maintained. Managing various identifiers may also be advantageous because of the presence of both legacy access devices using a single uniform identifier such as a 48-bit mobile station identifier and advanced access devices using a set of identification numbers It becomes complicated.

The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the effects of the problems described above. The following provides a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not a complete overview of the disclosed subject matter. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosed subject matter or to delineate the scope of the disclosed subject matter. His sole purpose is to provide some concepts in a simplified form as a preface to the more detailed description discussed later.

In one embodiment, a method of assigning network identifiers to access terminals is provided. One embodiment of the method includes assigning a fixed length identifier to an access terminal on an initial entry of an access terminal to a network. The access terminal is identified by one of a plurality of mode-dependent identifiers in a communication over an air interface between the access terminal and the network. The mode-dependent identifier is selected based on the mode of operation of the access terminal. The method also includes providing a fixed length identifier.

In another embodiment, a method of transmitting messages over an air interface is provided. One embodiment of the method includes receiving a message from a network. The message includes a header including a fixed length identifier associated with the access terminal. The embodiment also includes mapping the fixed length identifier to one of a plurality of mode-dependent identifiers associated with the access terminal. The mode-dependent identifier is selected based on the mode of operation of the access terminal. The embodiment also includes transmitting the information of the message over the air interface towards the access terminal using the selected mode-dependent identifier.

In yet another embodiment, a method is provided for transmitting messages containing access terminal information to a network entity. One embodiment of the method includes receiving a message from an access terminal via an air interface. The message includes a header comprising one of a plurality of mode-dependent identifiers associated with an access terminal. The mode-dependent identifier is selected based on the mode of operation of the access terminal. This embodiment also includes mapping the mode-dependent identifier to a fixed-length identifier associated with the access terminal, and transmitting the information of the associated message to one or more entities of the network using a fixed-length identifier for identifying the access terminal .

The present invention may be understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like elements.

The network can identify both legacy and advanced access terminals using the same length identifiers, which allows the network to protect and use the previously defined message formats, thereby facilitating and supporting the growth of the network have.

1 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a wireless communication system;
Figure 2 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a database entry;
Figure 3 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a message format;
Figure 4 conceptually illustrates one alternative embodiment of a message format;
5 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a method for assigning fixed length identifiers to access terminals;
6 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a method for transmitting downlink messages to access terminals via an air interface;
7 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a method for receiving uplink messages from an access terminals of a network over an air interface;

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the disclosed subject matter to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims. Should be understood.

Exemplary embodiments are described below. For clarity, not all features of a practical implementation are described herein. Of course, in the evolution of any such actual embodiment, it is recognized that various implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will change from one implementation to another Will be. It will also be appreciated that these development efforts are complex and time consuming, but nonetheless routine to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Systems, and devices are schematically illustrated in the figures for purposes of explanation only and to not obscure the described embodiments with details that are well known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the accompanying drawings are included to describe and describe illustrative examples of the disclosed subject matter. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of these words and phrases by those skilled in the art. A particular definition of a term or phrase, that is, a definition different from ordinary and customary meanings understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by the consistent use of the term or phrase herein. As long as a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning different from what is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, this particular definition is to be clearly and explicitly defined in a manner that provides a specific definition of the term or phrase directly and explicitly Will be presented.

Advances in wireless communication systems allow access terminals to be identified with messages sent over the air interface using mode-dependent identifiers that can be selected based on the mode of operation of the access terminal. It is advantageous to use different mode-dependent identifiers of different lengths for communication over the air interface, but identifying the access terminal using different identifiers in different situations may be advantageous for the entities of the core and / , It is very difficult for base stations, access serving gateways, or authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) servers to keep track of proper identifiers. For example, the network may be required to monitor the status of each access terminal and adjust its identifier in response to any changes. Supporting different identifiers will also require significant changes in the format of the message headers used between network interfaces. In addition, the evolving network can not completely switch to the new identifier scheme because the network needs to be able to support the conventional constant MSID used by legacy devices.

At least as part of addressing these concerns with evolving wireless networks, the present application describes embodiments of techniques that may be used to define fixed length identifiers that identify access terminals in a core and / or access network. Embodiments of these techniques may be used to assign identifiers or pseudo-identifiers to access terminals using mode-dependent identifiers. For example, access terminals operating in accordance with IEEE 802.16m may select an identifier from a group of mode-dependent identifiers for use over the air interface depending on the mode of operation of the access terminal. The access node (or other entity in the network) may assign a fixed length identifier to the access terminal of the initial network entry. For example, the fixed length identifier may be an identifier comprising 48 bits corresponding to the number of bits of a legacy mobile station identifier (MS-ID) or a media access control identifier (MAC-ID). The fixed length identifier is then used to identify the access terminal during communications within the network, e.g., in messages transmitted via interfaces between different core and / or access network entities. The access node can map or interpret between fixed-length and mode-dependent identifiers so that the appropriate mode-dependent identifier can still be used for communication over the air interface.

FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a wireless communication system 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 includes a plurality of access nodes 105, such as base stations used to provide wireless connectivity. Access terminals 110 such as mobile units may access wireless communication system 100 via wireless interfaces 115 between access terminals 110 and access node 105. [ The access nodes 105 and access terminals 110 shown in FIG. 1 operate according to WiMAX standards and / or protocols, such as standards and / or protocols defined by IEEE 802.16m. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternative embodiments of the wireless communication system 100 may include access nodes and / or access terminals operating in accordance with other standards and / or protocols do. For example, access nodes 105 and / or access terminals 110 may support wireless communication in accordance with one or more legacy standards and / or protocols. Alternate embodiments of the techniques described herein may also be implemented in systems and / or other types of devices using wireless communication technologies.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base stations 105 are communicatively coupled to one or more access serving network gateways (ASN-GWs) 120 via interfaces 125. For example, interfaces 125 may be R6 network interfaces operating in accordance with WiMAX standards and / or protocols. Gateways 120 support backhaul connections to base stations 105 and support mobility-related operations such as handover decisions and / or load balancing among other functions. Lt; / RTI > Base stations 105 may communicate with each other via interfaces 130, such as R8 interfaces operating in accordance with WiMAX standards and / or protocols. ASN-GWs 120 may communicate with each other via interfaces 135, such as R4 interfaces operating in accordance with WiMAX standards and / or protocols. ASN-GWs 120 may communicate with AAA server 140 via interfaces 145, such as R3 interfaces operating in accordance with WiMAX standards and / or protocols. In various embodiments, the AAA server 140 provides Internet Protocol (IP) functionality to support authentication, authorization, and accounting functions. Authentication is typically the process by which identities of entities are authenticated by providing evidence that the entities have specific digital identities such as identifiers and corresponding qualifications. The authorization function typically determines when a particular entity logs on to an application or service is authorized to perform a given activity that has been inherited from authentication. Accounting refers to tracking network resource consumption by users for capacity and trend analysis, cost allocation, and / or billing.

The access terminal 110 may be identified via the wireless interfaces 115 using different mode-dependent identifiers. As used herein, a "mode-dependent identifier" is used to indicate that different identifiers, which may be selected to identify each access terminal 110, are used to identify the access terminal 110 in different modes of operation . In one embodiment, the mode-dependent identifiers have different lengths. For example, identifiers of 10 bits, 12 bits, 18 bits, 24 bits, 48 bits, or 72 bits may be used as one or more mode-dependent identifiers. In one embodiment, a set of mode-dependent identifiers is defined by the relevant standards and / or protocols. For example, a set of available mode-dependent identifiers for IEEE 802.16m standards and / or protocols may be defined in the manner shown in Table 1. [ However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a particular set of mode-dependent identifiers shown in Table 1 is intended to be exemplary and that other sets may be defined for alternative embodiments.

ID  persons Length Explanation MAC ID 48 bits When used in headers STID Station ID 12 bits Used when MS is connected TSTID Temporary Station ID 12 bits Used until STID is allocated DID De-registration ID 18 bits Used when the MS is in idle mode CRID Context Retention ID 72 bits Assigned during initial network entry MSTID Multicast Station ID 12 bits Identify multicast broadcast flows by flow ID

Embodiments of the base stations 105 may be configured to assign fixed length identifiers to the access terminals 110. The fixed length identifier may be used to identify the access terminal 110 in communications between network elements, such as messages transmitted over the interfaces 125, 130, 135, In one embodiment, base station 105 assigns a fixed length identifier in the initial network entry of access terminal 110. The length of the fixed length identifier may be selected corresponding to the number of bits used to identify the legacy access terminals. For example, the base station 105 may allocate a 48 bit identifier to the access terminal 110, and thus the number of bits of the fixed length identifier corresponds to the 48 bits of the conventional mobile station identifier or MAC-ID. When the same number of bits are used for the fixed length identifier and the conventional mobile station ID, the existing network message formats (and other standardized network functions) are used by legacy access terminals and access terminals < RTI ID = 0.0 > 0.0 > 110 < / RTI > In one embodiment, the fixed length identifier is used to point to context information associated with the access terminal 110 and stored within the network 100.

A database may be used to store information that indicates and / or maps the relationship between the fixed length identifier and the mode-dependent identifiers associated with the access terminal 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the base stations 105 may store database entries 150 that contain mapping information for identifiers associated with the access terminals 110. This information may then be used to interpret or map fixed length identifiers to mode-dependent identifiers and vice versa during uplink and / or downlink communications between network 100 and access terminal 110. Although some of the copies of the database 150 are depicted within the base stations 105, those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternative embodiments of the wireless communication system 100 may utilize any of the ASN-GW 120 It should be appreciated that the database 150 may be maintained in a location or collection of locations.

FIG. 2 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a database entry 200. FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, the database entry 200 includes various fields for storing information indicative of different mode-dependent and / or fixed-length identifiers associated with one access terminal. For example, field 205 is used to store information indicative of a media access control identifier (MAC-ID) that is permanently associated with an access terminal. Field 210 is used to store a station identifier (STID) that is used to identify the access terminal when he is in an active mode of operation and is connected to the network. Field 215 is used to store a temporary station identifier (TSTID) that identifies the access terminal before the station identifier is assigned to the access terminal. Field 220 includes a de-registration identifier (DID) that is used to identify the access terminal when it leaves the long inactive mode of operation or when the wireless connection is lost. The field 225 contains a context retention identifier (CRID) that is assigned to the access terminal during the initial network entry. Field 230 includes a Multicast Station Identifier (MSTID) that can identify multicast / broadcast service flows associated with an access terminal when the access terminal is operating in a multicast / broadcast mode. Field 235 includes, for example, a fixed length identifier that is assigned to the access terminal during initial network entry and is used to identify the access terminal during communication within the core and / or access network.

FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of message format 300. In the illustrated embodiment, the message format 300 includes a message header 305 and a message body 310. The message header 305 includes fields used to define various parameters of the message 300 and / or to identify the access terminal associated with the message. In the illustrated embodiment, the message header 305 includes fields for a version indicator, a set of flags, a function type for the message, an operand identifier (OPID), and a message type. For example, the version indicator may be one byte long and bit 7 may be set to one by the sender. The bits (0-6) of the version indicator can be set to zero by the caller. The receiver can ignore the values of these fields. The flag field includes various flags such as a restart flag indicating whether a restart is expected for the next transaction identifier, a bit indicating whether a message is sent in the relay mode of operation, Bits, and a comprehension bit indicating whether an understanding is requested for fields such as a function type field, a message type field, or an OP ID field.

The message header 305 may also include the length of the message, the identifier of the associated access terminal (MSID), fields used to indicate the transaction identifier, and one or more reserved fields. In the illustrated embodiment, the access terminal identifier has a fixed length corresponding to the length of the identifiers used for legacy devices, such as a 48-bit mobile station identifier or MAC-ID. Assigning a fixed length identifier to each access terminal for the core and / or access network side communication of the message header 305 thus means that embodiments of the message header 305 are used for communication over legacy access terminals or air interfaces May be used for messages transmitted over network interfaces to access terminals using mode-dependent identifiers. For example, access terminals operating in accordance with IEEE 802.16m may use network message formats defined by previous WiMAX standards and / or protocols.

Message body 310 includes fields such as type-length-value (TLV) fields used to convey information contained in message 300. Message- In the illustrated embodiment, the message body 310 includes a destination identifier TVL that includes information identifying the destination of the message 300, a source identifier TLV that includes information identifying the source of the message 300, An R6 Context TLV that contains information defining the context, and other TLVs that may optionally be included in the message 300 to convey other information. In one embodiment, for example, in downlink messages that include a fixed length identifier assigned prior to the message header 305, one or more (e.g., one or more) Other TLVs may be used. The mode-dependent identifiers used by the access terminals may be represented in the body of the related messages as type-length-values.

FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates one alternative embodiment of message format 400. FIG. In an alternative embodiment, the message format 400 includes a message header 405 and a message body 410. Alternative embodiments of the message format 400 may be used to support mode-dependent identifiers during communications within the network, e.g., in messages sent across interfaces between network entities. Thus, the message format 400 may indicate which mode-dependent identifiers are used to identify the access terminal in the network. The message format 400 also includes information indicating a mode-dependent identifier.

An alternative embodiment of the message header 405 includes fields used to define various parameters of the message 400 and / or to identify the access terminal associated with the message. The message header 405 includes fields for a version indicator, a set of flags, a function type for the message, an operand identifier (OPID), and a message type. The message header 405 may also include the length of the message, the identifier (MSID) of the associated access terminal, the fields used to indicate the transaction identifier, and one or more reserved fields. The alternative embodiment shown in Fig. 4 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 because it includes a larger field to accommodate potentially larger identifiers. In particular, the MSID field is selected to accommodate the longest identifier in a variable set of identifiers, such as a 72-bit CRID defined by WiMAX standards. The message header 405 also includes an ID TYPE field for indicating which mode-dependent set of identifiers is used in the header 405. [

In an alternative embodiment, the access terminal may be identified in the network using a mode-dependent identifier that is selected based on the mode of operation of the access terminal. However, alternative embodiments have a number of disadvantages over embodiments that use a fixed length identifier to identify an access terminal in the network. For example, message configuration and / or decoding techniques used by current implementations of network elements such as base stations, ASN-GWs, etc. need to be modified to support alternative embodiments of message format 400 . As another example, the network needs to be modified to identify legacy access terminals that use conventional message formats, such as message format 300, and advanced access terminals that use message format 400. As another example, it may be difficult, at least in part, to provide support for procedures for identifying access terminals using a mode-dependent identifier because the identifier changes based on the mode of operation of the access terminal.

FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a method 500 for assigning fixed length identifiers to access terminals. In the illustrated embodiment, an entity of the network, such as a base station or access nodes such as the ASN-GW or core network nodes, receives (at 505) a message during the initial network entry of the access terminal. The received message includes information indicating the identity of the access terminal. In one embodiment, the identity of the access terminal is represented using a true or permanent mobile station identifier, for example, a 48 bit identifier given when the access terminal is manufactured and / or configured. The network entity then determines 510 whether the access terminal is a legacy device or an advanced device that supports the use of mode-dependent identifiers to identify the access terminal during communication over the air interface. If the access terminal is a legacy device, then the mobile station identifier may be provided (at 515) to other network elements such as ASN-GWs, AAA servers, and so on, Can be used. Alternatively, the network entity may assign a pseudo-identifier with the same number of bits as the mobile station identifier and then provide the pseudo-identifier to the network (at 515) so that the pseudo-identifier does not reveal the true mobile station identifier .

If the network entity determines (at 510) that the access terminal supports the mode-dependent identifiers, then a fixed length identifier may be assigned (at 520) to the access terminal. The fixed length identifier may then be used to identify the access terminal in messages sent via interfaces between network elements such as, for example, base stations, ASN-GWs, AAA servers, For example, the fixed length identifier may be a 48 bit identifier assigned to the access terminal. The fixed length identifier may be a random number or may be derived from one or more other identifiers for information associated with the access terminal. The fixed length identifier may also be associated (at 525) with the mode-dependent identifiers used to identify the access terminal and communicate over the air interface. In one embodiment, the network entity generates a database entry that includes information associating fixed and mode-dependent identifiers to the access terminal. The database may be accessed for mapping or interpretation between fixed and mode-dependent identifiers for uplink and / or downlink communications. The network entity may then provide the fixed length identifier to other elements of the network (at 530). In various embodiments, portions of the method 500 may be performed before, during, or after the authentication, authorization, and / or accounting processes are performed on the access terminal.

FIG. 6 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a method 600 for transmitting downlink messages to access terminals via an air interface. In the depicted embodiment, an entity of the network, such as a base station or other access node, receives (at 605) a downlink message addressed to the access terminal using the identifier of the header of the message. The access node determines (at 610) whether the access terminal is a legacy device or an advanced device that supports the use of mode-dependent identifiers to identify the access terminal during communication over the air interface. If the access terminal is a legacy device, then the identifier of the header of the message is a legacy identifier such as the mobile station identifier. The access node may use the mobile station identifier to transmit portions of the message to the access terminal (at 615). For example, the access node may generate a hash value of the MSID used to page the access terminal, and once the access node is located at the access terminal, some or all of the information in the downlink message may be accessed And transmitted to the terminal.

If the access node determines (at 610) that the access terminal uses mode-dependent identifiers for communication over the air interface, then the identifier of the header of the downlink message may be a fixed length ID that was assigned to the access terminal. Thus, the access node may interpret or map the fixed length ID to the appropriate mode-dependent ID. In the illustrated embodiment, the access node selects (at 620) a mode-dependent identifier associated with the access terminal using the fixed length identifier and the access terminal mode. For example, the access node may use a fixed length identifier to locate the database entry representing the mode-dependent identifiers for the access terminal. The access node may then select (at 620) the appropriate mode-dependent identifier based on the mode of operation of the access terminal and, for example, a DID may be selected for the idle access terminal. The access node may use the selected mode-dependent identifier (at 625) to forward portions of the message to the access terminal. For example, the access node may use a mode-dependent identifier (e.g., DID) to identify the access terminal after a link loss or a long deactivation period, and once the access node is located, Some or all of which may be transmitted to the access terminal via the air interface.

FIG. 7 conceptually illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a method 700 for receiving uplink messages from access terminals of a network over an air interface. In the illustrated embodiment, an entity of the network, such as a base station or other access node, receives (at 705) an uplink message from the access terminal. The access node determines (at 710) whether the access terminal is a legacy device or an advanced device that supports the use of mode-dependent identifiers to identify an access terminal during communication over the air interface. If the access terminal is a legacy device, then the access terminal may be identified using a legacy identifier such as a mobile station identifier. The access node may use the mobile station identifier to transmit portions of the message to the network (at 715). For example, the access node may use the mobile station identifier to generate a header for a message that includes some or all of the information in the uplink message. The message containing the header may then be transmitted towards the core and / or access network.

If the access node determines (at 710) that the access terminal uses mode-dependent identifiers for communication over the air interface, then the access node determines or identifies (at 720) the fixed length ID that was assigned to the access terminal. In one embodiment, the access node may interpret or map the mode-dependent identifier used by the access terminal for air interface communications to the fixed length identifier used to identify the access terminal of the core and / or access network. In the illustrated embodiment, the access node identifies (at 720) a fixed length identifier based on the mode-dependent identifier and the access terminal mode associated with the access terminal. For example, the access node may use a mode-dependent identifier to locate a database entry representing an association between fixed and mode-dependent identifiers for the access terminal. The access node may then identify the fixed length identifier (at 720) by mapping the mode-dependent identifier used in the current operating mode of the access terminal to the fixed length identifier indicated in the database entry. The access node may use the selected fixed length identifier (at 725) to communicate portions of the message to the core and / or access network. For example, the access node may use a fixed length identifier, e.g., via the R6 interface, to generate a header for a message used to transmit some or all of the information in the uplink message to the core and / or access network .

Embodiments of the fixed-length identifier allocation techniques described in this application may have a number of advantages over techniques that use mode-dependent identifiers for network communications. For example, assigning a fixed length identifier may allow the network to operate consistently for previous network implementations when the length of the fixed length identifier is equal to the length of the legacy mobile station identifier. The network can also identify both legacy and advanced access terminals using the same length identifiers, which allows the network to protect and use previously defined message formats, thereby facilitating and supporting the evolution of the network . Paging can be supported for both legacy and advanced access terminals when fixed length identifiers are used. Other implementations of network entities such as base stations, gateways, paging controllers, AAA servers, etc. may be arranged when a fixed length identifier is implemented for at least core and / or access network side communication. Assigning fixed length identifiers for core and / or access network side communication may also improve security by reducing transmissions of permanent identifiers associated with the access terminal. For example, in some cases, the actual base station identifier is only transmitted as an element of the message sent during the initial network entry. A different identifier, such as a pseudo-identifier, is then used for communication over the interfaces between the network entities.

Portions of the disclosed subject matter and corresponding detailed description are represented in terms of software, or algorithms, and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These descriptions and representations will effectively convey to others skilled in the art the substance of their work. An algorithm as used herein, and as a commonly used term, is considered to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. Steps are those that require physical manipulations of physical quantities. Generally, though not necessarily, these quantities have the form of optical, electrical, or magnetic signals that can be stored, transmitted, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. These signals have often proven convenient to represent with bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, items, numbers, etc., for general usage reasons.

However, it should be borne in mind that all these and similar matters are associated with appropriate physical quantities, and that they are merely convenient labels corresponding to these quantities. "Processing" or "computing" or "calculating" or "determining" or "displaying", etc., unless expressly stated otherwise or clear from the discussion, , Manipulate data represented in physical and electrical quantities in registers and memories of a computer system with other data similarly represented as physical quantities within computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices And transforms and transforms the behavior and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device.

It is also noted that the software implemented aspects of the disclosed subject matter are typically encoded in some form of a program storage medium or are implemented as some type of transmission medium. The program storage medium may be magnetic (e.g., floppy disk or hard drive) or optical (e.g., compact disk read-only memory, or "CD-ROM") or may be read only or random access . Similarly, the transmission medium may be twisted wire pairs, coaxial cables, optical fibers, or some other suitable transmission medium known in the art. The disclosed subject matter is not limited by these aspects of any given implementation.

The specific embodiments disclosed above are merely illustrative and the disclosed subject matter can be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Further, limitations of the detailed description of the limitations or designs shown herein other than those described in the following claims are not intended. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or varied and all such variations are considered to be within the scope of the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present specification is described in the following claims.

100: wireless communication system 105: access node
110: access terminal 115: wireless interface
200: Database entry

Claims (11)

A method comprising:
Assigning a fixed-length identifier to an access terminal on an initial entry of an access terminal to a network, the access terminal having a plurality of mode-dependent communications in communication over the air interface between the access terminal and the network, The one mode-dependent identifier being selected based on an operating mode of the access terminal;
And providing the fixed length identifier to at least one entity of the network. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein assigning the fixed length identifier comprises associating the fixed length identifier with the plurality of mode-dependent identifiers for the access terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein assigning the fixed length identifier to the access terminal comprises assigning a fixed length identifier that is different from any of the plurality of mode-dependent identifiers used to identify the access terminal for communication over the air interface / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Wherein assigning the fixed length identifier to the access terminal comprises associating the fixed length identifier with at least one context defined for the access terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Identifying the access terminal in at least one message sent to at least one element of the network using the fixed length identifier; and selecting the mode-dependent identifiers selected based on the mode of operation of the access terminal And identifying the access terminal in at least one message transmitted over the air interface using one of the plurality of messages. A method comprising:
A method comprising: receiving a message from a network, the message comprising a header comprising a fixed length identifier associated with an access terminal;
Mapping the fixed length identifier to one of a plurality of mode-dependent identifiers associated with the access terminal, wherein the one of the plurality of mode-dependent identifiers is selected based on an operating mode of the access terminal; A mapping step;
And using the one of the plurality of mode-dependent identifiers to transmit information of the message over the air interface to the access terminal. The method according to claim 6,
And assigning the fixed length identifier to the access terminal on an initial entry of the access terminal to the network. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the step of transmitting information of the message via the air interface comprises the steps of forming a header comprising the one of the plurality of mode-dependent identifiers, a message body comprising at least a portion of the message received from the network, < / RTI > forming a body. A method comprising:
Receiving a message over an air interface from an access terminal, the message including a header comprising one of a plurality of mode-dependent identifiers associated with the access terminal, wherein the one of the plurality of mode- Is selected based on an operation mode of the access terminal;
Mapping the one of the plurality of mode-dependent identifiers to a fixed length identifier associated with the access terminal;
And transmitting information of the message to at least one entity of the network using the fixed length identifier for identifying the access terminal. 10. The method of claim 9,
Assigning the fixed length identifier to the access terminal on an initial entry of the access terminal to the network. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the step of transmitting information of the message to the at least one entity of the network comprises the steps of forming a header comprising the fixed length identifier and a message body comprising at least a portion of the message received via the air interface ≪ / RTI >

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