IP Library Granted Patent US 9,894,558
Granted Patent B2
US 9,894,558 · App. 15/513,425 · Granted Feb 13, 2018

Lower and upper bounds for flow-control data requests between network nodes

Inventors: Henri Markus Koskinen (Espoo, FI); Tsunehiko Chiba (Saitama, JP)
Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
H04W28/0278H04W16/32H04W72/042H04W76/025H04W76/046H04W88/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,894,558
App. No.
15/513,425
Granted
Feb 13, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

Lower and upper bounds for flow-control data requests between network nodes Methods and devices are shown for a wireless communication network where a user equipment consumes radio resources provided by at least two different network nodes, at least one node being a master node and at least another node being a secondary node. The secondary node determines a desired amount of data to be targeted to the user equipment and then transmits an indication of the desired amount of data to the master node. A master node receives an indication of the desired amount of data targeted to the user equipment and then controls the amount of data transmitted to the user equipment via the secondary node based on that indication.

Claims (34)

1. A method comprising:

in a wireless communication network where a user equipment consumes radio resources provided by at least two different network nodes, where at least one node is a master node and at least another node is a secondary node, determining, by the secondary node, a desired amount of data targeted to the user equipment; and

transmitting, by the secondary node to the master node, an indication of the desired amount of data, wherein one of:

the desired amount of data comprises a minimum amount of data targeted to the user equipment regardless of a specific bearer; and

the desired amount of data comprises a maximum amount of data targeted to the user equipment on a specific bearer, wherein the indication comprises one or more bearer-specific indications.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein both the master node and the secondary node perform a downlink radio transmission to the user equipment.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the downlink radio transmission is via one or more bearers to the user equipment.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the one or more bearers comprise split bearers of the user equipment.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, by a master node in a wireless communication network, where a user equipment consumes radio resources provided by at least two different network nodes, where at least one node is the master node and at least another node is a secondary node, from the secondary node, an indication of a desired amount of data targeted to the user equipment; and

controlling, by the master node, the amount of data transmitted to the user equipment via the secondary node based on the indication; and one of:

wherein the indication indicates a minimum amount of data targeted to the user equipment regardless of a specific bearer for the master node to send to the secondary node, the controlling controls data on one or more bearers, and the controlling comprises interpreting the indication of the minimum amount of data as a lower bound; and

wherein the indication comprises one or more bearer-specific indications, the indications indicate a maximum amount of data for the master node to send to the secondary node on a specific bearer, the controlling controls data on a specific bearer, and the controlling comprises interpreting the indication of the maximum amount of data as an upper bound.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein both the master node and the secondary node perform a downlink radio transmission to the user equipment.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the downlink radio transmission is via one or more bearers to the user equipment.

8. The method of according to claim 7 , wherein the one or more bearers comprise split bearers of the user equipment.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least perform the following:

determining a desired amount of data targeted to a user equipment in a wireless communication network with the apparatus, where the user equipment consumes radio resources provided by at least the apparatus and a master node in the wireless communication network and

transmitting, to the master node, an indication of the desired amount of data, wherein one of:

the desired amount of data comprises a minimum amount of data targeted to the user equipment regardless of a specific bearer; and

the desired amount of data comprises a maximum amount of data targeted to the user equipment on a specific bearer, and wherein the indication comprises one or more bearer-specific indications.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein both the master node and the apparatus perform a downlink radio transmission to the user equipment.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the downlink radio transmission is via one or more bearers to the user equipment.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the one or more bearers comprise split bearers of the user equipment.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least perform the following:

receiving an indication of a desired amount of data targeted to a user equipment in a wireless communication network with the apparatus, where a user equipment consumes radio resources provided by at least the apparatus and a secondary node in the wireless communication network; and

controlling the amount of data transmitted to the user equipment via the secondary node based on the indication; and one of:

wherein the indication indicates a minimum amount of data targeted to the user equipment regardless of a specific bearer for the master node to send to the secondary node, the controlling controls data on one or more bearers, and the controlling comprises interpreting the indication of the minimum amount of data as a lower bound; and

wherein the indication comprises one or more bearer-specific indications, the indications indicate a maximum amount of data for the master node to send to the secondary node on a specific bearer, the controlling controls data on a specific bearer, and the controlling comprises interpreting the indication of the maximum amount of data as an upper bound.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein both the apparatus and the secondary node perform a downlink radio transmission to the user equipment.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the downlink radio transmission is via one or more bearers to the user equipment.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the one or more bearers comprise split bearers of the user equipment.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 19, 2018
From: NOKIA SOLUTIONS AND NETWORKS OY
To: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
Reel/Frame 047271/0806 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 9, 2017
From: KOSKINEN, HENRI MARKUS; CHIBA, TSUNEHIKO
To: NOKIA SOLUTIONS AND NETWORKS OY
Reel/Frame 042659/0094 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62055790 · Sep 26, 2014
Related Publication 20170311200A1 · Oct 26, 2017