Administrative domains for personal area networks

• US 20020061009A1
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Sorensen, Johan
• Granted Patent: US 7,016,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A system and method for determining whether to establish a connection between a first node and a second node in an ad-hoc network includes the step of sending from the first node to the second node a first message, where the first message includes a network identifier and a point of attachment identifier. The first message is received by the second node and the network identifier and the point of attachment identifier of the first message is compared with a network identifier and point of attachment identifier stored in the second node. The second node determines whether to establish the connection between the first node and the second node based upon the comparison. The point of attachment identifier is associated with a node of the ad-hoc network that provides communication with another network, which the node identifies, via an access point of the other network.

Claims

1. In an ad-hoc network, a method for determining whether to establish a connection between a first node and a second node, the method comprising the steps of:

sending from the first node to the second node a first message, the first message including a network identifier and a point of attachment identifier;

receiving, by the second node, the first message;

comparing, by the second node, the network identifier and the point of attachment identifier of the first message with a network identifier and point of attachment identifier stored in the second node; and

determining whether to establish the connection between the first node and the second node based upon the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the point of attachment identifier is associated with a node that is connected with at least one node of the ad-hoc network and is connected to an access point of a non-ad-hoc network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each access point of the non-ad-hoc network is assigned a different point of attachment identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if the network identifiers are the same, then the connection is established between the first node and the second node.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional step of establishing the connection between the first node and the second node if the network identifiers are the same but the point of attachment identifiers are not the same, wherein the connection does not carry broadcast packets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein if the network identifiers and the point of attachment identifiers are the same, then comprising the additional steps of:

establishing the connection between the first node and the second node; and

setting one of the first or second nodes as a secondary connection to an access point associated with the access point identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the network identifiers do not match, then the connection is not established between the first and second nodes.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first node is a member of, a public network and the second node is a member of a private network.

9. In an electronic device adapted to communicate in an ad-hoc network, a method for determining whether to establish a connection between the electronic device and another node of the ad-hoc network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving from the other node, at the electronic device, a first message, the first message including a network identifier and a point of attachment identifier;

comparing, at the electronic device, the network identifier and the point of attachment identifier of the first message with a network identifier and point of attachment identifier stored in the electronic device; and

determining whether to establish the connection between the electronic device and the other node based upon the comparison.

10. An electronic device adapted to communicate in an ad-hoc network and to determine whether to establish a connection with another node of the ad-hoc network, the electronic device comprising:

a transceiver that receives a first message transmitted from the other node, the first message including a network identifier and a point of attachment identifier;

a comparing means that compares the network identifier and the point of attachment identifier of the first message with a network identifier and point of attachment identifier stored in a storage of the electronic device; and

determining means that determines whether to establish the connection between the other node and the electronic device based upon the comparison.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the point of attachment identifier is associated with a node that is connected with at least one node of the ad-hoc network and is connected to an access point of a non-ad-hoc network.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein each access point of the non-ad-hoc network is assigned a different point of attachment identifier.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein if the network identifiers are the same, then the connection is established between the electronic device and the other node.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the connection between the electronic device and the other node is established if the network identifiers are the same but the point of attachment identifiers are not the same, wherein the connection does not carry broadcast packets.

15. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein if the network identifiers and the point of attachment identifiers are the same, then the connection between the electronic device and the other node is established and one of the electronic device and the other node is set as a secondary connection to an access point associated with the access point identifier.

16. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein if the network identifiers do not match, then the connection is not established between the electronic device and the other node.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the electronic device is a member of a public network and the other node is a member of a private network.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the point of attachment identifier is associated with a node that is connected with at least one node of the ad-hoc network and is connected to an access point of a non-ad-hoc network.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein each access point of the non-ad-hoc network is assigned a different point of attachment identifier.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein if the network identifiers are the same, then the connection is established between the first node and the second node.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, comprising additional logic that establishes the connection between the electronic device and the other node if the network identifiers are the same but the point of attachment identifiers are not the same, wherein the connection does not carry broadcast packets.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein if the network identifiers and the point of attachment identifiers are the same, then comprising additional logic that:

establishes the connection between the electronic device and the other node; and

sets one of the electronic device and the other node as a secondary connection to an access point associated with the access point identifier.

24. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein if the network identifiers do not match, then the connection is not established between the electronic device and the other node.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the electronic device is a member of, a public network and the other node is a member of a private network.

18. A computer program product in an electronic device adapted to communicate in an ad-hoc network, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code means including;

logic that receives a first message, at the electronic device, from another node of the ad-hoc network, the first message including a network identifier and a point of attachment identifier;

logic that compares the network identifier and the point of attachment identifier of the first message with a network identifier and point of attachment identifier stored in a storage of the electronic device; and

logic that determines whether to establish the connection between the electronic device and the other node based upon the comparison.