US 7,924,842 B2Granted

Packet transfer method in communication network system and packet processing method in communication device constituting the system

AssigneePanasonic Corporation

InventorsJun Hirano, Takahisa Aoyama, Takeshi Tanaka

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Abstract

There is disclosed a technology in which a packet to be sent to a mobile terminal (an MN), distributed from a correspondent node (a CN), can surely reach the MN even in a situation in which the MN is moving. According to the technology, identification information of a plurality of access routers (ARs) 300 potentially currently connected to the MN is added to an IP packet to be transmitted from a CN 500 to an MN 200. When the AR receives this IP packet, the AR judges whether or not the MN is connected thereunder. If the MN exists under the AR, the IP packet is transmitted to the MN. On the other hand, if any MN does not exist under the AR, the IP packet is transferred to another AR based on the identification information added to the IP packet. As a result, the IP packet is successively transferred between the plurality of ARs so that the IP packet can be passed to the MN under the AR currently connected to the MN.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A packet transfer method in a communication network system comprising:

a plurality of access routers which form predetermined communication areas thereunder, respectively;
a mobile terminal which is connected to at least one of the plurality of access routers to perform packet communication with an arbitrary communication device via the connected access router;
and a communication partner device which is the arbitrary communication device and which performs the packet communication with the mobile terminal, the method comprising:
a connection candidate information setting step in which a communication device to perform processing concerned with an original packet adds, to the original packet, one of identification information of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal and identification information of the mobile terminal for use when connected to the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal, respectively, as mobile terminal connection candidate information, before the original packet to be transmitted from the communication partner device to the mobile terminal reaches one of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal;
a connection confirming step in which one of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal confirms whether or not the access router is currently connected to the mobile terminal thereunder, in a case where a packet constituted by adding the mobile terminal connection candidate information to the original packet is received;
a packet transmission step in which the access router transmits, to the mobile terminal, the packet or the original packet constituted by removing the mobile terminal connection candidate information from the packet, in a case where it is confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected;
and
a packet transfer step in which the access router transfers the packet by unicast to another access router described in the mobile terminal connection candidate information, in a case where it is not confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected.

5 more elements

A packet processing method in an access router of a communication network system comprising:

a plurality of access routers which form predetermined communication areas thereunder, respectively;
and a mobile terminal which is connected to at least one of the plurality of access routers to perform packet communication with a communication partner device via the connected access router, the method comprising:
a packet reception step in which a communication device to perform processing concerned with an original packet receives a packet constituted by adding, to the original packet, at least one of identification information of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal and identification information of the mobile terminal for use when connected to the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal, respectively, as mobile terminal connection candidate information, before the original packet to be transmitted from the communication partner device to the mobile terminal reaches at least one of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal;
a connection confirming step in which the access router confirms whether or not the access router is currently connected to the mobile terminal thereunder, in a case where a packet constituted by adding the mobile terminal connection candidate information to the original packet is received;
a packet transmission step in which the access router transmits, to the mobile terminal, the packet or the original packet constituted by removing the mobile terminal connection candidate information from the packet, in a case where it is confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected;
and
a packet transfer step in which the access router transfers the packet by unicast to another access router described in the mobile terminal connection candidate information, in a case where it is not confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected.

4 more elements

A packet transfer method in a communication network system comprising:

a plurality of access routers which form predetermined communication areas thereunder, respectively;
a mobile terminal which is connected to at least one of the plurality of access routers to perform packet communication with an arbitrary communication device via the connected access router;
and a communication partner device which is the arbitrary communication device and which performs the packet communication with the mobile terminal, the method comprising:
a connection candidate information setting step in which a communication device to perform processing concerned with an original packet adds, to the original packet, one of identification information of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal and identification information of the mobile terminal for use when connected to the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal, respectively, as mobile terminal connection candidate information, before the original packet to be transmitted from the communication partner device to the mobile terminal reaches one of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal;
a selection step in which the communication device selects an access router to which a packet constituted by adding the mobile terminal connection candidate information to the original packet is transmitted, based on the mobile terminal connection candidate information;
a connection confirming step in which the selected access router confirms whether or not the access router is currently connected to the mobile terminal thereunder, in a case where the packet constituted by adding the mobile terminal connection candidate information to the original packet is received;
a packet transmission step in which the access router transmits, to the mobile terminal, the packet or the original packet constituted by removing the mobile terminal connection candidate information from the packet, in a case where it is confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected;
and
a packet transfer step in which the access router transfers the packet by unicast to another access router selected among a plurality of access routers described in the mobile terminal connection candidate information, in a case where it is not confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected.

6 more elements

A packet processing method in an access router of a communication network system comprising:

a plurality of access routers which form predetermined communication areas thereunder, respectively;
and a mobile terminal which is connected to at least one of the plurality of access routers to perform packet communication with a communication partner device via the connected access router, the method comprising:
a packet reception step in which a communication device to perform processing concerned with an original packet receives a packet constituted by adding, to the original packet, at least one of identification information of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal and identification information of the mobile terminal for use when connected to the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal, respectively, as mobile terminal connection candidate information, before the original packet to be transmitted from the communication partner device to the mobile terminal reaches at least one of the plurality of access routers potentially connected to the mobile terminal;
a connection confirming step in which the access router confirms whether or not the access router is currently connected to the mobile terminal thereunder, in a case where a packet constituted by adding the mobile terminal connection candidate information to the original packet is received;
a packet transmission step in which the access router transmits, to the mobile terminal, the packet or the original packet constituted by removing the mobile terminal connection candidate information from the packet, in a case where it is confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected;
and
a packet transfer step in which the access router transfers the packet by unicast to another access router selected among a plurality of access routers described in the mobile terminal connection candidate information, in a case where it is not confirmed in the connection confirming step that the mobile terminal is currently connected.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/815,169Filed 27 Jan 2006
Priority: JP 2005-0263942 Feb 2005
Published: US 2009/0016264 A115 Jan 2009
Granted: 12 Apr 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04W 40/18
Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing: based on predicted events
H04W 8/08
Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of…:…
H04W 8/26
Network data management: network addressing or numbering for mobility support
H04W 80/04
Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation: network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]