US 11,689,966 B2
5G network having an external multi-path transport protocol proxy node
Yildirim Sahin, Englewood, CO (US); and Curt Wong, Bellevue, WA (US)
Assigned to Charter Communications Operating, LLC, St. Louis, MO (US)
Filed by Charter Communications Operating, LLC, St. Louis, MO (US)
Filed on Oct. 14, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/70,539.
Prior Publication US 2022/0116822 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. H04L 5/00 (2006.01); H04L 67/56 (2022.01); H04L 45/24 (2022.01); H04W 28/08 (2023.01); H04L 61/5007 (2022.01)
CPC H04W 28/0835 (2020.05) [H04L 5/0044 (2013.01); H04L 45/24 (2013.01); H04L 61/5007 (2022.05); H04L 67/56 (2022.05)] 26 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for a 5G network, the system comprising:
a session management function (SMF) node;
a user plane function (UPF) node connected to the SMF node; and
a multi-path transport protocol (MPTP) proxy node, wherein:
the MPTP proxy node is external to the UPF node;
the SMF node is configured to provide address information of the external MPTP proxy node to a user equipment (UE) node of the 5G network;
the SMF node is configured to distribute access traffic steering, switching, and splitting (ATSSS)-related rules to the UE node, to the UPF node via an SMF-UPF interface, and to the external MPTP proxy node either (i) directly, from the SMF node to the external MPTP proxy node via an SMF-proxy interface, or (ii) indirectly, from the SMF node to UPF node via the SMF-UPF interface and then from the UPF node to the MPTP proxy node via a UPF-proxy interface;
at least one of:
the SMF node is configured to distribute the ATSSS-related rules directly to the external MPTP proxy node, and the SMF node is configured to perform an MPTP proxy selection function to select the external MPTP proxy node; and
the SMF node is configured to distribute the ATSSS-related rules indirectly to the external MPTP proxy node, and the UPF node is configured to perform the MPTP proxy selection function to select the external MPTP proxy node;
the external MPTP proxy node is configured to (a) receive, from the UPF node via the UPF-proxy interface, (i) 3GPP uplink data transmitted by the UE node via a 3GPP radio access network (RAN) and (ii) non-3GPP uplink data transmitted by the UE node via a non-3GPP access network, (b) combine the 3GPP and non-3GPP uplink data to form network uplink data, and (c) provide the network uplink data to a data network; and
the external MPTP proxy node is configured to (a) receive network downlink data either (i) directly, from the data network via a network-proxy interface, or (ii) indirectly, from the data network to the UPF node via a network-UPF interface and then from the UPF node to the external MPTP proxy node via the UPF-proxy interface, (b) divide the network downlink data into (i) 3GPP downlink data and (ii) non-3GPP downlink data, and (c) provide the 3GPP and non-3GPP downlink data to the UPF node via the UPF-proxy interface for transmission to the UE node via the 3GPP RAN and the non-3GPP access network, respectively.