# US 12,120,090 B2 · Residential gateway IP prefix renewal after re-registration > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,120,090 B2 - Document ID: US12120090B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/055,971 - Filed: 2022-11-16 - Published: 2024-05-16 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2022-11-16 - Assignees: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy - Applicants: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy - Inventors: Kenneth Wan; Killian De Smedt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120090B2 ## CPC - H04L 61/5053: Lease time; Renewal aspects - H04L 61/5092: by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use - H04L 61/5007: Internet protocol [IP] addresses - H04L 61/5046: Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses (testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A residential gateway to facilitate network access to a network, comprises at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the residential gateway to: communicate packet data for IP services being provided to an end user device and the network, the end user device having been assigned an IP address based on a first IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway; receive a second IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway; and notify the end user device that the IP address assigned to the end user device is no longer valid based on receipt of the second IP prefix. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for facilitating network access to a network, via a residential gateway, the method comprising: communicating, by the residential gateway, packet data for IP services being provided to an end user device and the network, the end user device having been assigned an IP address based on a first IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway; receiving, at the residential gateway, a request to re-register the residential gateway from the network; re-registering the residential gateway with the network; receiving, at the residential gateway, a second IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway after the re-registering of the residential gateway with the network, the second IP prefix being a replacement IP prefix for the first IP prefix; and notifying, by the residential gateway, the end user device that the IP address assigned to the end user device is no longer valid based on receipt of the second IP prefix. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the notifying comprises: informing the end user device that the IP address must be renewed for continued access to the IP services via the residential gateway. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: renewing the IP address by assigning an IP address from the second IP prefix to the end user device without hard reboot of the residential gateway. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the informing includes at least one of: performing a portal HTTP redirect to inform the end user device that the IP address must be renewed; disabling a wireless network connection between the end user device and the residential gateway; informing the end user device that an address lifetime for the IP address is 0; or pushing a notification to the end user device, the notification informing the end user device that the IP address must be renewed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the informing includes disabling the wireless network connection; and the disabling the wireless network connection includes performing a shutdown of a service set identifier associated with the wireless network connection between the end user device and the residential gateway. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the residential gateway is configured for SLAAC based IP address assignment; and the informing includes informing the end user device that an address lifetime for the IP address is 0. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the residential gateway is a 5G residential gateway, the network is a 5G core, and the IP address is an IPV6 address. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second IP prefix replaces the first IP prefix at the residential gateway. ### Claim 9 A residential gateway to facilitate network access to a network, the residential gateway comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the residential gateway to communicate packet data for IP services being provided to an end user device and the network, the end user device having been assigned an IP address based on a first IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway, receive a request to re-register the residential gateway from the network, re-register the residential gateway with the network, receive a second IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway after re-registering the residential gateway with the network, the second IP prefix being a replacement IP prefix for the first IP prefix, and notify the end user device that the IP address assigned to the end user device is no longer valid based on receipt of the second IP prefix. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The residential gateway of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the residential gateway to notify the end user device by informing the end user device that the IP address must be renewed for continued access to the IP services via the residential gateway. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The residential gateway of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the residential gateway to renew the IP address by assigning an IP address from the second IP prefix to the end user device without hard reboot of the residential gateway. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The residential gateway of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the residential gateway to inform the end user device by at least one of performing a portal HTTP redirect to inform the end user device that the IP address must be renewed, disabling a wireless network connection between the end user device and the residential gateway, informing the end user device that an address lifetime for the IP address is 0, or push a notification to the end user device, the notification informing the end user device that the IP address must be renewed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The residential gateway of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the residential gateway to inform the end user device by disabling the wireless network connection, and the disabling the wireless network connection includes performing a shutdown of a service set identifier associated with the wireless network connection between the end user device and the residential gateway. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The residential gateway of claim 10, wherein the residential gateway is configured for SLAAC based IP address assignment; and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the residential gateway to inform the end user device that the IP address must be renewed by informing the end user device that an address lifetime for the IP address is 0. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The residential gateway of claim 9, wherein the residential gateway is a 5G residential gateway, the network is a 5G core, and the IP address is an IPV6 address. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The residential gateway of claim 9, wherein the second IP prefix replaces the first IP prefix at the residential gateway. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor at a residential gateway, cause the residential gateway to perform a method for facilitating network access to a network, via the residential gateway, the method comprising: communicating, by the residential gateway, packet data for IP services being provided to an end user device and the network, the end user device having been assigned an IP address based on a first IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway; receiving, at the residential gateway, a request to re-register the residential gateway from the network; re-registering the residential gateway with the network; receiving, at the residential gateway, a second IP prefix assigned to the residential gateway after the re-registering of the residential gateway with the network, the second IP prefix being a replacement IP prefix for the first IP prefix; and notifying, by the residential gateway, the end user device that the IP address assigned to the end user device is no longer valid based on receipt of the second IP prefix. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the notifying comprises: informing the end user device that the IP address must be renewed for continued access to the IP services via the residential gateway. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the informing includes at least one of: performing a portal HTTP redirect to inform the end user device that the IP address must be renewed; disabling a wireless network connection between the end user device and the residential gateway; informing the end user device that an address lifetime for the IP address is 0; or push a notification to the end user device, the notification informing the end user device that the IP address must be renewed. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: renewing the IP address by assigning an IP address from the second IP prefix to the end user device without hard reboot of the residential gateway.