IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,985,174
Granted Patent B2
US 11,985,174 · App. 17/136,671 · Granted May 14, 2024

Systems and methods for call session control function registration

Inventor: Suliman Albasheir (Issaquah, WA)
Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc.
H04L65/1073H04L65/1016H04L65/1045H04L65/1069H04L65/1104H04W4/60H04W48/18
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,985,174
App. No.
17/136,671
Granted
May 14, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for registering and selecting a Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) are described herein. The systems and methods described herein use a Network Repository Function (NRF) to receive status updates of P-CSCFs available to be selected. The status updates include information such as, but not limited to, whether or not the P-CSCF is active or above or below a predetermined loading threshold. The NRF provides the information to a Session Management Function (SMF) that selects which P-CSCF is to be utilized for a Session Initiation Protocol. The SMF can also use loading levels of the P-CSCFs to perform load balancing.

Claims (49)

1. A method, comprising:

registering, at a Network Repository Function (NRF), a plurality of Proxy-Call Session Control Functions (P-CSCFs) of a cellular network to generate fifth generation (5G) network P-CSCF information, the 5G network P-CSCF information including a list of available P-CSCFs and 5G network P-CSCF status information, the 5G network P-CSCF status information being associated with at least one of the P-CSCFs, the 5G network P-CSCF status information indicating to the NRF whether there is at least one of i) a 5G network P-CSCF load status being above a predetermined 5G network P-CSCF load status, or ii) a 5G network P-CSCF load status error being identified for the at least one of the P-CSCFs;

transmitting, from the NRF, an update loading request communication to the plurality of P-CSCFs to update a loading of the plurality of P-CSCFs to update the list of available P-CSCFs;

determining, at the NRF and based at least on the 5G network P-CSCF status information, that there is an error with a load status of the at least one of the P-CSCFs;

updating, at the NRF, the list of available P-CSCFs based at least on the error with the load status of the at least one of the P-CSCFs;

transmitting, from the NRF to a Session Management Function (SMF), the 5G network P-CSCF information;

selecting, at the SMF, a P-CSCF out of the list of available P-CSCFs to be a selected P-CSCF;

receiving a request from a user equipment (UE) to initiate a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP); and

transmitting, from the SMF, an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the selected P-CSCF to initiate the SIP to allow the UE to make a voice or video call.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising querying, by the NRF, for a usage level of the plurality of P-CSCFs in the list of available P-CSCFs.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising transmitting, from the NRF to the SMF, the usage level of the plurality of P-CSCFs in the list of available P-CSCFs.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein selecting the selected P-CSCF further comprises using a particular loading of the plurality of P-CSCFs in the list of available P-CSCFs.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, from the NRF, an update availability request communication to the plurality of P-CSCFs to update an availability of the plurality of P-CSCFs to update the list of available P-CSCFs.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the 5G network P-CSCF status information indicates whether there is i) the 5G network P-CSCF load status being above the predetermined 5G network P-CSCF load status, and ii) the 5G network P-CSCF load status error being identified for the at least one of the P-CSCFs.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the SIP failed to commence based on a failure of the one of the plurality of P-CSCFs; and

transmitting, from the SMF, a second IP address of a second P-CSCF of the plurality of P-CSCFs in the list of available P-CSCFs to initiate the SIP.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

registering, at a Network Repository Function (NRF), a plurality of Proxy-Call Session Control Functions (P-CSCFs) of a cellular network to generate and fifth generation (5G) network P-CSCF information, the P-CSCF information including a list of available P-CSCFs and 5G network P-CSCF status information, the 5G network P-CSCF status information being associated with at least one of the P-CSCFs, the 5G network P-CSCF status information indicating whether there is at least one of i) a 5G network P-CSCF load status being above a predetermined 5G network P-CSCF load status, or ii) a 5G network P-CSCF load status error being identified for the at least one of the P-CSCFs;

transmitting, from the NRF to a Session Management Function (SMF), the 5G network P-CSCF information;

selecting, at the SMF, a P-CSCF out of the list of available P-CSCFs to be a selected P-CSCF;

receiving a request from a user equipment (UE) to initiate a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP); and

transmitting, from the SMF, an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the selected P-CSCF to initiate the SIP to allow the UE to make a voice or video call; and

transmitting, from the NRF, an update loading request communication to the plurality of P-CSCFs to update a loading of the plurality of P-CSCFs to update the list of available P-CSCFs.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the act comprising querying, by the NRF, for a usage level of the plurality of P-CSCFs in the list of available P-CSCFs.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the act comprising transmitting, from the NRF to the SMF, a usage level of the plurality of P-CSCFs in the list of available P-CSCFs.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the act comprising:

selecting the selected P-CSCF based on a particular loading of the selected P-CSCF.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the act comprising transmitting, from the NRF, an update availability request communication to the plurality of P-CSCFs to update an availability of the plurality of P-CSCFs to update the list of available P-CSCFs.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the 5G network P-CSCF status information indicates whether there is i) the 5G network P-CSCF load status being above the predetermined 5G network P-CSCF load status, and ii) the 5G network P-CSCF load status error being identified for the at least one of the P-CSCFs.

14. A Session Management Function (SMF) server comprising:

a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the computer-executable instructions causing the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving, from a Network Repository Function (NRF), fifth generation (5G) network Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) information associated with at least one of a plurality of P-CSCFs of a cellular network, the 5G network P-CSCF information including a list of available P-CSCFs and 5G network P-CSCF status information, the 5G network P-CSCF status information indicating whether there is at least one of i) a 5G network P-CSCF load status being above a predetermined 5G network P-CSCF load status, or ii) a 5G network P-CSCF load status error being identified for the at least one of the plurality of P-CSCFs;

selecting a P-CSCF out of the list of available P-CSCFs as a selected P-CSCF;

receiving, from a user equipment a request to initiate a Session Initiation Protocol; and

transmitting, to the user equipment, the selected P-CSCF; and

receiving, from the NRF, un updated status of the plurality of P-CSCFs to generate an updated list of available P-CSCFs.

15. The SMF server of claim 14 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for receiving a particular loading of the at least one of the plurality of P-CSCFs.

16. The SMF server of claim 15 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for selecting the P-CSCF based on the particular loading of the at least one of the plurality of P-CSCFs.

17. The SMF server of claim 15 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for replacing the selected P-CSCF with a second P-CSCF based on the particular loading of the at least one of the plurality of P-CSCFs.

18. The SMF server of claim 14 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

determining that the selected P-CSCF is not active; and

replacing the selected P-CSCF with a second P-CSCF of the plurality of P-CSCFs.

19. The SMF server of claim 14 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

receiving a particular loading status of the selected P-CSCF;

determine that the particular loading status of the selected P-CSCF is above a predetermined threshold; and

perform loading balancing by selecting a second P-CSCF of the plurality of P-CSCFs to replace the selected P-CSCF.

20. The SMF server of claim 14 , wherein the 5G network P-CSCF status information indicates whether there is i) the 5G network P-CSCF load status being above the predetermined 5G network P-CSCF load status, and ii) the 5G network P-CSCF load status error being identified for the at least one of the plurality of P-CSCFs.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2020
From: ALBASHEIR, SULIMAN
To: T-MOBILE USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 054767/0414 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220210206A1 · Jun 30, 2022