Patent ID: 9591430
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method for facilitating discovery of a discoverable user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, at a second UE and from the discoverable UE, a request for a temporary identifier for the discoverable UE, the request including a long-term identifier of the discoverable UE, wherein the second UE has a higher class than the discoverable UE in a hierarchy of UEs and is authorized to issue the temporary identifier to the discoverable UE, the discoverable UE is in a lower class than the second UE and is not authorized to issue a temporary identifier to the second UE, and the long-term identifier is an International Mobile Subscriber Identity of the discoverable UE; and responsive to receiving the request: receiving, at the second UE, an inquiry from a third UE that is different than the second UE and the discoverable UE, wherein the inquiry includes the long-term identifier of the discoverable UE; and in response to the inquiry, sending, by the second UE to the third UE, the temporary identifier and the indication of the expiration value of the discoverable UE.