초록 ▼

A method, apparatus and system for supporting Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) in a network such as a 5G communication network. Application Function (AF) request data is received from an AF operating in the network in support of MEC, stored in memory, and transmitted from the memory to one or more Policy

A method, apparatus and system for supporting Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) in a network such as a 5G communication network. Application Function (AF) request data is received from an AF operating in the network in support of MEC, stored in memory, and transmitted from the memory to one or more Policy Control Functions (PCFs) operating in the network. Subscribing PCFs may be notified of the receipt and storage of the data and request retrieval of the data. The data may be stored and handled by a function referred to as the Application Data Repository, or by another data repository. The operations may be performed by a network function such as but not limited to an Application Data Repository function. The function can store the AF request data and notify the PCFs. The function can handle AF requests associated with roaming UEs.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor to implement a data repository function and a policy control function (PCF), the data repository function and the policy control function being commun

1. A system comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor to implement a data repository function and a policy control function (PCF), the data repository function and the policy control function being communicatively coupled through an interface, wherein the data repository function is configured to: store data associated with an application function (AF) request and at least one of user data and policy data, wherein the AF request and the data associated with the AF request are associated with a user equipment (UE) and the AF request is to influence traffic routing for the UE, the UE being associated with a home public land mobile network (HPLMN), and wherein a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN), that is different from the HPLMN, comprises the data repository function and the PCF; andtransmit a notification to the PCF, the notification indicative of the data associated with the AF request, and wherein the PCF is configured to: subscribe, to the data repository function, to receive the AF request; andreceive, from the data repository function, the notification; and wherein the system further comprises: a network exposure function (NEF) implemented using the at least one processor and the at least one non-transitory memory, the NEF configured to: initiate storage of the data associated with the AF request in the data repository upon receiving the AF request from the AF; anda unified data management function (UDM) implemented using the at least one processor and the at least one non-transitory memory, wherein initiating storage of the data associated with the AF request comprises transmitting a request, to the UDM, to cause the UDM to interact with the data repository to store the data associated with the AF request. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data repository function is further configured to: receive the data associated with the AF request, the data and the AF request being from an application function and received via the Network Exposure Function in the VPLMN. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data repository function is further configured to: identify the PCF as a subscriber to receive the notification, and wherein the notification is transmitted to the PCF in response to said identifying the PCF as the subscriber. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data repository function is further configured to: update a previously stored version of the data associated with the AF request according to the received data associated with the AF request in the data repository. 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the data repository function is further configured to indicate to the NEF that the data associated with the AF request has been stored. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data repository function is further configured, in response to a request, from the PCF for obtaining the data associated with the AF request, to transmit the data associated with the AF request from the data repository to the PCF. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data repository function is further configured to transmit the notification to multiple PCFs operating in the network and including the PCF. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the AF request is stored as application data in the data repository. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the NEF is further configured to: transmit, to another network function associated with the HPLMN, a request to identify the UE based on an external identifier included in the AF request;receive a response to the request to identify the UE, the response including another identifier of the UE;convert the external identifier included in the AF request to the other identifier of the UE; andinitiate, in cooperation with the data repository function, storage of the other identifier as part of the data associated with the AF request. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the UDM is further configured to: transmit, to another network function associated with the HPLMN, a request to identify the UE based on an external identifier included in the AF request;receive a response to the request to identify the UE, the response including another identifier of the UE;convert the external identifier included in the AF request to the other identifier of the UE; andinitiate, in cooperation with the data repository function, storage of the other identifier as part of the data associated with the AF request. 11. A method, comprising: storing, by a data repository, data associated with an application function (AF) request and at least one of user data and policy data, wherein the AF request and the data associated with the AF request are associated with a user equipment (UE) and the AF request is to influence traffic routing for the UE, the UE being associated with a home public land mobile network (HPLMN), and wherein a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN), that is different from the HPLMN, comprises the data repository and a policy control function (PCF);subscribing, by the PCF, to the data repository, to receive the AF request;transmitting, by the data repository, a notification to the PCF, the notification indicative of the data associated with the AF request; andreceiving, by the PCF, from the data repository, the notification; andinitiating, by a network exposure function (NEF), storage of the data associated with the AF request in the data repository upon receiving the AF request from the AF wherein initiating storage of the data associated with the AF request comprises transmitting a request, to a unified data management function (UDM), to cause the UDM to interact with the data repository to store the data associated with the AF request. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving, by the data repository, the data associated with the AF request, the data and the AF request being from an application function and received via the network exposure function (NEF) in the VPLMN. 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: identifying, by the data repository, the PCF as a subscriber to receive the notification, and wherein the notification is transmitted to the PCF in response to said identifying the PCF as the subscriber. 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: updating, by the data repository, a previously stored version of the data associated with the AF request according to the received data associated with the AF request in the data repository. 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: in response to a request, from the PCF for obtaining the data associated with the AF request, transmitting the data associated with the AF request from the data repository to the PCF. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the data repository, the notification to multiple PCFs operating in the network and including the PCF. 17. The method of claim 11, comprising: transmitting, by the UDM, to another network function associated with the HPLMN, a request to identify the UE based on an external identifier included in the AF request;receiving, at the UDM, a response to the request to identify the UE, the response including another identifier of the UE;convert, by the UDM, the external identifier included in the AF request to the other identifier of the UE; andinitiating, by the UDM, in cooperation with the data repository function, storage of the other identifier as part of the data associated with the AF request. 18. The method of claim 11, comprising: transmitting, by the NEF, to another network function associated with the HPLMN, a request to identify the UE based on an external identifier included in the AF request;receiving, at the NEF, a response to the request to identify the UE, the response including another identifier of the UE;convert, by the NEF, the external identifier included in the AF request to the other identifier of the UE; andinitiating, by the NEF, in cooperation with the data repository function, storage of the other identifier as part of the data associated with the AF request. 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the data associated with the AF request is stored as application data in the data repository. 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the data repository function is configured to indicate to the NEF that the data associated with the AF request has been stored.