Intelligently assigning an IP address to a mobile device

• US 10,542,524 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2013
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Reeves, Raymond Emilio, Wick, Ryan Alan, Xue, Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bokhari, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US13/917,351
• Time in Patent Office: 2,413 Days
• Field of Search: 370216, 370329, 370331, 370338, 370221, 709245, 709229, 709226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

Ways of allocating an identifier to a mobile device are disclosed. One method includes receiving a request that requests an address be assigned to the mobile device, considering factors in connection with determining a mobile IP (MIP) address to be assigned to the mobile device, determining the MIP address based on the factors, and conveying the MIP address to the mobile device.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, perform a method of allocating an IP address to a mobile device in a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving a request to have an IP address allocated to a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is identifiable by way of a unique identifier wherein the request is communicated through a transceiver station and a radio network controller of the wireless telecommunications network;

based on the unique identifier, identifying one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device by the wireless telecommunications network in a previous telecommunications session from a pool of available IP addresses, wherein a problematic IP address is identified as having been known to not work with the mobile device and is excluded from the pool of available IP addresses;

analyzing the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device to determine a first IP address, wherein analyzing the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device to determine the first IP address comprises determining that the first IP address previously resulted in relatively few or no undesired disruptions in communications to the mobile device via the wireless telecommunications network; and

reallocating, by the wireless telecommunications network, the first IP address to the mobile device.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier includes a Network Address Identifier (NAI).

3. The media of claim 1, wherein analyzing the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device to determine a first IP address includes identifying a refresh rate for one or more connections of the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device.

4. The media of claim 3, further comprising determining whether the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile devices are flagged.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein a flag for a particular IP address of the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device is indicative that the particular IP address should not be used again for the mobile device.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the flag signifies that high refresh rate is associated with the particular IP address.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, perform a method of allocating an address to a mobile device in a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the mobile device, by the wireless telecommunications network, to receive an internet-protocol address from a pool of IP addresses, wherein the mobile device identifiable by way of device information contained in the request, the device information comprising one or more of a device identifier that identifies said mobile device and a user identifier that identifies a user associated with the mobile device;

identifying one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device by the wireless telecommunications network in a previous telecommunications session from the pool of IP addresses;

excluding a first IP address from the one or more IP addresses IP addresses based upon a previous assignment of the first IP address, by the wireless telecommunications network, to the mobile device where the first IP address prevented the mobile device from communicating in a desired manner;

analyzing one or more non-excluded IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device to determine a second IP address, wherein analyzing the one or more non-excluded IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device to determine the second IP address comprises determining that the second IP address previously resulted in relatively few or no undesired disruptions in communications to the mobile device via the wireless telecommunications network; and

fulfilling said request, by the wireless telecommunications network by allocating the second IP address from the one or more IP addresses to the mobile device.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein an IP-address allocation device that fulfills said requests is a home agent.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the wireless telecommunications network utilizes CDMA technology.

10. The media of claim 8, wherein said device information includes geographic location or time of day.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein excluding a first IP address from the pool of IP addresses based upon a previous assignment of the first IP address to the mobile device further comprising determining whether the first IP address is flagged.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein a flag for the first IP address is indicative that the first IP address should not be used again for the mobile device.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the flag signifies that high refresh rate is associated with the first IP address.

14. A method of allocating an IP address to a mobile device by a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving a request to have an IP address from a pool of available IP addresses allocated to a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is identifiable by way of a unique identifier, wherein the request is communicated through a transceiver station and a radio network controller of the wireless telecommunications network;

identifying one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device by the wireless telecommunications network in a previous telecommunications session from the pool of IP addresses;

excluding a first IP address from the one or more IP addresses that have previously disrupted the interaction between the mobile device and the Internet;

analyzing the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device to determine a second IP address, wherein analyzing the one or more IP addresses previously assigned to the mobile device to determine the second IP address comprises determining that the second IP address previously resulted in relatively few or no undesired disruptions in communications to the mobile device via the wireless telecommunications network; and

allocating, by the wireless telecommunications network, the second IP address from the one or more IP addresses to the mobile device.

15. The computer system method of claim 14,

wherein the unique identifier includes a Network Address Identifier (NAI).

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more IP addresses were previously allocated to the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein allocating a non-excluded IP address comprises reallocating to the mobile device a particular IP address that previously resulted in no undesired disruptions in communications to the mobile device via the wireless telecommunications network.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein disrupt the interaction between the mobile device and the Internet includes a refresh rate above a set limit.