IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,309,592
Granted Patent B2
US 12,309,592 · App. 18/588,124 · Granted May 20, 2025

Communication terminal, network device, communication method, and non-transitory computer readable medium

Inventors: Hironori Ito (Tokyo, JP); Anand Raghawa Prasad (Tokyo, JP); Andreas Kunz (Heidelberg, DE); Sivabalan Arumugam (Tamil Nadu, IN); Sivakamy Lakshminarayanan (Tamil Nadu, IN); Sheeba Backia Mary Baskaran (Tamil Nadu, IN)
Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
H04W12/106H04W12/037H04W12/041H04W12/08H04W36/125H04W36/1443H04W48/18H04W36/13
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,309,592
App. No.
18/588,124
Granted
May 20, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A communication terminal ( 10 ) according to the present disclosure includes: a control unit ( 12 ) configured to, in a case of a movement from a communication area formed by the 5GS to a communication area formed by the EPS or a movement from a communication area formed by the EPS to a communication area formed by the 5GS, determine whether or not a communication system forming a communication area at a movement destination can satisfy requirements of services; and a communication unit ( 11 ) configured to, when it is determined that the communication system forming the communication area at the movement destination can satisfy the requirements of the services, send a connection request message to the communication system forming the communication area at the movement destination.

Claims (43)

1. A first network device in a first communication network, the first network device comprising:

at least one processor comprising hardware; and

at least one memory operatively coupled with the at least one processor, wherein

the at least one processor is configured to:

check access rights and security capabilities of a communication terminal during a handover procedure to handover the communication terminal from the first communication network to a second communication network having a second network device, and

send a relocation request message including a security context of the communication terminal to the second network device after the check.

2. The first network device according to claim 1 , wherein

the security context of the communication terminal includes information for deriving at least one security key to be used in the second communication network.

3. The first network device according to claim 2 , wherein

the at least one security key is a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) key for integrity protection or a NAS key for encryption of a NAS message transmitted between the second network device and the communication terminal.

4. The first network device according to claim 1 , wherein

the first network device operates as a mobility management entity (MME), and

the first communication network comprises an evolved packet system (EPS) network.

5. The first network device according to claim 1 , wherein

the second network device operates as an access and mobility management function (AMF), and

the second communication network comprises a 5th generation system (5GS) network.

6. A second network device in a second communication network, the second network device comprising:

at least one processor, comprising hardware; and

at least one memory operatively coupled with the at least one processor, wherein

the at least one processor is configured to:

receive a relocation request message including a security context of a communication terminal from a first network device used in a first communication network, after access rights and security capabilities of the communication terminal are checked by the first network device during a handover procedure to handover the communication terminal from the first communication network to the second communication network, and

derive, using information included in the security context of the communication terminal, at least one security key to be used in the second communication network.

7. The second network device according to claim 6 , wherein

the at least one security key is a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) key for integrity protection or a NAS key for encryption of a NAS message transmitted between the second network device and the communication terminal.

8. The second network device according to claim 6 , wherein

the first network device operates as a mobility management entity (MME), and

the first communication network comprises an evolved packet system (EPS) network.

9. The second network device according to claim 6 , wherein

the second network device operates as an access and mobility management function (AMF), and

the second communication network comprises a 5th generation system (5GS) network.

10. A method performed by a first network device in a first communication network, the method comprising:

checking access rights and security capabilities of a communication terminal during a handover procedure to handover the communication terminal from the first communication network to a second communication network having a second network device; and

sending a relocation request message including a security context of the communication terminal to the second network device after the checking.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

the security context of the communication terminal includes information for deriving at least one security key to be used in the second communication network.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein

the at least one security key is a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) key for integrity protection or a NAS key for encryption of a NAS message transmitted between the second network device and the communication terminal.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

the first network device operates as a mobility management entity (MME), and

the first communication network comprises an evolved packet system (EPS) network.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

the second network device operates as an access and mobility management function (AMF), and

the second communication network comprises a 5th generation system (5GS) network.

Priority Claims (1)
IN 201711009358 · Mar 17, 2017 · national
Continuity (4)
Continuation 18080184 · Dec 13, 2022
Continuation 17201280 · Mar 15, 2021
Continuation 16494600
Related Publication 20240196218A1 · Jun 13, 2024
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