Description:RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to intellectual property rights such as but are not limited to, copyright, design, trademark, integrated circuit (IC) layout design, and/or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred as owner). The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner.

FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a field of communication systems, and specifically to a system and a method for managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) and a network.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0003] The following description of the related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section is used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of the prior art.
[0004] During a registration update procedure triggered by changes such as a Radio Access Technology (RAT), a Tracking Area ID (TAI), or periodic registration updates, a User Equipment (UE) includes a follow-on request in its registration request if there is any pending uplink signalling. This ensures that an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) maintains a signalling connection after the registration completes, preventing its immediate release. Conversely, if there is no pending uplink signalling, the follow-on request is omitted from the registration update message. In such cases, the AMF releases the signalling connection promptly after registration procedure is completed, initiating a UE context release procedure followed by a Radio Resource Control (RRC) release message sent by a Next-Generation Node B (gNodeB) to the UE.
[0005] However, complications arise when the UE encounters issues with the registration update accept message from the network and needs to perform immediate signalling post-registration. The complications may be:
I. There may be a collision between procedures at the network level, where the AMF initiates the UE context release procedure in the downlink, while simultaneously the UE initiates follow-on signalling in the uplink. This simultaneous activity may lead to conflicts and operational inefficiencies.
II. Unnecessary release and subsequent re-establishment of the signalling connection may occur due to these conflicts. This redundancy not only impacts network efficiency but also introduces delays and potential service disruptions for the UE.
[0006] The above-identified complications may underscore an importance of seamless coordination between network elements and the UE during registration update procedures. Effective management of signalling connections is crucial to ensure efficient operation and minimize disruptions in communication services.
[0007] There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an improved system and a method to manage the signalling connection between the UE and the network by overcoming the deficiencies of the prior art(s).

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are listed herein below.
[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) and a network.
[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method that identifies an existence of a pending uplink signalling that has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure after transmitting a registration request to a network.
[0011] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method that appends or ignores a Follow-On Request (FOR) flag in a registration complete message, and transmits the registration complete message with or without the FOR flag to the network.
[0012] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and a method that manages signalling connection between the UE and the network based on the FOR flag to avoid one or more complications at the network.

SUMMARY
[0013] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0014] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) and a network. The system includes one or more processors, and a memory operatively coupled to the one or more processors. The memory includes processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the one or more processors to transmit a registration request to initiate a mobility registration update procedure to a network. After transmission of the registration request, the one or more processors determine whether at least one pending uplink signalling has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure is completed. Based on the determination, the one or more processors append or ignore a Follow-On Request (FOR) flag in a registration complete message, and transmit the registration complete message with or without the FOR flag to the network. The one or more processors manage signalling connection between the UE and the network based on the transmission to avoid one or more complications at the network.
[0015] In an embodiment, the one or more processors may transmit the registration request to initiate the mobility registration update procedure based on a plurality of parameters.
[0016] In an embodiment, the plurality of parameters may include at least one of an expiry of a predefined timer, a change in a Tracking Area Identity (TAI), and an idle of connected mode inter Radio Access Technology (RAT) change from a first network to a second network.
[0017] In an embodiment, the one or more complications at the network may include a collision of at least two procedures at the network, and an un-necessary release and re-establishment of the signalling connection after the mobility registration update procedure is completed. The at least two procedures may include a UE context release procedure initiated by the network in the downlink and a follow-on signalling initiated by the UE in the uplink.
[0018] In an embodiment, based on a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, before transmitting the registration request, the one or more processors may append the FOR flag in the registration request, set a value of the FOR flag to 0, transmit the registration request appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist to the network, and receive a registration accept message from the network.
[0019] In an embodiment, based on a determination, after initiating the mobility registration update procedure, that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists, the one or more processors may append the FOR flag in the registration complete message, set a value of the FOR flag to 1, and transmit the registration complete message appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists to the network to delay or stop a release of the signalling connection.
[0020] In an embodiment, based on a determination, after initiating the mobility registration update procedure, that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, the one or more processors may ignore the FOR flag in the registration complete message and transmit the registration complete message without the FOR flag to the network, such that the network initiates a UE context release procedure and requests at least one network node to release a Next-Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) connection and a corresponding Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the UE.
[0021] In an embodiment, the registration request may include at least a status of one or more activated Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions.
[0022] In an embodiment, the one or more processors may detect at least one of one or more issues in the registration accept message, or an application trigger which requires the UE to perform an uplink signalling immediately after the registration procedure is completed.
[0023] In an embodiment, the one or more issues in the registration accept message may include a deletion of one or more activated PDU sessions by the network, and a transmission of a status of the one or more activated PDU sessions as inactive by the network to the UE.
[0024] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for managing signalling connection between a UE and a network. The method includes transmitting, by one or more processors associated with a system, a registration request to initiate a mobility registration update procedure to a network. In response to a transmission of the registration request, the method includes determining, by the one or more processors, whether at least one pending uplink signalling has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure is completed. Based on the determination, the method includes performing one of: appending or ignoring, by the one or more processors, a FOR flag in a registration complete message. The method includes transmitting, by the one or more processors, the registration complete message with or without the FOR flag to the network, and managing, by the one or more processors, a signalling connection between the UE and the network based on the transmission to avoid one or more complications at the network.
[0025] In an embodiment, the method may include transmitting, by the one or more processors, the registration request to initiate the mobility registration update procedure based on a plurality of parameters.
[0026] In an embodiment, based on a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, before transmitting the registration request, the method may include appending, by the one or more processors, the FOR flag in the registration request. The method may include setting, by the one or more processors, a value of the FOR flag to 0. The method may include transmitting, by the one or more processors, the registration request appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist to the network. The method may include receiving, by the one or more processors, a registration accept message from the network.
[0027] In an embodiment, based on a determination, after initiating the mobility registration update procedure, that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists, the method may include appending, by the one or more processors, the FOR flag in the registration complete message, setting, by the one or more processors, a value of the FOR flag to 1, and transmitting, by the one or more processors, the registration complete message appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists to the network to delay or stop a release of the signalling connection.
[0028] In an embodiment, based on a determination, after initiating the mobility registration update procedure, that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, the method may include ignoring, by the one or more processors, the FOR flag in the registration complete message, and transmitting, by the one or more processors, the registration complete message without the FOR flag to the network, such that the network initiates a UE context release procedure and requests at least one network node to release a NGAP connection and a corresponding RRC connection with the UE.
[0029] In an embodiment, the method may include detecting, by the one or more processors, at least one of one or more issues in the registration accept message, or an application trigger which requires the UE to perform an uplink signalling immediately after the registration procedure is completed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0030] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes the disclosure of electrical components, electronic components, or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.
[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates an example flow diagram (100) for implementing a conventional method for managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) and a network.
[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (200) for implementing a system for managing signalling connection between a UE and a network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram (300) of a system for managing signalling connection between a UE and a network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary sequential diagram for implementing a method (400) for managing signalling connection between a UE and a network, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computer system (500) in which or with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0036] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address all of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.
[0038] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.
[0039] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the embodiments.
[0040] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.
[0041] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements.
[0042] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0043] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0044] Conventionally, when a User Equipment (UE) is registered to a 5th Generation (5G) network and when a need arises for the UE to perform a mobility registration update due to a T3412 timer expiry, a change in a Tracking Area Identity (TAI), or due to idle of connected mode inter Radio Access Technology (RAT) change from a 4th Generation (4G) network to the 5G network, a UE Non-access stratum (NAS) layer checks if there is any signalling that has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure is done, as illustrated in the flow diagram (100) of FIG. 1. If the UE identifies that there is no pending uplink (UL) signalling that has to be performed after the mobility registration update procedure is complete, the UE includes a Follow-On Request (FOR) flag with a value set to 0 in a registration request itself and informs the network that there is no pending UL signalling that has to be performed.
[0045] Considering that the registration request includes a status of activated Packet Data Unit (PDU) session identifiers 1 and 2 as active (PSI 1: 1, PSI 2: 1). The network, for example, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) responds with a registration accept message including all set of predefined information. Further, consider that, in the registration accept message, the network has deleted the existing PDU sessions due to some core issues and had sent the status of PDU sessions as inactive (PSI 1:0, PSI 2: 0) to the UE. The UE NAS layer checks information elements along with the status of the previously activated PDU session identifiers and sends a registration complete message to the network. In such scenario, the UE may have to re-active the PDU sessions for which the UE may have to send a PDU session activate request to the network immediately after the registration complete message is sent.
[0046] However, since the network is not aware that the UE needs to perform the UL signalling based on the FOR flag sent in the registration request, the network may release the UE context immediately after the registration complete message is received.
[0047] In this case,
(I) The network may initiate a UE context release procedure where a Next-Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) signalling connection and a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection will be released. Simultaneously, the UE may also send the UL signalling message (for example, a PDU session establishment request) to the network. These two procedures may collide at the network and the network may have to drop one of the two procedures, and/or
(II) The network may initiate the UE context release procedure where the NGAP signalling connection and the RRC connection will be released. The connection release procedure gets completed and then the UE performs the UL signalling procedure where a new RRC connection and a respective NGAP connection will be re-established. This release and re-establishment of the signalling connection may add an unnecessary signalling load on the network.
[0048] There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an improved system and a method to manage the signalling connection between the UE and the network.
[0049] The present disclosure provides a system and a method for managing the signalling connection between the UE and the network. The system identifies pending UL signalling during the mobility registration update procedure and includes the FOR flag in the registration complete message to indicate the network to delay the release of UE context. Further, the system identities issues in the mobility registration update accept message from the network or any application layer triggered UL signalling during the registration update procedure and then include the FOR flag in the registration update complete message to update the network to hold the release of the signalling connection after the registration procedure is completed.
[0050] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail with reference to FIGs. 2-5.
[0051] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (200) for implementing a system (208) for managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) and a network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 2, by way of example and not by not limitation, the exemplary network architecture (200) may include a plurality of computing devices (204-1, 204-2…204-N), which may be individually referred as the computing device (204) and collectively referred as the computing devices (204). The computing devices (204) may be associated with a plurality of users (202-1, 202-2…202-N). The plurality of users (202-1, 202-2…202-N) may be individually referred as the user (202) and collectively referred as the users (202). It may be appreciated that the computing device (204) may be interchangeably referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device or a User Equipment (UE).
[0053] In an embodiment, the UE (204) may include smart devices operating in a smart environment, for example, an Internet of Things (IoT) system. The UE (204) may be, for example, but are not limited to, a set-up box, a smart television (TV), a streaming media player, a media centre personal computer (PC), and so on. In an embodiment, the UE (204) may include, but is not limited to, smart phones, smart watches, smart sensors (e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical, magnetic, etc.), networked appliances, networked peripheral devices, networked lighting system, communication devices, networked vehicle accessories, networked vehicular devices, smart accessories, tablets, smart television (TV), computers, smart security system, smart home system, other devices for monitoring or interacting with or for the users and/or entities, or any combination thereof.
[0054] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the UE (204) may include, but is not limited to, intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected devices, that can integrate seamlessly with each other and/or with a central server or a cloud-computing system or any other device that is network-connected.
[0055] In an embodiment, the UE (204) may include, but is not limited to, a handheld wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a phablet device, and so on), a wearable computer device (e.g., a head-mounted display computer device, a head-mounted camera device, a wristwatch computer device, and so on), a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or any type of portable computer, a media playing device, a portable gaming system, and/or any other type of computer device with wireless communication capabilities, and the like. In an embodiment, that the UE (204) may include, but is not limited to, any electrical, electronic, electromechanical, or an equipment, or a combination of one or more of the above devices such as virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, a laptop, a general-purpose computer, a desktop, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, a mainframe computer, or any other computing device, wherein the UE (204) may include one or more in-built or externally coupled accessories including, but not limited to, a visual aid device such as a camera, an audio aid, a microphone, a keyboard, and input devices for receiving input from the user (202) or the entity such as a touch pad, a touch enabled screen, an electronic pen, and the like.
[0056] A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the UE (204) may not be restricted to the mentioned devices and various other devices may be used.
[0057] In an embodiment, the UE (204) may communicate with a system (208) through a network (206). In an embodiment, the UE (204) may include the system (208). The network (206) may be, for example, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). The network (206) may include, by way of example but not limitation, at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes, for example, a Next Generation Node B (gNB) that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or a combination thereof, etc. one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, some combination thereof, or so forth. The network (206) may include, by way of example but not limitation, one or more of: a wireless network, a wired network, an internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a packet-switched network, a circuit-switched network, an ad hoc network, an infrastructure network, a public-switched telephone network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, some combination thereof. It may be appreciated that the network (206) may be interchangeably referred to as the AMF.
[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the system (208) may be configured to transmit a registration request to initiate a mobility registration update procedure to the network (206). In an embodiment, the system (208) may be configured to determine whether at least one pending uplink signalling that has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure exists upon transmitting the registration request. In an embodiment, the system (208) may be configured to append or ignore a Follow-On Request (FOR) flag in a registration complete message, based on the determination. In an embodiment, the system (208) may be configured to append the FOR flag in the registration request, based on the determination. In an embodiment, the system (208) may be configured to transmit the registration complete message including the FOR flag to the network, and manage signalling connection between the UE (204) and the network (206) based on the indication of the FOR flag in the registration complete message to avoid one or more complications at the network. In an embodiment, the system (208) may be configured to transmit the registration complete message without the FOR flag to the network (206), if the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist.
[0059] The one or more complications at the network may include, but not limited to a collision of at least two procedures at the network (206), and an un-necessary release and re-establishment of the signalling connection after the mobility registration update procedure is completed. The at least two procedures may be a UE context release procedure initiated by the network (206) in the downlink and a follow-on signalling initiated by the UE (204) in the uplink.
[0060] Although FIG. 2 shows exemplary components of the network architecture (200), in other embodiments, the network architecture (200) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the network architecture (200) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the network architecture (200).
[0061] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram (300) of a system (208) for managing signalling connection between the UE (204) and the network (206), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0062] In an embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 3, the system (208) may be associated with a UE (204). The system (208) may include one or more processors (302). The one or more processors (302) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processors (302) may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (304) of the system (208). The memory (304) may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service. The memory (304) may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as Random-Access Memory (RAM), or non-volatile memory such as an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), a flash memory, and the like.
[0063] In an embodiment, the system (208) may also include an interface(s) (306). The interface(s) (306) may include a variety of interfaces, for example, a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) (306) may facilitate communication of the system (208) with various devices coupled to it. The interface(s) (306) may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the system (208). Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) (308) and a database (310).
[0064] In an embodiment, the processing engine(s) (308) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) (308). In examples, described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) (308) may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the one or more processors (302) may include a processing resource, to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) (308). In such examples, the system (208) may comprise the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the system (208) and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) (308) may be implemented by an electronic circuitry.
[0065] In an embodiment, the database (310) may comprise data that may be either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the processors (302) or the processing engine(s) (308) or the system (208).
[0066] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing engine(s) (308) may include one or more engines selected from any of a data ingestion engine (312) and other units/engines (314). The other units/engines (314) may include, but are not limited to, a monitoring engine, a determination engine, and the like.
[0067] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), transmit a registration request to initiate a mobility registration update procedure to a network (206). The one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), transmit the registration request to initiate the mobility registration update procedure based on a plurality of parameters. The plurality of parameters may include, but not limited to, an expiry of a predefined timer (e.g., a T3412 timer), a change in a Tracking Area Identity (TAI), and an idle of connected mode inter Radio Access Technology (RAT) change from a first network (e.g., 4G network) to a second network (e.g., 5G network). The registration request may include at least a status of one or more activated Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions.
[0068] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), determine whether at least one pending uplink signalling, that has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure is completed, exists, upon transmitting the registration request.
[0069] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), append or ignore a FOR flag in registration complete message, based on the determination. In an embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), transmit the registration complete message with or without the FOR flag to the network (206).
[0070] In an embodiment, based on a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling that has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure does not exist, before the transmission of the registration request, the one or more processors (302) may append the FOR flag in the registration request, and set a value of the FOR flag to 0. Further, the one or more processors (302) may transmit the registration request appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist to the network (206). Once the network (206) receives the registration request including the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, the network (206) may send a registration accept message to the system (208). The one or more processors (302) associated with the system (208) may receive the registration accept message from the network (206).
[0071] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), detect one or more issues in the registration accept message. The one or more issues in the registration accept message may include, but not limited to, a deletion of one or more activated PDU sessions by the network (206), and a transmission of a status of the one or more activated PDU sessions as inactive by the network (206) to the UE (204). In an embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), detect an application trigger, during the mobility registration update procedure, which requires the UE (204) to perform an uplink signalling immediately after the registration procedure is completed.
[0072] In an embodiment, based on a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling that has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure exists, after initiating the mobility registration update procedure, the one or more processors (302) may append the FOR flag in the registration complete message, and set the value of the FOR flag to 1. Further, the one or more processors (302) may transmit the registration complete message appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists to the network (206) to delay or stop a release of the signalling connection.
[0073] In an embodiment, based on the determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), ignore the FOR flag in the registration complete message and transmit the registration complete message without the FOR flag to the network (206), such that the network (206) may initiate a UE context release procedure and request at least one network node to release a Next-Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) connection and a corresponding Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the UE (204).
[0074] In an embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may, via the data ingestion engine (312), manage signalling connection between the UE (204) and the network (206) based on the indication of the FOR flag in the registration request or the registration complete message to avoid one or more complications at the network (206). The one or more complications at the network (206) may include, but not limited to, a collision of at least two procedures at the network (206), and an un-necessary release and re-establishment of the signalling connection after the mobility registration update procedure is completed. The at least two procedures may be a UE context release procedure initiated by the network (206) in the downlink and a follow-on signalling initiated by the UE (204) in the uplink.
[0075] Although FIG. 3 shows exemplary components of the system (208), in other embodiments, the system (208) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG. 3. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the system (208) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the system (208).
[0076] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary sequential diagram for implementing a method (400) for managing signalling connection between a UE (204) and a network (206), in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0077] With reference to FIG. 4, the method (400) may include the following steps.
[0078] At 402, while the UE (204) is registered to the network (e.g., 5G network) (206) and when a need arises for the UE (204) to perform a mobility registration update procedure due to an expiry of a predefined timer (e.g., T3412 timer), or due to a change in a TAI, or due to idle of connected mode inter RAT change from a first network (e.g., 4G network) to a second network (e.g., 5G network), a system (e.g., Non-access stratum (NAS) layer) (208) associated with the UE (204) may detect if there is any issue with the registration accept message or if there is any trigger from application layer.
[0079] At 404, the system (208) determines that there is no issue in the registration accept message or no trigger from the application layer.
[0080] At 406, the system (208) may transmit the registration complete message without appending the FOR flag to the network (206).
[0081] Consider that the registration request also includes the status of activated PDU session identifiers 1 and 2 as active (PSI 1: 1, PSI 2: 1). The network (206) may respond with a registration accept message including a set of predefined information. Now, consider that, in the registration accept message, the network (206) has deleted the existing PDU sessions due to some core issues and sends the status of PDU sessions as inactive (PSI 1:0, PSI 2: 0) to the UE (204). Or, consider that there is an application trigger, during the mobility registration update procedure, which requires the UE (204) to perform the uplink signalling immediately after the mobility registration update procedure is completed.
[0082] At 408, the system (208) may detect if either there is any issue with the registration accept message or if there is any application trigger during the mobility registration update procedure.
[0083] At 410, based on the detection, the system (208) may decide to append the FOR flag with the value set to 1 in the registration complete message. The system (208) may append the FOR flag with the value set to 1 in the registration complete message to inform the network (206) that there is a pending uplink signalling that it has to perform after the mobility registration update procedure is completed. Therefore, the network (206) may ignore the previous status of the FOR flag and stop the release of the signalling connection after receiving the registration complete message.
[0084] Once the network (206) receives the registration complete message, the network (206) may check for the FOR flag in the registration complete message.
[0085] At 412, if the network (206) determines that the FOR flag is appended in the registration complete message, with the value set to 1, the network (206) may not release the signalling connection. And, within the same established signalling connection, the system (208) may enable the UE (204) to perform he required uplink signalling procedure, thereby avoiding any collision or un-necessary release and re-establishment of the signalling connection.
[0086] At 414, if the network (206) determines that the FOR flag is not appended in the registration complete message, the network (206) may initiate the UE context release procedure and request the network node (e.g., gNB) to release the NGAP connection and the respective RRC connection with the UE (204). Whenever the UE (204) needs to perform any Mobile Originated (MO) data or MO signalling, the network (206) may re-establish the signalling connection.
[0087] Therefore, the proposed method (400) may avoid collision of at least two procedures at the network (206), i.e., the method (400) may avoid collision of the UE context release procedure initiated by the network (206) in the downlink and the follow-on signalling initiated by the UE (204) in the uplink. Further, the method (400) may avoid un-necessary release and re-establishment of the signalling connection after the mobility registration update procedure is completed.
[0088] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computer system (500) in which or with which embodiments of the present disclose may be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0089] As shown in FIG. 5, the computer system (500) may include an external storage device (510), a bus (520), a main memory (530), a read-only memory (540), a mass storage device (550), a communication port(s) (560), and a processor (570). A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer system (500) may include more than one processor (570) and communication ports (560). The processor (570) may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication port(s) (560) may be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem-based dialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. The communication ports(s) (560) may be chosen depending on a network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system (500) connects.
[0090] In an embodiment, the main memory (530) may be a Random-Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. The read-only memory (540) may be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chip for storing static information e.g., start-up or basic input/output system (BIOS) instructions for the processor (570). The mass storage device (550) may be any current or future mass storage solution, which can be used to store information and/or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and/or Firewire interfaces).
[0091] In an embodiment, the bus (520) may communicatively couple the processor(s) (570) with the other memory, storage, and communication blocks. The bus (520) may be, e.g., a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)/PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB, or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects the processor (570) to the computer system (500).
[0092] In another embodiment, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g., a display, keyboard, and cursor control device may also be coupled to the bus (520) to support direct operator interaction with the computer system (500). Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through the communication port(s) (560). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system (500) limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0093] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be implemented merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0093] The present disclosure enables managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) and a network more efficiently.
[0094] The present disclosure provides a system and a method that identifies an existence of a pending uplink signalling that has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure after transmitting a registration request to a network.
[0095] The present disclosure provides a system and a method that appends or ignores a Follow-On Request (FOR) flag in a registration complete message, and transmits the registration request or the registration complete message with or without the FOR flag to the network.
[0096] The present disclosure provides a system and a method that manages signalling connection between the UE and the network to avoid one or more complications at the network.

Claims:

1. A system (208) for managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) (204) and a network (206), the system (208) comprising:
one or more processors (302); and
a memory (304) operatively coupled to the one or more processors (302), wherein the memory (304) comprises processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the one or more processors (302) to:
transmit a registration request to initiate a mobility registration update procedure to a network (206);
after the transmission of the registration request, determine whether at least one pending uplink signalling has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure;
based on the determination, perform one of: append or ignore a Follow-On Request (FOR) flag in a registration complete message;
transmit the registration complete message with or without the FOR flag to the network (206); and
manage signalling connection between the UE (204) and the network (206) based on the transmission of the registration complete message to avoid one or more complications at the network (206).

2. The system (208) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors (302) are to transmit the registration request to initiate the mobility registration update procedure based on a plurality of parameters.

3. The system (208) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of parameters comprises at least one of: an expiry of a predefined timer, a change in a Tracking Area Identity (TAI), and idle of connected mode inter Radio Access Technology (RAT) change from a first network to a second network.

4. The system (208) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more complications at the network (206) comprise a collision of at least two procedures at the network (206), and an un-necessary release and re-establishment of the signalling connection after the mobility registration update procedure is completed, wherein the at least two procedures comprise a UE context release procedure initiated by the network (206) in the downlink and a follow-on signalling initiated by the UE (204) in the uplink.

5. The system (208) as claimed in claim 1, wherein in response to a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, the one or more processors (302) are to:
append the FOR flag in the registration request;
set a value of the FOR flag to 0;
transmit the registration request appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist to the network (206); and
receive a registration accept message from the network (206).

6. The system (208) as claimed in claim 1, wherein in response to a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists, after initiating the mobility registration update procedure, the one or more processors (302) are to:
append the FOR flag in the registration complete message;
set a value of the FOR flag to 1; and
transmit the registration complete message appended with the FOR flag to the network (206) to delay or stop a release of the signalling connection.

7. The system (208) as claimed in claim 1, wherein in response to a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, the one or more processors (302) are to ignore the FOR flag in the registration complete message and transmit the registration complete message without the FOR flag to the network (206), such that the network (206) initiates a UE context release procedure and requests at least one network node to release a Next-Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) connection and a corresponding Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the UE (204).

8. The system (208) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the registration request comprises at least a status of one or more activated Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions.

9. The system (208) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the memory (304) comprises processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the one or more processors (302) to detect at least one of: one or more issues in the registration accept message, and an application trigger which requires the UE (204) to perform the at least one pending uplink signalling immediately after the mobility registration update procedure is completed.

10. The system (208) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one or more issues in the registration accept message comprise: a deletion of one or more activated Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions by the network (206), and a transmission of a status of the one or more activated PDU sessions as inactive by the network (206) to the UE (204).

11. A method (400) for managing signalling connection between a User Equipment (UE) (204) and a network (206), the method (400) comprising:
transmitting, by one or more processors (302) associated with a system (208), a registration request to initiate a mobility registration update procedure to a network (206);
after the transmission of the registration request, determining, by the one or more processors (302), whether at least one pending uplink signalling has to be performed immediately after the mobility registration update procedure;
based on the determination, performing one of: appending or ignoring, by the one or more processors (302), a Follow-On Request (FOR) flag in a registration complete message;
transmitting, by the one or more processors (302), the registration complete message with or without the FOR flag to the network (206); and
managing, by the one or more processors (302), a signalling connection between the UE (204) and the network (206) based on the transmission of the registration complete message to avoid one or more complications at the network (206).

12. The method (400) as claimed in claim 11, comprising transmitting, by the one or more processors (302), the registration request to initiate the mobility registration update procedure based on a plurality of parameters.

13. The method (400) as claimed in claim 11, wherein based on a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, the method (400) comprises:
appending, by the one or more processors (302), the FOR flag in the registration request;
setting, by the one or more processors (302), a value of the FOR flag to 0;
transmitting, by the one or more processors (302), the registration request appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist to the network (206); and
receiving, by the one or more processors (302), a registration accept message from the network (206).

14. The method (400) as claimed in claim 11, wherein based on a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists, after initiating the mobility registration update procedure, the method (400) comprises:
appending, by the one or more processors (302), the FOR flag in the registration complete message;
setting, by the one or more processors (302), a value of the FOR flag to 1; and
transmitting, by the one or more processors (302), the registration complete message appended with the FOR flag indicating that the at least one pending uplink signalling exists to the network (206) to delay or stop a release of the signalling connection.

15. The method (400) as claimed in claim 11, wherein based on a determination that the at least one pending uplink signalling does not exist, ignoring, by the one or more processors (302), the FOR flag in the registration complete message, and transmitting, by the one or more processors (302), the registration complete message without the FOR flag to the network (206), such that the network (206) initiates a UE context release procedure and requests at least one network node to release a Next-Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) connection and a corresponding Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the UE (204).

16. The method (400) as claimed in claim 11, comprising detecting, by the one or more processors (302), at least one of: one or more issues in the registration accept message, and an application trigger which requires the UE (204) to perform the at least one pending uplink signalling immediately after the registration procedure is completed.