PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12047821-B2
Application Number: US-202117224377-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Ultra reliable reporting of SCG measurements while SpCell degrades

Abstract:
Systems and methods for ultra reliable reporting of secondary cell group (SCG) measurements to a secondary node (SN) used in multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) operation that specifically account for the possibility of SCG special cell (SpCell) degradation are disclosed herein. A user equipment (UE) may establish a signaling radio bearer (SRB) 3 with the SN. The UE may then identify that a handover condition (which may be associated with SCG SpCell degradation) for the SCG SpCell is met, and accordingly send an SCG measurement report over each of the SRB3 and an SRB1 between the UE and a master node (MN) used in the MR-DC operation. Such information received at the MN is forwarded to the SN. Accordingly, the reception of SCG measurement reports (to enable handover to a new SpCell by the SN) is not solely dependent messages on the SpCell of the SCG alone (using SRB3), improving reliability.

Claims:
The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of a user equipment (UE) operating in a multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) mode with a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), comprising:
 identifying, prior to a radio link failure (RLF) of a special cell (SpCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) of the SN, that a handover condition corresponding to a degradation of the SpCell of the SCG of the SN has been detected at the UE; and 
 in response to identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE:
 sending an SCG measurement report to the SN on a first signaling radio bearer (SRB); and 
 sending the SCG measurement report to the MN on a second SRB. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE comprises identifying that a neighbor cell of a target node is better than the SpCell by a threshold amount. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE comprises identifying that one or more out-of-sync (OOS) indications have been received from a lower layer. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE comprises identifying that a T310 timer is running at the UE. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the SCG measurement report that is sent to the MN on the second SRB is sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first SRB is an SRB3 and the second SRB is an SRB1. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the SCG of the SN comprises a plurality of cells including the SpCell. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the MR-DC mode is a new radio (NR)-NR dual connectivity (NR-DC) mode. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the MR-DC mode is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA)-new radio (NR) dual connectivity (EN-DC) mode. 
     
     
       10. A user equipment (UE) for operating in a multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) mode with a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the UE to:
 identify, prior to a radio link failure (RLF) of a special cell (SpCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) of the SN, that a handover condition corresponding to a degradation of the SpCell of the SCG of the SN has been detected at the UE; and 
 in response to identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE:
 send an SCG measurement report to the SN on a first signaling radio bearer (SRB); and 
 send the SCG measurement report to the MN on a second SRB. 
 
 
 
     
     
       11. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE comprises identifying that a neighbor cell of a target node is better than the SpCell by a threshold amount. 
     
     
       12. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE comprises identifying that one or more out-of-sync (OOS) indications have been received from a lower layer. 
     
     
       13. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE comprises identifying that a T310 timer is running at the UE. 
     
     
       14. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein the SCG measurement report that is sent to the MN on the second SRB is sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message. 
     
     
       15. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein the first SRB is an SRB3 and the second SRB is an SRB1. 
     
     
       16. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein the SCG of the SN comprises a plurality of cells including the SpCell. 
     
     
       17. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein the MR-DC mode is a new radio (NR)-NR dual connectivity (NR-DC) mode. 
     
     
       18. The UE of  claim 10 , wherein the MR-DC mode is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA)-new radio (NR) dual connectivity (EN-DC) mode. 
     
     
       19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to, as part of an operation of the UE in a multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) mode with a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN):
 Identify, prior to a radio link failure (RLF) of a special cell (SpCell) of a secondary cell group (SCG) of the SN, that a handover condition corresponding to a degradation of the SpCell of the SCG of the SN has been detected at the UE; and 
 in response to identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE:
 send an SCG measurement report to the SN on a first signaling radio bearer (SRB); and 
 send the SCG measurement report to the MN on a second SRB. 
 
 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein identifying that the handover condition corresponding to the degradation of the SpCell has been detected at the UE comprises identifying that a neighbor cell of a target node is better than the SpCell by a threshold amount.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, including systems and methods for ultra reliable reporting of secondary cell group (SCG) measurements when using multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC). 
     BACKGROUND 
     Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless mobile device. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or new radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, which is commonly known to industry groups as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLAN), which is commonly known to industry groups as Wi-Fi. In 3GPP radio access networks (RANs) in LTE systems, the base station can include a RAN Node such as a Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and/or Radio Network Controller (RNC) in an E-UTRAN, which communicate with a wireless communication device, known as user equipment (UE). In this disclosure, RAN nodes of LTE systems may sometimes be referred to as LTE nodes. In fifth generation (5G) wireless RANs, RAN Nodes can include a 5G Node, NR node (also referred to as a next generation Node B or g Node B (gNB)). 
     RANs use a radio access technology (RAT) to communicate between the RAN Node and UE. RANs can include global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and/or E-UTRAN, which provide access to communication services through a core network. Each of the RANs operates according to a specific 3GPP RAT. For example, the GERAN implements GSM and/or EDGE RAT, the UTRAN implements universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, the E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT, and NG-RAN implements 5G RAT. In certain deployments, the E-UTRAN may also implement 5G RAT. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced. 
         FIG.  1    illustrates an EN-DC architecture according to embodiments herein. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates an NR-DC architecture according to embodiments herein. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a flow diagram of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an NR-DC mode, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a flow diagram of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an EN-DC mode, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a flow diagram of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an NR-DC mode, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates a flow diagram of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an EN-DC mode, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates a flow diagram of a system using NR-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    illustrates a flow diagram of a system using EN-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    illustrates a flow diagram of a system using NR-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    illustrates a flow diagram of a system using EN-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    illustrates a method of a UE operating in an MR-DC mode with an MN and an SN, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    illustrates a method of an SN operable with a UE using an MR-DC mode with an MN and the SN, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  13    illustrates a UE in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG.  14    illustrates a network node in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG.  15    illustrates components in accordance with one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) is a generalization of Intra-E-UTRA dual connectivity (DC), where a multiple Rx/Tx capable UE may be configured to utilize resources provided by two different nodes, one providing NR access and the other one providing either E-UTRA (LTE) or NR access. One node may act as a master node (MN) and the other may act as a secondary node (SN). The MN and SN may be connected via a network interface, and at least the MN is connected to the core network. The MN and/or the SN may be operated with shared spectrum channel access. 
     The UE can access the network using either one network node or using two different nodes with various MR-DC modes. Examples of possible MR-DC modes include an E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) mode and NR-NR dual connectivity (NR-DC) mode. In these MR-DC modes, the UE may communicate with the MN using one or more cells of a master cell group (MCG) that is available/provided by the MN, and the UE may communicate with the SR using one or more cells of a secondary cell group (SCG) that is provided by the SN. Each of the MCG and the SCG communicate with the UE using respectively one or more cells that includes at least a respective special cell (SpCell), with the SpCell of the MCG being referred to sometimes as a PCell and the SpCell of the SCG being referred to sometimes as a PSCell. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an EN-DC architecture  100  according to embodiments herein. The EN-DC architecture  100  includes an E-UTRAN  102  and an EPC  104 . The E-UTRAN  102  supports MR-DC via EN-DC, in which a UE (in  FIG.  1   , the UE  106 ) is connected to one eNB that acts as a MN (in  FIG.  1   , the eNB  108 ) and one en-gNB (in  FIG.  1   , the en-gNB  112 ) that acts as a SN. An en-gNB such as the en-gNB  112  may be a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE  106 , and may act as a SN in EN-DC. In  FIG.  1   , the EPC  104  may comprise one or more Mobility Management Entity/Serving Gateways (MME/S-GWs), such as an MME/S-GW  118  and an MME/S-GW  116 . By way of example, the E-UTRAN  102  may comprise the eNB  108 , an eNB  110 , the en-gNB  112 , and an en-gNB  114 . Each of the eNB  108  and the eNB  110  may be connected to the EPC  104  via one or more S1 interfaces  120  and to one or more en-gNBs via one or more X2 interfaces  124 . Each of the en-gNB  112  and the en-gNB  114  may be connected to the EPC  104  via one or more S1-U interfaces  122 . The en-gNB  112  and the en-gNB  114  may be connected to one another through an X2-U interface  126 . 
       FIG.  2    illustrates an NR-DC architecture  200  according to embodiments herein. By way of example, the NR-DC architecture  200  of  FIG.  2    illustrates a UE  202 , a gNB (MN)  204 , a gNB (SN)  206 , and the 5G core network (5GC)  208 . In NR-DC, a UE  202  is connected to a first gNB (MN)  204  that acts as an MN and a second gNB (SN)  206  that acts as an SN. The gNB (MN)  204  is connected to the 5GC  208  via an NG interface  210 , and connected to the gNB (SN)  206  via an Xn interface  212 . Further, the gNB (SN)  206  may be connected to the 5GC  208  via an NG-U interface  214  in some embodiments. 
     Signaling data attendant to the use of MR-DC may be carried using one or more signaling radio bearers (SRBs) from the UE to one of MN or the SN. An SRB may be used during connection establishment to establish radio access bearers (RABs), and may then further be used to deliver signaling while the UE is on the connection. That signaling may be related to the management of the connection. For example, SRBs may further be used to perform a handover, perform and/or report measurements, handle a reconfiguration or a release, etc. 
     An SRB1 may be configured for use between the UE and the MN. SRB1 may be used for radio resource control (RRC) messages (including piggybacked non-access stratum (NAS) messages) as well as for NAS messages prior to the establishment of an SRB2. This signaling may occur using a dedicated control channel (DCCH). 
     An SRB2 may be configured for use between the UE and the MN. SRB2 may be used for RRC messages which include logged measurement information. This signaling may occur using a DCCH. Note that SRB2 has a lower priority than SRB1, and may be configured by the network after an access stratum (AS) security activation has occurred. 
     An SRB3 may be configured for use between the UE and the SN. SRB3 may be used for specific RRC messages when the UE is in an EN-DC or an NR-DC mode, and may use a DCCH. In cases involving EN-DC and NR-DC to be discussed herein, SRB3 can be used, for example, for measurement configuration and reporting; for UE assistance (re)configuration and reporting for power savings; to (re)configure medium access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), physical layer, and radio link failure (RLF) timers and constants of an SCG configuration; to reconfigure packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) for data radio bearers (DRBs) associated with the SN key (S-K gNB ) or SRB3; to reconfigure service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) for DRBs associated with S-K gNB  in EN-DC and NR-DC; and to add/modify/release conditional SpCell of a SCG (PSCell) change configurations, provided that the (re)configuration does not require any MN involvement. In EN-DC and NR-DC, each of measConfig, radioBearerConfig, conditionalReconfiguration, otherConfig, and/or secondaryCellGroup may be included in an RRCReconfiguration sent/received via SRB3. 
     In some embodiments of wireless communications systems using MR-DC (e.g., using EN-DC or NR-DC), it may be that while the UE is operating in the MR-DC mode with SRB3 configured, the UE sends any SCG measurement reports on the SRB3. For example, the UE may be utilizing a SCG of the SN by communicating on (at least) the SpCell of the SCG (where the SCG may be made of the SpCell and zero or more additional cells, which the UE may also be using for sending/receiving data to/from the SN). These SCG measurement reports may allow the SN to react (e.g., perform a handover of the UE to another SpCell of a target node) to changing SCG cell conditions. It may be that, for example, a standard for a wireless communication system defines some or all this behavior at the UE and/or SN. 
     Such measurement reports may be configured to be sent on the SpCell of the SCG. Accordingly, when the SpCell of the SCG begins to degrade, the probability of such an SCG measurement report on SRB3 being received at the SN also reduces. If the SCG measurement report reflecting the degradation is not received at the SN, then the SN may not appropriately react (e.g., perform handover to another SpCell) to the degrading nature of the SpCell (because it remains uninformed of the degradation). This may result in SCG failure from the point of view of the UE (e.g., an RLF with the SpCell of the SCG), potentially leading to the disruption of any services to the UE that were being provided to the UE through the SN. 
       FIG.  3    illustrates a flow diagram  300  of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an NR-DC mode, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  3   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  302 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  304 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the SN/SCG. The flow diagram  300  also includes an SN  306  and an MN  308  which are in communication with the UE according to an NR-DC mode as previously described (with both the MN  308  and the SN  306  being NR nodes). 
     The flow diagram  300  illustrates the configuration  310  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  302 . The flow diagram  300  further illustrates the configuration  312  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  304 . Because of the prior configuration  312  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the SCG measurement reports  314  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  304  and the SN  306 . As illustrated, at some point in time the UE (at the UE-SCG  304 ) experiences the SCG SpCell degradation  316 . As part of its operation, the UE-SCG  304  might attempt provide the SN  306  with a SCG measurement report that reflects this degradation, which would ultimately result in the SN  306  to reacting to the SCG SpCell degradation  316  (e.g., via a handover to use another cell of a target node (which may be the SN or a different node altogether) as an SpCell). However, in the case of the flow diagram  300 , the SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  318  that would normally be used for this purpose (and which are transmitted on the SCG SpCell) do not reach the SN  306  due to the SCG SpCell degradation  316 . This is represented by the use of dotted lines on the SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  318 . 
     The flow diagram  300  further illustrates a SCG failure  320  due to SCG SpCell RLF. Eventually, the failure to communicate to the SN  306  (e.g., after a certain amount of time with no messaging from the SN  306 ), the UE will recognize a SCG failure  320  condition and send SCG failure information  322  to the MN  308 . 
     Note that the determination of the UE of the SCG failure  320  may not occur immediately with/after the SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  318  fail to be received, but rather it may take some time after the beginning of the set of SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  318  before the UE concludes that the SCG failure  320  has occurred and then sends the SCG failure information  322 . During this time, services from the network to the UE on the SN  306  may have already been substantially impacted. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates a flow diagram  400  of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an EN-DC mode, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  4   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  402 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  404 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the SN/SCG. The flow diagram  400  also includes an SN  406  and an MN  408  which are in communication with the UE according to an EN-DC mode as previously described (with the MN  408  being an LTE node and the SN  406  being an NR node). 
     The flow diagram  400  illustrates the configuration  410  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  402 . The flow diagram  400  further illustrates the configuration  412  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  404 . Because of the prior configuration  412  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the SCG measurement reports  414  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  404  and the SN  406 . As illustrated, at some point in time the UE (at the UE-SCG  404 ) experiences the SCG SpCell degradation  416 . As part of its operation, the UE-SCG  404  might attempt provide the SN  406  with a SCG measurement report that reflects this degradation, which would ultimately result in the SN  406  to reacting to the SCG SpCell degradation  416  (e.g., via a handover to use another cell of a target node (which may be the SN or a different node altogether) as a SpCell). However, in the case of the flow diagram  400 , the SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  418  that would normally be used for this purpose (and which are transmitted on the SCG SpCell) do not reach the SN  406  due to the SCG SpCell degradation  416 . This is represented by the use of dotted lines on the SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  418 . 
     The flow diagram  400  further illustrates an SCG failure  420  due to SCG SpCell RLF. Eventually, the failure to communicate to the SN  406  (e.g., after a certain amount of time with no messaging from the SN  406 ), the UE will recognize a SCG failure  420  condition and send SCG failure information  422  to the MN  408 . 
     Note that the determination of the UE of the SCG failure  420  may not occur immediately with/after the SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  418  fail to be received, but rather it may take some time after the beginning of the set of SCG measurement reports/retransmissions  418  before the UE concludes that the SCG failure  420  has occurred and then sends the SCG failure information  422 . During this time, services from the network to the UE on the SN  406  may have already been substantially impacted. 
     It has been recognized that cases where measurement reports are conditionally triggered at the UE can also be affected when the SpCell of the SCG begins to degrade. For example, a UE may be configured to trigger an SCG measurement report (Event A3) on SRB3 when the current SCG SpCell has a power level that is lower than a neighbor cell by a threshold amount (an A3 condition). This SCG measurement report (Event A3) contains the power level of the SCG SpCell and the power level of the neighbor cell, and indicates the existence of the A3 condition between the SCG SpCell and the neighbor cell (e.g., through the inclusion in the SCT measurement report of a measurement ID that is known to the network to correspond to the A3 condition). Upon receiving this SCG measurement report, the SN  506  recognizes the A3 condition as between the SCG SpCell and the neighbor cell and initiates a handover to the neighbor cell. However, it may be that the A3 condition was caused by SCG SpCell degradation, and that the SCG SpCell has degraded to the extent that the SCG measurement report (Event A3) does not reach the SN. If this SCG measurement report (Event A3) reflecting the A3 condition is not received at the SN, then the SN may not appropriately react (e.g., perform handover to the neighbor cell) to the A3 condition (because it remains uninformed of the A3 condition). If the SCG SpCell continues to degrade, this may eventually result in SCG failure from the point of view of the UE (e.g., an RLF with the SCG SpCell), potentially leading to the disruption of any services to the UE that were being provided to the UE through the SN. 
       FIG.  5    illustrates a flow diagram  500  of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an NR-DC mode, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  5   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  502 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  504 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the SN/SCG. The flow diagram  500  also includes an SN  506  and an MN  508  which are in communication with the UE according to an NR-DC mode as previously described (with both the MN  508  and the SN  506  being NR nodes). 
     The flow diagram  500  illustrates the configuration  510  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  502 . The flow diagram  500  further illustrates the configuration  512  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  504 . As illustrated, the trigger  514  for a SCG measurement report (Event A3)  516  then occurs. In the case of the trigger  514 , the SCG SpCell has degraded, causing a power of a neighbor cell to be better than the power of the SCG SpCell by an offset or threshold amount. Because of the prior configuration  512  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the responsive SCG measurement report (Event A3)  516  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  504  and the SN  506 . However, in the case of the flow diagram  500 , the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  516  (and any follow on SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  518 ) which are transmitted on the SCG SpCell do not reach the SN  506  due to the SCG SpCell degradation. This is represented by the use of dotted lines on the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  516  and the SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  518 . 
     The flow diagram  500  further illustrates a SCG failure  520  due to SCG SpCell RLF. Eventually, the failure to communicate to the SN  506  (e.g., after a certain amount of time with no messaging from the SN  506 ), the UE will recognize a SCG failure  520  condition and send SCG failure information  522  to the MN  508 . 
     Note that the determination of the UE of the SCG failure  520  may not occur immediately with/after the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  516  and/or the SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  518  fail to be received, but rather it may take some time after the beginning of the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  516  and/or the SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  518  before the UE concludes that the SCG failure  520  has occurred and then sends the SCG failure information  522 . During this time, services from the network to the UE on the SN  506  may have already been substantially impacted. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates a flow diagram  600  of a failure of SCG measurement reports from a UE to reach an SN on SRB3 because of SCG SpCell degradation when the UE is operating in an EN-DC mode, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  6   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  602 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  604 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the SN/SCG. The flow diagram  600  also includes an SN  606  and an MN  608 , which are in communication with the UE according to an EN-DC mode as previously described (with the MN  608  being an LTE node and the SN  606  being an NR node). 
     The flow diagram  600  illustrates the configuration  610  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  602 . The flow diagram  600  further illustrates the configuration  612  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  604 . As illustrated, the trigger  614  for a SCG measurement report (Event A3)  616  then occurs. In the case of the trigger  614 , the SCG SpCell has degraded, causing a power of a neighbor cell to be better than the power of the SCG SpCell by an offset or threshold amount. Because of the prior configuration  612  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the responsive SCG measurement report (Event A3)  616  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  604  and the SN  606 . However, in the case of the flow diagram  600 , the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  616  (and any follow on SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  618 ) which are transmitted on the SCG SpCell do not reach the SN  606  due to the SCG SpCell degradation. This is represented by the use of dotted lines on the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  616  and the SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  618 . 
     The flow diagram  600  further illustrates a SCG failure  620  due to SCG SpCell RLF. Eventually, the failure to communicate to the SN  606  (e.g., after a certain amount of time with no messaging from the SN  606 ), the UE will recognize a SCG failure  620  condition and send SCG failure information  622  to the MN  608 . 
     Note that the determination of the UE of the SCG failure  620  may not occur immediately with/after the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  616  and/or the SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  618  fail to be received, but rather it may take some time after the beginning of the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  616  and/or the SCG measurement reports (Event A3)/retransmissions  618  before the UE concludes that the SCG failure  620  has occurred and then sends the SCG failure information  622 . During this time, services from the network to the UE on the SN  606  may have already been substantially impacted. 
       FIG.  7    illustrates a flow diagram  700  of a system using NR-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  7   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  702 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  704 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the one or more SNs/SCGs. The flow diagram  700  also includes an MN  706  and a source SN  708  which at the beginning of the flow diagram  700  are in communication with the UE according to an NR-DC mode as previously described (with both the MN  706  and the source SN  708  being NR nodes). By the end of the flow diagram  700 , the source SN  708  will handover to the target SN  710 . Note that in some cases, it is anticipated that the source SN  708  and the target SN  710  may be the same NR node, while in other cases the source SN  708  and the target SN  710  may be different NR nodes. 
     The flow diagram  700  illustrates the configuration  712  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  702 . The flow diagram  700  further illustrates the configuration  714  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  704 . Because of the prior configuration  714  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the SCG measurement reports  716  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  704  and the source SN  708 . 
     The flow diagram  700  then illustrates that the SpCell of the SCG starts degrading, which causes the handover condition  718 . Examples of a handover conditions as used in the flow diagram  700  may include that an out-of-sync (OOS) counter begins incrementing, or that a T310 timer is running at the UE. For example, as the SpCell of the SCG degrades, the UE may begin to fall out of synchronization with it. This is detected by lower layers at the UE, which send OOS indicators to RRC of the UE. These OOS indicators are reported at the UE-SCG  704  functionality through the use of an incrementing OOS counter. Further, in some embodiments, once the OOS counter has reached a certain value, a T310 timer may be started that the UE will use to determine when to report an RLF of the SCG SpCell to the MN. Accordingly, the UE of the flow diagram  700  may watch for either of the incrementing of the OOS counter and/or the running of the T310 timer (as a “handover condition  718 ”) in order to trigger balance of the flow diagram  700 . 
     Once the handover condition  718  has been identified at the UE, the UE may in response send SCG measurement reports. One or more of these may be as the SCG measurement report  720 , which is sent (via RRC) from the UE-SCG  704  to the source SN  708  on SRB3, in the manner described previously. However, the sending of the SCG measurement report  720  to the source SN  708  may fail as a result of the SCG SpCell degradation. The SCG measurement report is also provided  722  to the UE-MCG  702 , which then sends it (via E-UTRA-RRC) to the MN  706  on SRB1 as part of a ULInformationTransferMRDC message  724 . The ULInformationTransferMRDC message  724  may be a message that indicates to the receiving MN that the contents of such message should be forwarded to the current SN. Note that while not illustrated, the UE-MCG  702  may continue to (re)send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  724  (perhaps with an updated SCG measurement report) on SRB1 until handover of the UE to the target SN  710  is ultimately achieved (or SCG SpCell conditions improve). 
     As illustrated, once the MN  706  receives the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  724 , the SCG measurement report  726  is forwarded to the source SN  708 . Thus, in embodiments according to  FIG.  7   , even if the SCG measurement report  720  fails, it is likely that the information still reaches the source SN  708  in any event, due to fact that it was (also) sent by the UE-MCG  702  to the MN  706  and from there forwarded to the source SN  708 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  7   , the source SN  708 , having received the SCG measurement report  726  from the UE-MCG  702 , is accordingly capable, based on the contents of the source SN  708 , of recognizing the relevant aspects of the condition of the degrading SCG SpCell. For example, the SCG measurement report  726  may indicate that a power level of the SCG SpCell at the UE is poor or otherwise not suitable. The SCG measurement report  726  may also aid in the identification of a suitable neighbor cell on the target SN  710  (e.g., according to a power of the neighbor cell as reported in the SCG measurement report  726 ). The source SN  708  accordingly determines that a handover to the identified neighbor cell of the target SN  710  is appropriate, and sends a handover request  728  to the target SN  710  to initiate this process. 
     The target SN  710  replies to the source SN  708  with a handover command  730 , which is forwarded  732  to the MN  706 . The MN  706  then sends an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message  734  containing a SpCell Handover message from the handover command  730 / 732  informing the UE-MCG  702  of the handover to the identified neighbor cell on the target SN  710 . A corresponding handover command  736  containing the SpCell Handover message is generated by the UE-MCG  702  functionality and sent to the UE-SCG  704 . The UE-SCG  704  then performs the SpCell change  738  to the neighbor cell. 
     To perform the SpCell change  738 , the UE-SCG  704  hands over to neighbor cell of the target SN  710 , as instructed by the handover command  736 . After handover, this neighbor cell acts as the SpCell for the UE-SCG  704 . This SpCell has an associated SCG and SN (the target SN  710 ). 
     It is contemplated that the SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is a cell of a different NR node. Accordingly, in this sense of  FIG.  7   , it may be that the source SN  708  and the target SN  710  are different NR nodes. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell will accordingly be part of a new SCG having zero or more additional cells other than those of the SCG associated with the prior SpCell, as provided by the new NR node. 
     It is further contemplated that the target SN may be the same NR node as the current SN. For example, in the case where a SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is another cell of the same NR node, this is allowed. Accordingly, in the sense of  FIG.  7   , it may be that the source SN  708  and the target SN  710  are the same NR node. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell for the UE may accordingly be associated with an SCG constituted of a same, a different, or a partially different set of zero or more additional cells as compared to the SCG associated with the prior SpCell. In the case of, for example, the source SN  708  and the target SN  710  being the same NR node, the handover request  728  and the handover command  730  as illustrated may not be passed (or may be handled only internally to that same NR node). 
     After completing the SpCell change  738 , the UE-SCG  704  functionality provides the handover complete message  740  to the UE-MCG  702  functionality of the UE. The UE-MCG  702  then sends the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message  742  containing the handover complete message  740  to the MN  706 , which then forwards  744  the handover complete message  740  to the target SN  710  to inform/confirm to the target SN  710  that the UE has completed the instructed handover. At this stage, the UE-SCG  704  also stops  746  any measurement reports on the SRB1 associated with the handover condition  718  (which may have been intentionally repeated until handover was performed by the network, as described above). 
     Compared to embodiments found in, for example,  FIG.  3   , a system for NR-DC as in  FIG.  7    that detects the handover condition  718  and reacts as described may be more responsive to the degrading of the SCG SpCell of the source SN  708 . Accordingly, the risk of substantial impediment of services to the UE that are being provided by the source SN  708  (and, after handover, perhaps the target SN  710 ) is reduced. 
       FIG.  8    illustrates a flow diagram  800  of a system using EN-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  8   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  802 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  804 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the one or more SNs/SCGs. The flow diagram  800  also includes an MN  806  and a source SN  808  which at the beginning of the flow diagram  800  are in communication with the UE according to an EN-DC mode as previously described (with the MN  806  being an LTE node and the source SN  808  being an NR node). By the end of the flow diagram  800 , the source SN  808  will handover to the target SN  810 . Note that in some cases, it is anticipated that the source SN  808  and the target SN  810  may be the same NR nodes, while in other cases the source SN  808  and the target SN  810  may be different NR nodes. 
     The flow diagram  800  illustrates the configuration  812  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  802 . The flow diagram  800  further illustrates the configuration  814  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  804 . Because of the prior configuration  814  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the SCG measurement reports  816  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  804  and the source SN  808 . 
     The flow diagram  800  then illustrates that the SpCell of the SCG starts degrading, which causes the handover condition  818 . Examples of a handover conditions as used in the flow diagram  800  may include that an out-of-sync (OOS) counter begins incrementing, or that a T310 timer is running at the UE. For example, as the SpCell of the SCG degrades, the UE may begin to fall out of synchronization with it. This is detected by lower layers at the UE, which send OOS indicators to RRC of the UE. These OOS indicators are reported at the UE-SCG  804  functionality through the use of an incrementing OOS counter. Further, in some embodiments, once the OOS counter has reached a certain value, a T310 timer may be started that the UE will use to determine when to report an RLF of the SCG SpCell to the MN. Accordingly, the UE of the flow diagram  800  may watch for either of the incrementing of the OOS counter and/or the running of the T310 timer (as a “handover condition  818 ”) in order to trigger balance of the flow diagram  800 . 
     Once the handover condition  818  has been identified at the UE, the UE may in response send SCG measurement reports. One or more of these may be as the SCG measurement report  820 , which is sent from the UE-SCG  804  to the source SN  808  on SRB3, in the manner described previously. However, the sending of the SCG measurement report  820  to the source SN  808  may fail as a result of the SCG SpCell degradation. The SCG measurement report is also provided  822  to the UE-MCG  802 , which then sends it (via E-UTRA-RRC) to the MN  806  on SRB1 as part of a ULInformationTransferMRDC message  824 . The ULInformationTransferMRDC message  824  may be a message that indicates to the receiving MN that the contents of such message should be forwarded to the current SN. Note that while not illustrated, the UE-MCG  802  may continue to (re)send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  824  (perhaps with an updated SCG measurement report) on SRB1 until handover of the UE to the target SN  810  is ultimately achieved (or SCG SpCell conditions improve). 
     As illustrated, once the MN  806  receives the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  824 , the SCG measurement report  826  is forwarded to the source SN  808 . Thus, in embodiments according to  FIG.  8   , even if the SCG measurement report  820  fails, it is likely that the information still reaches the source SN  808  in any event, due to fact that it was (also) sent by the UE-MCG  802  to the MN  806  and from there forwarded to the source SN  808 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the source SN  808 , having received the SCG measurement report  826  from the UE-MCG  802 , is accordingly capable, based on the contents of the source SN  808 , of recognizing the relevant aspects of the condition of the degrading SCG SpCell. For example, the SCG measurement report  826  may indicate that a power level of the SCG SpCell at the UE is poor or otherwise not suitable. The SCG measurement report  826  may also aid in the identification of a suitable neighbor cell on the target SN  810  (e.g., according to a power of the neighbor cell as reported in the SCG measurement report  826 ). The source SN  808  accordingly determines that a handover to the identified neighbor cell of the target SN  810  is appropriate, and sends a handover request  8281  to the target SN  810  to initiate this process. 
     The target SN  810  replies to the source SN  808  with a handover command  830 , which is forwarded  832  to the MN  806 . The MN  806  then sends an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message  834  containing a SpCell Handover message from the handover command  830 / 832  informing the UE-MCG  802  of the handover to the identified neighbor cell on the target SN  810 . A corresponding handover command  836  containing the SpCell Handover message is generated by the UE-MCG  802  functionality and sent to the UE-SCG  804 . The UE-SCG  804  then performs the SpCell change  838  to the neighbor cell. 
     To perform the SpCell change  838 , the UE-SCG  804  hands over to neighbor cell of the target SN  810 , as instructed by the handover command  836 . After handover, this neighbor cell acts as the SpCell for the UE-SCG  804 . This SpCell has an associated SCG and SN (the target SN  810 ). 
     It is contemplated that the SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is a cell of a different NR node. Accordingly, in this sense of  FIG.  8   , it may be that the source SN  808  and the target SN  810  are different NR nodes. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell will accordingly be part of a new SCG having zero or more additional cells other than those of the SCG associated with the prior SpCell, as provided by the new NR node. 
     It is further contemplated that the target SN may be the same NR node as the current SN. For example, in the case where a SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is another cell of the same NR node, this is allowed. Accordingly, in the sense of  FIG.  8   , it may be that the source SN  808  and the target SN  810  are the same NR node. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell for the UE may accordingly be associated with an SCG constituted of a same, a different, or a partially different set of zero or more additional cells as compared to the SCG associated with the prior SpCell. In the case of, for example, the source SN  808  and the target SN  810  being the same NR node, the handover request  828  and the handover command  830  as illustrated may not be passed (or may be handled only internally to that same NR node). 
     After completing the SpCell change  838 , the UE-SCG  804  functionality provides the handover complete message  840  to the UE-MCG  802  functionality of the UE. The UE-MCG  802  then sends the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message  842  containing the handover complete message  840  to the MN  806 , which forwards the forwards  844  the handover complete message  840  to the target SN  810  to inform/confirm to the target SN  810  that the UE has completed the instructed handover. At this stage, the UE-SCG  804  also stops  846  any measurement reports on the SRB1 associated with the handover condition  818  (which may have been intentionally repeated until handover was performed by the network, as described above). 
     Compared to embodiments found in, for example,  FIG.  4   , a system for EN-DC as in  FIG.  8    that detects the handover condition  818  and reacts as described may be more responsive to the degrading of the SCCG SpCell of the source SN  808 . Accordingly, the risk of substantial impediment of services to the UE that are being provided by the source SN  808  (and, after handover, perhaps the target SN  810 ) is reduced. 
       FIG.  9    illustrates a flow diagram  900  of a system using NR-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  9   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  902 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  904 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the one or more SNs/SCGs. The flow diagram  900  also includes an MN  906  and a source SN  908  which at the beginning of the flow diagram  900  are in communication with the UE according to an NR-DC mode as previously described (with both the MN  906  and the source SN  908  being NR nodes). By the end of the flow diagram  900 , the source SN  908  will handover to the target SN  910 . Note that in some cases, it is anticipated that the source SN  908  and the target SN  910  may be the same NR node, while in other cases the source SN  908  and the target SN  910  may be different NR nodes. 
     The flow diagram  900  illustrates the configuration  912  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  902 . The flow diagram  900  further illustrates the configuration  914  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  904 . Because of the prior configuration  914  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the SCG measurement reports  916  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  904  and the source SN  908 . 
     The flow diagram  900  then illustrates the handover condition  718 , which is an identification by the UE that Event A3 criteria has been satisfied as between the SCG SpCell of the source SN  908  and a neighbor cell. For example, the UE may identify that a neighbor cell on the target SN  910  is better (e.g., has a higher power measured at the UE) than the SCG SpCell on the source SN  908  by a threshold amount. 
     Once the handover condition  918  has been identified at the UE, the UE may send SCG measurement reports (Event A3). One or more of these may be as the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  920 , which is sent from the UE-SCG  904  to the source SN  908  on SRB3, in the manner described previously. However, the sending of the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  920  to the source SN  908  may fail as a result of any degradation on the current SCG SpCell (e.g., in the case that degradation of the current SCG SpCell was a cause of the A3 condition between the SCG SpCell and the neighbor cell). The SCG measurement report is also provided  922  to the UE-MCG  902 , which then sends it (via RRC) to the MN  906  on SRB1 as part of a ULInformationTransferMRDC message  924 . The ULInformationTransferMRDC message  924  may be a message that indicates to the receiving MN that the contents of such message should be forwarded to the current SN. Note that while not illustrated, the UE-MCG  902  (via RRC) may continue to (re)send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  924  (perhaps with an updated SCG measurement report (Event A3)) on SRB1 until handover of the UE to the target SN  910  is ultimately achieved (or SCG SpCell conditions improve). 
     As illustrated, once the MN  906  receives the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  924 , the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  926  is forwarded to the source SN  908 . Thus, in embodiments according to  FIG.  9   , even if the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  920  fails, it is likely that the information still reaches the source SN  908  in any event, due to fact that it was (also) sent by the UE-MCG  902  to the MN  906  and from there forwarded to the source SN  908 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  9   , the source SN  908 , having received the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  926  from the UE-MCG  902 , is thereby informed of the existence of the A3 condition and the identity of the neighbor cell on the target SN  910 . The source SN  908  accordingly determines that a handover to the identified neighbor cell of the target SN  910  is appropriate, and sends a handover request  928  to the target SN  910  to initiate this process. 
     The target SN  910  replies to the source SN  908  with a handover command  930 , which is forwarded  932  to the MN  906 . The MN  906  then sends an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message  934  containing a SpCell Handover message from the handover command  930 / 932  informing the UE-MCG  902  of the handover to the identified neighbor cell of the target SN  910 . A corresponding handover command  936  containing the SpCell Handover message is generated by the UE-MCG  902  functionality and sent to the UE-SCG  904 . The UE-SCG  904  then performs the SpCell change  938  to the neighbor cell. 
     To perform the SpCell change  938 , the UE-SCG  904  hands over to the neighbor cell of the target SN  910 , as instructed by the handover command  936 . After handover, this neighbor cell acts as the SpCell for the UE-SCG  904 . This SpCell has an associated SCG and SN (the target SN  910 ). 
     It is contemplated that the SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is a cell of a different NR node. Accordingly, in this sense of  FIG.  9   , it may be that the source SN  908  and the target SN  910  are different NR nodes. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell will accordingly be part of a new SCG having zero or more additional cells other than those of the SCG associated with the prior SpCell, as provided by the new NR node. 
     It is further contemplated that the target SN may be the same NR node as the current SN. For example, in the case where a SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is another cell of the same NR node, this is allowed. Accordingly, in the sense of  FIG.  9   , it may be that the source SN  908  and the target SN  910  are the same NR node. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell for the UE may accordingly be associated with an SCG constituted of a same, a different, or a partially different set of zero or more additional cells as compared to the SCG associated with the prior SpCell. In the case of, for example, the source SN  908  and the target SN  910  being the same NR node, the handover request  928  and the handover command  930  as illustrated may not be passed (or may be handled only internally to that same NR node). 
     After completing the SpCell change  1038 , the UE-SCG  1004  functionality provides the handover complete message  1040  to the UE-MCG  1002  functionality of the UE. The UE-MCG  1002  then sends the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message  1042  containing the handover complete message  1040  to the MN  1006 , which forwards  1044  the handover complete message  1040  to the target SN  1010  to inform/confirm to the target SN  1010  that the UE has completed the instructed handover. At this stage, the UE-SCG  1004  also stops  1046  any measurement reports on the SRB1 associated with the handover condition  1018  (which may have been intentionally repeated until handover was performed by the network, as described above). 
     Compared to embodiments found in, for example,  FIG.  6   , a system for EN-DC as in  FIG.  10    that detects the handover condition  1018  and reacts as described may be more responsive to the potential degrading of the SCG SpCell of the source SN  1008  that may be a cause of the A3 condition. Accordingly, the risk of substantial impediment of services to the UE that are being provided by the source SN  1008  (and, after handover, perhaps the target SN  1010 ) is reduced. 
       FIG.  10    illustrates a flow diagram  1000  of a system using EN-DC that is configured to send SCG measurement reports to both an MN and an SN in response to a handover condition associated with the SN and when SRB3 is configured between a UE and the SN, according to an embodiment. In  FIG.  10   , the UE functionality has been split into the functionalities of the UE-MCG  1002 , which illustrates the functions of the UE as they relate to the MN/MCG, and the UE-SCG  1004 , which illustrates the functions of the (same) UE as they relate to the one or more SNs/SCGs. The flow diagram  1000  also includes an MN  1006  and a source SN  1008  which at the beginning of the flow diagram  1000  are in communication with the UE according to an EN-DC mode as previously described (with the MN  1006  being an LTE node and the source SN  1008  being an NR node). By the end of the flow diagram  1000 , the source SN  1008  will handover to the target SN  1010 . Note that in some cases, it is anticipated that the source SN  1008  and the target SN  1010  may be the same NR node, while in other cases the source SN  1008  and the target SN  1010  may be different NR nodes. 
     The flow diagram  1000  illustrates the configuration  1012  of an SRB1 and an SRB2 at the UE-MCG  1002 . The flow diagram  1000  further illustrates the configuration  1014  of an SRB3 at the UE-SCG  1004 . Because of the prior configuration  1014  of SRB3, it may be that the UE is to make the SCG measurement reports  1016  on SRB3, between the UE-SCG  1004  and the source SN  1008 . 
     The flow diagram  1000  then illustrates the handover condition  1018 , which is an identification by the UE that Event A3 criteria has been satisfied as between the SCG SpCell of the source SN  1008  and a neighbor cell. For example, the UE may identify that a neighbor cell on the target SN  1010  is better (e.g., has a higher power measured at the UE) than the SCG SpCell on the source SN  1008  by a threshold amount. 
     Once the handover condition  1018  has been identified at the UE, the UE may send SCG measurement reports (Event A3). One or more of these may be as the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  1020 , which is sent from the UE-SCG  1004  to the source SN  1008  on SRB3, in the manner described previously. However, the sending of the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  1020  to the source SN  1008  may fail as a result of any degradation on the current SCG SpCell (e.g., in the case that degradation of the current SCG SpCell was a cause of the A3 condition between the SCG SpCell and the neighbor cell). The SCG measurement report is also provided  1022  to the UE-MCG  1002 , which then sends it (via RRC) to the MN  1006  on SRB1 as part of a ULInformationTransferMRDC message  1024 . The ULInformationTransferMRDC message  1024  may be a message that indicates to the receiving MN that the contents of such message should be forwarded to the current SN. Note that while not illustrated, the UE-MCG  1002  (via RRC) may continue to (re)send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  1024  (perhaps with an updated SCG measurement report (Event A3)) on SRB1 until handover of the UE to the target SN  1010  is ultimately achieved (or SCG SpCell conditions improve). 
     As illustrated, once the MN  1006  receives the ULInformationTransferMRDC message  1024 , the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  1026  is forwarded to the source SN  1008 . Thus, in embodiments according to  FIG.  10   , even if the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  1020  fails, it is likely that the information still reaches the source SN  1008  in any event, due to fact that it was (also) sent by the UE-MCG  1002  to the MN  1006  and from there forwarded to the source SN  1008 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  10   , the source SN  1008 , having received the SCG measurement report (Event A3)  1026  from the UE-MCG  1002 , is thereby informed of the existence of the A3 condition and the identity of the neighbor cell on the target SN  1010 . The source SN  1008  accordingly determines that a handover to the identified neighbor cell of the target SN  1010  is appropriate, and sends a handover request  1028  to the target SN  1010  to initiate this process. 
     The target SN  1010  replies to the source SN  1008  with a handover command  1030 , which is forwarded  1032  to the MN  1006 . The MN  1006  then sends an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message  1034  containing a SpCell Handover message from the handover command  1030 / 1032  informing the UE-MCG  1002  of the handover to the identified neighbor cell of the target SN  1010 . A corresponding handover command  1036  containing the SpCell Handover message is generated by the UE-MCG  1002  functionality and sent to the UE-SCG  1004 . The UE-SCG  1004  then performs the SpCell change  1038  to the neighbor cell. 
     To perform the SpCell change  1038 , the UE-SCG  1004  hands over to the neighbor cell of the target SN  1010 , as instructed by the handover command  1036 . After handover, this neighbor cell acts as the SpCell for the UE-SCG  1004 . This SpCell has an associated SCG and SN (the target SN  1010 ). 
     It is contemplated that the SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is a cell of a different NR node. Accordingly, in this sense of  FIG.  10   , it may be that the source SN  1008  and the target SN  1010  are different NR nodes. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell will accordingly be part of a new SCG having zero or more additional cells other than those of the SCG associated with the prior SpCell, as provided by the new NR node. 
     It is further contemplated that the target SN may be the same NR node as the current SN. For example, in the case where a SN performing a handover determines that the neighbor cell to handover to is another cell of the same NR node, this is allowed. Accordingly, in the sense of  FIG.  10   , it may be that the source SN  1008  and the target SN  1010  are the same NR node. It is contemplated that in these cases, the new SpCell for the UE may accordingly be associated with an SCG constituted of a same, a different, or a partially different set of zero or more additional cells as compared to the SCG associated with the prior SpCell. In the case of, for example, the source SN  1008  and the target SN  1010  being the same NR node, the handover request  1028  and the handover command  1030  as illustrated may not be passed (or may be handled only internally to that same NR node). 
     After completing the SpCell change  938 , the UE-SCG  904  functionality provides the handover complete message  940  to the UE-MCG  902  functionality of the UE. The UE-MCG  902  then sends the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message  942  containing the handover complete message  940  to the MN  906 , which forwards  944  the handover complete message  940  to the target SN  910  to inform/confirm to the target SN  910  that the UE has completed the instructed handover. At this stage, the UE-SCG  904  also stops  946  any measurement reports on the SRB1 associated with the handover condition  918  (which may have been intentionally repeated until handover was performed by the network, as described above). 
     Compared to embodiments found in, for example,  FIG.  5   , a system for NR-DC as in  FIG.  9    that detects the handover condition  918  and reacts as described may be more responsive to the potential degrading of the SCG SpCell of the source SN  908  that may be a cause of the A3 condition. Accordingly, the risk of substantial impediment of services to the UE that are being provided by the source SN  908  (and, after handover, perhaps the target SN  910 ) is reduced. 
       FIG.  11    illustrates a method  1100  of a UE operating in an MR-DC mode with an MN and an SN, according to an embodiment. The method  1100  includes identifying  1102  that a handover condition for an SpCell of an SCG of the SN is met. 
     The method  1100  further includes sending  1104  an SCG measurement report to the SN on a first SRB. This may occur in response to the identifying  1102  that the handover condition of the SpCell of the SCG of the SN is met. 
     The method  1100  further includes sending  1106  the SCG measurement report to the MN on a second SRB. This may occur in response to the identifying  1102  that the handover condition of the SpCell of the SCG of the SN is met. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the identifying  1102  that the handover condition for the SpCell is met comprises identifying that a neighbor cell of a target node is better than the SpCell by a threshold amount. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the identifying  1102  that the handover condition for the SpCell is met comprises identifying that one or more OOS indications have been received from a lower layer. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the identifying  1102  that the handover condition for the SpCell is met comprises identifying that a T310 timer is running at the UE. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the SCG measurement report that is sent to the MN on the second SRB is sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the first SRB is an SRB3 and the second SRB is an SRB1. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the SCG of the SN comprises a plurality of cells including the SpCell. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the MR-DC mode is an NR-DC mode. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1100 , the MR-DC mode is an EN-DC mode. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means to perform one or more elements of the method  1200 . This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE  1300  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of the method  1100 . This non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, the memory  1306  of the UE  1300  described below, and/or the peripheral devices  1504 , the memory/storage devices  1514 , and/or the databases  1520  of the components  1500  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of the method  1100 . This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE  1300  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the method  1100 . This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE  1300  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or related to one or more elements of the method  1100 . 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element is to cause the processing element to carry out one or more elements of the method  1100 . These instructions may be, for example, the instructions  1512  of the components  1500  as described below. 
       FIG.  12    illustrates a method  1200  of an SN operable with a UE using an MR-DC mode with an MN and the SN, according to an embodiment. The method  1200  includes establishing  1202 , with the UE, an SRB. 
     The method  1200  further includes receiving  1204 , from an MN, an SCG measurement report. 
     The method  1200  further includes determining  1206 , based on contents of the SCG measurement report, to perform a handover from a SpCell of the SN to a neighbor cell of a target node. 
     The method  1200  further includes sending  1208 , to the target node, a handover request. This may occur in the case where the SN is a different NR node than the target node, but may not occur in the case where the SN is the same NR node as the target node. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1200 , the determining  1206 , based on the contents of the SCG measurement report, to perform the handover comprises comparing a difference between a power level of the SpCell of the SN from the SCG measurement report and a power level of the neighbor cell of the target node from the SCG measurement report to a threshold amount. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1200 , the SRB is an SRB3. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1200 , the MR-DC is an NR-DC mode. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1200 , the MR-DC mode is an EN-DC mode. 
     In some embodiments of the method  1200 , the target node is the SN. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means to perform one or more elements of the method  1200 . This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a network node  1400  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of the method  1200 . This non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, the memory  1406  of the network node  1400  described below, and/or the peripheral devices  1504 , the memory/storage devices  1514 , and/or the databases  1520  of the components  1500  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of the method  1200 . This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a network node  1400  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the method  1200 . This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a network node  1400  as described below. 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or related to one or more elements of the method  1200 . 
     Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element is to cause the processing element to carry out one or more elements of the method  1200 . These instructions may be, for example, the instructions  1512  of the components  1500  as described below. 
       FIG.  13    is a block diagram of an example UE  1300  configurable according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including by execution of instructions on a computer-readable medium that correspond to any of the example methods and/or procedures described herein. The UE  1300  comprises one or more processor  1302 , transceiver  1304 , memory  1306 , user interface  1308 , and control interface  1310 . 
     The one or more processor  1302  may include, for example, an application processor, an audio digital signal processor, a central processing unit, and/or one or more baseband processors. Each of the one or more processor  1302  may include internal memory and/or may include interface(s) to communication with external memory (including the memory  1306 ). The internal or external memory can store software code, programs, and/or instructions for execution by the one or more processor  1302  to configure and/or facilitate the UE  1300  to perform various operations, including operations described herein. For example, execution of the instructions can configure the UE  1300  to communicate using one or more wired or wireless communication protocols, including one or more wireless communication protocols standardized by 3GPP such as those commonly known as 5G/NR, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, etc., or any other current or future protocols that can be utilized in conjunction with the one or more transceiver  1304 , user interface  1308 , and/or control interface  1310 . As another example, the one or more processor  1302  may execute program code stored in the memory  1306  or other memory that corresponds to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP (e.g., for NR and/or LTE). As a further example, the processor  1302  may execute program code stored in the memory  1306  or other memory that, together with the one or more transceiver  1304 , implements corresponding PHY layer protocols, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). 
     The memory  1306  may comprise memory area for the one or more processor  1302  to store variables used in protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of the UE  1300 , including operations corresponding to, or comprising, any of the example methods and/or procedures described herein. Moreover, the memory  1306  may comprise non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the memory  1306  may interface with a memory slot by which removable memory cards in one or more formats (e.g., SD Card, Memory Stick, Compact Flash, etc.) can be inserted and removed. 
     The one or more transceiver  1304  may include radio-frequency transmitter and/or receiver circuitry that facilitates the UE  1300  to communicate with other equipment supporting like wireless communication standards and/or protocols. For example, the one or more transceiver  1304  may include switches, mixer circuitry, amplifier circuitry, filter circuitry, and synthesizer circuitry. Such RF circuitry may include a receive signal path with circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from a front-end module (FEM) and provide baseband signals to a baseband processor of the one or more processor  1302 . The RF circuitry may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by a baseband processor and provide RF output signals to the FEM for transmission. The FEM may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry for further processing. The FEM may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry for transmission by one or more antennas. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry, solely in the FEM, or in both the RF circuitry and the FEM circuitry. In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. 
     In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more transceiver  1304  includes a transmitter and a receiver that enable the UE  1300  to communicate with various 5G/NR networks according to various protocols and/or methods proposed for standardization by 3 GPP and/or other standards bodies. For example, such functionality can operate cooperatively with the one or more processor  1302  to implement a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and/or SC-FDMA technologies, such as described herein with respect to other figures. 
     The user interface  1308  may take various forms depending on particular embodiments, or can be absent from the UE  1300 . In some embodiments, the user interface  1308  includes a microphone, a loudspeaker, slidable buttons, depressible buttons, a display, a touchscreen display, a mechanical or virtual keypad, a mechanical or virtual keyboard, and/or any other user-interface features commonly found on mobile phones. In other embodiments, the UE  1300  may comprise a tablet computing device including a larger touchscreen display. In such embodiments, one or more of the mechanical features of the user interface  1308  may be replaced by comparable or functionally equivalent virtual user interface features (e.g., virtual keypad, virtual buttons, etc.) implemented using the touchscreen display, as familiar to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In other embodiments, the UE  1300  may be a digital computing device, such as a laptop computer, desktop computer, workstation, etc. that comprises a mechanical keyboard that can be integrated, detached, or detachable depending on the particular exemplary embodiment. Such a digital computing device can also comprise a touch screen display. Many example embodiments of the UE  1300  having a touch screen display are capable of receiving user inputs, such as inputs related to exemplary methods and/or procedures described herein or otherwise known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. 
     In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE  1300  may include an orientation sensor, which can be used in various ways by features and functions of the UE  1300 . For example, the UE  1300  can use outputs of the orientation sensor to determine when a user has changed the physical orientation of the UE  1300 &#39;s touch screen display. An indication signal from the orientation sensor can be available to any application program executing on the UE  1300 , such that an application program can change the orientation of a screen display (e.g., from portrait to landscape) automatically when the indication signal indicates an approximate 90-degree change in physical orientation of the device. In this manner, the application program can maintain the screen display in a manner that is readable by the user, regardless of the physical orientation of the device. In addition, the output of the orientation sensor can be used in conjunction with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     The control interface  1310  may take various forms depending on particular embodiments. For example, the control interface  1310  may include an RS-232 interface, an RS-485 interface, a USB interface, an HDMI interface, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE (“Firewire”) interface, an I 2 C interface, a PCMCIA interface, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, control interface  1260  can comprise an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface such as described above. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control interface  1310  may include analog interface circuitry including, for example, one or more digital-to-analog (D/A) and/or analog-to-digital (A/D) converters. 
     Persons of ordinary skill in the art can recognize the above list of features, interfaces, and radio-frequency communication standards is merely exemplary, and not limiting to the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the UE  1300  may include more functionality than is shown in  FIG.  13    including, for example, a video and/or still-image camera, microphone, media player and/or recorder, etc. Moreover, the one or more transceiver  1304  may include circuitry for communication using additional radio-frequency communication standards including Bluetooth, GPS, and/or others. Moreover, the one or more processor  1302  may execute software code stored in the memory  1306  to control such additional functionality. For example, directional velocity and/or position estimates output from a GPS receiver can be available to any application program executing on the UE  1300 , including various exemplary methods and/or computer-readable media according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. 
       FIG.  14    is a block diagram of an example network node  1400  configurable according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including by execution of instructions on a computer-readable medium that correspond to any of the example methods and/or procedures described herein. 
     The network node  1400  includes a one or more processor  1402 , a radio network interface  1404 , a memory  1406 , a core network interface  1408 , and other interfaces  1410 . The network node  1400  may comprise, for example, a base station, eNB, gNB, access node, or component thereof. The network node  1400  may comprise an LTE node or an NR node, as those terms are used in this disclosure. 
     The one or more processor  1402  may include any type of processor or processing circuitry and may be configured to perform an of the methods or procedures disclosed herein. The memory  1406  may store software code, programs, and/or instructions executed by the one or more processor  1402  to configure the network node  1400  to perform various operations, including operations described herein. For example, execution of such stored instructions can configure the network node  1400  to communicate with one or more other devices using protocols according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including one or more methods and/or procedures discussed above. Furthermore, execution of such stored instructions can also configure and/or facilitate the network node  1400  to communicate with one or more other devices using other protocols or protocol layers, such as one or more of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and/or NR, or any other higher-layer protocols utilized in conjunction with the radio network interface  1404  and the core network interface  1408 . By way of example and without limitation, the core network interface  1408  comprise an S1 interface and the radio network interface  1404  may comprise a Uu interface, as standardized by 3GPP. The memory  1406  may also store variables used in protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of the network node  1400 . As such, the memory  1406  may comprise non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard disk, etc.), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), network-based (e.g., “cloud”) storage, or a combination thereof. 
     The radio network interface  1404  may include transmitters, receivers, signal processors, ASICs, antennas, beamforming units, and other circuitry that enables network node  1400  to communicate with other equipment such as, in some embodiments, a plurality of compatible user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, the network node  1400  may include various protocols or protocol layers, such as the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, and/or 5G/NR. According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio network interface  1404  may include a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and/or SC-FDMA technologies. In some embodiments, the functionality of such a PHY layer can be provided cooperatively by the radio network interface  1404  and the one or more processor  1402 . 
     The core network interface  1408  may include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables the network node  1400  to communicate with other equipment in a core network such as, in some embodiments, circuit-switched (CS) and/or packet-switched Core (PS) networks. In some embodiments, the core network interface  1408  may include the S1 interface standardized by 3GPP. In some embodiments, the core network interface  1408  may include one or more interfaces to one or more SGWs, MMEs, SGSNs, GGSNs, and other physical devices that comprise functionality found in GERAN, UTRAN, E-UTRAN, and CDMA2000 core networks that are known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, these one or more interfaces may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface. In some embodiments, lower layers of the core network interface  1408  may include one or more of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP)-over-Ethernet, SDH over optical fiber, T1/E1/PDH over a copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The other interfaces  1410  may include transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables the network node  1400  to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, and the like for purposes of operations, administration, and maintenance of the network node  1400  or other network equipment operably connected thereto. 
       FIG.  15    is a block diagram illustrating components  1500 , according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically,  FIG.  15    shows a diagrammatic representation of hardware resources  1502  including one or more processors  1506  (or processor cores), one or more memory/storage devices  1514 , and one or more communication resources  1524 , each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus  1516 . For embodiments where node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor  1522  may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices/sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources  1502 . The components  1500  may be included in, for example, a UE or a network node as described herein. 
     The processors  1506  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor  1508  and a processor  1510 . 
     The memory/storage devices  1514  may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory/storage devices  1514  may include, but are not limited to any type of volatile or non-volatile memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state storage, etc. 
     The communication resources  1524  may include interconnection or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripheral devices  1504  or one or more databases  1520  via a network  1518 . For example, the communication resources  1524  may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components. 
     Instructions  1512  may comprise software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of the processors  1506  to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions  1512  may reside, completely or partially, within at least one of the processors  1506  (e.g., within the processor&#39;s cache memory), the memory/storage devices  1514 , or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions  1512  may be transferred to the hardware resources  1502  from any combination of the peripheral devices  1504  or the databases  1520 . Accordingly, the memory of the processors  1506 , the memory/storage devices  1514 , the peripheral devices  1504 , and the databases  1520  are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media. 
     For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth herein. For example, the baseband circuitry as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth herein. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth herein. 
     Any of the above described embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments. 
     Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations, which may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic for performing the operations or may include a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. 
     It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combined into single systems, partially combined into other systems, split into multiple systems or divided or combined in other ways. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment can be used in another embodiment. The parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are merely described in one or more embodiments for clarity, and it is recognized that the parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. can be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless specifically disclaimed herein. 
     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. 
     Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210407
Publication Date: 20240723
Grant Date: 20240723
Priority Date: 20210407
Inventors: SAINI, Kulwinder
KUMAR, VIJAYANT
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W36/0022", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00837", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00222", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00698", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0058", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0085", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00222", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00698", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00837", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00837", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00222", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00698", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0058", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0069", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0058", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/10", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0085", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/00837", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0058", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0022", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W36/0069", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 80928961