Granted Patent B2

US 12,294,929 · App. 17/734,553 · Granted May 6, 2025

Inventors: Gregory Schumacher (Holliston, MA); Marouane Balmakhtar (Fairfax, VA); Serge Manning (Plano, TX)

Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC

H04W40/02H04L45/74

Abstract

Claims (35)

1. A method comprising:

determining an applicable routing policy based on user equipment route selection policy (URSP) rules for an established uplink protocol data unit (PDU) session, the PDU session established with a wireless device through a user plane function (UPF) of a core network, the UPF connecting with the wireless device over an access network;

storing, at the wireless device, uplink PDU session information with the established uplink PDU session in a cache;

examining subsequent uplink packets at the wireless device for uplink PDU session information;

checking the cache at the wireless device for an established PDU session with matching uplink PDU session information; and

routing, at the wireless device, the subsequent uplink packets to the established PDU session having the matching PDU session information, causing the subsequent uplink packet to be processed in accordance with the applicable routing policy as previously determined based on the URSP rules.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uplink PDU session information includes at least a destination IP address and port numbers and a source IP port number.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the uplink PDU session information comprises a source IP address and port number when multiple source IP addresses are utilized for uplink traffic.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding a new PDU session to the cache upon failure to locate the matching uplink PDU session information.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising flushing the cache upon receipt of updated URSP rules.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising flushing at least one cache entry upon a determination that at least one URSP rule is invalid.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising flushing entries from the cache upon detecting a change in radio connectivity altering available PDU sessions.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the uplink PDU session in a wireless device cache.

9. A wireless device comprising:

at least one memory of the wireless device storing a protocol data unit (PDU) session cache including PDU session information for at least one established PDU session, the PDU session established with the wireless device through a user plane function (UPF) of a core network, the UPF connecting with the wireless device over an access network; and

at least one processor of the wireless device managing the PDU session cache at the wireless device by performing multiple operations including;

examining uplink packets for PDU session information;

checking the PDU session cache for an established PDU session with matching PDU session information;

adding a new PDU session to the PDU session cache when no matching PDU session information is located in the PDU session cache; and

when the matching PDU session information is located, routing the uplink packet to the established PDU session having the matching PDU session information, causing the uplink packet to be processed in accordance with an applicable routing policy previously determined based on user equipment route selection policy (URSP) rules.

10. The wireless device of claim 9 , wherein the PDU session information comprises at least a destination address and port numbers and source IP port numbers.

11. The wireless device of claim 9 , wherein the PDU session information comprises a source IP address and port number when the wireless device utilizes multiple source IP addresses for uplink traffic.

12. The wireless device of claim 9 , wherein the operations include flushing the PDU session cache upon receipt of updated URSP rules.

13. The wireless device of claim 9 , the operations further comprising flushing at least one cache entry upon a determination that at least one URSP rule is invalid.

14. The wireless device of claim 9 , the operations further comprising flushing entries from the PDU session cache upon detecting a change in radio connectivity altering available PDU sessions.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executed by a processor to perform operations comprising:

examining uplink packets for PDU session information;

checking a PDU session cache at a wireless device for an established PDU session with matching PDU session information, the established PDU session established with the wireless device through a user plane function (UPF) or a core network, the UPF connecting with the wireless device over an access network;

adding a new PDU session to the PDU session cache at the wireless device when no matching PDU session information is located in the PDU session cache; and

when the matching PDU session information is located, routing the uplink packet from the wireless device to the established PDU session having the matching PDU session information, causing the uplink packet from the wireless device to be processed in accordance with an applicable routing policy previously determined based on user equipment route selection policy (URSP) rules.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the PDU session information includes at least a destination IP address and port numbers and source IP port numbers.

17. Then non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the PDU session information comprises a source IP address and port numbers when multiple source IP addresses are utilized for uplink traffic.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , the operations further comprising adding a new PDU session to the PDU session cache upon failure to locate the matching PDU session information.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , the operations further comprising flushing the PDU session cache upon receipt of updated URSP rules.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , the operations further comprising flushing at least one cache entry upon a determination that at least one URSP rule is invalid.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (13)

Cited By (2)

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