PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12127099-B2
Application Number: US-202017593504-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Base station operation to restrict access by reduced capability user equipment

Abstract:
A base station may restrict access by a user equipment (UE). The base station broadcasts access restrictions to one or more UE within a cell coverage area of the base station, wherein the access restrictions include one or more predetermined criteria that must be satisfied for a UE to be allowed to camp on the base station. The base station performs a random access channel (RACH) procedure to allow the UE to camp on the base station when the UE satisfies the one or more predetermined criteria.

Claims:
What is claimed: 
     
       1. A base station of a wireless network, comprising:
 a processor configured to perform operations comprising:
 broadcasting access restrictions to one or more user equipment (UE) within a cell coverage area of the base station, wherein the access restrictions include a first set of predetermined criteria that is to be satisfied for a reduced capability (redcap) UE to be allowed to camp on the base station; 
 performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to allow the redcap UE to camp on the base station when the redcap UE satisfies the one or more predetermined criteria; and 
 receiving redcap UE capability information from the redcap UE, the redcap UE capability information associated with a second set of predetermined criteria for the redcap UE to establish a radio resource control (RRC) configuration with the base station; and 
 
 a transceiver communicatively connected to the processor. 
 
     
     
       2. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of predetermined criteria comprises a category of UEs. 
     
     
       3. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of predetermined criteria comprises one of a minimum downlink bandwidth or a minimum uplink bandwidth supported by the redcap UE. 
     
     
       4. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining whether the redcap UE capability information for the redcap UE is stored in a core network of the 5G NR wireless network. 
 
     
     
       5. The base station of  claim 4 , wherein, when the redcap UE capability information is not stored in the core network, the operations further comprise:
 transmitting, to the UE, a request for the redcap UE capability information; 
 and 
 transmitting the redcap UE capability information to the core network for storage. 
 
     
     
       6. The base station of  claim 5 , wherein the redcap UE capability information includes downlink and uplink data rates, the number multiple in multiple out (MIMO) layers, numerology, minimum and maximum hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) latency requirements. 
     
     
       7. The base station of  claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 when the redcap UE capability information satisfies one or more predetermined parameters, transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) configuration transmission to the redcap UE. 
 
     
     
       8. The base station of  claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 when the redcap UE capability information does not satisfy one or more second predetermined parameters, rejecting the UE from registering with the base station. 
 
     
     
       9. The base station of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 providing an indication to the redcap UE of a second base station that supports capabilities of the UE. 
 
     
     
       10. A method, comprising:
 at a base station of a wireless network:
 broadcasting access restrictions to one or more user equipment (UE) within a cell coverage area of the base station, wherein the access restrictions include a first set of predetermined criteria that is to be satisfied for a reduced capability (redcap) UE to be allowed to camp on the base station; 
 performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to allow the redcap UE to camp on the base station when the redcap UE satisfies the one or more predetermined criteria; and 
 receiving redcap UE capability information from the redcap UE, the redcap UE capability information associated with a second set of predetermined criteria for the redcap UE to establish a radio resource control (RRC) configuration with the base station. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first set of predetermined criteria comprises one of a category of UEs, a minimum downlink bandwidth supported by the redcap UE or a minimum uplink bandwidth supported by the redcap UE. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 determining whether the redcap UE capability information for the redcap UE is stored in a core network of the 5G NR wireless network. 
 
     
     
       13. A baseband processor configured to perform operations comprising:
 broadcasting access restrictions to one or more user equipment (UE) within a cell coverage area of the base station, wherein the access restrictions include a first set of predetermined criteria that is to be satisfied for a reduced capability (redcap) UE to be allowed to camp on the base station; 
 performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to allow the redcap UE to camp on the base station when the redcap UE satisfies the one or more predetermined criteria; and 
 receiving redcap UE capability information from the redcap UE, the redcap UE capability information associated with a second set of predetermined criteria for the redcap UE to establish a radio resource control (RRC) configuration with the base station. 
 
     
     
       14. The baseband processor of  claim 13 , wherein the first set of predetermined criteria comprises one of a category of UEs, a minimum downlink bandwidth supported by the redcap UE or a minimum uplink bandwidth supported by the redcap UE. 
     
     
       15. The baseband processor of  claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining whether redcap UE capability information for the UE is stored in a core network of the 5G NR wireless network. 
 
     
     
       16. The baseband processor of  claim 15 , wherein, when the redcap UE capability information is not stored in the core network, the operations further comprise:
 transmitting, to the redcap UE, a request for the redcap UE capability information; 
 and 
 transmitting the redcap UE capability information to the core network for storage. 
 
     
     
       17. The baseband processor of  claim 15 , wherein the redcap UE capability information includes downlink and uplink data rates, the number multiple in multiple out (MIMO) layers, numerology, minimum and maximum hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) latency requirements. 
     
     
       18. The baseband processor of  claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise one of:
 when the redcap UE capability information satisfies one or more predetermined parameters, transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) configuration transmission to the redcap UE; or when the UE capability information does not satisfy the one or more predetermined parameters, rejecting the redcap UE from registering with the base station.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     5G new radio (NR) wireless communications support a variety of different types of user equipment (UEs). For example, in addition to mobile phones, 5G NR supports internet of things (IoT) devices, industrial IoT (IIoT) devices, wearable devices, etc. Some of these devices are known as reduced capability (RedCap) UEs, which have varying wireless capabilities compared to other UEs. There may be situations where the network would like to treat RedCap UEs differently than other types of UEs. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some exemplary embodiments are related to a base station having a processor and a transceiver communicatively connected to the processor. The processor is configured to perform operations. The operations include broadcasting access restrictions to one or more user equipment (UE) within a cell coverage area of the base station, wherein the access restrictions include one or more predetermined criteria that must be satisfied for a UE to be allowed to camp on the base station and performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to allow the UE to camp on the base station when the UE satisfies the one or more predetermined criteria. 
     Other exemplary embodiments are related to a method performed by a base station of a wireless network. The method includes broadcasting access restrictions to one or more user equipment (UE) within a cell coverage area of the base station, wherein the access restrictions include one or more predetermined criteria that must be satisfied for a UE to be allowed to camp on the base station and performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to allow the UE to camp on the base station when the UE satisfies the one or more predetermined criteria. 
     Still further exemplary embodiments are related to a baseband processor configured to perform operations. The operations include broadcasting access restrictions to one or more user equipment (UE) within a cell coverage area of a base station, wherein the access restrictions include one or more predetermined criteria that must be satisfied for a UE to be allowed to camp on the base station and performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to allow the UE to camp on the base station when the UE satisfies the one or more predetermined criteria. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    shows an exemplary network arrangement according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  2    shows an exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  3    shows an exemplary base station configured to establish a connection with a user equipment according to various exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG.  4    is a signaling diagram illustrating a registration procedure according to various exemplary embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe a device, system and method for a 5G new radio (NR) network to restrict access to the network by certain types of user equipment (UE). 
     The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a network that includes 5G new radio NR radio access technology (RAT). However, the exemplary embodiments may be implemented in other types of networks using the principles described herein. 
     The exemplary embodiments are also described with regard to a UE. However, the use of a UE is merely for illustrative purposes. The exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection with a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and/or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE as described herein is used to represent any electronic component. 
     As noted above, there are various UEs, each having different capabilities that connect to the 5G NR network. However, in a given area, it may not be beneficial to have different UEs having different capabilities camped on the same cell since reduced capability UEs may utilize different parameters for wireless communications (e.g., bandwidth parts, data rates, etc.) than other UEs (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, etc.), meaning the cell would need to tailor its communications to all types of UEs. Thus, there may be instances where the network would like to treat the reduced capability (RedCap) UEs differently from other types of UEs. 
     Prior to describing the exemplary embodiments, several examples of RedCap UEs and their characteristics will be described. In a first example, devices in industrial settings such as temperature or humidity sensors may be connected industry devices. However, such devices are stationary, are not latency critical, and are fairly uncomplex with respect to their capabilities and hardware. These devices typically do not require the low latency data exchange provided by ultra reliable low latency communication (URLLC) or IIoT. It is also expected that these devices will operate in the field for many years with little to no maintenance, including battery replacement. Thus, power saving operations may be critical for these types of devices. 
     Another example of RedCap type devices with capabilities that differ from other UEs are surveillance devices (e.g., cameras). These devices are similar to the devices in the first example in that they are typically stationary and do not have stringent latency requirements. However, they may differ from the first example because these devices may be connected to a permanent power supply (although not required) and may have much higher upload data rates than many other UEs because of, for example, the video upload feeds they are providing. 
     Yet another example of RedCap type devices with different capabilities than many other UEs are wearable devices. Unlike the above examples, wearables typically have similar mobility to mobile phones and operations related to the same types of applications that are executable on mobile phones. However, because of the smaller form factor resulting in smaller batteries, these devices have a more stringent power saving requirement than mobile phones. 
     These examples of different types of UEs are by no means an exhaustive list of 5G-capable devices, but are provided as an example of the varying capabilities of different UEs that are connected to the 5G NR wireless network at any given time. Devices that are considered RedCap devices may be determined in various manners. For example, RedCap devices may be defined by the class of device (e.g., wearables, surveillance device, etc.). In another example, RedCap devices may be defined by the capability/functionality of the devices (e.g., battery life, processing power, latency requirements, etc.). The definition of what qualifies a UE as a RedCap UE may be set by standards (e.g., 3GPP standards) or may be left to the individual network provider. Some examples of categorizing UEs will be provided below. 
     According to some exemplary embodiments, the 5G NR network may limit access by RedCap UEs to one or more cells of the network based on one or more predetermined criteria. If the criteria is met, the RedCap UE may be allowed to connect with (or camp on) the g-NodeB (gNB) and exchange data with the network. Otherwise, the RedCap UE is not allowed to connect to the gNB. 
       FIG.  1    shows an exemplary network arrangement  100  according to various exemplary embodiments. The exemplary network arrangement  100  includes a UE  110 . It should be noted that any number of UEs may be used in the network arrangement  100 . Those skilled in the art will understand that the UE  110  may alternatively be any type of electronic component that is configured to communicate via a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. It should also be understood that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users. Thus, the example of a single UE  110  is merely provided for illustrative purposes. 
     The UE  110  may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network configuration  100 , the networks with which the UE  110  may wirelessly communicate are a 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR-RAN)  120 , an LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN)  122  and a wireless local access network (WLAN)  124 . However, it should be understood that the UE  110  may also communicate with other types of networks and the UE  110  may also communicate with networks over a wired connection. Therefore, the UE  110  may include a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the 5G NR-RAN  120 , an LTE chipset to communicate with the LTE-RAN  122  and an ISM chipset to communicate with the WLAN  124 . 
     The 5G NR-RAN  120  and the LTE-RAN  122  may be portions of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&amp;T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks  120 ,  122  may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBS, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) that are configured to send and receive traffic from UE that are equipped with the appropriate cellular chip set. The WLAN  124  may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, Hot Spot, IEEE 802.11x networks, etc.). 
     The UE  110  may connect to the 5G NR-RAN  120  via the gNB  120 A and/or the gNB  120 B. During operation, the UE  110  may be within range of a plurality of gNBs. Thus, either simultaneously or alternatively, the UE  110  may connect to the 5G NR-RAN  120  via the gNBs  120 A and  120 B. Further, the UE  110  may communicate with the eNB  122 A of the LTE-RAN  122  to transmit and receive control information used for downlink and/or uplink synchronization with respect to the 5G NR-RAN  120  connection. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that any association procedure may be performed for the UE  110  to connect to the 5G NR-RAN  120 . For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR-RAN  120  may be associated with a particular cellular provider where the UE  110  and/or the user thereof has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN  120 , the UE  110  may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR-RAN  120 . More specifically, the UE  110  may associate with a specific base station (e.g., the gNB  120 A of the 5G NR-RAN  120 ). 
     In addition to the networks  120 ,  122  and  124  the network arrangement  100  also includes a cellular core network  130 , the Internet  140 , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)  150 , and a network services backbone  160 . The cellular core network  130  may be considered to be the interconnected set of components that manages the operation and traffic of the cellular network, e.g. the 5GC for NR. The cellular core network  130  also manages the traffic that flows between the cellular network and the Internet  140 . 
     The IMS  150  may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE  110  using the IP protocol. The IMS  150  may communicate with the cellular core network  130  and the Internet  140  to provide the multimedia services to the UE  110 . The network services backbone  160  is in communication either directly or indirectly with the Internet  140  and the cellular core network  130 . The network services backbone  160  may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a suite of services that may be used to extend the functionalities of the UE  110  in communication with the various networks. 
       FIG.  2    shows an exemplary UE  110  according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE  110  will be described with regard to the network arrangement  100  of  FIG.  1   . For purposes of this discussion, the UE  110  may be considered to be a reduced capability (RedCap) UE. However, it should be noted that the UE  110  may represent any electronic device and may include a processor  205 , a memory arrangement  210 , a display device  215 , an input/output (I/O) device  220 , a transceiver  225  and other components  230 . The other components  230  may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery that provides a limited power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the UE  110  to other electronic devices, one or more antenna panels, etc. For example, the UE  110  may be coupled to an industrial device via one or more ports. 
     The processor  205  may be configured to execute a plurality of engines of the UE  110 . For example, the engines may include a RedCap management engine  235 . The RedCap management engine  235  may perform various operations related to determining whether the UE  110  meets criteria identified in a broadcast received from a network, relaying capabilities of the UE  110  to the network, etc. 
     The above referenced engine being an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor  205  is only exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the UE  110  or may be a modular component coupled to the UE  110 , e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engines may also be embodied as one application or separate applications. In addition, in some UE, the functionality described for the processor  205  is split among two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an applications processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a UE. 
     The memory arrangement  210  may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE  110 . The display device  215  may be a hardware component configured to show data to a user while the I/O device  220  may be a hardware component that enables the user to enter inputs. The display device  215  and the I/O device  220  may be separate components or integrated together such as a touchscreen. The transceiver  225  may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN  120 , the LTE-RAN  122 , the WLAN  124 , etc. Accordingly, the transceiver  225  may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies). 
       FIG.  3    shows an exemplary network cell, in this case gNB  120 A, according to various exemplary embodiments. The gNB  120 A may represent any access node of the 5G NR network through which the UEs  110  may establish a connection. The gNB  120 A illustrated in  FIG.  3    may also represent the gNB  120 B. 
     The gNB  120 A may include a processor  305 , a memory arrangement  310 , an input/output (I/O) device  320 , a transceiver  325 , and other components  330 . The other components  330  may include, for example, a power supply, a data acquisition device, ports to electrically connect the gNB  120 A to other electronic devices, etc. 
     The processor  305  may be configured to execute a plurality of engines of the gNB  120 A. For example, the engines may include a RedCap access management engine  335  for performing operations including managing access to the gNB  120 A by RedCap UEs. Examples of managing access will be described in greater detail below. 
     The above noted engine being an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor  305  is only exemplary. The functionality associated with the engines may also be represented as a separate incorporated component of the gNB  120 A or may be a modular component coupled to the gNB  120 A, e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. In addition, in some gNBs, the functionality described for the processor  305  is split among a plurality of processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an applications processor, etc.). The exemplary aspects may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a gNB. 
     The memory  310  may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UEs  110 ,  112 . The I/O device  320  may be a hardware component or ports that enable a user to interact with the gNB  120 A. The transceiver  325  may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE  110  and any other UE in the system  100 . The transceiver  325  may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., set of consecutive frequencies). Therefore, the transceiver  325  may include one or more components (e.g., radios) to enable the data exchange with the various networks and UEs. 
       FIG.  4    shows a signaling diagram  400  illustrating a registration procedure according to various exemplary embodiments. As will be described in greater detail below, the registration procedure for the RedCap UE may have two stages. The first stage may be considered to be a coarse filter, while the second stage may be considered to be a finer filter to determine whether the RedCap UE may access a particular gNB. 
     At  405 , the gNB broadcasts system information (SI) including access restrictions in system information block 1 (SIB1). The number and type of access restrictions may vary and some examples are provided below. However, as described above, the stage 1 access restrictions may generally be considered to be a coarse filter. 
     In some embodiments, to determine the access restrictions, the UEs may be classified into different categories. For example, UEs may simply be classified as either RedCap UEs or non-RedCap UEs. In such embodiments, the SIB1 may include an access restriction that indicates that RedCap UEs are not allowed to access the gNB  120 A. 
     In other exemplary embodiments, UEs may additionally or alternatively be classified using UE categories (category 0, 1, 2, etc.) similar to those used in LTE, with each category having an allocated data rate. In such an embodiment, further details pertaining to parameters of the UE  110  may be utilized in addition to the UE category. For example, these details may include the bandwidth supported by the UE, downlink and uplink data rates supported by the UE, numerology support, minimum and maximum hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) latency requirements. Whether or not a UE  110  is a RedCap UE would depend on the UE category as well as these additional details regarding the UE&#39;s capabilities. In such embodiments, at  405 , the SIB1 broadcast by the gNB  120 A may include the different allowable categories and/or the additional details regarding the UE capabilities such as the examples provided above. In some exemplary embodiment, the UE  110  may belong to more than one category. 
     In further exemplary embodiments, RedCap UEs may additionally or alternatively be classified based on their capabilities. For example, in some embodiments, RedCap UEs may be classified based on uplink and downlink bandwidths supported by the RedCap UE. In such an embodiment, the broadcast at  405  may include the minimum supported uplink and downlink bandwidths. 
     In some embodiments, RedCap UEs may be classified based on their uplink and downlink data rate capabilities. In such an embodiment, the broadcast at  405  may include minimum uplink and downlink data rates supported. Alternatively, a range of data rate values for uplink and downlink may alternative be broadcast at  405  instead of a minimum value. 
     In some embodiments, RedCap UEs may be classified based on their mobility. In such an embodiment, the broadcast at  405  would include an indication as to whether the network will support a stationary RedCap UE or a non-stationary RedCap UE. Alternatively, a variant of different classes of mobility (grouping UEs using a spectrum of mobility classes between stationary and non-stationary) may be utilized in the broadcast at  405 . 
     In some embodiments, RedCap UEs may be classified based on their power saving requirements. In such an embodiment, the broadcast at  405  identifies UE power classes that are allowed to connect to the network. From these examples it should be clear that the gNB  120 A may broadcast any type of access restriction at stage 1 and one or more access restrictions may be broadcast in the SIB1 transmission. 
     Returning to  FIG.  4   , after the gNB  120 A broadcasts the SIB1, the UE  110 , at  410 , determines whether or not the UE satisfies the criteria identified in the broadcast. If the UE does not satisfy the criteria, the UE  110  will not be allowed to camp on the gNB  120 A. If, however, the UE  110  does satisfy the criteria, the UE  110  proceeds with the registration procedure to camp on the gNB  120 A. As described above, stage 1 (e.g., the broadcast at  405  and the UE determination if the criteria is met at  410 ) serves as a coarse or pre-filter to restrict access to the gNB  120 A to RedCap UEs that meet predetermined criteria. 
     At  415 , the UE  110  performs a random access channel (RACH) procedure to attach/camp on the gNB  120 A. At  420 , the network determines whether or not the core network  130  has the capabilities of the UE  110  stored. If the core network  130  has the capabilities of the UE  110  stored, then at  425 , these capabilities are retrieved from the core network  130 . If, however, the capabilities of the UE  110  are not stored on the core network  130 , then at  430 , the gNB  120 A requests the UE capabilities from the UE  110 . In response, at  435 , the UE  110  transmits its capability information to the gNB  120 A. At  440 , the capability information of the UE  110  is stored in the core network  130  for future use. 
     Stage 2 (the determination of the UE capability in  420 - 440 ) serves as a secondary filter and includes an additional one or more predetermined parameters that a RedCap UE must satisfy to be allowed to exchange data with the core network  130  via the gNB  120 A. Although the one or more predetermined parameters that the RedCap UE  110  must satisfy in Stage 2 may include any desired parameters, some examples of such parameters may include downlink and uplink data rates supported by the UE, the number multiple in multiple out (MIMO) layers supported, numerology support, minimum and maximum HARQ, PDSCH or PUSCH latency requirements, etc. At  445 , the gNB  120 A configures the UE  110  based on the UE&#39;s capability. If the capabilities of the RedCap UE  110  meet the predetermined parameters in Stage 2, then the configuration of the RedCap UE  110  at  445  is a radio resource control (RRC) configuration allowing the RedCap UE  110  to exchange data with the core network  130  via the gNB  120 A. If, however, the capabilities of the RedCap UE  110  do not meet the predetermined parameters in Stage 2, then the configuration of the RedCap UE  110  at  445  is to deny the UE  110  access to the network  130  via the gNB  120 A. In some embodiments, in addition to denying the UE  110  access, the gNB  120 A may inform the RedCap UE  110  of a nearby cell that does support the capabilities of the RedCap UE  110 . 
     In some embodiments, the criteria that the RedCap UE  110  must meet in Stage 1 before being allowed to camp on the gNB  120 A is/are less stringent than those of Stage 2. While the Stage 1 criteria may include one or two parameters, the criteria of Stage 2 may include any number of parameters. If newer classes of RedCap UEs are defined at a later time than the initial configuration of the network, Stage 2 may be updated with these newer classes. Adding new criteria to the Stage 2 filtering instead of the Stage 1 filtering allows updates to be made without having to rebroadcast the updated information or having to update any UEs that previously were denied access to the network because they did not meet the initial criteria defined in Stage 1. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardware platform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, a Windows OS, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. In a further example, the exemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as a program containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor. 
     Although this application described various aspects each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one aspect may be combined with the features of the other aspects in any manner not specifically disclaimed or which is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the stated functions of the disclosed aspects. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalent.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20200806
Publication Date: 20241022
Grant Date: 20241022
Priority Date: 20200806
Inventors: PALLE VENKATA, Naveen Kumar R.
ZHANG, DAWEI
HU, HAIJING
HE, HONG
VANGALA, SARMA V.
VAMANAN, Sudeep Manithara
ZENG, WEI
CHEN, YUQIN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W48/12", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W48/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W48/10", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/22", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W48/10", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 80119834