US 7,890,577 B2Granted

Inter-domain context transfer using context transfer managers

AssigneePanasonic Corporation

InventorsKilian Weniger, Jens Bachmann, Rolf Hakenberg

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for improved context transfer in heterogeneous networks is presented. Context information is collected from source entities in a first access network by a context transfer manager and transmitted to a context transfer manager of a second access network which forwards the context information to target entities therein, in one of the context transfer managers at least a part of the context information is translated from a format supported in the first access network to another format supported in the second access network. The method may be carried out proactively preceding a handover or reactively following a handover. In one embodiment, context transfer within one access domain is performed directly between access routers, whereas context transfer between different access domains is performed via the context managers. In another embodiment, beacons from access points are counted in order to determine candidates for a pending handover.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method for transferring a context in a heterogeneous mobile network comprising a plurality of access networks, the method comprising the steps of:

a) collecting by a context transfer manager located in a first access network of the plurality of access networks context information related to a mobile node from at least one source entity within the first access network;
b) transmitting by the context transfer manager located in the first access network the collected context information to a context transfer manager located in a second access network of the plurality of access networks using a security association between the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks;
c) receiving by the context transfer manager located in the second access network context information related to the mobile node from a context transfer manager located in an access network different from the first access network using the security association between the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks;
d) forwarding by the context transfer manager located in the second access network the context information received in step c) to at least one target entity within the second access network;
e) before step b) and/or after step c), translating at least a part of the context information from a format supported in the first access network to another format supported in the second access network;
f) collecting information by the context transfer manager located in the first access network about numbers of broadcast messages from access points received by a mobile node per time unit, wherein the broadcast messages comprise information about the identities of the access points;
and
g) establishing by the context transfer manager located in the first access network the security association to the context transfer manager located in the second access network, if the number of broadcast messages received by the mobile terminal from an access point within the second access network exceeds a first predetermined threshold, and
h) authenticating the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks.

6 more elements

A method for transferring a context in a heterogeneous mobile network comprising a plurality of access networks, the method comprising the steps of:

a) sending from a mobile node a message to a first access router located in a first access network, the message comprising information about the identity of the mobile node, information about an identity of a second access router, and information about types of context to be transferred;
b) forwarding said message from the first access router to a context transfer manager located in the first access network;
c) in response to the message received from the first access router, transmitting by the context transfer manager located in the first access network the collected context information to a context transfer manager located in a second access network of the plurality of access networks using a security association between the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks;
d) receiving by the context transfer manager located in the second access network the context information related to the mobile node from a context transfer manager located in the first access network using the security association between the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks;
e) forwarding by the context transfer manager located in the second access network the context information received in step c) to at least one target entity within the second access network;
f) before step d) and/or after step e), translating at least a part of the context information from a format supported in the first access network to another format supported in the second access network;
g) collecting information by the context transfer manager located in the first access network about numbers of broadcast messages from access points received by a mobile node per time unit, wherein the broadcast messages comprise information about the identities of the access points;
and
h) establishing by the context transfer manager located in the first access network a security association to the context transfer manager located in the second access network, if the number of broadcast messages received by the mobile terminal from an access point within the second access network exceeds a first predetermined threshold, and
i) authenticating the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks.

7 more elements

A method for transferring a context in a heterogeneous mobile network comprising a plurality of access networks, the method comprising the steps of:

a) sending from a mobile node a message to an access router located in a first access network of the plurality of access networks, comprising information about the identity of the mobile node, information about an identity of an access router located in another, second access network of the plurality of access networks, and information about types of context to be transferred;
b) forwarding said message from the access router located in the first access network to the context transfer manager located in the first access network;
and
c) sending a message from the context transfer manager located in the first access network to another context manager located in the second access network, wherein the message comprises information about the identity of the mobile node and about types of context to be transferred;
d) in response to receiving the message from the context transfer manager located in the first access network, collecting by a context transfer manager located in a second access network of the plurality of access networks context information related to a mobile node from at least one source entity within the second access network;
e) transmitting by the context transfer manager located in the second access network the collected context information to a context transfer manager located in the first access network;
f) receiving by the context transfer manager located in the first access network context information related to the mobile node from the context transfer manager located in the second access network;
g) forwarding by the context transfer manager located in the first access network the context information received in step f) to at least one target entity within the first access network;
h) before step e) and/or after step f), translating at least a part of the context information from a format supported in the first access network to another format supported in the first access network;
i) collecting information by the context transfer manager located in the first access network about numbers of broadcast messages from access points received by a mobile node per time unit, wherein the broadcast messages comprise information about the identities of the access points;
and
j) establishing by the context transfer manager located in the first access network a security association to the context transfer manager located in the second access network, if the number of broadcast messages received by the mobile terminal from an access point within the second access network exceeds a first predetermined threshold, and
k) authenticating the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/817,490Filed 14 Mar 2006
Priority: EP 0500679029 Mar 2005
Published: US 2009/0216906 A127 Aug 2009
Granted: 15 Feb 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H04L 47/2491
Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS: mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
H04L 67/565
Provisioning of proxy services: conversion or adaptation of application format or content
H04W 36/0022
For data sessions of end-to-end connection: for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
H04W 36/0038
With transfer of context information: of security context information