IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,513,580
Granted Patent B2
US 12,513,580 · App. 17/577,865 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Network switching method

Inventor: Li Chen (Guangdong, CN)
Assignee: VIVO MOBILE COMMUNICATION CO., LTD.
H04W36/0077H04W36/0058H04W36/033H04W76/30
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,513,580
App. No.
17/577,865
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A network switching method includes: in a case that a first terminal establishes a network connection to the network device through a second terminal, establishing a first network connection to the first terminal, and instructing the second terminal to release a second network connection to the first terminal.

Claims (104)

1 . A network switching method, applied to a network device and comprising:

in a case that a first terminal establishes a network connection to the network device through a second terminal, establishing a first network connection to the first terminal, and instructing the second terminal to release a second network connection to the first terminal; wherein

before the establishing a first network connection to the first terminal, the method further comprises:

receiving a second network switching request sent by the second terminal; wherein

the second network switching request comprises:

auxiliary information sent by the first terminal to the second terminal, wherein the auxiliary information comprises configuration information or measurement information required for the first terminal to access a cellular network.

2 . The network switching method according to claim 1 , wherein before the establishing a first network connection to the first terminal, the method further comprises:

receiving a first network switching request sent by the first terminal.

3 . The network switching method according to claim 2 , wherein the first network switching request comprises at least one of:

a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment request message;

identifier information of the first terminal;

a message indicating that the first terminal releases the second network connection;

a request message for network connection switching of the first terminal, wherein the network connection switching comprises: switching from the second network connection to the second terminal to the first network connection between the first terminal and the network device by the first terminal;

a request message for switching a preset service from the second terminal to the first terminal;

identifier information of the second terminal; or

auxiliary information sent by the second terminal to the first terminal; and/or

the second network switching request further comprises at least one of:

a RRC connection release request message;

identifier information of the second terminal;

identifier information of the first terminal;

a message indicating that the second terminal releases the second network connection; or

a request message for network connection switching of the first terminal, wherein the network connection switching comprises: switching from the second network connection to the second terminal to the first network connection between the first terminal and the network device by the first terminal.

4 . The network switching method according to claim 2 , wherein the establishing a first network connection to the first terminal comprises:

sending, to the first terminal, first response information that is fed back after the first network switching request of the first terminal is received; or

sending, to the first terminal, second response information that is fed back after the second network switching request of the second terminal is received.

5 . The network switching method according to claim 4 , wherein the first response information comprises at least one of:

an acknowledgment message;

identifier information of the second terminal;

application layer configuration information of the second terminal;

access stratum configuration information of the second terminal;

a paging message sent to the first terminal;

a request message for switching a preset service from the second terminal to the first terminal; or

indication information for instructing the second terminal to initiate RRC connection release to the network device through the first terminal; and/or

the second response information comprises at least one of:

an acknowledgment message;

identifier information of the second terminal;

application layer configuration information of the second terminal;

access stratum configuration information of the second terminal;

a paging message sent to the first terminal;

a request message for switching a preset service from the second terminal to the first terminal;

indication information for instructing the second terminal to initiate RRC connection release to the network device through the first terminal;

indication information for network connection switching of the first terminal, wherein the network connection switching comprises: switching from the second network connection to the second terminal to the first network connection between the first terminal and the network device by the first terminal;

indication information for instructing the first terminal to release the second network connection to the second terminal;

indication information for instructing the first terminal to initiate the first network connection to the network device; or

indication information for instructing the second terminal to release the first network connection to the network device.

6 . The network switching method according to claim 1 , wherein the instructing the second terminal to release a second network connection to the first terminal comprises:

sending first indication information to the second terminal.

7 . The network switching method according to claim 6 , wherein the first indication information comprises at least one of:

an acknowledgment message;

a radio resource control (RRC) connection release message;

identifier information of the first terminal;

indication information indicating that the first terminal establishes the first network connection to the network device;

indication information for network connection switching of the first terminal, wherein the network connection switching comprises: switching from the second network connection to the second terminal to the first network connection between the first terminal and the network device by the first terminal;

indication information indicating that the first terminal releases the second network connection to the second terminal;

indication information indicating that the first terminal initiates the first network connection to the network device through the second terminal; or

a request message for switching a preset service from the second terminal to the first terminal.

8 . The network switching method according to claim 1 , wherein the instructing the second terminal to release a second network connection to the first terminal comprises:

receiving second indicating information sent by the second terminal.

9 . The network switching method according to claim 8 , wherein the second indication information comprises at least one of:

an acknowledgment response message;

a radio resource control (RRC) connection release request message; or

identifier information of the first terminal.

10 . The network switching method according to claim 1 , wherein the establishing a first network connection to the first terminal comprises:

receiving radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment information sent by the first terminal.

11 . The network switching method according to claim 10 , wherein the RRC connection establishment information comprises at least one of which is sent by the first terminal to the network device:

identifier information of the second terminal;

application layer configuration information of the second terminal; or

access stratum configuration information of the second terminal.

12 . The network switching method according to claim 1 , wherein after the instructing the second terminal to release a second network connection to the first terminal, the method further comprises at least one of:

sending, to the second terminal, third indication information for instructing the second terminal to release the first network connection to the network device;

sending, to the second terminal, indication information indicating that the first terminal and the network device establish the first network connection; or

receiving radio resource control (RRC) connection release request information sent by the second terminal.

13 . The network switching method according to claim 1 , wherein the first network connection refers to that the first terminal or the second terminal is connected to or camps on a cellular network in radio resource control (RRC) Connected mode, RRC_Idle mode, or RRC_Inactive mode; and

the second network connection is a non-cellular network connection between the first terminal and the second terminal.

14 . A network switching method, applied to a first terminal and comprising:

in a case that the first terminal establishes a network connection to a network device through a second terminal, establishing a first network connection to the network device, and releasing a second network connection to the second terminal; wherein

the second terminal is used to send a second network switching request, and the second network switch request comprises:

auxiliary information sent by the first terminal to the second terminal, wherein the auxiliary information comprises configuration information or measurement information required for the first terminal to access a cellular network.

15 . The network switching method according to claim 14 , wherein before the establishing a first network connection to a network device, the method further comprises:

sending a first network switching request to the network device.

16 . The network switching method according to claim 15 , wherein the establishing a first network connection to a network device comprises:

receiving first response information that is fed back by the network device after the network device receives the first network switching request of the first terminal; or

receiving second response information that is fed back by the network device after the network device receives the second network switching request of the second terminal.

17 . The network switching method according to claim 14 , wherein before the establishing a first network connection to a network device, the method further comprises:

measuring a reference signal of a first network; or

obtaining network measurement information of the second terminal related to the first network.

18 . A network switching method, applied to a second terminal and comprising:

in a case that a first terminal establishes a network connection to the network device through a second terminal, releasing a second network connection to the first terminal; wherein

the second terminal is connected to the network device through the first network connection, and the second terminal is connected to the first terminal through the second network connection; wherein

before the releasing a second network connection to the first terminal, the method further comprises:

sending a second network switching request to the network device; wherein

the second network switching request comprises:

auxiliary information sent by the first terminal to the second terminal, wherein the auxiliary information comprises configuration information or measurement information required for the first terminal to access a cellular network.

19 . The network switching method according to claim 18 , wherein feeding back network measurement information of the second terminal related to the first terminal in a case that a second preset condition is met; wherein

the second preset condition comprises at least one of:

releasing the second network connection by the second terminal and the first terminal;

instructing the second terminal to trigger the first terminal to switch from the second network connection to the second terminal to the first network connection between the first terminal and the network device by a user operation or a higher layer;

detecting that a signal of the second network connection to the first terminal is less than or equal to a preset signal value by the second terminal;

detecting that a distance from the first terminal is greater than or equal to a preset distance by the second terminal; or

detecting that a preset service with the first terminal is interrupted by the second terminal.

20 . The network switching method according to claim 18 , further comprising:

receiving third indication information that is sent by the network device and that is for instructing the second terminal to release the first network connection to the network device;

receiving indication information that is sent by the network device and that indicates that the first terminal and the network device establish the first network connection; or

sending radio resource control (RRC) connection release request information to the network device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2022
From: CHEN, LI
To: VIVO MOBILE COMMUNICATION CO.,LTD.
Reel/Frame 058680/0221 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 201910703666.6 · Jul 31, 2019 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTCN2020106157 · Jul 31, 2020
Related Publication 20220141734A1 · May 5, 2022
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