US 12,137,401 B2
Method and apparatus for user plane resource optimization
Abhishek Mishra, Bangalore (IN); Vipin Padlikar, Bangalore (IN); Rohit Gupta, Bangalore (IN); and Tamanna Jindal, McKinney, TX (US)
Assigned to Mavenir Networks, Inc., Richardson, TX (US)
Filed by Mavenir Networks, Inc., Richardson, TX (US)
Filed on May 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/736,413.
Application 17/736,413 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2019/059621, filed on Nov. 4, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0264419 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 40/02 (2009.01); H04W 40/24 (2009.01); H04W 40/26 (2009.01); H04W 80/06 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 40/02 (2013.01) [H04W 40/246 (2013.01); H04W 40/26 (2013.01); H04W 80/06 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of optimizing user plane data stream for at least one of a 4G and 5G network operation involving at least one combined User Plane (UP) node comprising an access data plane node, an intermediate data plane node, an anchor data plane node, and a session handling process module, the method comprising:
ascertaining, by the session handling process module, one of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or namespaces of the access data plane node, the intermediate data plane node, and the anchor data plane node corresponding to Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEIDs) assigned for a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session;
if the IP addresses or the namespaces of the access data plane node, the intermediate data plane node, and the anchor data plane node are different,
for a downlink connection between a service node and a Radio Access Network (RAN), packets transmitted by a first interface directly connecting the service node to the at least one combined UP node are routed to a second interface located internally within the at least one UP node, and the second interface maps the packets to at least one Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) associated with at least one third interface directly connecting the at least one combined UP node to the RAN, and
for an uplink connection between the RAN and the service node, packets transmitted by the at least one third interface directly connecting the RAN to the at least one combined UP node are routed to the second interface located internally within the at least one combined UP node, and the second interface maps the packets to the first interface directly connecting the at least one combined UP node to the service node;
if the IP addresses or the namespaces of the access data plane node, the intermediate data plane node, and the anchor data plane node are the same,
for a downlink connection between the service node and the RAN, packets transmitted by the first interface directly connecting the service node to the at least one combined UP node are routed directly to the at least one third interface directly connecting the at least one combined UP node to the RAN, and the at least one combined UP node stores at least one TEID of an intermediate path not utilized for the downlink connection, and
for an uplink connection between the RAN and the service node, packets transmitted by the at least one third interface directly connecting the RAN to the at least one combined UP node are routed directly to the first interface directly connecting the at least one combined UP node to the service node, and the at least one combined UP node stores at least one TEID of an intermediate path not utilized for the uplink connection.