U.S. patent application number 15/394418 was filed with the patent office on 2018-07-05 for selecting data anchor point based on subscriber mobility.
This patent application is currently assigned to T-Mobile USA, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is T-Mobile USA, Inc.. Invention is credited to Cameron Byrne.
Application Number | 20180192361 15/394418 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62683677 |
Filed Date | 2018-07-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180192361 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Byrne; Cameron |
July 5, 2018 |
SELECTING DATA ANCHOR POINT BASED ON SUBSCRIBER MOBILITY
Abstract
The techniques described herein provide a solution for selecting
either one of a distributed network architecture or a centralized
network architecture to provide network access to a user.
Historical mobility data and contextual mobility data of the user
is collected and analyzed to generate a mobility score. The
mobility score will be used as a basis to determine whether a
distributed network architecture or a centralized network
architecture be used for the user to access an external packet data
network.
Inventors: |
Byrne; Cameron; (Seattle,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
T-Mobile USA, Inc. |
Bellevue |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
T-Mobile USA, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
62683677 |
Appl. No.: |
15/394418 |
Filed: |
December 29, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 8/18 20130101; H04W
48/17 20130101; H04W 88/16 20130101; H04W 4/029 20180201; H04W
64/003 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 48/18 20060101
H04W048/18; H04W 8/18 20060101 H04W008/18; H04W 4/02 20060101
H04W004/02 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented system for providing network access to a
subscriber, the system comprising: one or more processors; and a
non-transitory computer readable storage medium communicatively
coupled with the one or more processors, the non-transitory
computer readable medium having computer executable instructions
stored therein, which when executed, cause the computer-implemented
system to: receive a mobility score of the subscriber; determine
whether to provide network access to the subscriber using one of a
local data anchor gateway or a global data anchor gateway based on
the mobility score of the subscriber; cause network access to be
provided to the subscriber using the determined one of the local
data anchor gateway or the global data anchor gateway; and based on
a rule, determine that network access for the subscriber should be
switched from the determined one of the local data anchor gateway
or the global data anchor gateway to another data anchor gateway,
wherein the rule provides that local data anchor gateways have
priority over the global data anchor gateway when an initially
determined data anchor gateway is a local data anchor gateway.
2. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the computer
executable instructions, when executed, further cause the
computer-implemented system to: determine that network access is to
be provided to the subscriber using the local data anchor gateway
if the mobility score of the subscriber is lower than a threshold;
and determine that network access is to be provided to the
subscriber using the global data anchor gateway if the mobility
score of the subscriber is higher than the threshold.
3. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the mobility
score includes at least one of a mobility propensity score and a
mobility sensitivity score.
4. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the mobility
score is determined based on at least one of historical mobility
information and contextual mobility information of the
subscriber.
5. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the
subscriber includes at least one of a user, a subscribed user
equipment, or a user account.
6. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the computer
executable instructions, when executed, further cause the
computer-implemented system to switch a network access point of the
subscriber from a first local data anchor gateway to a second local
data anchor gateway based on a mobility event of the
subscriber.
7. The computer-implemented system of claim 6, wherein the computer
executable instructions, when executed, further cause the
computer-implemented system to detect that a serving gateway
assigned to the subscriber is associated with a cell site of the
second data anchor local gateway.
8. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the local
data anchor gateway includes a packet data network gateway
associated with a cell site where the subscriber is located.
9. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the local
data anchor gateway is associated with one or more cell sites which
at least partially overlap with and cover a local area smaller than
a global area associated with the global data anchor gateway.
10. A computer-implemented method for providing network access to a
subscriber, comprising: receiving a mobility score of the
subscriber; determining whether to provide network access to the
subscriber using one of a local data anchor gateway or a global
data anchor gateway based on the mobility score of the subscriber;
and causing network access to be provided to the subscriber using
the determined one of the local data anchor gateway or the global
data anchor gateway; and based on a rule, determining that network
access for the subscriber should be switched from the determined
one of the local data anchor gateway or the global data anchor
gateway to another data anchor gateway, wherein the rule provides
that local data anchor gateways have priority over the global data
anchor gateway when an initially determined data anchor gateway is
a local data anchor gateway.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the
determining includes: determining that network access is to be
provided to the subscriber using the local data anchor gateway if
the mobility score of the subscriber is lower than a threshold; and
determining that network access is to be provided to the subscriber
using the global data anchor gateway if the mobility score of the
subscriber is higher than the threshold.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising
adjusting the threshold based on monitoring an operation of at
least one of the local data anchor gateway and the global data
anchor gateway.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising
applying a rule in the adjusting of the threshold.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the
mobility score includes at least one of a mobility propensity score
and a mobility sensitivity score.
15. The computer-implemented system of claim 10, wherein the
mobility score is determined based on at least one of historical
mobility information and contextual mobility information of the
subscriber.
16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the local
data anchor gateway is associated with one or more cell sites which
at least partially overlap with and cover a local area smaller than
a global area associated with the global data anchor gateway.
17. A server for supporting an evolved packet core (EPC) under 3GPP
core network architecture, comprising: one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium communicatively
coupled with the one or more processors, the non-transitory
computer readable medium having computer executable instructions
stored therein, which when executed, causes the one or processors
to: collect mobility information of a subscriber; process the
collected mobility data to generate a mobility score of the
subscriber; determine whether to provide network access to the
subscriber using one of a local data anchor gateway or a global
data anchor gateway based on the mobility score of the subscriber;
provide network access to the subscriber using the determined one
of the local data anchor gateway or the global data anchor gateway;
and based on a rule, determine that network access for the
subscriber should be switched from the determined one of the local
data anchor gateway or the global data anchor gateway to another
data anchor gateway, wherein the rule provides that local data
anchor gateways have priority over the global data anchor gateway
when an initially determined data anchor gateway is a local data
anchor gateway.
18. The server of claim 17, wherein the computer executable
instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
determine that network access is to be provided to the subscriber
using the local data anchor gateway if the mobility score of the
subscriber is lower than a threshold; and determine that network
access is to be provided to the subscriber using the global data
anchor gateway if the mobility score of the subscriber is higher
than the threshold.
19. The server of claim 17, wherein the computer executable
instructions for causing the one or more processors to collect the
mobility information include computer executable instructions that,
when executed, cause the one or more processors to collect at least
one of historical mobility information and contextual mobility
information of the subscriber.
20. The server of claim 17, wherein the computer executable
instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to
switch a network access point of the subscriber from a first local
data anchor gateway to a second local data anchor gateway based on
a mobility event of the subscriber.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Under the LTE (long term evolution) telecommunications
standard, Internet Protocol (IP) is the key protocol to transport
all services and LTE supports only packet switching with its all-IP
(Internet Protocol) network. In an LTE (or LTE Advanced) system,
the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is the latest evolution of the 3GPP
core network architecture.
[0002] The EPC includes four network elements: Serving Gateway
("SGW"), Packet Data Network Gateway ("PDN GW" or "PGW"), Mobility
Management Entity (MME) and Home Subscriber Server (HSS). In an
Evolved Packet System (EPS) under LTE, a user equipment (UE) is
connected to the EPC over E-UTRAN (LTE access network) which
includes Evolved NodeB ("eNodeB"/"eNB") as the base station for LTE
radio signal. The eNodeBs provide E-UTRA user plane
(PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations
toward a user equipment (UE). The eNodeBs are interconnected with
each other. A user equipment is connected to the EPC through
eNodeBs, and is then connected to external networks through the
EPC. Specifically, a UE is connected to an eNodeB(s), eNodeBs are
connected to both the MME and the SGW of the EPC, the SGW is
logically connected to the PGW, and the PGW is connected to
external packet data networks. MME is the key control node in EPC
and controls, among others, the selection of PGW(s) for a UE to
access external packet data networks. HSS is basically a database
that contains user-related and/or subscriber-related information,
which may provide support functions in, e.g., mobility
management.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] To describe technical solutions in the embodiments of the
present disclosure more clearly, the accompanying drawings are
briefly described herein. The accompanying drawings described
herein merely represent some examples of the present disclosure,
and one of ordinary skill in the art may further derive other
drawings from these accompanying drawings without making any
creative effort. The use of the same reference numbers in different
figures indicates similar or identical items.
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates an example Evolved Packet System.
[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates an example system for selecting data
anchor points based on subscriber mobility.
[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates an example operation environment of the
example system of FIG. 2.
[0007] FIG. 4 illustrates an example operation process for
selecting data anchor points based on subscriber mobility.
[0008] FIG. 5 illustrates an example computer architecture diagram
illustrating an illustrative computer hardware and software
architecture for a computing system capable of implementing aspects
of the techniques and technologies presented herein.
[0009] FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram illustrating an example
distributed computing environment capable of implementing aspects
of the techniques and technologies presented herein.
[0010] FIG. 7 illustrates a computer architecture diagram
illustrating an example computing device architecture for a
computing device capable of implementing aspects of the techniques
and technologies presented herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The disclosure provides a solution to providing network
access to a subscriber through efficiently selecting a data anchor
point based on a mobility score of a subscriber. In the following
detailed description, references are made to the accompanying
drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of
illustration specific configurations or examples, in which like
numerals represent like elements throughout the several
figures.
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an example Evolved Packet System 100
including an example subscriber(s) (illustrated as under equipment
"UE") 105, an example radio access network(s) 110 illustrated as an
example E-UTRAN access network(s), an example Evolved Packet
Core(s) (EPC) 120, an example target server(s) 140 and an example
external packet data network(s) 142. Radio access network(s) 110
includes multiple base stations 112 illustrated as example eNodeBs,
each covering one or more local area referred to as "cell site"
114. Cell sites 114 of different eNodeBs 112 may overlap. EPC 120
may include both a distributed/decentralized mobile network
architecture and a centralized mobile network architecture for data
anchoring. For distributed data anchoring architecture, EPC 120 may
include multiple local data anchor points/gateways 122 illustrated
as example local PDN GW. Each local data anchor gateway 122 is
associated to one or more, but not all, base station(s) 112 of a
global area/region 116 and the corresponding cell site(s) 114. For
centralized anchoring architecture, EPC 120 includes global data
anchor point/gateway 124 illustrated as global PDN GW 124. Global
data anchor gateway 124 is associated with all base stations 112
and the corresponding cell site 114 of global area/region 116.
Local cell sites 114 may be fully enclosed within global area 116
or may be partially enclosed within global area 116. For the
purpose of selecting data anchor points between global data anchor
gateway 124 and local data anchor gateway 122, the local cell sites
114 of relevant local data anchor gateways 122 at least partially
overlap with and cover a local area smaller than a global area 116
associated to global data anchor gateway 124.
[0013] Each local data anchor gateway 122 and global data anchor
gateway 124 is associated with a corresponding example serving
gateway 126. It should be appreciated that although FIG. 1 shows as
an illustrative example that a data anchor gateway 122/124 is
associated one-to-one to a serving gateway 126, this architecture
is not necessary. It is possible that a serving gateway 126 does
not collocate with data anchor gateway 122/124 and/or is associated
with multiple data anchor gateways 122/124. It is also possible
that EPC 120 includes no separate serving gateway 126, the function
of which being incorporated into data anchor gateway 122/124 and/or
other elements of EPC 120. All such possibilities are included in
the disclosure and should not limit the disclosure. Local data
anchor gateway 122 and/or global data anchor gateway 124 may server
as the interconnection point/network access point to connect to
target server(s) 140 through external packet data network(s)
142.
[0014] A subscriber 105 may include any unit of subscription
defined by a service provider, e.g., a telecommunication carrier
company. In an example, subscriber 105 may include at least one of
a user, a subscribed user equipment, or a user account registered
with a service provider. In an example, a subscriber 105 may be a
basic item that a server provider or a third party data service
collects and maintains data for. For example, in the case
subscriber 105 is a user equipment, a service provider may collect
usage data and other data including historical mobility data and/or
contextual mobility data of the user equipment.
[0015] EPC 120 also includes one or more MME 128 and one or more
HSS 130.
[0016] In the disclosure herein, example Evolved Packet System 100
is used as an illustrative example to facilitate the description of
providing network access to a subscriber 105 through efficiently
selecting a data anchor point based on a mobility score of the
subscriber 105. The specific architecture and/or
components/units/elements of example Evolved Packet System 100
shall not limit the scope of the disclosure. For example, radio
access network 110 may also support GERAN (radio access network of
GSM/GPRS) and UTRAN (radio access network of UMTS-based
technologies WCDMA and HSPA) and non-3GPP accesses.
1. Example Systems and Environments
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a system diagram showing aspects of one
illustrative example system disclosed herein for providing network
access to a subscriber through selecting a data anchor point based
on a mobility score of the subscriber. As shown in FIG. 2, a data
anchor gateway selection system 200 (hereinafter "system 200") may
include a data anchor gateway selection module 210 and a subscriber
profile module 240. Data anchor gateway selection module 210 may
further include a subscriber mobility score receiving unit 212, a
gateway selection unit 214, a local data anchor gateway
selection/switching unit 222, a user interface 224 and other
components. Data anchor gateway selection unit 214 may further
include a propensity score analyzing unit 216, a sensitivity score
analyzing unit 218 and a threshold adjusting unit 220. Subscriber
profile module 240 may include a data collection unit 242, a
historical mobility data analyzing unit 244, a contextual mobility
data analyzing unit 246 and an integrating unit 248.
[0018] Data anchor gateway selection module 210 and subscriber
profile module 240 and the units thereof may reside in a single
computing system or may communicate to one another through network
260. Further, data anchor gateway selection module 210 and
subscriber profile module 240 and any of the units thereof may
reside within EPC 120 or may reside in a separate server (not shown
in FIG. 2) and communicatively coupled to EPC 120. In an example,
data anchor gateway selection module 210 may reside in MME 128
and/or may be communicatively coupled to MME 128. Subscriber
profile module 240 may reside in HSS 130, and/or may be
communicatively coupled to HSS 130. In another example, some or all
units of system 2200 may reside in a user equipment of subscriber
105 as an application portal provided by a service provider, e.g.,
a telecommunications carrier company.
[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates an operation environment 300 of system
200. System 200 is configured to communicate with data anchor
gateways 122/124 of EPC 120 through network 320. Environment 300
may also include a resource 330 which system 200 may take advantage
of in its operations. For example, resource 330 may provide cloud
based data storage for system 200 and/or may provide rules in the
operation of system 200, e.g., the rules used in the operation of a
threshold adjusting unit 220. Subscriber 105 illustrated as a user
equipment may communicate with system 200 and/or EPC 120 via
network 320. It should be appreciated that network 320 may include
different types of networks and all are included in the disclosure.
For example, subscriber 105 may connect to data anchor gateway
122/124 through radio access network 110. Data anchor gateway
selection module 210 may communicate with data anchor gateways
122/124 through S5/S8 data plane interface.
[0020] In operation, data anchor gateway selection module 210 is
configured to determine a data anchor gateway 122 or 124 to provide
access to packet data network 142. In an example, based on a
mobility score of a subscriber 105, data anchor gateway selection
module 210 is configured to select either one of a local data
anchor gateway 122 or a global data anchor gateway 124 for the
subscriber 105 to access packet data network 142. Specifically,
subscriber mobility score receiving unit 212 is configured to
receive a mobility score of a subscriber 105. The mobility score
may include at least one of a mobility propensity score and a
mobility sensitivity score. Mobility propensity score indicates a
likelihood that a subscriber 105 moves across a local cell site 114
during a session of network access. In an example, a mobility event
may be defined as any change of geographic location across the cell
site(s) 114 where a subscriber 105 is initially positioned.
Mobility sensitivity score indicates whether a subscriber's network
access session will be affected by a mobility event, e.g., whether
a switching of local data anchor gateway 122 is required. In an
example, mobility sensitivity score may depend on the type of
network access session a subscriber 105 is engaged with and/or may
depend on the specifics of the mobility event of the subscriber
105. Various factors may be considered to determine whether
switching local data anchor gateway 122 is required in response to
a mobility event of subscriber 105. For example, such factors may
include capacities, loads, geographical proximity of the local data
anchor gateways 122 involved in the mobility event of subscriber
105. The types of application/services launched through packet data
network 142 may also be considered. The mobility propensity score
and the mobility sensitivity score may be maintained as two
separate scores and/or may be integrated together in certain
manners, which are all included in the disclosure.
[0021] Gateway selection unit 214 is configured to select a data
anchor gateway 122/124 based on the received mobility score of
subscriber 105. In an example, gateway selection unit 214
determines using one of a local data anchor gateway 122 or a global
data anchor gateway 124 as the data anchoring point for subscriber
105 to access packet data network 142. This selection is
essentially between a centralized network architecture (i.e., using
global data anchor gateway 124) and a distributed network
architecture (i.e., using a local data anchor gateway 122), both of
which coexist in EPS 100. In an example, the received mobility
score of subscriber 105 is compared with a mobility score
threshold. If the received mobility score is lower than the
mobility score threshold, indicating, e.g., that the subscriber 105
is less likely to move across local cell site 114 and/or the
mobility event is less likely to cause switching local data anchor
gateway 122, gateway selection unit 214 may determine using a local
data anchor gateway 122 to connect subscriber 105 to packet data
network 142. If the received mobility score is higher than the
mobility score threshold, indicating, e.g., that the subscriber 105
is more likely to move across local cell site 114 and/or the
mobility event is more likely to cause switching local data anchor
gateway 122, gateway selection unit 214 may determine using a
global data anchor gateway 124 to connect subscriber 105 to packet
data network 142.
[0022] Propensity score analyzing unit 216 is configured to analyze
a received mobility propensity score of the subscriber 105 to
determine whether the subscriber 105 is likely to move across a
local cell site 114 associated to a local data anchor gateway 122
through a base station 112. Sensitivity score analyzing unit 218 is
configured to analyze a received mobility sensitivity score of the
subscriber 105 to determine whether a mobility event of the
subscriber 105 will likely cause switching of data anchor point
from one local data anchor gateway 122 to another data anchor
gateway 122. There are various approaches to determine an initial
local data anchor gateway 122 for a subscriber 105 and various
approaches to determine switching local data anchor gateways 122,
any and all such approaches may be considered in the operation of
sensitivity score analyzing unit 218, and are included in the
disclosure. In an example, propensity score analyzing unit 216
and/or sensitivity score analyzing unit 218 may apply a
threshold(s) in the operations thereof.
[0023] Threshold adjusting unit 220 is configured to adjust the
mobility score threshold and/or the thresholds used in the
operations of propensity score analyzing unit 216 and sensitivity
score analyzing unit 218. The adjusting may be based on monitoring
the operations of local data anchor gateways 122 and/or global data
anchor gateway(s) 124. For example, the monitoring may provide
information about the load and bandwidth information of local data
anchor gateways 122 and/or global data anchor gateway(s) 124. In an
example, if the monitoring indicates that the relevant local data
anchor gateways 122 are overloaded, threshold adjusting unit 220
may lower the mobility score threshold so that it becomes more
likely that global data anchor gateway 124 be used as the data
anchor point for a subscriber 105 to access packet data network
140. In an example, a rule may be applied in adjusting the
threshold. For example, a rule may provide that a priority is given
to local data anchor gateways 122 over global data anchor gateways
124 in determining threshold adjustment.
[0024] Local data anchor gateway selection/switching unit 222 is
configured to select a specific local data anchor gateway 122 for a
subscriber 105 to access packet data network 142 through the
distributed network. There are various approaches to select a local
data anchor gateway 122 and all are included in the disclosure. For
example, gateway selection unit 214 may select a local data anchor
gateway 122 considering geographical proximity, loads,
capacities/bandwidths, overall routes leading subscriber 105 to
target server 140, etc.
[0025] Local data anchor gateway selection/switching unit 222 is
also configured to switch a network access point of a subscriber
105 from one local data anchor gateway 122 to another local data
anchor gateway 122. In an example, the switching of local data
anchor gateways 122 may be determined based on a mobility event of
the subscriber 105. After a subscriber 105 moves from one cell site
114 to another cell site 114, the original local data anchor
gateway 122 may become less optimal and another local data anchor
gateway 122 may be determined as the optimal one such the network
access point is switched to the new local data anchor gateway 122.
Various parameters/factors may be used in the local data anchor
gateway switching and all are included in the disclosure. In an
example, switching of local data anchor gateway 122 may happen when
local data anchor gateway selection/switching unit 222 detects that
a serving gateway 126 linked to the subscriber 105 is associated to
a cell site 114 of a different local data anchor gateway 122 than
the original local data anchor gateway 122.
[0026] Local data anchor gateway selection/switching unit 222 may
also switch the network access point between global data anchor
gateway 124 and local data anchor gateway 122. All possible ways of
data anchor point switching are included in the disclosure. In an
example, Anchor point switching unit 222 may apply a rule in
deciding the data anchor point switching. The rules may be provided
by resource 330. In an example, a rule may provide that local data
anchor gateways 122 have a priority over global data anchor gateway
124 in determining the to-be-switched-to data anchor gateway if the
original data anchor point in a local data anchor gateway 122.
[0027] Subscriber profile module 240 is configured to generate a
mobility score of a subscriber 105. Specifically, data collection
unit 242 collects mobility related data of a subscriber 105. Any
and all information related to a subscriber's mobility may be
collected and included in the disclosure. In an example, at least
one of historical mobility information and contextual mobility
information of the subscriber may be collected. The historical
mobility data relates to past mobility events of a subscriber 105,
and may be collected by an operator of EPS 100, e.g., MME 128 may
collect location information of a subscriber 105, or may be
provided by resource 330 and/or obtained from a third-party data
provider. Contextual mobility information relates to a context
under which a subscriber 105 conducts a mobility event and/or
accesses packet data network 140. For an illustrative example, if a
subscriber 105 is positioned at a train station, such context
information may indicate that the subscriber 105 is likely to move
across local cell sites 114. Any approaches to collect contextual
mobility information may be used and all are included in the
disclosure. For example, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor
included in a user equipment of a subscriber 105 may be used to
determine a geographic context of the subscriber 105.
[0028] Historical mobility data analyzing unit 244 and contextual
mobility data analyzing units 246 are configured to analyze
historical mobility data and contextual mobility data of a
subscriber 105, respectively, to determine a mobility propensity
score and/or a mobility sensitivity score of the subscriber
105.
[0029] Integrating unit 248 is configured to integrate the mobility
propensity score and the mobility sensitivity score into a mobility
score. Various approaches may be used to integrate the two scores
and all are included in the disclosure. For example, the mobility
propensity score ("P") and mobility sensitivity score ("S") may be
integrated as a combination ("P+S"), a product ("P.times.S"), or
may be maintained as two separate scores contained in a single
piece of data stream.
[0030] In an example, the mobility score may be dynamically
generated and updated and may be obtained specifically for the
moment a subscriber 105 is accessing packet data network 140. For
example, a subscriber 105 may have high mobility score in the
weekday morning time slots when he/she is supposed to commute to
work. The same subscriber 105 may have a relatively low mobility
score during the day when he/she is supposed to stay at workplace
relatively stable. A subscriber 105 may have a high mobility score
when he/she is located at a train station and may have a low
mobility score when he/she is located in a shopping mall. As the
mobility score may be generated dynamically in substantially real
time, high speed communication network may be required for the
collection and transit of mobility related data, e.g., the
contextual mobility data.
2. Example Operation Flows
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 4, which illustrates an example flow
chart of a process 400 of an example operation of system 200. In
example operation 410, subscriber mobility score receiving unit 212
may receive a mobility score and a location information of a
subscriber 105. The mobility score may be received from subscriber
profile module 240. The location information may be received
from/at MME 150. The mobility score may include at least one of a
mobility propensity score and a mobility sensitivity score. The
mobility propensity score and the mobility sensitivity score may be
maintained as two separate scores and/or may be integrated together
in certain manner, which are all included in the disclosure.
[0032] In example operation 420, gateway selection unit 214 may
determine providing network access to subscriber 105 using one of a
local data anchor gateway 122 or a global data anchor gateway 124
based on the mobility score of the subscriber 105. This selection
between global data anchor gateway 124 and a local data anchor
gateway 122 is basically directed to using either a centralized
network architecture or a distributed network architecture, which
coexist in EPS 100. In an example, the received mobility score of
the subscriber 105 is compared with a mobility score threshold. If
the received mobility score is lower than the mobility score
threshold, gateway selection unit 214 may determine using a local
data anchor gateway 122 to connect subscriber 105 to packet data
network 142. If the mobility score of the subscriber 105 is higher
than the mobility score threshold, gateway selection unit 214 may
determine using a global data anchor gateway 124 to connect
subscriber 105 to packet data network 142.
[0033] In the case that the received mobility score includes a
mobility propensity score and/or a mobility sensitivity score,
example operation 420 may include two sub-operations 422 and 424.
In sub-operation 422, propensity score analyzing unit 216 may
analyze the received mobility propensity score of the subscriber
105 to determine whether the subscriber 105 is likely to move
across/beyond a cell site 114 associated to a local data anchor
gateway 122 through a base station 112. In sub-operation 424,
sensitivity score analyzing unit 218 may analyze a received
mobility sensitivity score of the subscriber 105 to determine
whether a mobility event of the subscriber 105 will likely cause
switching of data anchor point from one local data anchor gateway
122 to another local data anchor gateway 122. Sub-operations 422
and 424 may be performed separately or may be performed in a linked
manner. In an example, sub-operation 424 may only be performed if
sub-operation 422 indicates that subscriber 105 is likely to move
across local cell sites 114. Sub-operations 422 and 424 may also
include using thresholds, which may be provided and adjusted by
threshold adjusting unit 220.
[0034] In example operation 430, local data anchor gateway
selection/switching unit 222 may select a specific local data
anchor gateway 122 for a subscriber 105 to access packet data
network 142. There are various approaches to select a local data
anchor gateway 122 and all are included in the disclosure. For
example, local data anchor gateway selection/switching unit 222 may
select a local data anchor gateway 122 based on geographical
proximity, loads, capacities, overall routes leading subscriber 105
to target server 140, etc. In an example, a local data anchor
gateway 122, e.g., a packet data network gateway (PGW), associated
to a cell site 114 where the subscriber 105 is located may be
selected as the data anchor point.
[0035] In example operation 440, data anchor point selection module
210 cause MME 150 to use the determined one of the local data
anchor gateway 122 or the global data anchor gateway 124 to provide
network access to the subscriber 105.
[0036] In example operation 450, it is determined whether a gateway
switching trigger exists. If such a trigger exists, e.g.,
subscriber 105 moves across local cell site 114 associated to the
current local data anchor gateway 122, the operations return to
example operation 420 to determine a new local data anchor gateway
122 to switch the data anchor point.
[0037] It should be appreciated that the operations of the methods
disclosed herein are not necessarily presented in any particular
order and that performance of some or all of the operations in an
alternative order(s) is possible and is contemplated. The
operations have been presented in the demonstrated order for ease
of description and illustration. Operations may be added, omitted,
and/or performed simultaneously, without departing from the scope
of the appended claims.
[0038] It also should be appreciated that the illustrated methods
can be ended at any time and need not be performed in its entirety.
Some or all operations of the methods, and/or substantially
equivalent operations, can be performed by execution of
computer-readable instructions included on a computer-storage
media, as defined below. The term "computer-readable instructions,"
and variants thereof, as used in the description and claims, is
used expansively herein to include routines, applications,
application modules, program modules, programs, components, data
structures, algorithms, and the like. Computer-readable
instructions can be implemented on various system configurations,
including single-processor or multiprocessor systems,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, personal computers, hand-held
computing devices, microprocessor-based, programmable consumer
electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.
[0039] Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations
described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer
implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system
and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit
modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter
of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of
the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described
herein are referred to variously as states, operations, structural
devices, acts, or modules. These operations, structural devices,
acts, and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in
special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof.
[0040] As described herein, in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3, the
operations of example process 400 are described herein as being
implemented, at least in part, by an application, component, and/or
circuit. Although the described illustration refers to the
components of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, it can be appreciated that the
operations of the process 400 may be also implemented in many other
ways. For example, process 400 may be implemented, at least in
part, by computer processor or processor of separate computers. In
addition, one or more of the operations of the processes 400 may
alternatively or additionally be implemented, at least in part, by
a computer working alone or in conjunction with other software
modules, such as a server module.
3. Example System Components
[0041] A computing device where any one or more of the units of
system 200 of FIG. 2 are located may be in the form of a personal
computer, a wearable computing device, a mobile phone, or any other
device having components for processing and communicating data. For
example, a computing device may be a tablet having one or more
user-machine interface such as a display interface and/or an input
device. A display interface may include a monitor, a projection
surface, a touch screen, and/or any other interface device capable
of displaying. In addition, an input device may include a camera, a
microphone, a keyboard or any other input device, capable of
inputting data to the computing device.
[0042] The computing device may also include a local memory that is
capable of storing, communicating, and processing input data,
output data, and other data. The local memory may also include a
program module configured to manage techniques described herein
including the one or more of the units of system 200 of FIG. 2.
[0043] FIG. 5 shows additional details of an example computer
architecture 500 for a computer, on which one or more of the units
of system 200 of FIG. 2 may be located, and which is capable of
executing the program components including the units of system 200
described herein. Thus, the computer architecture 500 illustrated
in FIG. 5 illustrates an architecture for a server computer, mobile
phone, a PDA, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a netbook
computer, a tablet computer, and/or a laptop computer. The computer
architecture 500 may be utilized to execute any aspects of the
software components presented herein.
[0044] The computer architecture 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 includes
a central processing unit 502 ("CPU"), a system memory 504,
including a random access memory 506 ("RAM") and a read-only memory
("ROM") 508, and a system bus 510 that couples the memory 504 to
the CPU 502. A basic input/output system containing the basic
routines that help to transfer information between elements within
the computer architecture 500, such as during startup, is stored in
the ROM 508. The computer architecture 500 further includes a mass
storage device 512 for storing an operating system 507, data, such
as the output data 509, and one or more application programs.
[0045] The mass storage device 512 is connected to the CPU 502
through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus
510. The mass storage device 512 and its associated
computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the
computer architecture 500. Although the description of
computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage
device, such as a solid state drive, a hard disk or CD-ROM drive,
it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
computer-readable media can be any available computer storage media
or communication media that can be accessed by the computer
architecture 500.
[0046] Communication media includes computer readable instructions,
data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data
signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and
includes any delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means
a signal that has one or more of its characteristics changed or set
in a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of
example, and without limitation, communication media includes wired
media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and
wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless
media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included
within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0047] By way of example, and not limitation, computer storage
media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and
non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data
structures, program modules or other data. For example, computer
media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM,
flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM,
digital versatile disks ("DVD"), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other optical
storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage
or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be
used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by
the computer architecture 500. For purposes the claims, the phrase
"computer storage medium," "computer-readable storage medium" and
variations thereof, does not include waves, signals, and/or other
transitory and/or intangible communication media, per se.
[0048] According to various configurations, the computer
architecture 500 may operate in a networked environment using
logical connections to remote computers through the network 756
and/or another network (not shown). The computer architecture 500
may connect to the network 756 through a network interface unit 514
connected to the bus 510. It should be appreciated that the network
interface unit 514 also may be utilized to connect to other types
of networks and remote computer systems. The computer architecture
500 also may include an input/output controller 516 for receiving
and processing input from a number of other devices, including a
keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus (not shown in FIG. 5).
Similarly, the input/output controller 516 may provide output to a
display screen, a printer, or other type of output device (also not
shown in FIG. 5).
[0049] It should be appreciated that the software components of
system 200 described herein may, when loaded into the CPU 502 and
executed, transform the CPU 502 and the overall computer
architecture 500 from a general-purpose computing system into a
special-purpose computing system customized to facilitate the
functionality presented herein. The CPU 502 may be constructed from
any number of transistors or other discrete circuit elements, which
may individually or collectively assume any number of states. More
specifically, the CPU 502 may operate as a finite-state machine, in
response to executable instructions contained within the software
modules disclosed herein. These computer-executable instructions
may transform the CPU 502 by specifying how the CPU 502 transitions
between states, thereby transforming the transistors or other
discrete hardware elements constituting the CPU 502.
[0050] Encoding the software modules presented herein also may
transform the physical structure of the computer-readable media
presented herein. The specific transformation of physical structure
may depend on various factors, in different implementations of this
description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not
limited to, the technology used to implement the computer-readable
media, whether the computer-readable media is characterized as
primary or secondary storage, and the like. For example, if the
computer-readable media is implemented as semiconductor-based
memory, the software disclosed herein may be encoded on the
computer-readable media by transforming the physical state of the
semiconductor memory. For example, the software may transform the
state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit
elements constituting the semiconductor memory. The software also
may transform the physical state of such components in order to
store data thereupon.
[0051] As another example, the computer-readable media disclosed
herein may be implemented using magnetic or optical technology. In
such implementations, the software presented herein may transform
the physical state of magnetic or optical media, when the software
is encoded therein. These transformations may include altering the
magnetic characteristics of particular locations within given
magnetic media. These transformations also may include altering the
physical features or characteristics of particular locations within
given optical media, to change the optical characteristics of those
locations. Other transformations of physical media are possible
without departing from the scope and spirit of the present
description, with the foregoing examples provided only to
facilitate this discussion.
[0052] In light of the above, it should be appreciated that many
types of physical transformations take place in the computer
architecture 500 in order to store and execute the software
components presented herein. It also should be appreciated that the
computer architecture 500 may include other types of computing
devices, including hand-held computers, embedded computer systems,
personal digital assistants, and other types of computing devices
known to those skilled in the art. It is also contemplated that the
computer architecture 500 may not include all of the components
shown in FIG. 5, may include other components that are not
explicitly shown in FIG. 5, or may utilize an architecture
completely different than that shown in FIG. 5.
[0053] FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative distributed computing
environment 600 capable of executing the software components of
system 200 described herein for selecting a data anchor point for a
subscriber to access external packet data network. Thus, the
distributed computing environment 600 illustrated in FIG. 6 can be
utilized to execute any aspects of the software components
presented herein. For example, the distributed computing
environment 600 can be utilized to execute aspects of the web
browser 510, the system 200 and/or any units thereof and/or other
software components described herein.
[0054] According to various implementations, the distributed
computing environment 600 includes a computing environment 602
operating on, in communication with, or as part of the network 604.
The network 604 may be or may include the network 756, described
above with reference to FIG. 5. The network 604 also can include
various access networks. One or more client devices 606A-606N
(hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as
"clients 606") can communicate with the computing environment 602
via the network 604 and/or other connections (not illustrated in
FIG. 6). In one illustrated configuration, the client devices 606
include a computing device 606A such as a laptop computer, a
desktop computer, or other computing device; a slate or tablet
computing device ("tablet computing device") 606B; a mobile
computing device 606C such as a mobile telephone, a smart phone, or
other mobile computing device; a server computer 606D; and/or other
devices 606N. It should be understood that any number of clients
606 can communicate with the computing environment 602. Two example
computing architectures for the client devices 606 are illustrated
and described herein with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7. It should be
understood that the illustrated clients 606 and computing
architectures illustrated and described herein are illustrative,
and should not be construed as being limited in any way.
[0055] In the illustrated configuration, the computing environment
602 includes application servers 608, data storage 610, and one or
more network interfaces 612. According to various implementations,
the functionality of the application servers 608 can be provided by
one or more server computers that are executing as part of, or in
communication with, the network 604. The application servers 608
can host various services, virtual machines, portals, and/or other
resources. In the illustrated configuration, the application
servers 608 host one or more virtual machines 614 for hosting
applications or other functionality. According to various
implementations, the virtual machines 614 host one or more
applications and/or software modules for providing intelligent
configuration of data visualizations. It should be understood that
this configuration is illustrative, and should not be construed as
being limiting in any way. The application servers 608 also host or
provide access to one or more portals, link pages, Web sites,
and/or other information ("Web portals") 616.
[0056] According to various implementations, the application
servers 608 also include one or more mailbox services 618 and one
or more messaging services 620. The mailbox services 618 can
include electronic mail ("email") services. The mailbox services
618 also can include various personal information management
("PIM") services including, but not limited to, calendar services,
contact management services, collaboration services, and/or other
services. The messaging services 620 can include, but are not
limited to, instant messaging services, chat services, forum
services, and/or other communication services.
[0057] The application servers 608 also may include one or more
social networking services 622. The social networking services 622
can include various social networking services including, but not
limited to, services for sharing or posting status updates, instant
messages, links, photos, videos, and/or other information; services
for commenting or displaying interest in articles, products, blogs,
or other resources; and/or other services.
[0058] The social networking services 622 also can include
commenting, blogging, and/or micro blogging services. For instance,
a social networking application, mail client, messaging client or a
browser running on a phone or any other client 606 may communicate
with a networking service 622 and facilitate the functionality,
even in part, described above with respect to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.
[0059] As shown in FIG. 6, the application servers 608 also can
host other services, applications, portals, and/or other resources
("other resources") 624. The other resources 624 can include, but
are not limited to, document sharing, rendering or any other
functionality. It thus can be appreciated that the computing
environment 602 can provide integration of the concepts and
technologies disclosed herein provided herein with various mailbox,
messaging, social networking, and/or other services or
resources.
[0060] As mentioned above, the computing environment 602 can
include the data storage 610. According to various implementations,
the functionality of the data storage 610 is provided by one or
more databases operating on, or in communication with, the network
604. The functionality of the data storage 610 also can be provided
by one or more server computers configured to host data for the
computing environment 602. The data storage 610 can include, host,
or provide one or more real or virtual datastores 626A-626N
(hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as
"datastores 626"). The datastores 626 are configured to host data
used or created by the application servers 608 and/or other data.
Although not illustrated in FIG. 6, the datastores 626 also can
host or store web page documents, word documents, presentation
documents, data structures, algorithms for execution by a
recommendation engine, and/or other data utilized by any
application program or another module, such as the content manager
105. Aspects of the datastores 626 may be associated with a service
for storing files.
[0061] The computing environment 602 can communicate with, or be
accessed by, the network interfaces 612. The network interfaces 612
can include various types of network hardware and software for
supporting communications between two or more computing devices
including, but not limited to, the clients 606 and the application
servers 608. It should be appreciated that the network interfaces
612 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks
and/or computer systems.
[0062] It should be understood that the distributed computing
environment 600 described herein can provide any aspects of the
software elements described herein with any number of virtual
computing resources and/or other distributed computing
functionality that can be configured to execute any aspects of the
software components disclosed herein. According to various
implementations of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein,
the distributed computing environment 600 provides the software
functionality described herein as a service to the clients 606. It
should be understood that the clients 606 can include real or
virtual machines including, but not limited to, server computers,
web servers, personal computers, mobile computing devices, smart
phones, and/or other devices. As such, various configurations of
the concepts and technologies disclosed herein enable any device
configured to access the distributed computing environment 600 to
utilize the functionality described herein for providing
intelligent configuration of data visualizations, among other
aspects. In one specific example, as summarized above, techniques
described herein may be implemented, at least in part, by the web
browser application 510 of FIG. 5, which works in conjunction with
the application servers 608 of FIG. 6.
[0063] Turning now to FIG. 7, an illustrative computing device
architecture 700 for a computing device that is capable of
executing various software components described herein for
providing system 200. The computing device architecture 700 is
applicable to computing devices that facilitate mobile computing
due, in part, to form factor, wireless connectivity, and/or
battery-powered operation. In example configurations, the computing
devices include, but are not limited to, mobile telephones, tablet
devices, slate devices, portable video game devices, and the like.
The computing device architecture 700 is applicable to any of the
client devices 606 shown in FIG. 6. Moreover, aspects of the
computing device architecture 700 may be applicable to traditional
desktop computers, portable computers (e.g., laptops, notebooks,
ultra-portables, and netbooks), server computers, and other
computer systems, such as described herein with reference to FIG.
5. For example, the single touch and multi-touch aspects disclosed
herein below may be applied to desktop computers that utilize a
touchscreen or some other touch-enabled device, such as a
touch-enabled track pad or touch-enabled mouse.
[0064] The computing device architecture 700 illustrated in FIG. 7
includes a processor 702, memory components 704, network
connectivity components 706, sensor components 708, input/output
components 710, and power components 712. In the illustrated
configuration, the processor 702 is in communication with the
memory components 704, the network connectivity components 706, the
sensor components 708, the input/output ("I/O") components 710, and
the power components 712. Although no connections are shown between
the individual components illustrated in FIG. 7, the components can
interact to carry out device functions. In some configurations, the
components are arranged so as to communicate via one or more busses
(not shown).
[0065] The processor 702 includes a central processing unit ("CPU")
configured to process data, execute computer-executable
instructions of one or more application programs, and communicate
with other components of the computing device architecture 700 in
order to perform various functionality described herein. The
processor 702 may be utilized to execute aspects of the software
components presented herein and, particularly, those that utilize,
at least in part, a touch-enabled input.
[0066] In example configurations, the processor 702 includes a
graphics processing unit ("GPU") configured to accelerate
operations performed by the CPU, including, but not limited to,
operations performed by executing general-purpose scientific and/or
engineering computing applications, as well as graphics-intensive
computing applications such as high resolution video (e.g., 720P,
1080P, and higher resolution), video games, three-dimensional
("3D") modeling applications, and the like. In some configurations,
the processor 702 is configured to communicate with a discrete GPU
(not shown). In any case, the CPU and GPU may be configured in
accordance with a co-processing CPU/GPU computing model, wherein
the sequential part of an application executes on the CPU and the
computationally-intensive part is accelerated by the GPU.
[0067] In example configurations, the processor 702 is, or is
included in, a system-on-chip ("SoC") along with one or more of the
other components described herein below. For example, the SoC may
include the processor 702, a GPU, one or more of the network
connectivity components 706, and one or more of the sensor
components 708. In some configurations, the processor 702 is
fabricated, in part, utilizing a package-on-package ("PoP")
integrated circuit packaging technique. The processor 702 may be a
single core or multi-core processor.
[0068] The processor 702 may be created in accordance with an ARM
architecture, available for license from ARM HOLDINGS of Cambridge,
United Kingdom. Alternatively, the processor 702 may be created in
accordance with an x86 architecture, such as is available from
INTEL CORPORATION of Mountain View, Calif. and others.
[0069] The memory components 704 include a random access memory
("RAM") 714, a read-only memory ("ROM") 716, an integrated storage
memory ("integrated storage") 718, and a removable storage memory
("removable storage") 720. In some configurations, the RAM 714 or a
portion thereof, the ROM 716 or a portion thereof, and/or some
combination the RAM 714 and the ROM 716 is integrated in the
processor 702. In some configurations, the ROM 716 is configured to
store a firmware, an operating system or a portion thereof (e.g.,
operating system kernel), and/or a bootloader to load an operating
system kernel from the integrated storage 718 and/or the removable
storage 720.
[0070] The integrated storage 718 can include a solid-state memory,
a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard
disk. The integrated storage 718 may be soldered or otherwise
connected to a logic board upon which the processor 702 and other
components described herein also may be connected. As such, the
integrated storage 718 is integrated in the computing device. The
integrated storage 718 is configured to store an operating system
or portions thereof, application programs, data, and other software
components described herein.
[0071] The removable storage 720 can include a solid-state memory,
a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard
disk. In some configurations, the removable storage 720 is provided
in lieu of the integrated storage 718. In other configurations, the
removable storage 720 is provided as additional optional storage.
In some configurations, the removable storage 720 is logically
combined with the integrated storage 718 such that the total
available storage is made available as a total combined storage
capacity. In some configurations, the total combined capacity of
the integrated storage 718 and the removable storage 720 is shown
to a user instead of separate storage capacities for the integrated
storage 718 and the removable storage 720.
[0072] The removable storage 720 is configured to be inserted into
a removable storage memory slot (not shown) or other mechanism by
which the removable storage 720 is inserted and secured to
facilitate a connection over which the removable storage 720 can
communicate with other components of the computing device, such as
the processor 702. The removable storage 720 may be embodied in
various memory card formats including, but not limited to, PC card,
CompactFlash card, memory stick, secure digital ("SD"), miniSD,
microSD, universal integrated circuit card ("UICC") (e.g., a
subscriber identity module ("SIM") or universal SIM ("USIM")), a
proprietary format, or the like.
[0073] It can be understood that one or more of the memory
components 704 can store an operating system. According to various
configurations, the operating system includes, but is not limited
to WINDOWS MOBILE OS from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.,
WINDOWS PHONE OS from Microsoft Corporation, WINDOWS from Microsoft
Corporation, PALM WEBOS from Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto,
Calif., BLACKBERRY OS from Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo,
Ontario, Canada, IOS from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., and
ANDROID OS from Google Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. Other
operating systems are contemplated.
[0074] The network connectivity components 706 include a wireless
wide area network component ("WWAN component") 722, a wireless
local area network component ("WLAN component") 724, and a wireless
personal area network component ("WPAN component") 726. The network
connectivity components 706 facilitate communications to and from
the network 756 or another network, which may be a WWAN, a WLAN, or
a WPAN. Although only the network 756 is illustrated, the network
connectivity components 706 may facilitate simultaneous
communication with multiple networks, including the network 604 of
FIG. 7. For example, the network connectivity components 706 may
facilitate simultaneous communications with multiple networks via
one or more of a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN.
[0075] The network 756 may be or may include a WWAN, such as a
mobile telecommunications network utilizing one or more mobile
telecommunications technologies to provide voice and/or data
services to a computing device utilizing the computing device
architecture 700 via the WWAN component 722. The mobile
telecommunications technologies can include, but are not limited
to, Global System for Mobile communications ("GSM"), Code Division
Multiple Access ("CDMA") ONE, CDMA7000, Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System ("UMTS"), Long Term Evolution ("LTE"),
and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ("WiMAX").
Moreover, the network 756 may utilize various channel access
methods (which may or may not be used by the aforementioned
standards) including, but not limited to, Time Division Multiple
Access ("TDMA"), Frequency Division Multiple Access ("FDMA"), CDMA,
wideband CDMA ("W-CDMA"), Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing ("OFDM"), Space Division Multiple Access ("SDMA"), and
the like. Data communications may be provided using General Packet
Radio Service ("GPRS"), Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution
("EDGE"), the High-Speed Packet Access ("HSPA") protocol family
including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access ("HSDPA"), Enhanced
Uplink ("EUL") or otherwise termed High-Speed Uplink Packet Access
("HSUPA"), Evolved HSPA ("HSPA+"), LTE, and various other current
and future wireless data access standards. The network 756 may be
configured to provide voice and/or data communications with any
combination of the above technologies. The network 756 may be
configured to or adapted to provide voice and/or data
communications in accordance with future generation
technologies.
[0076] In example configurations, the WWAN component 722 is
configured to provide dual-multi-mode connectivity to the network
756. For example, the WWAN component 722 may be configured to
provide connectivity to the network 756, wherein the network 756
provides service via GSM and UMTS technologies, or via some other
combination of technologies. Alternatively, multiple WWAN
components 722 may be utilized to perform such functionality,
and/or provide additional functionality to support other
non-compatible technologies (i.e., incapable of being supported by
a single WWAN component). The WWAN component 722 may facilitate
similar connectivity to multiple networks (e.g., a UMTS network and
an LTE network).
[0077] The network 756 may be a WLAN operating in accordance with
one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
("IEEE") 802.11 standards, such as IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g,
802.11n, and/or future 802.11 standard (referred to herein
collectively as WI-FI). Draft 802.11 standards are also
contemplated. In some configurations, the WLAN is implemented
utilizing one or more wireless WI-FI access points. In some
configurations, one or more of the wireless WI-FI access points are
another computing device with connectivity to a WWAN that are
functioning as a WI-FI hotspot. The WLAN component 724 is
configured to connect to the network 756 via the WI-FI access
points. Such connections may be secured via various encryption
technologies including, but not limited, WI-FI Protected Access
("WPA"), WPA2, Wired Equivalent Privacy ("WEP"), and the like.
[0078] The network 756 may be a WPAN operating in accordance with
Infrared Data Association ("IrDA"), BLUETOOTH, wireless Universal
Serial Bus ("USB"), Z-Wave, ZIGBEE, or some other short-range
wireless technology. In some configurations, the WPAN component 726
is configured to facilitate communications with other devices, such
as peripherals, computers, or other computing devices via the
WPAN.
[0079] The sensor components 708 include a magnetometer 728, an
ambient light sensor 730, a proximity sensor 732, an accelerometer
734, a gyroscope 736, and a Global Positioning System sensor ("GPS
sensor") 738. It is contemplated that other sensors, such as, but
not limited to, compasses, temperature sensors or shock detection
sensors, also may be incorporated in the computing device
architecture 700.
[0080] The magnetometer 728 is configured to measure the strength
and direction of a magnetic field. In some configurations the
magnetometer 728 provides measurements to a compass application
program stored within one of the memory components 704 in order to
provide a user with accurate directions in a frame of reference
including the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west.
Similar measurements may be provided to a navigation application
program that includes a compass component. Other uses of
measurements obtained by the magnetometer 728 are contemplated.
[0081] The ambient light sensor 730 is configured to measure
ambient light. In some configurations, the ambient light sensor 730
provides measurements to an application program stored within one
the memory components 704 in order to automatically adjust the
brightness of a display (described below) to compensate for
low-light and high-light environments. Other uses of measurements
obtained by the ambient light sensor 730 are contemplated.
[0082] The proximity sensor 732 is configured to detect the
presence of an object or thing in proximity to the computing device
without direct contact. In some configurations, the proximity
sensor 732 detects the presence of a user's body (e.g., the user's
face) and provides this information to an application program
stored within one of the memory components 704 that utilizes the
proximity information to enable or disable some functionality of
the computing device. For example, a telephone application program
may automatically disable a touchscreen (described below) in
response to receiving the proximity information so that the user's
face does not inadvertently end a call or enable/disable other
functionality within the telephone application program during the
call. Other uses of proximity as detected by the proximity sensor
732 are contemplated.
[0083] The accelerometer 734 is configured to measure proper
acceleration. In some configurations, output from the accelerometer
734 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to
control some functionality of the application program. For example,
the application program may be a video game in which a character, a
portion thereof, or an object is moved or otherwise manipulated in
response to input received via the accelerometer 734. In some
configurations, output from the accelerometer 734 is provided to an
application program for use in switching between landscape and
portrait modes, calculating coordinate acceleration, or detecting a
fall. Other uses of the accelerometer 734 are contemplated.
[0084] The gyroscope 736 is configured to measure and maintain
orientation. In some configurations, output from the gyroscope 736
is used by an application program as an input mechanism to control
some functionality of the application program. For example, the
gyroscope 736 can be used for accurate recognition of movement
within a 3D environment of a video game application or some other
application. In some configurations, an application program
utilizes output from the gyroscope 736 and the accelerometer 734 to
enhance control of some functionality of the application program.
Other uses of the gyroscope 736 are contemplated.
[0085] The GPS sensor 738 is configured to receive signals from GPS
satellites for use in calculating a location. The location
calculated by the GPS sensor 738 may be used by any application
program that requires or benefits from location information. For
example, the location calculated by the GPS sensor 738 may be used
with a navigation application program to provide directions from
the location to a destination or directions from the destination to
the location. Moreover, the GPS sensor 738 may be used to provide
location information to an external location-based service, such as
E911 service. The GPS sensor 738 may obtain location information
generated via WI-FI, WIMAX, and/or cellular triangulation
techniques utilizing one or more of the network connectivity
components 706 to aid the GPS sensor 738 in obtaining a location
fix. The GPS sensor 738 may also be used in Assisted GPS ("A-GPS")
systems.
[0086] As one should appreciate, one or more of the sensors may be
used in detecting contextual information of a user as described in
FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0087] The I/O components 710 include a display 740, a touchscreen
742, a data I/O interface component ("data I/O") 744, an audio I/O
interface component ("audio I/O") 746, a video I/O interface
component ("video I/O") 748, and a camera 750. In some
configurations, the display 740 and the touchscreen 742 are
combined. In some configurations two or more of the data I/O
component 744, the audio I/O component 746, and the video I/O
component 748 are combined. The I/O components 710 may include
discrete processors configured to support the various interface
described below, or may include processing functionality built-in
to the processor 702.
[0088] The display 740 is an output device configured to present
information in a visual form. In particular, the display 740 may
present graphical user interface ("GUI") elements, text, images,
video, notifications, virtual buttons, virtual keyboards, messaging
data, Internet content, device status, time, date, calendar data,
preferences, map information, location information, and any other
information that is capable of being presented in a visual form. In
some configurations, the display 740 is a liquid crystal display
("LCD") utilizing any active or passive matrix technology and any
backlighting technology (if used). In some configurations, the
display 740 is an organic light emitting diode ("OLED") display.
Other display types are contemplated.
[0089] The touchscreen 742, also referred to herein as a
"touch-enabled screen," is an input device configured to detect the
presence and location of a touch. The touchscreen 742 may be a
resistive touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a surface acoustic
wave touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, an optical imaging
touchscreen, a dispersive signal touchscreen, an acoustic pulse
recognition touchscreen, or may utilize any other touchscreen
technology. In some configurations, the touchscreen 742 is
incorporated on top of the display 740 as a transparent layer to
enable a user to use one or more touches to interact with objects
or other information presented on the display 740. In other
configurations, the touchscreen 742 is a touch pad incorporated on
a surface of the computing device that does not include the display
740. For example, the computing device may have a touchscreen
incorporated on top of the display 740 and a touch pad on a surface
opposite the display 740.
[0090] In example configurations, the touchscreen 742 is a
single-touch touchscreen. In other configurations, the touchscreen
742 is a multi-touch touchscreen. In some configurations, the
touchscreen 742 is configured to detect discrete touches, single
touch gestures, and/or multi-touch gestures. These are collectively
referred to herein as gestures for convenience. Several gestures
will now be described. It should be understood that these gestures
are illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the
appended claims. Moreover, the described gestures, additional
gestures, and/or alternative gestures may be implemented in
software for use with the touchscreen 742. As such, a developer may
create gestures that are specific to a particular application
program.
[0091] In example configurations, the touchscreen 742 supports a
tap gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen 742 once on an
item presented on the display 740. The tap gesture may be used for
various reasons including, but not limited to, opening or launching
whatever the user taps. In some configurations, the touchscreen 742
supports a double tap gesture in which a user taps the touchscreen
742 twice on an item presented on the display 740. The double tap
gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited
to, zooming in or zooming out in stages. In some configurations,
the touchscreen 742 supports a tap and hold gesture in which a user
taps the touchscreen 742 and maintains contact for at least a
pre-defined time. The tap and hold gesture may be used for various
reasons including, but not limited to, opening a context-specific
menu.
[0092] In example configurations, the touchscreen 742 supports a
pan gesture in which a user places a finger on the touchscreen 742
and maintains contact with the touchscreen 742 while moving the
finger on the touchscreen 742. The pan gesture may be used for
various reasons including, but not limited to, moving through
screens, images, or menus at a controlled rate. Multiple finger pan
gestures are also contemplated. In example configurations, the
touchscreen 742 supports a flick gesture in which a user swipes a
finger in the direction the user wants the screen to move. The
flick gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not
limited to, scrolling horizontally or vertically through menus or
pages. In some configurations, the touchscreen 742 supports a pinch
and stretch gesture in which a user makes a pinching motion with
two fingers (e.g., thumb and forefinger) on the touchscreen 742 or
moves the two fingers apart. The pinch and stretch gesture may be
used for various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming
gradually in or out of a website, map, or picture.
[0093] Although the above gestures have been described with
reference to the use one or more fingers for performing the
gestures, other appendages such as toes or objects such as styluses
may be used to interact with the touchscreen 742. As such, the
above gestures should be understood as being illustrative and
should not be construed as being limiting in any way.
[0094] The data I/O interface component 744 is configured to
facilitate input of data to the computing device and output of data
from the computing device. In some configurations, the data I/O
interface component 744 includes a connector configured to provide
wired connectivity between the computing device and a computer
system, for example, for synchronization operation purposes. The
connector may be a proprietary connector or a standardized
connector such as USB, micro-USB, mini-USB, or the like. In some
configurations, the connector is a dock connector for docking the
computing device with another device such as a docking station,
audio device (e.g., a digital music player), or video device.
[0095] The audio I/O interface component 746 is configured to
provide audio input and/or output capabilities to the computing
device. In some configurations, the audio I/O interface component
746 includes a microphone configured to collect audio signals. In
some configurations, the audio I/O interface component 746 includes
a headphone jack configured to provide connectivity for headphones
or other external speakers. In some configurations, the audio I/O
interface component 746 includes a speaker for the output of audio
signals. In some configurations, the audio I/O interface component
746 includes an optical audio cable out.
[0096] The video I/O interface component 748 is configured to
provide video input and/or output capabilities to the computing
device. In some configurations, the video I/O interface component
748 includes a video connector configured to receive video as input
from another device (e.g., a video media player such as a DVD or
BLURAY player) or send video as output to another device (e.g., a
monitor, a television, or some other external display). In some
configurations, the video I/O interface component 748 includes a
High-Definition Multimedia Interface ("HDMI"), mini-HDMI,
micro-HDMI, DisplayPort, or proprietary connector to input/output
video content. In some configurations, the video I/O interface
component 748 or portions thereof is combined with the audio I/O
interface component 746 or portions thereof.
[0097] The camera 750 can be configured to capture still images
and/or video. The camera 750 may utilize a charge coupled device
("CCD") or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor ("CMOS") image
sensor to capture images. In some configurations, the camera 750
includes a flash to aid in taking pictures in low-light
environments. Settings for the camera 750 may be implemented as
hardware or software buttons.
[0098] Although not illustrated, one or more hardware buttons may
also be included in the computing device architecture 700. The
hardware buttons may be used for controlling some operational
aspect of the computing device. The hardware buttons may be
dedicated buttons or multi-use buttons. The hardware buttons may be
mechanical or sensor-based.
[0099] The illustrated power components 712 include one or more
batteries 752, which can be connected to a battery gauge 754. The
batteries 752 may be rechargeable or disposable. Rechargeable
battery types include, but are not limited to, lithium polymer,
lithium ion, nickel cadmium, and nickel metal hydride. Each of the
batteries 752 may be made of one or more cells.
[0100] The battery gauge 754 can be configured to measure battery
parameters such as current, voltage, and temperature. In some
configurations, the battery gauge 754 is configured to measure the
effect of a battery's discharge rate, temperature, age and other
factors to predict remaining life within a certain percentage of
error. In some configurations, the battery gauge 754 provides
measurements to an application program that is configured to
utilize the measurements to present useful power management data to
a user. Power management data may include one or more of a
percentage of battery used, a percentage of battery remaining, a
battery condition, a remaining time, a remaining capacity (e.g., in
watt hours), a current draw, and a voltage.
[0101] The power components 712 may also include a power connector,
which may be combined with one or more of the aforementioned I/O
components 710. The power components 712 may interface with an
external power system or charging equipment via an I/O
component.
[0102] The disclosure presented herein may be considered in view of
the following embodiments.
[0103] Clause 1: A computer-implemented system for providing
network access to a subscriber, the system comprising: one or more
processors; and computer readable storage medium communicatively
coupled with the one or more processors, the computer readable
medium having computer executable instructions stored therein,
which when executed, causes the computer-implemented system to:
receive a mobility score of the subscriber; determine providing
network access to the subscriber using one of a local data anchor
gateway or a global data anchor gateway based on the mobility score
of the subscriber; and cause to provide network access to the
subscriber using the determined one of the local data anchor
gateway or the global data anchor gateway.
[0104] Clause 2: the computer-implemented system of clause 1,
wherein the determining includes: determining providing network
access to the subscriber using the local data anchor gateway if the
mobility score of the subscriber is lower than a threshold; and
determining providing network access to the subscriber using the
global data anchor gateway if the mobility score of the subscriber
is higher than the threshold.
[0105] Clause 3: the computer-implemented system of clause 1,
wherein the mobility score includes at least one of a mobility
propensity score and a mobility sensitivity score.
[0106] Clause 4: the computer-implemented system of clause 1,
wherein the mobility score is determined based on at least one of
historical mobility information and contextual mobility information
of the subscriber.
[0107] Clause 5: the computer-implemented system of clause 1,
wherein the subscriber includes at least one of a user, a
subscribed user equipment, or an user account.
[0108] Clause 6: the computer-implemented system of clause 1,
wherein the computer executable instructions are configured to
further cause the computer-implemented system to switch a network
access point of the subscriber from a first local data anchor
gateway to a second local data anchor gateway based on a mobility
event of the subscriber.
[0109] Clause 7: the computer-implemented system of clause 6,
wherein the switching includes detecting that a serving gateway
assigned to the subscriber is associated to a cell site of the
second data anchor local gateway.
[0110] Clause 8: the computer-implemented system of clause 1,
wherein the local data anchor gateway includes a packet data
network gateway associated to a cell site where the subscriber is
located.
[0111] Clause 9: the computer-implemented system of claim 1,
wherein the local data anchor gateway is associated to one or more
cell sites which at least partially overlap with and cover a local
area smaller than a global area associated to the global data
anchor gateway.
[0112] Clause 10: a computer-implemented method for providing
network access to a subscriber, comprising: receiving a mobility
score of the subscriber; determining providing network access to
the subscriber using one of a local data anchor gateway or a global
data anchor gateway based on the mobility score of the subscriber;
and causing to provide network access to the subscriber using the
determined one of the local data anchor gateway or the global data
anchor gateway.
[0113] Clause 11: the computer-implemented method of clause 10,
wherein the determining includes: determining providing network
access to the subscriber using the local data anchor gateway if the
mobility score of the subscriber is lower than a threshold; and
determining providing network access to the subscriber using the
global data anchor gateway if the mobility score of the subscriber
is higher than the threshold.
[0114] Clause 12: the computer-implemented method of clause 11,
further comprising adjusting the threshold based on monitoring an
operation of at least one of the local data anchor gateway and the
global data anchor gateway.
[0115] Clause 13: the computer-implemented method of claim 12,
further comprising applying a rule in the adjusting the
threshold.
[0116] Clause 14: the computer-implemented method of clause 10,
wherein the mobility score includes at least one of a mobility
propensity score and a mobility sensitivity score.
[0117] Clause 15: the computer-implemented system of clause 10,
wherein the mobility score is determined based on at least one of
historical mobility information and contextual mobility information
of the subscriber.
[0118] Clause 16: the computer-implemented method of clause 10,
wherein the local data anchor gateway is associated to one or more
cell sites which at least partially overlap with and cover a local
area smaller than a global area associated to the global data
anchor gateway.
[0119] Clause 17: a server for supporting an evolved packet core
(EPC) under 3GPP core network architecture, comprising: one or more
processors; and computer readable storage medium communicatively
coupled with the one or more processors, the computer readable
medium having computer executable instructions stored therein,
which when executed, causes the one or processors to collect
mobility information of a subscriber; process the collected
mobility data to generate a mobility score of the subscriber;
determine providing network access to the subscriber using one of a
local data anchor gateway or a global data anchor gateway based on
the mobility score of the subscriber; and provide network access to
the subscriber using the determined one of the local data anchor
gateway or the global data anchor gateway.
[0120] Clause 18: the sever of clause 17, wherein determining
includes: determining providing network access to the subscriber
using the local data anchor gateway if the mobility score of the
subscriber is lower than a threshold; and determining providing
network access to the subscriber using the global data anchor
gateway if the mobility score of the subscriber is higher than the
threshold.
[0121] Clause 19: the sever of clause 17, wherein the collecting
the mobility information includes collecting at least one of
historical mobility information and contextual mobility information
of the subscriber.
[0122] Clause 20: the sever of clause 17, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to switch a network access point
of the subscriber from a first local data anchor gateway to a
second local data anchor gateway based on a mobility event of the
subscriber.
* * * * *