IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,363,441
Granted Patent B2
US 11,363,441 · App. 16/580,326 · Granted Jun 14, 2022

Facilitating mobility as a service in fifth generation (5G) or other advanced networks

Inventors: Zhi Cui (Sugar Hill, GA); Sangar Dowlatkhah (Cedar Hill, TX); Paul Smith, Jr. (Heath, TX)
Assignees: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.; AT&T MOBILITY II LLC
H04W8/02H04W8/22H04W36/0016H04W36/0033H04W36/00837H04W88/18
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,363,441
App. No.
16/580,326
Granted
Jun 14, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Facilitating mobility as a service in advanced networks (e.g., 5G, 6G, and beyond) is provided herein. Operations of a method can comprise evaluating, by a system comprising a processor, a group of characteristics of a device. The method also can comprise enabling, by the system, a mobility management function as a mobility microservice. Further, the method can comprise activating, by the system, microservices of a group of microservices, comprising the mobility microservice, based on the group of characteristics of the device.

Claims (50)

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

disabling a mobility management function of a network, wherein the mobility management function is a service included in a group of services offered by the network;

enabling the mobility management function as the service for a device within the network; and

performing an action from a group of actions, the group of actions comprising:

enabling a first subgroup of microservices for the device, wherein the first subgroup of microservices is selected from the group of services based on a condition of the device satisfying a first condition; or

enabling a second subgroup of microservices for the device, wherein the second subgroup of microservices is selected from the group of services based on the condition of the device satisfying a second condition,

wherein the second condition comprises an application executing on the device and a detected movement of the device,

wherein the application updates with a frequency that is less than a defined frequency threshold,

wherein the enabling of the second subgroup of microservices comprises enabling the mobility management function as a microservice that comprises a mobility management microservice, and

wherein a session management microservice is not enabled.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first condition comprises a stationary configuration of the device, and wherein the enabling of the first subgroup of microservices comprises:

enabling the mobility management microservice; and

enabling a routing micro service.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the device is classified as an internet-of-things device.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the stationary configuration of the device is determined not to trigger a handover event.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second condition comprises a mobility capability and the detected movement of the device, and wherein the enabling of the second subgroup of microservices comprises:

enabling the mobility management microservice, the session management microservice, a session internet protocol address assignment microservice, and a routing microservice.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the session management microservice is configured to facilitate an association between a virtual internet protocol address and a physical internet protocol address of the device.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the enabling of the second subgroup of microservices further comprises:

enabling mobility management microservices for radio access technology handovers configured to facilitate movement of the device from a first access technology to a second access technology.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second condition comprises an expected handover of the device from a neighbor network device of a neighbor network to a network device of the network.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the application that updates with the frequency is a first application that updates with a first frequency, and wherein the first condition comprises a second application, which updates with a second frequency that is more than the defined frequency threshold, executing on the device and the detected movement of the device.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

enabling the mobility management function as a service overlaid on a multitude of networks.

11. A method, comprising:

evaluating, by a system comprising a processor, a group of characteristics of a device;

disabling, by the system, a mobility management function of a network, wherein the disabling comprises overlaying the mobility management function, as a microservice, on a multitude of networks, and wherein the mobility management function is included in a group of microservices offered via the network;

enabling, by the system, the mobility management function as the microservice via the network; and

activating, by the system, microservices of a group of microservices, comprising the microservice, based on the group of characteristics of the device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the activating of the microservices of the group of microservices comprises activating a routing microservice based on a determination that the group of characteristics comprises a stationary characteristic of the device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the group of characteristics further comprises a mobility capability characteristic that indicates the device is capable of movement and a non-handover characteristic that indicates a handover event will not be triggered based on the stationary characteristic of the device.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the stationary characteristic is a temporary condition of the device.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the group of characteristics comprises a handover characteristic that indicates a handover event trigger, and wherein the activating of the microservices of the group of microservices comprises:

activating a mobility management microservice, a session management microservice, a session internet protocol address assignment microservice, and a routing microservice; and

activating mobility management microservices for radio access technology handovers configured to facilitate movement of the device from a first access technology to a second access technology.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the session management micro service is configured to facilitate an association between a virtual internet protocol address and a physical internet protocol address of the device.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

providing mobility management as a service based on an abstraction of the mobility management from services offered by a network;

determining a mobility condition of a user equipment device located within the network;

disabling the mobility management, wherein the disabling comprises overlaying the mobility management, as a microservice, on a multitude of networks, and wherein the mobility management is included in the services offered by the network;

enabling a mobility microservice for the user equipment device; and

enabling at least a routing microservice for the user equipment device based on the mobility condition of the user equipment device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the mobility condition of the user equipment device is a static condition that does not trigger a handover event, and wherein only the mobility microservice and the routing microservice are enabled based on the static condition.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the mobility condition of the user equipment device is a mobile condition that will trigger a handover event, and wherein the operations further comprise:

enabling a session management microservice and a session internet protocol address assignment microservice; and

enabling radio access technology configured to facilitate movement of the user equipment device from a first access technology to a second access technology.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein a characteristic of the group of characteristics of the device comprises an application executing on the device and a detected movement of the device, wherein the application updates with a frequency that is less than a defined frequency threshold, and wherein the activating of the microservices comprises:

enabling the mobility management function, wherein a session management microservice is not enabled.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2019
From: CUI, ZHI; SMITH, PAUL, JR
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 050472/0866 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2019
From: DOWLATKHAH, SANGAR
To: AT&T MOBILITY II LLC
Reel/Frame 050473/0001 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210092583A1 · Mar 25, 2021