US 12,483,975 B2
Session management function service area information provision
Stefan Rommer, Västra Frölunda (SE); and Qian Chen, Mölndal (SE)
Assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
Filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
Filed on Jan. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/094,196.
Application 18/094,196 is a continuation of application No. 16/980,824, granted, now 11,622,318, previously published as PCT/EP2019/058576, filed on Apr. 4, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/652,920, filed on Apr. 5, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0156580 A1, May 18, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04W 4/00 (2018.01); H04W 48/16 (2009.01); H04W 80/10 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 48/16 (2013.01) [H04W 80/10 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”) comprising:
processing circuitry; and
memory coupled to the processing circuitry and having instructions stored therein that are executable by the processing circuitry to cause the AMF to perform operations comprising:
determining that selection of a Session Management Function (“SMF”) from a plurality of SMFs of a communications system is needed;
responsive to determining that selection of the SMF is needed, generating a Network Function (“NF”) discovery request including a service area indication requesting service area information for discovered SMFs;
communicating the NF discovery request toward a NF Repository Function (“NRF”);
receiving a NF discovery response including SMF identifiers and service area information for a list of SMFs; and
selecting the SMF from the list of SMFs.