IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,457,549
Granted Patent B2
US 12,457,549 · App. 17/719,717 · Granted Oct 28, 2025

Serving gateway selection based on packet data network type

Inventors: Praveen Singaram Muthukumar (Lawrenceville, NJ); Rahul Pal (Bellevue, WA); Rushabhkumar Patel (Newcastle, WA); Karunakalage Viraj Rakitha Silva (Renton, WA)
Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc.
H04W48/18H04W60/04H04W88/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,457,549
App. No.
17/719,717
Granted
Oct 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

System and methods for efficient serving gateway and packet data gateway selections are described. A mobile device may attempt transmit an attach request to a network requesting packet data services in a particle protocol. A control plane of a serving gateway may receive the attach request and determine a serving gateway user plane that is configured to operate in the specified protocol. The serving gateway control plane may then propagate the determined serving gateway user plane to a packet data network gateway control plane for selection of the serving gateway user plane and a corresponding packet data network gateway user plane for use in providing packet services to the mobile device.

Claims (50)

1. A method performed by a serving gateway, the method comprising:

receiving, at a serving gateway control plane component from a mobile device, an attach request comprising an indication of a packet data network type;

determining, at the serving gateway control plane component based at least in part on the packet data network type, a serving gateway user plane component;

transmitting, from the serving gateway control plane component to a packet data network gateway control plane component, an address of the serving gateway user plane component, the address of the serving gateway user plane component causing the packet data network gateway control plane component to determine a packet data network gateway user plane component associated with the address of the serving gateway user plane component; and

relaying, at the packet data network gateway user plane component, user data packets of the packet data network type between the mobile device and one or more packet data networks,

wherein the packet data network type comprises one or more of IPv4, IPv6, or IPv4v6.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the attach request at the serving gateway control plane component from the mobile device comprises receiving the attach request at the serving gateway control plane component via an eNodeB.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the packet data network gateway control plane component associates the address of the serving gateway user plane component with an address of the packet data network gateway user plane component.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the packet data network gateway user plane component and the serving gateway user plane component are co-located.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more packet data networks comprise one or more of:

an Internet; or

an IP multimedia subsystem.

6. A serving gateway comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more transceivers; and

non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving an attach request from a mobile device, the attach request comprising an indication of a packet data network type;

determining a serving gateway user plane component based at least in part on the packet data network type; and

transmitting a notification causing a packet data network gateway control plane component to:

determine a packet data network gateway user plane component; and

relay user data packets of the packet data network type between the mobile device and one or more packet data networks using the packet data network gateway user plane component,

wherein the packet data network type comprises one or more of IPv4, IPv6, or IPv4v6.

7. The serving gateway of claim 6 , wherein the packet data network gateway user plane component and the serving gateway user plane component are co-located.

8. The serving gateway of claim 6 , wherein transmitting the notification further causes the packet data network gateway control plane component to:

determine that the serving gateway user plane component is incompatible with the packet data network type; and

based at least in part on determining that the serving gateway user plane component is incompatible with the packet data network type, determine the packet data network gateway user plane component that is compatible with the packet data network type.

9. The serving gateway of claim 8 , wherein transmitting the notification further causes the packet data network gateway control plane component to transmit an address of the packet data network gateway user plane component to the serving gateway.

10. The serving gateway of claim 6 , wherein:

the notification comprises an address of the serving gateway user plane component; and

transmitting the notification further causes the packet data network gateway control plane component to:

determine that the packet data network gateway user plane component associated with the address is compatible with the packet data network type; and

based at least in part on determining that the packet data network gateway user plane component is compatible with the packet data network type, determine the packet data network gateway user plane component.

11. The serving gateway of claim 6 , wherein:

the notification comprises the attach request; and

transmitting the notification further causes the packet data network gateway control plane component to:

determine the packet data network gateway user plane component based at least in part on the attach request; and

transmit an address of the packet data network gateway user plane component to the serving gateway.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving an attach request from a mobile device, the attach request comprising an indication of a packet data network type;

determining a serving gateway user plane component based at least in part on the packet data network type; and

transmitting an indication of the serving gateway user plane component to a packet data network gateway control plane component causing the packet data network gateway control plane component to:

determine a packet data network gateway user plane component; and

relay user data packets of the packet data network type between the mobile device and one or more packet data networks using the packet data network gateway user plane component,

wherein the packet data network type comprises one or more of IPv4, IPv6, or IPv4v6.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the indication comprises an address of the serving gateway user plane component.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the address of the serving gateway user plane component is a same address as an address of the packet data network gateway user plane component.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein receiving the attach request from the mobile device comprises receiving the attach request at a serving gateway control plane component on an S11 interface via a mobility management entity.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the one or more packet data networks comprise one or more of:

an Internet; or

an IP multimedia subsystem.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 13, 2022
From: MUTHUKUMAR, PRAVEEN SINGARAM; PAL, RAHUL; PATEL, RUSHABHKUMAR; SILVA, KARUNAKALAGE VIRAJ RAKITHA
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 060221/0279 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230337120A1 · Oct 19, 2023
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