Infrastructure equipment and method

Abstract

An infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile radio network includes a transmit and receive unit, to transmit and receive data to and from mobile communications devices via a wireless access interface, and a controller processing requests for communications resources from the mobile communications devices. Plural associated communications devices are arranged to form a group, and each of the associated communications devices of the group includes a same common identifier, with respect to which communications sessions can be established to communicate data via the mobile radio network, and the controller is arranged in combination with the transmit and receive unit to respond to a request from one of the communications devices of the group to establish a communications bearer using the common identifier.

1 . An infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile radio network, the infrastructure equipment including
 a transmit and receive unit, which is arranged in operation to transmit and receive data to and from mobile communications devices via a wireless access interface, and   a controller for processing requests for communications resources from the mobile communications devices, wherein a plurality of associated communications devices are arranged to form a group, and each of the associated communications devices of the group includes the same common identifier, with respect to which communications sessions can be established to communicate data via the mobile radio network, and the controller is arranged in combination with the transmit and receive unit to respond to a request from one of the communications devices of the group to establish a communications bearer using the common identifier.   
     
     
         2 . An infrastructure equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identifier, which is used to establish a communications session is provided using a subscriber identifier module or universal subscriber identity module, which includes the same common identifier for each of the communications devices 
     
     
         3 . An infrastructure equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identifier is a network temporary identifier or is used to generate a unique resource location or unique resource identifier. 
     
     
         4 . An infrastructure equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure equipment is arranged to identify each of the devices using an equipment identification number, the equipment identification number being used by a radio link layer to identify each of the communications devices within the group of communications devices. 
     
     
         5 . An infrastructure equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a first of the plurality of associated communications devices is arranged to be a master communications device and the infrastructure equipment is arranged in operation to establish a communication session for the group in response to receiving signalling information including the common identifier from the master communications device, and
 transmit signalling information to the group of communications devices in response to the signalling information transmitted by the master communications device, with the effect that each of the associated communications devices can transmit data to the mobile radio network and receive data from the mobile radio network using the communications bearer established by the master communications device using the common identifier for all of the associated communications devices of the group.   
     
     
         6 . An infrastructure equipment as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the signalling information transmitted in response to the master communications device includes information required for mobility management and connection 
     
     
         7 . An infrastructure equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the controller in combination with the transmitter and receiver unit is arranged in operation to provide each of the communications devices within the group of associated communications devices with one of a set of predefined sequences of data for use in forming the random access burst for transmission in the random access channel of the wireless access interface, the group of predefined sequences being uniquely associated with the group, and
 to transmit a signalling message in response to a random access burst, using the unique data sequence which was used to form the random access burst received from a communications device.   
     
     
         8 . An infrastructure equipment as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the random access burst of signals received from one of the communications devices includes data representing a request for uplink resources and in response to the transmitted burst the controller communicates a grant of uplink resources to the communications devices, which is identified using the same predefined sequence allocated to the communications device and received in the random access burst. 
     
     
         9 . A method of communicating data from an infrastructure equipment forming part of a mobile radio network, the method comprising
 providing a transmit and receive unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from mobile communications devices via a wireless access interface, and   processing requests for communications resources from the mobile communications devices, wherein a plurality of associated communications devices are arranged to form a group, and each of the associated communications devices of the group includes the same common identifier, and the processing of the requests for communications includes   responding to a request from one of the communications devices of the group to establish a communications bearer using the common identifier, and   establishing a communications session to communicate data via the mobile radio network, using the common identifier from any of the members of the group   
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in  claim 9 , comprising
 receiving the common identifier, which is used to establish a communications session, from a subscriber identifier module or universal subscriber identity module, which includes the common identifier to each of the mobile communications devices.   
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the identifier is a network temporary identifier or is used to generate a unique resource location or unique resource identifier. 
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the establishing a communications sessions for communicating data via the mobile radio network, using the common identifier includes
 establishing a communications bearer using a first of the plurality of associated communications devices which operates as a master communications device, and   transmitting signalling information including the identifier for each of the associated communications devices in the group w hen the group of communications devices are in a listening mode in which the signalling information can be received in response to the signalling information transmitted by a master communications device, with the effect that each of the associated communications devices can transmit data to the infrastructure equipment and receive data from the infrastructure equipment using the communications bearer established by the first communications device using the identifier which is common for all of the associated communications devices of the group.   
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the signalling information received from the infrastructure equipment in response to the first communications device includes information required for mobility management and connection. 
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the infrastructure equipment provides a wireless access interface which includes a random access communications channel for uplink transmission of a burst of signals, and the method includes
 allocating to each of the communications devices from the group of associated communications devices a time for transmitting a random access burst m the random access communications channel in accordance with a predetermined arrangement   
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the predetermined arrangement includes allocating a lime to each of the communications devices of the group, when one or more of the communication of devices can transmit the random access burst in the random access communications channel. 
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein each of the communications devices within the group of associated communications devices is provided with one of a set of predefined sequences of data, the group of predefined sequences being uniquely associated with the group, the method comprising
 receiving a random access burst from one of the communications devices to the mobile radio network, the random access burst for transmission in the random access channel of the wireless access interlace using one of a set of predefined sequences allocated to each of the communications devices, and   transmitting a signalling message in response to the random access burst, using the unique data sequence which was used to form the random access burst transmitted by the communications device.   
     
     
         17 . A method as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the random access burst of signals includes data representing a request for uplink resources and the method includes
 in response to the transmitted burst, communicating from the infrastructure equipment to the group of communications devices a grant of uplink resources, which is identified using the same predefined sequence allocated to the communications device.