US 11,903,047 B2
Service-based policy for cellular communications
Muhammad Waqar Afzal, Bellevue, WA (US); and Khurram Ahmad Mirza, Bellevue, WA (US)
Assigned to T-Mobile USA, Inc., Bellevue, WA (US)
Filed by T-Mobile USA, Inc., Bellevue, WA (US)
Filed on Jan. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/099,691.
Application 18/099,691 is a continuation of application No. 16/788,921, filed on Feb. 12, 2020, granted, now 11,564,265.
Prior Publication US 2023/0156829 A1, May 18, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04W 76/16 (2018.01); H04W 76/10 (2018.01)
CPC H04W 76/10 (2018.02) 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computerized method of operating a cellular communication system, the method comprising:
establishing a data connection between a mobile device and a digital entity external to the cellular communication system;
within the data connection, identifying a request for one of a plurality of data packet sessions;
in response to identifying, inspecting the request via a deep packet inspection module of a session management function-packet data network gateway-control (SMF+PGW-C), wherein the SMF+PGW-C is configured to execute computer-executable instructions for a policy control function (PCF) coupled thereto;
determining, by the deep packet inspection module, a service, an origin, and a destination associated with a plurality of data packets in the plurality of data packet sessions, wherein the plurality of data packets further comprises user data and session data;
in accordance with the digital entity and the service associated with the plurality of data packets, connecting to a policy database of the PCF, wherein the PCF is configured to select a policy for the plurality of data packets according to the service of the plurality of data packets;
for at least one protocol data unit within the one of the plurality of data packet sessions to determine a first service with which the at least one protocol data unit is associated, wherein the at least one protocol data unit comprises first user data and first session data; and
in response to determining the first service, selecting, by a policy control function (PCF) coupled with the SMF+PGW-C, a policy from a policy database coupled with the PCF for governing the one of the plurality of data packet sessions corresponding to the first service.