IP Library › Granted Patent US 12696221
Granted Patent B2
US 12696221 · App. 18/377,755 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Methods and apparatus for supporting and using of a QUIC connection between a UE and TNGF in a communications system

Inventors: Maulik Vaidya (Escondido, CA); Paul L. Russell, Jr. (Lawrence, NJ); Imtiyaz Shaikh (Irving, TX); Yildirim Sahin (Englewood, CO); Umamaheswar Achari Kakinada (Greenwood Village, CO)
Assignee: Charter Communications Operating, LLC
H04W60/04H04L5/0044H04W12/06H04W28/0263H04W76/10H04W80/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12696221
App. No.
18/377,755
Granted
Jul 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods and apparatus for using a QUIC connection established between a user equipment (UE) and a Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) to support trusted non-3GPP access which facilitates Access Traffic Steering, Switching, and Splitting (ATSSS) are described. An exemplary TGNF, implements Multiplexed Application Substrate over QUIC Encryption (MASQUE) over QUIC. In some embodiments, QUIC connection IDs are used to delineate control plane (CP) traffic and user plane traffic being communicated over the established QUIC connection. In other embodiments, a new 3GPP Payload type header is used to delineate between control plane (CP) traffic and user plane traffic communicated over the established QUIC connection.

Claims (57)

1 . A method of operating a Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) to support user equipment (UE) communications, the method comprising:

performing a QUIC connection setup with a first user equipment (UE) to establish a first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF; and

communicating authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure, said step of communicating authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure including:

using a first stack in the TNGF to communicate with the first UE, said first stack including a HTTP/3 layer with an extension for proxying GRE in HTTP, a QUIC layer and a UDP layer.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first stack further includes a GRE layer above the HTTP/3 layer.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first stack does not include an EAP-5G layer.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving at the TNGF, following registration of said first UE via said UE registration procedure, a PDU session establishment communication via the first QUIC connection, the PDU session establishment communication using a QUIC connection identifier.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the QUIC connection identifier has a value indicating a control plane traffic type.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving at the TNGF a QUIC traffic data communication including traffic data via the first QUIC connection.

7 . A method of operating a Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) to support user equipment (UE) communications, the method comprising:

performing a QUIC connection setup with a first user equipment (UE) to establish a first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF;

communicating authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure;

receiving at the TNGF, following registration of said first UE via said UE registration procedure, a PDU session establishment communication via the first QUIC connection, the PDU session establishment communication using a QUIC connection identifier, said QUIC connection identifier having a value indicating a control plane traffic type; and

wherein a QUIC header in the PDU session establishment request indicates control signaling.

8 . A method of operating a Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) to support user equipment (UE) communications, the method comprising:

performing a QUIC connection setup with a first user equipment (UE) to establish a first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF;

communicating authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure;

receiving at the TNGF, following registration of said first UE via said UE registration procedure, a PDU session establishment communication via the first QUIC connection, the PDU session establishment communication using a QUIC connection identifier; and

wherein the PDU session establishment communication is processed in TNGF using a second protocol stack including an inner IP layer, a HTTP/3 layer with an extension for proxying IP in HTTP, a QUIC layer and a UDP layer.

9 . A method of operating a Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) to support user equipment (UE) communications, the method comprising:

performing a QUIC connection setup with a first user equipment (UE) to establish a first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF;

communicating authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure;

receiving at the TNGF, following registration of said first UE via said UE registration procedure, a PDU session establishment communication via the first QUIC connection, the PDU session establishment communication using a QUIC connection identifier; and

receiving at the TNGF a QUIC traffic data communication including traffic data via the first QUIC connection, said traffic data communication including a QUIC connection identifier and a payload type indicator indicating user plane traffic data.

10 . A method of operating a Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) to support user equipment (UE) communications, the method comprising:

performing a QUIC connection setup with a first user equipment (UE) to establish a first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF;

communicating authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure;

receiving at the TNGF, following registration of said first UE via said UE registration procedure, a PDU session establishment communication via the first QUIC connection, the PDU session establishment communication using a QUIC connection identifier;

receiving at the TNGF a QUIC traffic data communication including traffic data via the first QUIC connection; and

processing, at the TNGF, the traffic data using a third protocol stack which includes a HTTP/3 layer with an extension for proxying GRE in HTTP, a QUIC layer, and a UDP layer.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein said HTTP/3 layer includes a MASQUE-xxx extension that provides CONNECT-GRE support.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the third protocol stack does not include an IPsec layer.

13 . A Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter; and

a processor configured to operate the TNGF to:

perform a QUIC connection setup with a first user equipment (UE) to establish a first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF; and

communicate authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure; and

wherein said processor is further configured to operate the TNGF to:

use a first stack in the TNGF to communicate with the first UE, as part of being configured to operate the TNGF to communicate authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure, said first stack including a HTTP/3 layer with an extension for proxying GRE in HTTP, a QUIC layer and a UDP layer.

14 . The TNGF of claim 13 , wherein the first stack further includes a GRE layer above the HTTP/3 layer.

15 . The TNGF of claim 13 , wherein the first stack does not include an EAP-5G layer.

16 . The TNGF of claim 15 , further comprising:

memory; and

wherein said processor is further configured to operate the TNGF to:

receive at the TNGF, following registration of said first UE via said UE registration procedure, a PDU session establishment communication via the first QUIC connection, the PDU session establishment communication using a QUIC connection identifier.

17 . The TNGF of claim 16 , wherein the QUIC connection identifier has a value indicating a control plane traffic type.

18 . A Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF) comprising:

a receiver;

a transmitter; and

a processor configured to operate the TNGF to:

perform a QUIC connection setup with a first user equipment (UE) to establish a first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF;

communicate authentication request and response messages via the first QUIC connection between the first UE and the TNGF as part of a UE registration procedure;

receive, at the TNGF, following registration of said first UE via said UE registration procedure, a PDU session establishment communication via the first QUIC connection, the PDU session establishment communication using a QUIC connection identifier; and

receive, at the TNGF, a QUIC traffic data communication including traffic data via the first QUIC connection, said traffic data communication including a QUIC connection identifier and a payload type indicator indicating user plane traffic data.