IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,262,294
Granted Patent B2
US 12,262,294 · App. 17/795,307 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Extension of Npcf_EventExposure with usage monitoring event

Inventors: Susana Fernandez Alonso (Madrid, ES); Fuencisla Garcia Azorero (Madrid, ES); Antonio Iniesta Gonzalez (Madrid, ES); Maria Belen Pancorbo Marcos (Madrid, ES); Ignacio Rivas Molina (Madrid, ES)
Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
H04W4/60
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,262,294
App. No.
17/795,307
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for event notification in a core network of a cellular communications system. In one embodiment, a method performed by a first Policy and Control Function (PCF) serving an Access Management (AM) policy association for a User Equipment (UE) wherein the first PCF is comprised in a core network of a cellular communications system comprises subscribing to an event exposure service of a second PCF serving a Session Management (SM) policy association for the UE. The method further comprises, responsive to subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF, receiving a report from the second PCF. In this manner, separate deployments of the first and second PCFs are enabled and still the first PCF serving the AM policy association for the UE can implement AM policies for the UE, e.g., based on UE data usage, e.g., of specified service bundles.

Claims (32)

1. A method performed by a first Policy and Control Function, PCF, serving an Access Management, AM, policy association for a User Equipment, UE, wherein the first PCF is comprised in a core network of a cellular communications system, the method comprising:

subscribing by the first PCF serving the AM policy association of the UE to an event exposure service of a second PCF serving a Session Management, SM, policy association for the UE; and

responsive to subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF, receiving a report from the second PCF serving the SM policy association for the UE.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the event exposure service supports reporting of usage monitoring information for the UE, and the report received from the second PCF comprises usage monitoring information for the UE.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the usage monitoring information comprises information that reports that the UE has reached a predefined or preconfigured usage threshold.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the usage monitoring information comprises information that reports that a predefined or preconfigured usage threshold has been reset.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving, from an Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF, a request to create or modify an AM policy for the UE;

wherein subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF comprises subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF responsive to receiving the request to create or modify the AM policy for the UE from the AMF.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending AM related policy information for the UE to the AMF.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the AM related policy information comprises service area restrictions.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the first PCF modifies an Radio Access Technology, RAT, /Frequency Selection Priority, RFSP, index used by the AMF to perform radio resource management functionality with respect to the UE based on one or more operator policies that take into consideration the received usage monitoring information for the UE.

9. A method performed by a second Policy and Control Function, PCF, serving a Session Management, SM, policy association for a User Equipment, UE, wherein the second PCF is comprised in a core network of a cellular communications system, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first PCF serving an Access Management, AM, policy association for the UE, a message subscribing to an event exposure service of the second PCF; and

responsive to receiving the message subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF, sending a report to the first PCF comprising usage monitoring information for the UE.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the event exposure service supports reporting of usage monitoring information for the UE, and the report received from the second PCF comprises usage monitoring information for the UE.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the usage monitoring information comprises information that reports that the UE has reached a predefined or preconfigured usage threshold.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the usage monitoring information comprises information that reports that a predefined or preconfigured usage threshold has been reset.

13. A method executed in a core network of a cellular communications system comprising:

at a first Policy and Control Function, PCF, serving an Access Management, AM, policy association for a User Equipment, UE:

subscribing by the first PCF serving the AM policy association of the UE to an event exposure service of a second PCF serving a Session Management, SM, policy association for the UE; and

responsive to subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF, receiving a report from the second PCF serving the SM policy association for the UE; and

at the second PCF serving the SM policy association for the UE:

receiving the message subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF from the first PCF; and

responsive to receiving the message subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF, sending the report to the first PCF.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the event exposure service supports reporting of usage monitoring information for the UE, and the report received from the second PCF comprises usage monitoring information for the UE.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the usage monitoring information comprises information that reports that the UE has reached a predefined or preconfigured usage threshold.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising, at the first PCF:

receiving, from an Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF, a request to create or modify an AM policy for the UE;

wherein subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF comprises subscribing to the event exposure service of the second PCF responsive to receiving the request to create or modify the AM policy for the UE from the AMF.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising, at the first PCF, sending AM related policy information for the UE to the AMF.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the first PCF modifies a Radio Access Technology, RAT, /Frequency Selection Priority, RFSP, index used by the AMF to perform radio resource management functionality with respect to the UE based on one or more operator policies that take into consideration the received usage monitoring information for the UE.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 26, 2022
From: FERNANDEZ ALONSO, SUSANA; PANCORBO MARCOS, MARIA BELEN; INIESTA GONZALEZ, ANTONIO; GARCIA AZORERO, FUENCISLA; RIVAS MOLINA, IGNACIO
To: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
Reel/Frame 060622/0787 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62969367 · Feb 3, 2020
Related Publication 20230080830A1 · Mar 16, 2023
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Cited By (2)
US 12,713,219 US 12,720,335