Method and apparatus for a mobile node to maintain location privacy from selected correspondent nodes

• US 20030095522A1
• Filed: 11/19/2001
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Korus, Michael F., Lewis, Adam Cory
• Granted Patent: US 7,023,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

An IP mobility solution for mobile network(s) that combines features of IP multicast and mobile IPv6. The mobile network defines a mobile router (106) attached to one or more mobile network hosts (102). Upon movement of the mobile network from a home network to a foreign network, the mobile router obtains a multicast care of address on behalf of the attached mobile network hosts and creates a binding between the mobile subnet prefix and the multicast care of address. The mobile router communicates the binding information, via binding update messages, to a home agent (150) and to selected correspondent nodes (152) consistent with requested privacy attributes of the mobile network hosts. The privacy attributes allow the mobile network hosts to maintain the privacy of their care of address (and implicitly, their location) relative to certain correspondent nodes.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a privacy policy request from a mobile network node;

interpreting the request to define one or more privacy attributes associated with the mobile network node; and

in an instance that a binding update is to be sent on behalf of the mobile network node, determining, based on the one or more privacy attributes, a selected number of correspondent nodes to receive the binding update; and

sending the binding update to the selected number of correspondent nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, performed by a mobile router operably attached to the mobile network node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy attributes allow sending the binding update to all active correspondent nodes communicating with the mobile network node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy attributes disallow sending the binding update to any correspondent nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy attributes allow sending the binding update only to correspondent nodes satisfying a selection criteria, thereby defining an inclusive list.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selection criteria is based on one of a range of IP addresses and autonomous system membership.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy attributes allow sending the binding update only to correspondent nodes exclusive of those satisfying a selection criteria, thereby defining an exclusive list.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selection criteria is based on one of:

a range of IP addresses and autonomous system membership.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending the binding update comprises sending one of a multicast and unicast binding update message to the number of correspondent nodes.

10. In a communication system comprising a mobile network including one or more mobile network hosts attached to a mobile router, a method comprising the mobile router:

obtaining a multicast care of address associated with the mobile network, the multicast care of address being used as a proxy address for the mobile network hosts responsive to mobility of the mobile network from a home network to a foreign network;

determining privacy attributes associated with the mobile network hosts; and

communicating a binding update message including the multicast care of address to selected correspondent nodes consistent with the privacy attributes of the mobile network hosts.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the mobile router:

receiving, via IP tunneling from a home agent, one or more IP packets to a targeted mobile network node from a correspondent node not having received the binding update message;

sending the packets to the targeted mobile network node; and

sending a binding update identifying the multicast care of address to the correspondent node, only if the binding update is permitted according to the privacy attributes of the targeted network node.

12. A mobile router comprising:

a mobile network interface operably connecting the mobile router to one or more mobile network hosts defining a mobile network;

a multicast care of address binding management element for obtaining, responsive to movement of the mobile network from a home network to a foreign network, a multicast care of address adapted for use as a proxy address of the mobile network hosts;

a privacy attribute database identifying requested privacy attributes of the mobile network hosts relative to maintaining privacy of the multicast care of address; and

a routing element operable to send binding update messages including the multicast care of address to a selected number of correspondent nodes consistent with the requested privacy attributes of the mobile network hosts.