Method of transmitting packets in a mobile 3G network system

• US 20020154642A1
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hagirahim, Hassan, Waldman, Francis
• Granted Patent: US 7,492,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2592 using tunnelling or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

Let'"'"'s assume a Mobile Station (MS) with the home location in New York connects to the wireless network in La Jolla, Calif., to a Packet Data Service Node/Foreign Agent (PDSN/FA) in San Diego. The MS has an IP address that points to the home network in New York. To authenticate the user, the PDSN/FA connects to the Home Agent in New York. After authentication/authorization, the user will ask for services by sending IP packets to the PDSN/FA. The user requests restaurant recommendations within 2 miles from his/her current position. The PDSN/FA forwards the user'"'"'s IP packets to the service provider server that in our example is Los Angeles. The network determines the user'"'"'s current location and provides him/her with a list of restaurants. The server sends the packets to the source address learned from the user'"'"'s packets. This address points to the home network in New York and the packets will be forwarded to the Home Agent in New York. The Home Agent determines that the packets are intended to the MS, and sends them in a tunnel (previously established between the PDSN/FA and HA) to the PDSN/FA. The PDSN/FA terminates the tunnel and sends the packets to the MS over the radio network. Thus, these packets instead of being sent from Los Angeles to San Diego and to La Jolla/MS, are sent from Los Angeles to New York and back to San Diego. With this invention, the unnecessary trip from Los Angeles to New York and back to San Diego is avoided and the round-trip delay is reduced.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a packet received at a Packet Data Service Node/Foreign Agent where the packet has a source IP address of a mobile station that points to a geographically remote Home Agent and a destination IP address comprising the steps of:

caching IP addresses in memory comparing the destination IP address of the received packet with the IP addresses in memory, and if no match is found, query the Policy Server for a match;

forwarding the received packet with the IP address of the Packet Data Service/Node Foreign Agent as the source IP address when the destination address of the received packet matches the IP address in memory or Policy server.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of forwarding the received packet with the source IP address of the mobile station when the destination address of the received packet does not match the IP address in memory or Policy server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a tunnel is established between the Packet Data Service Node/Foreign Agent and the Home Agent when the mobile station initiates a call further comprising the step of not forwarding the packet back along the tunnel when the destination address of the received packet matches the IP address in memory or Policy server.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of taking down the tunnel when the destination IP address of the received packet matches the IP address in memory.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the Packet Data Service Node/Foreign Agent takes down the tunnel.

6. A method of transmitting a packet received at a Packet Data Service Node/Foreign Agent where the packet has a source IP address of a mobile station that points to a geographically remote Home Agent and a destination IP address comprising the steps of:

caching in memory Universal Resource Locator (URL) names, comparing the URL name of the received packet with the URL names in memory, and if no match is found, query the Policy Server;

forwarding the received packet with the IP address of the Packet Data Service Node/Foreign Agent as the source IP address when the URL name of the received packet matches the URL name in memory or Policy Server.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of forwarding the received packet with the IP address of the mobile station when the URL name of the received packet does not match the URL name in memory or Policy Server.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein a tunnel is established between the Packet Data Service Node/Foreign Agent and the Home Agent when the mobile station initiates a call further comprising the step of not forwarding the packet back along the tunnel when the URL name of the received packet matches the URL name in memory or Policy server.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of taking down the tunnel when the destination URL name of the received packet matches the URL name in memory or Policy server.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the Packet Data Service/Node Foreign Agent takes down the tunnel.