Handoff method and agent apparatus
First Claim
1. A handoff method of performing a handoff when mobile terminal equipment is moving from a previous foreign agent to a new foreign agent in a mobile IP network, said method comprising the steps of:
- when starting a handoff, additionally performing a regional registration of said mobile terminal equipment so as to doubly register said mobile terminal equipment so that said mobile terminal equipment is associated with both said previous foreign agent and said new foreign agent;
determining whether or not an IP packet destined for said mobile terminal equipment is of real-time traffic when said mobile terminal equipment is doubly registered;
bicasting the IP packet to both said previous foreign agent and said new foreign agent if the IP packet is of real-time traffic, and buffering the IP packet if the IP packet is of non-real-time traffic;
when the handoff is completed, updating the regional registration associated with said previous foreign agent so that said mobile terminal equipment is associated only with said new foreign agent; and
when IP packets of non-real-time traffic are buffered, transferring the buffered IP packets of non-real-time traffic to said new foreign agent.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In accordance with a handoff method, when a handoff of mobile terminal equipment from a previous foreign agent to a new foreign agent is detected, the mobile terminal equipment is doubly registered with either a home agent or a gateway foreign agent so that the mobile terminal equipment is associated with both the previous foreign agent and the new foreign agent. During the handoff, either the home agent or the gateway foreign agent determines whether or not an IP packet destined for the mobile terminal equipment is of real-time traffic, and then bicasts the IP packet to both the previous foreign agent and the new foreign agent if the IP packet is of real-time traffic, and buffers the IP packet otherwise. When the handoff is completed, the regional registration with either the home agent or the gateway foreign agent is updated so that the mobile terminal equipment is associated only with the new foreign agent. Either the home agent or the gateway foreign agent then transfers IP packets of non-real-time traffic buffered therein to the new foreign agent.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A handoff method of performing a handoff when mobile terminal equipment is moving from a previous foreign agent to a new foreign agent in a mobile IP network, said method comprising the steps of:
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when starting a handoff, additionally performing a regional registration of said mobile terminal equipment so as to doubly register said mobile terminal equipment so that said mobile terminal equipment is associated with both said previous foreign agent and said new foreign agent;
determining whether or not an IP packet destined for said mobile terminal equipment is of real-time traffic when said mobile terminal equipment is doubly registered;
bicasting the IP packet to both said previous foreign agent and said new foreign agent if the IP packet is of real-time traffic, and buffering the IP packet if the IP packet is of non-real-time traffic;
when the handoff is completed, updating the regional registration associated with said previous foreign agent so that said mobile terminal equipment is associated only with said new foreign agent; and
when IP packets of non-real-time traffic are buffered, transferring the buffered IP packets of non-real-time traffic to said new foreign agent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A handoff method of performing a handoff when mobile terminal equipment is moving from a previous foreign agent to a new foreign agent in a mobile IP network, said method comprising the steps of:
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when starting a handoff, additionally performing a regional registration of said mobile terminal equipment with a home agent so as to doubly register said mobile terminal equipment so that said mobile terminal equipment is associated with both said previous foreign agent and said new foreign agent;
allowing said home agent to determine whether or not an IP packet destined for said mobile terminal equipment is of real-time traffic when said mobile terminal equipment is doubly registered;
allowing said home agent to bicast the IP packet to both said previous foreign agent and said new foreign agent if the IP packet is of real-time traffic, and transferring the IP packet to said previous foreign agent if the IP packet is of non-real-time traffic;
allowing said previous foreign agent to buffer the IP packet of non-real-time traffic transferred from said home agent therein;
when the handoff is completed, if IP packets of non-real-time traffic are buffered in said previous foreign agent, allowing said previous foreign agent to transfer the buffered IP packets of non-real-time traffic to said new foreign agent; and
when the handoff is completed, updating the regional registration associated with said previous foreign agent so that said mobile terminal equipment is associated only with said new foreign agent.
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14. An agent apparatus for transferring IP packets to a new foreign agent in a mobile IP network, to which mobile terminal equipment is moving, said apparatus comprising:
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a means for, upon receiving an IP packet destined for said mobile terminal equipment when said mobile terminal equipment is doubly registered during a handoff, determining whether or not the IP packet is of real-time traffic;
a means for bicasting the IP packet to both said previous foreign agent and said new foreign agent if the IP packet is of real-time traffic, and for buffering the IP packet if the IP packet is of non-real-time traffic;
a means for, when the handoff has been completed and IP packets of non-real-time traffic are buffered, transferring the buffered IP packets of non-real-time traffic to said new foreign agent.
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Specification