Release Message In Small Data Transmission Procedure
Patent No. US12144057 (titled "Release Message In Small Data Transmission Procedure") was filed by Peninsula Technologies Llc on Jan 30, 2023.
What is this patent about?
’057 is related to the field of wireless communication, specifically addressing the efficient handling of small data transmissions (SDT) in cellular networks. In modern cellular systems, devices often transmit small amounts of data sporadically. Existing procedures for establishing and releasing connections for each small transmission can be inefficient, leading to increased latency and signaling overhead. The patent aims to improve the handling of these SDTs, particularly when a device moves between base stations.
The underlying idea behind ’057 is to allow a serving base station to maintain the device's context even when handing off the actual data transmission to another base station. This avoids the need for a full connection re-establishment for each small data burst. The key insight is that the original base station, which still holds the device's context, can coordinate the SDT through the new base station and then release the connection only after the SDT procedure is complete.
The claims of ’057 focus on a first base station receiving a request from a second base station for a wireless device's SDT procedure. The first base station then informs the second base station that it will retain the device's context. The first base station then receives uplink data from the wireless device via the second base station. Finally, after the SDT procedure is completed, the first base station sends a radio resource control (RRC) release message to the second base station.
In practice, this means that when a wireless device moves from the coverage area of a first base station to a second base station during an SDT, the second base station handles the actual data transfer, while the first base station retains the device's configuration and security information. The second base station sends the uplink data to the first base station, which then forwards it to the core network. The first base station, upon determining that the SDT is complete, then signals the second base station to release the connection.
This approach differs from prior solutions where a full handover, including context transfer, would be required for even a small data transmission. By keeping the context at the original base station and only transferring the data flow, ’057 reduces signaling overhead and latency. The delayed RRC release ensures that the connection is maintained throughout the SDT procedure, preventing interruptions and improving overall efficiency, especially for IoT devices and other applications characterized by sporadic, small data transmissions.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2020s when ’057 was filed, wireless communication systems commonly relied on established protocols for managing data transmission between base stations and wireless devices. At a time when efficient resource allocation was crucial, techniques for optimizing data transfer, especially for small data transmissions, were actively being explored. Systems commonly relied on established radio resource control (RRC) states to manage the connection status of wireless devices, and hardware or software constraints made it non-trivial to efficiently handle devices transitioning between active and inactive states.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because the applicant presented a unique combination of features in the independent claims (1, 9, and 17) related to small data transmission (SDT) procedures. Specifically, the invention involves a first base station receiving a request message from a second base station indicating an SDT procedure for a wireless device in an RRC inactive or idle state, the first base station sending an indication that it keeps the context of the wireless device, receiving uplink data via the second base station, and sending an RRC release message upon completion of the SDT procedure. The examiner determined that this combination of steps was not found in the cited prior art references, either individually or in combination.
Claims
This patent contains 20 claims, with independent claims 1, 9, and 17. The independent claims are generally directed to methods and a system involving a first base station and a second base station managing small data transmissions for a wireless device in an RRC inactive or idle state. The dependent claims generally elaborate on the details of the methods and system described in the independent claims, focusing on aspects such as assistance information and determining completion of the small data transmission procedure.
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Date
Description
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US12144057
- Application Number
- US18103393
- Filing Date
- Jan 30, 2023
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Sep 23, 2041
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents