# US 7,660,582 B2 · Method and apparatus to facilitate broadcast packet handling > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,660,582 B2 - Document ID: US7660582B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/034,614 - Filed: 2005-01-13 - Published: 2006-07-13 - Granted: 2010-02-09 - Earliest claimed: 2005-01-13 - Assignees: UTStarcom, Inc. - Inventors: Arun C. Alex; Kunnath Sudhir - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7660582B2 ## CPC - H04L 12/18: for broadcast or conference {, e.g. multicast} - H04L 69/24: Negotiation of communication capabilities - H04W 80/04: Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A first network element determines (11) that a given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as may be sourced by a corresponding Home Agent. This first network element can then determine (12) whether to support such subsequent broadcast packets using a first broadcast packet handling approach or a second broadcast packet handling approach. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: determining, at a first network element, that a given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as sourced by a Home Agent; at the first network element, automatically determining whether to support such subsequent broadcast packets using a first broadcast packet handling approach or a second broadcast packet handling approach; if the Home Agent is determined to be capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach, adding the Home Agent in a list stored at the first network element, wherein the list identifies Home Agents that are capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach; and if the Home Agent is determined to be capable of supporting the first broadcast packet handling approach and determined to not be capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach and if the Home Agent is presently identified in the list, removing the Home Agent from the list, the first broadcast packet handling approach includes forwarding to a plurality of mobile nodes, by the first network element, a discrete version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent, and the second broadcast packet handling approach includes respectively forwarding, by the first network element to each of the plurality of mobile nodes, replicates of a shared version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the first network element includes a Packet Data Serving Node. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said determining at the first network element that the given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as sourced by the Home Agent includes: receiving a message at the first network element as sourced by the given mobile node. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein said determining at the first network element that the given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as sourced by the Home Agent further includes: determining whether the message has an indication that broadcast packets should be transmitted to the given mobile node. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein said determining whether the message has the indication that broadcast packets should be transmitted to the given mobile node includes: determining whether the message includes a set mobile Internet Protocol B bit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said automatically determining whether to support such subsequent broadcast packets using the first broadcast packet handling approach or the second broadcast packet handling approach includes: the first network element conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the first network element conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling includes: the first network element indicating to the Home Agent that the first network element is able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein the first network element conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling further includes: if the Home Agent is also able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach, receiving by the first network element from the Home Agent an indication that the Home Agent is able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein the first network element conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling further includes: thereafter the first network element cooperating with the Home Agent to use the second broadcast packet handling approach if sending subsequent broadcast packets to the given mobile node. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the first network element conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling further includes: if the Home Agent is not able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach, receiving by the first network element from the Home Agent an indication that the Home Agent is not able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein said receiving by the first network element from the Home Agent the indication that the Home Agent is not able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach includes: receiving, by the first network element from the Home Agent, an indication that the Home Agent will support the first broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 12 A method for use by a first network node, the method comprising: at a first network node, determining that a given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as sourced by a Home Agent; at the first network node, automatically determining whether to support such subsequent broadcast packets using a first broadcast packet handling approach or a second broadcast packet handling approach, by conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling; and at the first network node, determining whether to update a list to reflect whether the Home Agent is capable of supporting using the second broadcast packet handling approach, the list is stored at the first network node and identifies Home Agents that are capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach, the Home Agent is added to the list if the Home Agent is determined to be capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach, the Home Agent is removed from the list if the Home Agent is determined to be capable of supporting the first broadcast packet handling approach and determined to not be capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach and if the Home Agent is presently identified in the list, the first broadcast packet handling approach includes forwarding to a plurality of mobile nodes, by the first network node, a discrete version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent, and the second broadcast packet handling approach includes respectively forwarding, by the first network node to each of the plurality of mobile nodes, replicates of a shared version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the first network node includes a Packet Data Serving Node. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein said determining that the given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as sourced by the Home Agent includes: receiving a message at the first network node as sourced by the given mobile node. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein said determining that the given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as sourced by the Home Agent further includes: determining whether the message has an indication that broadcast packets should be transmitted to the given mobile node. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein said determining whether the message has the indication that broadcast packets should be transmitted to the given mobile node includes: determining whether the message includes a set mobile Internet Protocol B bit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein said conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling includes: indicating to the Home Agent that the first network node is able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein said conducting negotiations with the Home Agent regarding broadcast packet handling further includes: thereafter using the second broadcast packet handling approach if sending subsequent broadcast packets to the given mobile node in response to receiving an indication that the Home Agent is also able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach; and thereafter using the first broadcast packet handling approach if sending subsequent broadcast packets to the given mobile node in response to receiving an indication that the Home Agent is not able to support the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: associating, in the list, the given mobile node with the Home Agent if the Home Agent is determined to be capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 20 An apparatus, comprising: an interface to a mobile Internet Protocol-compatible wireless mobile node; an interface to a Home Agent; a memory; a list, stored in the memory, that represents whether to use a first broadcast packet handling approach or a second broadcast packet handling approach if forwarding broadcast packets from the Home Agent to the mobile node, wherein the list includes a list of Home Agents that support the second broadcast packet handling approach; and a controller operably coupled to the interface to the mobile node, the interface to the Home Agent, and the list, the controller is configured to update the list to add the Home Agent if the Home Agent is determined to be capable to support the second broadcast packet handling approach, the controller is further configured to remove the Home Agent from the list if the Home Agent is determined to be capable to support the first broadcast packet handling approach and is determined to not be capable to support the second broadcast packet handling approach and if the Home Agent is presently identified in the list, the first broadcast packet handling approach includes forwarding, to a plurality of mobile nodes, a discrete version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent, and the second broadcast packet handling approach includes respectively forwarding, to each of the plurality of mobile nodes, replicates of a shared version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the list further identifies mobile nodes that are associated with each of the Home Agents in the list. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the apparatus comprises a Packet Data Serving Node. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the controller is further configured to signal to the Home Agent that the apparatus supports the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the controller is further configured to receive a signal from the Home Agent that indicates that the Home Agent supports the second broadcast packet handling approach. ### Claim 25 An apparatus, comprising: means for determining, at a packet data serving node, that a given mobile node using mobile Internet Protocol should receive subsequent broadcast packets as sourced by a Home Agent; the means for determining automatically determines whether to support such subsequent broadcast packets using a first broadcast packet handling approach or a second broadcast packet handling approach; and means for storing, at the packet data serving node, a list that identifies Home Agents that are capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach, if the means for determining determines that the Home Agent is capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach, the Home Agent is added to the list, if the means for determining determines that the Home Agent is capable of supporting the first broadcast packet handling approach and not capable of supporting the second broadcast packet handling approach and if the Home Agent is presently identified in the list, the Home Agent is removed from the list, the first broadcast packet handling approach includes forwarding to a plurality of mobile nodes, by the packet data serving node, a discrete version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent, and the second broadcast packet handling approach includes respectively forwarding, by the packet data serving node to each of the plurality of mobile nodes, replicates of a shared version of each subsequent broadcast packet as provided by the Home Agent. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the means for storing includes a memory. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the packet data serving node is configured to provide an indication to the Home Agent that the packet data serving node supports the second broadcast packet handling approach, so as to enable the Home Agent to update a list, stored at the Home Agent, that identifies packet data serving nodes that support the second broadcast packet handling approach.