阅读说明：本技术 会话建立、释放、签约信息处理方法、设备及介质 (Session establishing, releasing, signing information processing method, device and medium ) 是由 韦安妮 陆松鹤 于 2020-04-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种会话建立、释放、签约信息处理方法、设备及介质,包括：会话管理功能接收用户设备发送的携带有终端支持的用户面完整性保护的最大速率协议数据单元会话建立请求,向统一数据库获取签约数据；其中,所述签约数据中携带有签约传输速率范围或至少两个等级的签约传输速率；如果所述签约传输速率范围或至少两个等级的签约传输速率与所述终端支持的用户面完整性保护的最大速率不匹配,拒绝PDU会话建立。采用本发明,能够灵活匹配不同终端支持的用户面完整性保护的最大速率,使得需要空口完整性保护的会话顺利建立并最大限度数据保障传输速率。能够适配当前大部分终端的完整性保护最大数据速率。(The invention discloses a method, a device and a medium for establishing, releasing and processing subscription information, which comprise the following steps: a session management function receives a session establishment request of a maximum rate protocol data unit carrying user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal, which is sent by user equipment, and acquires subscription data from a unified database; the subscription data carries a subscription transmission rate range or at least two levels of subscription transmission rates; and if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, the PDU session establishment is refused. By adopting the invention, the maximum rate of the user interface integrity protection supported by different terminals can be flexibly matched, so that the session requiring the air interface integrity protection is smoothly established and the transmission rate is ensured to the maximum extent by data. The integrity-protected maximum data rate of most current terminals can be adapted.)

1. A Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment method is applied to a Session Management Function (SMF), and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

receiving a PDU session establishment request, wherein the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

acquiring signing data from a unified database UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

and if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, the PDU session establishment is refused.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and determining the used signed transmission rate from the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels according to the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and sending the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to a Radio Access Network (RAN).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and after receiving the PDU session establishment refusing or the PDU session releasing fed back by the RAN, or after determining that the PDU session establishment is refused, negotiating with a strategy negotiation function module for refusing the PDU session establishment or releasing the PDU session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the result of negotiating with the policy negotiation function is one of:

RAN speed reduction transmission, and matching the user plane integrity protection maximum rate supported by the UE; or the like, or, alternatively,

not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane; or the like, or, alternatively,

the session is released.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

when the result is RAN speed reduction transmission and the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by UE is matched, the RAN is informed of downlink speed reduction transmission of the PDU session air interface; or the like, or, alternatively,

when the result is that the air interface user interface integrity protection is not started, informing the RAN that the PDU session does not start the air interface user interface integrity protection; or the like, or, alternatively,

and when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release to the user equipment UE.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the policy negotiation function is located in: a policy control function entity PCF, a network data analysis function NWDAF or an application function AF.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, prior to negotiating with the policy negotiation function, further comprising:

and establishing a temporary PDU session, wherein in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the operation of air interface integrity protection by reducing the transmission rate of an air interface.

8. A subscription information processing method is applied to UDM, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

receiving a request for acquiring signing data from an SMF;

and returning the signing data to the SMF, wherein the signing data carries the signing transmission rate range or the signing transmission rates of at least two levels.

9. A PDU conversation release processing method is applied to UE, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

sending a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the request carries the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, wherein the message carries a PDU session release reason;

and presenting the PDU session release reason to a user.

10. An SMF, comprising:

a processor for reading the program in the memory, performing the following processes:

receiving a PDU session establishment request, wherein the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

acquiring signing data from a unified database UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, the PDU session establishment is refused;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor.

11. A PDU session establishment processing apparatus, comprising:

an SMF receiving module, configured to receive a PDU session establishment request, where the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

the SMF sending module is used for acquiring signing data from the UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

and the SMF session processing module is used for refusing the establishment of the PDU session if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal.

12. A UDM, comprising:

a processor for reading the program in the memory, performing the following processes:

receiving a request for acquiring signing data from an SMF;

returning subscription data to the SMF, wherein the subscription data carries a subscription transmission rate range or at least two levels of subscription transmission rates;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor.

13. A contract information processing apparatus, comprising:

the UDM receiving module is used for receiving a SMF (short message service) signing data acquisition request;

and the UDM sending module is used for returning the signing data to the SMF, wherein the signing data carries the signing transmission rate range or the signing transmission rates of at least two levels.

14. A UE, comprising:

a processor for reading the program in the memory, performing the following processes:

sending a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the request carries the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, wherein the message carries a PDU session release reason;

presenting the PDU session release reason to a user;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor.

15. A PDU session release handling apparatus, comprising:

a UE sending module, configured to send a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, where the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

the UE receiving module is used for receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, and the message carries a PDU session release reason;

and the UE presenting module is used for presenting the PDU session release reason to a user.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program for executing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, device, and medium for session establishment, release, and subscription information processing.

Background

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture, and as shown in the figure, the system architecture includes end-to-end nodes or network elements. The 5GC (5G Core Network ) supports a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) connection service, and the PDU connection service is a service for exchanging a PDU Data Packet between UE (User Equipment) and DN (Data Network); the PDU connection service is implemented by the UE initiating the establishment of a PDU session. After a PDU session is established, a data transmission channel between the UE and the DN is established.

The PDU Session is established, modified, and released between the UE and the SMF (Session Management Function) through NAS (Non Access Stratum) SM (Session Management) signaling. The SMF is responsible for checking whether the relevant parameters carried in the session request of the UE are consistent with the subscription Data in the UDM (Unified Data Management) and the SMF local configuration, and if not, the SMF may decide to reject the establishment of the session request of the UE.

The prior art is not enough that the PDU session is failed to be established.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a method, equipment and a medium for session establishment, release and subscription information processing, which are used for solving the problem of PDU session establishment failure caused by integrity protection judgment.

The embodiment of the invention provides a PDU session establishment processing method, which is applied to a Session Management Function (SMF) and comprises the following steps:

receiving a PDU session establishment request, wherein the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

acquiring signing data from a unified database UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

and if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, the PDU session establishment is refused.

In the implementation, still include:

and determining the used signed transmission rate from the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels according to the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and sending the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to the RAN.

In the implementation, still include:

and after receiving the PDU session establishment refusing or the PDU session releasing fed back by the RAN, or after determining that the PDU session establishment is refused, negotiating with a strategy negotiation function module for refusing the PDU session establishment or releasing the PDU session.

In implementation, the result of negotiation with the policy negotiation function module is one of the following results:

RAN speed reduction transmission, and matching the user plane integrity protection maximum rate supported by the UE; or the like, or, alternatively,

not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane; or the like, or, alternatively,

the session is released.

In the implementation, still include:

when the result is RAN speed reduction transmission and the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by UE is matched, the RAN is informed of downlink speed reduction transmission of the PDU session air interface; or the like, or, alternatively,

when the result is that the air interface user interface integrity protection is not started, informing the RAN that the PDU session does not start the air interface user interface integrity protection; or the like, or, alternatively,

and when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release to the UE.

In implementation, the policy negotiation function module is located in the following devices: PCF, NWDAF, or AF.

In implementation, before negotiating with the policy negotiation function module, the method further includes:

and establishing a temporary PDU session, wherein in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the operation of air interface integrity protection by reducing the transmission rate of an air interface.

The embodiment of the invention provides a subscription information processing method, which is applied to UDM and comprises the following steps:

receiving a request for acquiring signing data from an SMF;

and returning the signing data to the SMF, wherein the signing data carries the signing transmission rate range or the signing transmission rates of at least two levels.

The embodiment of the invention provides a PDU session release processing method, which is applied to UE and comprises the following steps:

sending a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the request carries the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, wherein the message carries a PDU session release reason;

and presenting the PDU session release reason to a user.

The embodiment of the invention provides an SMF, which comprises:

a processor for reading the program in the memory, performing the following processes:

receiving a PDU session establishment request, wherein the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

acquiring signing data from a unified database UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, the PDU session establishment is refused;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor.

In the implementation, still include:

and determining the used signed transmission rate from the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels according to the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and sending the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to the RAN.

In the implementation, still include:

and after receiving the PDU session establishment refusing or the PDU session releasing fed back by the RAN, or after determining that the PDU session establishment is refused, negotiating with a strategy negotiation function module for refusing the PDU session establishment or releasing the PDU session.

In implementation, the result of negotiation with the policy negotiation function module is one of the following results:

RAN speed reduction transmission, and matching the user plane integrity protection maximum rate supported by the UE; or the like, or, alternatively,

not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane; or the like, or, alternatively,

the session is released.

In the implementation, still include:

when the result is RAN speed reduction transmission and the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by UE is matched, the RAN is informed of downlink speed reduction transmission of the PDU session air interface; or the like, or, alternatively,

when the result is that the air interface user interface integrity protection is not started, informing the RAN that the PDU session does not start the air interface user interface integrity protection; or the like, or, alternatively,

and when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release to the UE.

In implementation, the policy negotiation function module is located in the following devices: PCF, NWDAF, or AF.

In implementation, before negotiating with the policy negotiation function module, the method further includes:

and establishing a temporary PDU session, wherein in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the operation of air interface integrity protection by reducing the transmission rate of an air interface.

The embodiment of the invention provides a PDU session establishment processing device, which comprises:

an SMF receiving module, configured to receive a PDU session establishment request, where the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

the SMF sending module is used for acquiring signing data from the UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

and the SMF session processing module is used for refusing the establishment of the PDU session if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal.

In an implementation, the SMF session processing module is further configured to determine, according to the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, a used contracted transmission rate from the contracted transmission rate range or the contracted transmission rates of the at least two levels, and send the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to the RAN.

In implementation, the SMF session processing module is further configured to, after receiving the RAN feedback and rejecting establishment of the PDU session or releasing the PDU session, the SMF negotiates with the policy negotiation function module to reject establishment of the PDU session or release the PDU session.

In implementation, the result of negotiation with the policy negotiation function module by the SMF session processing module is one of the following results:

RAN speed reduction transmission, and matching the user plane integrity protection maximum rate supported by the UE; or the like, or, alternatively,

not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane; or the like, or, alternatively,

the session is released.

In the implementation, still include:

a notification module, configured to notify the RAN of downlink reduced speed transmission of the PDU session air interface when the result is RAN reduced speed transmission and matches a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the UE; or, when the result is that the empty user interface integrity protection is not enabled, notifying the RAN that the PDU session does not enable the empty user interface integrity protection; or when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release to the UE.

In implementation, the policy negotiation function module is located in the following devices: PCF, NWDAF, or AF.

In implementation, the SMF session processing module is further configured to establish a temporary PDU session before negotiating with the policy negotiation function module, where in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the integrity protection of an air interface by reducing the transmission rate of the air interface.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a UDM, including:

a processor for reading the program in the memory, performing the following processes:

receiving a request for acquiring signing data from an SMF;

returning subscription data to the SMF, wherein the subscription data carries a subscription transmission rate range or at least two levels of subscription transmission rates;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a subscription information processing apparatus, including:

the UDM receiving module is used for receiving a SMF (short message service) signing data acquisition request;

and the UDM sending module is used for returning the signing data to the SMF, wherein the signing data carries the signing transmission rate range or the signing transmission rates of at least two levels.

The embodiment of the invention provides a UE, which comprises:

a processor for reading the program in the memory, performing the following processes:

sending a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the request carries the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, wherein the message carries a PDU session release reason;

presenting the PDU session release reason to a user;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor.

The embodiment of the invention provides a PDU conversation release processing device, which comprises:

a UE sending module, configured to send a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, where the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

the UE receiving module is used for receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, and the message carries a PDU session release reason;

and the UE presenting module is used for presenting the PDU session release reason to a user.

The embodiment of the invention provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program for executing the PDU session establishment processing method, the subscription information processing method and the PDU session release processing method.

The invention has the following beneficial effects:

in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present invention, in the integrity protection determination process, the subscription data returned by the UDM carries the subscription transmission rate range or the subscription transmission rates of at least two levels, so that the basis for determining PDU session establishment by network element devices such as SMF, RAN, and the like is no longer the subscription transmission rate, and therefore, the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by different terminals can be flexibly matched, so that a session requiring air interface integrity protection is successfully established and the transmission rate is maximally guaranteed by data.

According to the scheme, for the special data service with higher reliability requirement and the empty port requirement for starting the user plane integrity protection, even under the scene that the terminal and the new terminal coexist in the market and the terminal capabilities are uneven in the market, the maximum data rate of the integrity protection of most current terminals can be adapted.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture in the background art;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the use of integrity protection in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an implementation flow of a PDU session release processing method on a UE side according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an implementation of a PDU session release processing method on the UDM side in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an implementation of a PDU session release processing method on an SMF side in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an implementation of a PDU session release processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an implementation of a PDU session release processing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an implementation of a PDU session release processing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an implementation of a PDU session release processing method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an implementation of a PDU session release processing method according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram of an SMF structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a UDM structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a UE structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The inventor notices in the process of invention that:

the purpose of data integrity protection is to prevent data from being tampered, but the data integrity protection can increase the calculation overhead and affect the communication performance, and the data integrity protection is generally used for small data volume services such as voice and the like and control information services in vertical industries. Currently, the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection that the terminal needs to support needs to be greater than or equal to 64 kbps.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture, and as shown in the figure, the system architecture includes end-to-end nodes or network elements. The 5G PDU session procedure is briefly explained below with reference to fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an integrity protection usage flow, as shown in the figure, which mainly includes:

1. the UE sends a PDU session establishment request carrying the maximum rate of user plane Integrity protection (Integrity protection maximum data rate) supported by the terminal.

2. The SMF obtains subscription data from the UDM, including the subscription user plane security policy (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), subscription transfer rate, etc.

3. The SMF acquires a locally configured user plane security policy.

4. The SMF compares and verifies the information obtained in the steps 1, 2 and 3, and if the terminal data integrity protection capability is less than the user signing rate, the PDU session establishment is refused;

or, the SMF sends the user plane security execution information (Required/Preferred) and the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to the RAN (Radio Access Network), and the RAN refuses PDU session establishment when determining that integrity protection cannot be executed, as shown in the following steps 5, 6, 7, and 8:

5. the SMF sends user plane security execution information (integrity protection: Required/Preferred) to the RAN, and the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal.

6. The RAN determines whether user plane integrity protection can be supported.

7. And if the RAN can not support the integrity protection required by the session, sending a reply to the SMF, and carrying a reason.

8. And the SMF refuses the session establishment or releases the session according to the information fed back by the RAN.

The current scheme provides that for a session requiring integrity protection for a user plane over an air interface, an SMF discovers the maximum integrity protection data rate (64 kbps is Required to be supported at present) supported by a terminal from among the maximum integrity protection rates supported by the UE in IE (Information Element) Information carried by a PDU session establishment request sent by the UE, the SMF checks that if the terminal data integrity protection capability is smaller than a user subscription rate, the PDU session establishment is rejected, or the SMF sends user plane security execution Information (Required/Preferred) and the maximum user plane integrity protection rate supported by the terminal to a RAN, and the RAN rejects the PDU session establishment when determining that the integrity protection cannot be executed.

It can be seen that if the user subscription rate in UDM is greater than the terminal data integrity protection capability, the PDU session establishment fails. For special data services with high reliability requirements, an air interface requires to start user plane integrity protection, and in order to adapt to the maximum integrity protection data rate of most current terminals, it is necessary to ensure that the user subscription rate is smaller than the capability of most terminals in the market (at present, 64kbps is required to be supported). The type, brand, market location, research and development capabilities, industry technology, etc. of the terminal can all affect the maximum rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal. The requirement of the current standard is to support 64Kbps, but the requirement does not continuously increase along with the development of the technology. In addition, coexistence of the stock terminal and the new terminal in the market also has an influence on the current mechanism.

When the terminal capabilities are different in the market, how to ensure the normal operation of the current mechanism without influencing the service transmission rate is a main problem to be solved by the invention.

Based on this, the embodiment of the present invention provides a PDU session establishment processing scheme, and the following describes a specific implementation of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

In the description, the UE, the SMF, the UDM, and the RAN are separately described, and such description does not mean that they need to be implemented in cooperation or separately, and actually, when they are implemented separately, they each solve the problem on their own side, and when they are used in combination, a good technical effect is obtained.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of an implementation process of a PDU session release processing method on a UE side, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 301, the UE sends a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, where the request carries the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

step 302, the UE receives a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, wherein the message carries a PDU session release reason;

step 303, the UE presents the PDU session release reason to the user.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an implementation flow of a PDU session release processing method on the UDM side, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 401, receiving a request for acquiring subscription data from an SMF by the UDM;

step 402, the UDM returns the subscription data to the SMF, where the subscription data carries the subscription transmission rate range or the subscription transmission rates of at least two levels.

Fig. 5 is a schematic implementation flow diagram of a PDU session release processing method on an SMF side, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 501, receiving a PDU session establishment request, wherein the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

step 502, obtaining subscription data from the UDM, wherein the subscription data carries a subscription transmission rate range or at least two levels of subscription transmission rates;

step 503, if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, rejecting the establishment of the PDU session.

In specific implementation, a multi-level subscription transmission rate or a subscription transmission rate range is introduced into subscription data of the UDM to flexibly match the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by different terminals, so that a session requiring air interface integrity protection is smoothly established and the data transmission rate is guaranteed to the maximum extent; or before rejecting or releasing the session, the Network needs to negotiate with Network entities such as an AF (Application Function), a PCF (Policy Control Function) or an NWDAF (Network Data analysis Function) to determine whether to release the session or use other policies.

The following description will be made mainly of implementation on the SMF side.

In the implementation, the method further comprises the following steps:

and determining the used signed transmission rate from the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels according to the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and sending the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to the RAN.

In the implementation, the method further comprises the following steps:

and after receiving the rejection of PDU session establishment or release of the PDU session fed back by the RAN, or after determining that the rejection of PDU session establishment is carried out, the SMF negotiates with a policy negotiation function module to reject the PDU session establishment or release the PDU session.

In specific implementation, the result of negotiation with the policy negotiation function module is one of the following results:

RAN speed reduction transmission, and matching the user plane integrity protection maximum rate supported by the UE; or the like, or, alternatively,

not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane; or the like, or, alternatively,

the session is released.

In the specific implementation, the method further comprises the following steps:

when the result is RAN speed reduction transmission and the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by UE is matched, the RAN is informed of downlink speed reduction transmission of the PDU session air interface; or the like, or, alternatively,

when the result is that the air interface user interface integrity protection is not started, informing the RAN that the PDU session does not start the air interface user interface integrity protection; or the like, or, alternatively,

and when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release to the UE.

In implementation, the policy negotiation function module is located in the following devices: PCF, NWDAF, or AF.

In implementation, before negotiating with the policy negotiation function module, the method may further include:

and establishing a temporary PDU session, wherein in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the operation of air interface integrity protection by reducing the transmission rate of an air interface.

The following is an example.

The first embodiment is as follows:

in this example, the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by different terminals is matched by introducing the multi-level subscription transmission rate into the subscription data of the UDM.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of an implementation process of a PDU session release processing method in a first embodiment, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 601, the UE sends a PDU session establishment request, carrying the maximum rate (Integrity protection maximum data rate) of the user plane Integrity protection supported by the terminal.

Step 602, the SMF obtains the subscription data from the UDM, including the subscription user plane security policy (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the subscription transfer rate 1, the subscription transfer rate 2 … …, and the like.

Step 603, the SMF obtains the locally configured user plane security policy.

Step 604, the SMF compares and verifies the information obtained in steps 601, 602, and 603, and determines the used subscription transmission rate X according to the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

for brevity, the integrity protection is simply referred to as a complete protection in the figures and embodiments.

Step 605, the SMF sends user plane security execution information (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and the subscription transmission rate X to the RAN.

Step 606, the RAN determines whether user plane integrity protection can be supported.

Step 607, if the RAN can not support the integrity protection required by the session, the RAN sends a reply to the SMF, and carries the reason.

Step 608, the SMF rejects the session establishment or releases the session according to the information fed back by the RAN.

In this example, when the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps, and the subscription transmission rate in the UDM is 64kbps, 128kpbs, and 256kbps, and the air interface user plane security execution information (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the SMF may determine to use the 64kbps rate for air interface user plane transmission according to the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps, and notify the RAN. When the integrity protection supported by the terminal is 128kbps, and the subscription transmission rate in the UDM is 64kbps, 128kbps, and 256kbps, the SMF may determine to use the 128kbps rate for air interface user plane transmission according to the maximum integrity protection data rate supported by the terminal being 128kbps, and notify the RAN.

When the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps, and the signaling transmission rate in the UDM is 128kpbs and 256kbps, the SMF may determine to reject the session establishment according to that the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps and is smaller than the signaling rate in the UDM.

In this flow, the SMF and RAN may store received information including, but not limited to, the terminal supported maximum data rate for integrity protection, the subscription rate in UDM, and the security policy required by the user plane. This approach is also applicable to all embodiments, or schemes.

Example two:

in this example, the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by different terminals is matched by introducing a range of subscription transmission rates into the subscription data of the UDM, for example, the subscription rate is greater than a certain rate and less than a certain rate.

Fig. 7 is a schematic flowchart of an implementation process of a PDU session release processing method in the second embodiment, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 701, the UE sends a PDU session establishment request, which carries the maximum rate (Integrity protection maximum data rate) of the user plane Integrity protection supported by the terminal.

In step 702, the SMF obtains subscription data from the UDM, including a subscription user plane security policy (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), and a subscription transmission rate range, for example, greater than 54kpbs is smaller than Xkpbs.

Step 703, the SMF obtains the locally configured user plane security policy.

Step 704, the SMF compares and verifies the information obtained in steps 701, 702, and 703, and determines the used subscription transmission rate according to the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

for brevity, the integrity protection is simply referred to as a complete protection in the figures and embodiments.

Step 705, the SMF sends user plane security enforcement information (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and the subscription transmission rate to the RAN.

Step 706, the RAN determines whether user plane integrity protection can be supported.

And step 707, if the RAN cannot support the integrity protection required by the session, sending a reply to the SMF, and carrying the reason.

In step 708, the SMF rejects the session establishment or releases the session according to the information fed back by the RAN.

In this example, when the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps, and the signature transmission rate in the UDM is greater than 64kbps and less than 256kbps, and the air interface user plane performs security on information (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the SMF may determine to use the 64kbps rate for air interface user plane transmission according to the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps, and notify the RAN.

When the integrity protection supported by the terminal is 128kbps and the subscription transmission rate in the UDM is greater than 64kbps and less than 256kbps, the SMF may determine to use the 128kbps rate for air interface user plane transmission according to the maximum integrity protection data rate supported by the terminal being 128kbps, and notify the RAN.

When the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps and the maximum data rate of subscription in the UDM is greater than 128kpbs and less than 256kbps, the SMF may determine to reject the session establishment according to that the maximum data rate of integrity protection supported by the terminal is 64kbps and less than the subscription rate in the UDM.

Example three:

fig. 8 is a schematic flow chart of an implementation of a PDU session release processing method in the third embodiment, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 801, the UE sends a PDU session establishment request, carrying the maximum rate (Integrity protection maximum data rate) of the user plane Integrity protection supported by the terminal.

Step 802, the SMF obtains the subscription data from the UDM, including the subscription user plane security policy (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the subscription transfer rate, etc.

Step 803, the SMF obtains the locally configured user plane security policy.

Step 804, the SMF compares and checks the information obtained in steps 801, 802 and 803;

for brevity, the integrity protection is simply referred to as a complete protection in the figures and embodiments.

Step 805, the SMF sends user plane security execution information (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and the subscription transmission rate to the RAN.

In step 806, the RAN determines whether user plane integrity protection can be supported.

Step 807, if the RAN can not support the integrity protection required by the session, the RAN sends a reply to the SMF, and carries the reason.

Step 808, the SMF sends user plane security enforcement information (Required/Preferred) to the policy negotiation function module, the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and the reason why the RAN cannot support the integrity protection Required by the session.

Possible reasons for the policy negotiation function to feed back SMF are as follows:

step 809a, the RAN decelerates transmission to match the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the UE.

And step 809b, not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane.

Step 809c, release session.

The SMF is processed for different reasons, as follows:

step 810a, when the result is RAN speed-down transmission and matches the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the UE, notifying the RAN of the PDU session air interface to perform downlink speed-down transmission.

Step 810b, when the result is that the air interface user interface integrity protection is not enabled, notifying the RAN that the PDU session does not enable the air interface user interface integrity protection.

Step 810c, when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release (noted reason, presented to the user at the terminal) to the UE.

In this example, when the session is established, if the idle user plane needs to use the session with integrity protection because of the initiated service requirement and the terminal data integrity protection capability is smaller than the user subscription rate, as shown in fig. 8, the SMF may negotiate with the policy negotiation function module before rejecting or releasing the session, and determine whether to release the session or use another policy. The policy negotiation Function may be located in an AF (the AF in this scenario is an AF of a specific service, and is already clear before session establishment, for example, a third party AF needs to send a negotiation message through an NEF (Network Exposure Function)), a PCF, or an NWDAF. After the negotiation, if the session still needs to be released, the end user is presented with a session release reason.

After the session release reason is presented, the user can know the reason that the service does not support, and specific presentation content can be formulated according to needs, for example: the current version is too low to support XXX, etc.

Example four:

in this example, because the terminal data integrity protection capability is smaller than the user subscription rate, the SMF receives a message that the RAN cannot perform air interface integrity protection in the session establishment process or establishes a temporary session after the SMF itself determines that the session needs to be released, and in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the air interface integrity protection by reducing the air interface transmission rate. And after the session is established, determining AF corresponding to the session, and determining whether to release the session or use other strategies by the SMF through negotiation with the AF. Wherein the policy negotiation function may be located at the AF (e.g. the third party AF needs to send negotiation messages via the NEF).

Fig. 9 is a schematic flowchart of an implementation flow of a PDU session release processing method in the fourth embodiment, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 901, the UE sends a PDU session establishment request, which carries the maximum rate (Integrity protection maximum data rate) of the user plane Integrity protection supported by the terminal.

Step 902, the SMF obtains the subscription data from the UDM, including the subscription user plane security policy (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the subscription transfer rate, etc.

Step 903, the SMF obtains a locally configured user plane security policy.

Step 904, the SMF compares and verifies the information obtained in the steps 901, 902 and 903;

for brevity, the integrity protection is simply referred to as a complete protection in the figures and embodiments.

Step 905, the SMF sends user plane security execution information (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and the subscription transmission rate to the RAN.

Step 906, the RAN determines whether user plane integrity protection can be supported.

Step 907, if the RAN can not support the integrity protection required by the session, sending a reply to the SMF, and carrying the reason.

Step 908, establish temporary PDU session (RAN speed down supports empty port complete guarantee).

Step 909, the SMF sends the user plane security enforcement information (Required/Preferred) to the policy negotiation function module, the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and the reason why the RAN cannot support the integrity protection Required by the current session.

Possible reasons for the policy negotiation function to feed back SMF are as follows:

step 910a, the RAN decelerates transmission to match the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the UE.

And step 910b, not enabling the integrity protection of the air interface user plane.

Step 910c, releasing the session.

The SMF is processed for different reasons, as follows:

step 911a, when the result is RAN speed reduction transmission and matches the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the UE, the RAN is notified to perform downlink speed reduction transmission at the PDU session air interface.

Step 911b, when the result is that the empty user plane integrity protection is not enabled, notifying the RAN that the PDU session does not enable the empty user plane integrity protection.

Step 911c, when the result is releasing the session, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release (note reason, present to the user at the terminal) to the UE.

Example five:

the premise of the first to fourth embodiments is that a scenario that the integrity protection requirement is Required to be Required or Preferred is mainly considered in the air interface user plane security execution information, and if the encryption requirement is Required or Preferred in the air interface user plane security execution information, the SMF may also determine not to release the session according to the capability of the UE, the UDM subscription data and the local subscription information, and whether the RAN feedback supports the air interface encryption information, as shown in fig. 10. The improvement schemes of the first to fourth embodiments are also applicable to whether the SMF flexibly matches the encryption and decryption capabilities of different terminals through UDM-classified subscription rate or subscription transmission rate range if the encryption requirement is Required to be Required or Preferred in the air interface user plane security execution information, so that the encryption session needs to be established smoothly and the data transmission rate is guaranteed to the maximum extent; or before rejecting or releasing the session, the network needs to negotiate with a network entity such as an AF, a PCF, or an NWDAF, and confirm whether to release the session or use another policy (for example, when the encryption requirement is Required to be Required or Preferred, the RAN does not need to be encrypted or speed-down encrypted after negotiation).

Fig. 10 is a schematic flow chart of an implementation of a PDU session release processing method in the fifth embodiment, as shown in the figure, the method may include:

step 1001, the UE sends a PDU session establishment request, carrying the maximum rate of user plane Integrity protection (Integrity protection maximum data rate) supported by the terminal.

In step 1002, the SMF obtains the subscription data from the UDM, including the subscription user plane security policy (integrity protection: Required/Preferred), the subscription transfer rate, and the like.

Step 1003, the SMF acquires the locally configured user plane security policy.

Step 1004, the SMF compares and verifies the information obtained in the steps 1001, 1002 and 1003;

for brevity, the integrity protection is simply referred to as a complete protection in the figures and embodiments.

Step 1005, the SMF sends the user plane security execution information (encrypted: Required/Preferred) to the RAN, the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal.

In step 1006, the RAN determines whether user plane encryption can be supported.

Step 1007, if the RAN can not support the encryption, sending a reply to the SMF, and carrying the reason.

Step 1008, the SMF refuses the session establishment or releases the session according to the information fed back by the RAN.

Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the present invention further provide an SMF, a UDM, a UE, a PDU session establishment processing device, a subscription information processing device, a PDU session release processing device, and a computer readable storage medium, and because the principles of these devices to solve the problems are similar to the PDU session establishment processing method at the SMF side, the subscription information processing method at the UDM side, and the PDU session release processing method at the UE side, the implementation of these devices may refer to the implementation of the methods, and repeated parts are not described again.

When the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention is implemented, the implementation can be carried out as follows.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of an SMF structure, as shown, a base station includes:

the processor 1100, which reads the program in the memory 1120, performs the following processes:

receiving a PDU session establishment request, wherein the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

acquiring signing data from a unified database UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, the PDU session establishment is refused;

a transceiver 1110 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 1100.

In the implementation, still include:

and determining the used signed transmission rate from the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels according to the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, and sending the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to the RAN.

In the implementation, still include:

and after receiving the PDU session establishment refusing or the PDU session releasing fed back by the RAN, or after determining that the PDU session establishment is refused, negotiating with a strategy negotiation function module for refusing the PDU session establishment or releasing the PDU session.

In implementation, the result of negotiation with the policy negotiation function module is one of the following results:

RAN speed reduction transmission, and matching the user plane integrity protection maximum rate supported by the UE; or the like, or, alternatively,

not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane; or the like, or, alternatively,

the session is released.

In the implementation, still include:

when the result is RAN speed reduction transmission and the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by UE is matched, the RAN is informed of downlink speed reduction transmission of the PDU session air interface; or the like, or, alternatively,

when the result is that the air interface user interface integrity protection is not started, informing the RAN that the PDU session does not start the air interface user interface integrity protection; or the like, or, alternatively,

and when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release to the UE.

In implementation, the policy negotiation function module is located in the following devices: PCF, NWDAF, or AF.

In implementation, before negotiating with the policy negotiation function module, the method further includes:

and establishing a temporary PDU session, wherein in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the operation of air interface integrity protection by reducing the transmission rate of an air interface.

Where in fig. 11, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by processor 1100, and various circuits, represented by memory 1120, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1110 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The processor 1100 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1120 may store data used by the processor 1100 in performing operations.

The embodiment of the invention provides a PDU session establishment processing device, which comprises:

an SMF receiving module, configured to receive a PDU session establishment request, where the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by a terminal;

the SMF sending module is used for acquiring signing data from the UDM, wherein the signing data carries signing transmission rate ranges or signing transmission rates of at least two levels;

and the SMF session processing module is used for refusing the establishment of the PDU session if the signed transmission rate range or the signed transmission rates of at least two levels are not matched with the maximum rate of the user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal.

In an implementation, the SMF session processing module is further configured to determine, according to the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal, a used contracted transmission rate from the contracted transmission rate range or the contracted transmission rates of the at least two levels, and send the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal to the RAN.

In implementation, the SMF session processing module is further configured to, after receiving the rejection of the PDU session establishment or the release of the PDU session fed back by the RAN, negotiate with the policy negotiation function module on the rejection of the PDU session establishment or the release of the PDU session.

In implementation, the result of negotiation with the policy negotiation function module by the SMF session processing module is one of the following results:

RAN speed reduction transmission, and matching the user plane integrity protection maximum rate supported by the UE; or the like, or, alternatively,

not starting the integrity protection of the air interface user plane; or the like, or, alternatively,

the session is released.

In the implementation, still include:

a notification module, configured to notify the RAN of downlink reduced speed transmission of the PDU session air interface when the result is RAN reduced speed transmission and matches a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the UE; or, when the result is that the empty user interface integrity protection is not enabled, notifying the RAN that the PDU session does not enable the empty user interface integrity protection; or when the result is that the session is released, feeding back the PDU session establishment failure or the PDU session release to the UE.

In implementation, the policy negotiation function module is located in the following devices: PCF, NWDAF, or AF.

In implementation, the SMF session processing module is further configured to establish a temporary PDU session before negotiating with the policy negotiation function module, where in the temporary PDU session, the RAN ensures the integrity protection of an air interface by reducing the transmission rate of the air interface.

For convenience of description, each part of the above-described apparatus is separately described as being functionally divided into various modules or units. Of course, the functionality of the various modules or units may be implemented in the same one or more pieces of software or hardware in practicing the invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of a UDM structure, as shown in the figure, a base station includes:

a processor 1200 for reading the program in the memory 1220 and executing the following processes:

receiving a request for acquiring signing data from an SMF;

returning subscription data to the SMF, wherein the subscription data carries a subscription transmission rate range or at least two levels of subscription transmission rates;

a transceiver 1210 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 1200.

Where in fig. 12, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1200 and memory represented by memory 1220 being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1210 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The processor 1200 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1220 may store data used by the processor 1200 in performing operations.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a subscription information processing apparatus, including:

the UDM receiving module is used for receiving a SMF (short message service) signing data acquisition request;

and the UDM sending module is used for returning the signing data to the SMF, wherein the signing data carries the signing transmission rate range or the signing transmission rates of at least two levels.

In a specific implementation, the implementation of the subscription information processing method on the UDM side may be referred to.

For convenience of description, each part of the above-described apparatus is separately described as being functionally divided into various modules or units. Of course, the functionality of the various modules or units may be implemented in the same one or more pieces of software or hardware in practicing the invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE, and as shown in the figure, the UE includes:

a processor 1300, for reading the program in the memory 1320, for executing the following processes:

sending a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the request carries the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, wherein the message carries a PDU session release reason;

presenting the PDU session release reason to a user;

a transceiver 1310 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 1300.

In fig. 13, among other things, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges with various circuits being linked together, particularly one or more processors represented by processor 1300 and memory represented by memory 1320. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1310 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. User interface 1330 may also be an interface capable of interfacing with a desired device for different user devices, including but not limited to a keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, etc.

The processor 1300 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1320 may store data used by the processor 1300 in performing operations.

The embodiment of the invention provides a PDU conversation release processing device, which comprises:

a UE sending module, configured to send a PDU session establishment request to the SMF, where the request carries a maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by the terminal;

the UE receiving module is used for receiving a PDU session release message sent by the SMF, and the message carries a PDU session release reason;

and the UE presenting module is used for presenting the PDU session release reason to a user.

In specific implementation, refer to the implementation of the PDU session release processing method on the UE side.

For convenience of description, each part of the above-described apparatus is separately described as being functionally divided into various modules or units. Of course, the functionality of the various modules or units may be implemented in the same one or more pieces of software or hardware in practicing the invention.

The embodiment of the invention provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program for executing the PDU session establishment processing method, the subscription information processing method and the PDU session release processing method.

In specific implementation, refer to the implementation of the PDU session establishment processing method on the SMF side, the subscription information processing method on the UDM side, and the PDU session release processing method on the UE side.

In summary, the following technical solutions are mainly provided in the embodiments of the present invention:

UDM side:

and introducing a multilevel signed transmission rate or signed transmission rate range in signed data of the UDM to match the maximum rate of user plane integrity protection supported by different terminals.

SMF side:

the SMF may determine the matched subscription rate based on the maximum integrity protected data rate supported by the terminal and inform the RAN.

Before rejecting or releasing the session, the SMF negotiates with a policy negotiation function module to determine whether to release the session or use other policies. The policy negotiation function may be located in an entity such as PCF, NWDAF, or AF (for example, a third party AF needs to send a negotiation message through NEF).

The SMF receives a message that the RAN can not execute air interface integrity protection in the session establishing process or establishes a temporary session after the SMF judges that the session needs to be released, and the RAN ensures the air interface integrity protection by reducing the air interface transmission rate in the temporary PDU session.

The UE side:

and receiving the session release message from the SMF, and presenting the session release reason to the terminal user according to the reason information carried in the message.

According to the scheme, under the condition that the coexistence of the stock terminal and the new terminal in the market causes the terminal capability in the market to be uneven, the maximum rate of user interface integrity protection supported by different terminals can be flexibly matched, so that the session needing air interface integrity protection is smoothly established, and the data transmission rate can be guaranteed to a higher extent.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.