US 12,261,821 B2
Reuse of IP addresses
Wen Zhang, Shanghai (CN); Yingjiao He, Shanghai (CN); and Wenliang Xu, Shanghai (CN)
Assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
Appl. No. 17/924,155
Filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
PCT Filed Sep. 29, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/077212
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 9, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/228419, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 18, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. PCT/CN2020/090036 (WO), filed on May 13, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0224272 A1, Jul. 13, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 61/503 (2022.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01); H04L 61/5061 (2022.01); H04W 8/26 (2009.01); H04L 101/686 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 61/503 (2022.05) [H04L 61/5061 (2022.05); H04L 63/02 (2013.01); H04W 8/26 (2013.01); H04L 2101/686 (2022.05)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method at a Session Management Function, SMF, for facilitating reuse of a private Internet Protocol, IP, address at multiple User Equipments, UEs, comprising a first UE, the method comprising:
transmitting, to a Data Network-Authentication, Authorization & Accounting, DN-AAA, accounting server, a first request message associated with the first UE, the first request message comprising (i) the private IP address comprising at least one of an IPV4 address and an IPV6 prefix, the private IP address not being globally unique and (ii) a selected first 3GPP-IP-Address-Pool-Info which, in conjunction with the private IP address, uniquely identifies a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, session of the first UE, wherein the first 3GPP-IP-Address-Pool-Info indicates information on an IP address pool comprising a plurality of not globally unique private IP addresses; and
receiving, from the DN-AAA accounting server, a first response message associated with the first UE in response to the first request message,
wherein the first request message is one of: an Accounting-Request START message, an Accounting-Request STOP message, an ACR Command, and an Accounting-Request Interim-Update message, and wherein the first response message is a corresponding one of: an Accounting-Response START message, an Accounting-Response STOP message, an ACA Command, and an Accounting-Response Interim-Update message.