Scheme for adaptive control of transport layer connection in communications via radio and wire networks

• US 20020186680A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Masahiro, Tsunoda, Keiji, Kamagata, Eiji, Serizawa, Mutsumu, Kato, Noriyasu, Nounin, Katsuya, Nakakita, Kumiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,269,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A communication scheme for improving the performance of communications utilizing the transport layer connection provided via a radio network, by enabling a control of the transport layer connection according to the radio communication state and property of the radio terminal, without changing implementation of the transport layer of a terminal connected to a wire network. The gateway device is provided with a control unit for controlling a connection in the radio transport layer protocol according an information regarding a radio communication state of the radio terminal device, where the information regarding the radio communication state of the radio terminal device is notified from either a radio base station device covering a radio service area in which the radio terminal device is located or a home location register for carrying out at least registration and management of the radio terminal device.

Claims

1. A gateway device, comprising:

a conversion unit for bidirectionally converting a first transport layer protocol used for communications within a radio network and a second transport layer protocol used for communications within a wire network, in a case of carrying out communications between a radio terminal device accommodated in the radio network and a wire terminal device accommodated in the wire network; and

a control unit for controlling a connection in the first transport layer protocol according an information regarding a radio communication state of the radio terminal device.

2. The gateway device of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the radio communication state of the radio terminal device is notified to the control unit from a radio base station device covering a radio service area in which the radio terminal device is located.

3. The gateway device of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the radio communication state of the radio terminal device is notified to the control unit from a home location register for carrying out at least registration and management of the radio terminal device.

4. The gateway device of claim 1, further comprising:

a disconnection unit for disconnecting a connection in the second transport layer protocol, when communications with the radio terminal device are not resumed within a prescribed period of time after receiving the information regarding radio communication state of the radio terminal device which contains an information indicating that communications with the radio terminal device are interrupted.

5. The gateway device of claim 4, wherein the disconnection unit also disconnects a connection in the first transport layer protocol used by the radio terminal device that was carrying out communications using the connection in the second transport layer protocol, when a packet comes from the radio terminal device after the connection in the second transport layer protocol is disconnected.

6. The gateway device of claim 1, further comprising:

a re-transmission timer for indicating a timing for a packet to be re-transmitted; and

a unit for resetting the re-transmission timer and immediately re-transmitting said packet to be re-transmitted, upon receiving the information regarding the radio communication state of the radio terminal device which contains a signal indicating that communications with the radio terminal device are resumed.

7. A router device, to be connected with a plurality of radio base station devices for accommodating a radio terminal device located within radio service areas and a wire network to which a wire terminal device is connected, for carrying out data transfer between the radio terminal device and the wire terminal device, the router device comprising:

a correspondence setting unit for bidirectionally converting a first transport layer protocol used for radio communications and a second transport layer protocol used for wire communications in a case of carrying out communications between the radio terminal device and the wire terminal device, and setting the radio terminal device in correspondence to one of a plurality of gateway devices for controlling a transport layer connection in the radio communications according to a radio communication state of the radio terminal device; and

a transfer unit for receiving a packet from one radio base station that contains at least identifier of the radio terminal device and an information regarding the radio communication state of the radio terminal device that is located in a radio service area of said one radio base station, and transferring said packet to one gateway device that is set in correspondence to the radio terminal device by the correspondence setting unit.

8. A radio base station device, comprising:

a processing unit for carrying out a base station processing necessary in accommodating a radio terminal device located in a radio service area; and

a notification unit for notifying an information regarding a radio communication state of the radio terminal device located in the radio service area, to one of a router, a gateway, and a home location register.

9. The radio base station device of claim 8, further comprising:

a correspondence setting unit for bidirectionally converting a first transport layer protocol used for communications within a radio network and a second transport layer protocol used for communications within a wire network, in a case of carrying out communications between a radio terminal device accommodated in the radio network and a wire terminal device accommodated in the wire network, and setting the radio terminal device located in the radio service area in correspondence to one of a plurality of gateway devices for controlling a transport layer connection in the radio network according to a radio communication state of the radio terminal device.

10. A radio terminal device accommodated in a radio network, the radio terminal device comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring an information regarding a radio communication state of the radio terminal device; and

a disconnection unit for disconnecting a transport layer connection with a radio base station, when communications with the radio base station are not resumed within a prescribed period of time after receiving the information regarding the radio communication state of the radio terminal device which contains a signal indicating that communication with the radio base station are interrupted.

11. The radio terminal device of claim 10, wherein the disconnection unit also disconnects a connection used by a correspondent terminal when a packet comes from the correspondent terminal that was carrying out communication using the transport layer connection after the transport layer connection is disconnected.

12. A radio terminal device accommodated in a radio network, the radio terminal device comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring an information regarding a radio communication state of the radio terminal device;

a re-transmission timer for indicating a timing for a packet to be re-transmitted; and

a unit for resetting the re-transmission timer and immediately re-transmitting said packet to be re-transmitted, upon receiving the information regarding the radio communication state of the radio terminal device which contains a signal indicating that communications with the radio terminal device are resumed.