Subnetwork layer for a multimedia mobile network

• US 20030174688A1
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Jiang, Hong, Rege, Kiran M., Dravida, Subrahmanyam, Ahmed, Walid, Doshi, Bharat Tarachand
• Granted Patent: US 7,502,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1664 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with payload signals; piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

A new protocol layer is provided as part of a protocol stack associated with a packet-based multiaccess mobile communications system. The protocol layer is preferably located above a medium access control (MAC) protocol layer and a physical protocol layer of the system and below a transport/network protocol layer. Such a subnetwork protocol layer provides, inter alia, the communications system with various mobility management functions, for example, tracking mobile user stations throughout the system, mobile station access to the system, and connection/call continuity within the system. The subnetwork protocol layer of the invention also performs packet routing functions associated with the system. Routing can be accomplished in many ways, for example, via source routing, connectionless routing, or tunneling. Further, the new protocol layer of the invention is preferably located above a data link layer with respect to the protocol stack associated with communications between network nodes.

Claims

1. Apparatus in a packet-based multiaccess mobile communications system, comprising:

a mobile user station configured for supporting a protocol layer, the protocol layer providing substantially dedicated support to applications associated with the communications system with respect to the mobility of the user station, and the protocol layer being located, in a protocol stack associated with the communications system, functionally below and separate from a network layer in the protocol stack and functionally above and separate from a media access control layer in the protocol stack.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer is located below a transport layer in the protocol stack.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transport layer is a mobile TCP network layer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer is located above a link level data error detection/correction protocol layer, which is located above the medium access control layer in the protocol stack.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer is located above a physical protocol layer, which is located below the medium access control layer in the protocol stack.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network layer is an IP network layer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer supports location management of the user station within the communications system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer supports mobile access associated with the user station with respect to the communications system.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer supports in-call mobility management associated with the user station with respect to the communications system.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer supports packet routing and forwarding in the communications system.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a type of packet routing is connectionless routing.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a type of packet routing is source routing.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a type of packet routing is tunneling.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer provides quality of service support with respect to the mobility of the user station.

15. Apparatus in a packet-based multiaccess mobile communications system, comprising:

at least one processor for controlling a mobility support protocol layer of a protocol stack associated with the communications system, the protocol layer providing substantially dedicated support to applications associated with the communications system with respect to the mobility of the user station, and the protocol layer being located, in the protocol stack associated with the communications system, functionally below and separate from a network layer in the protocol stack and functionally above and separate from a media access control layer in the protocol stack.

16. Apparatus in a packet-based multiaccess mobile communications system, comprising:

a network node configured for supporting a protocol layer, the protocol layer providing substantially dedicated support to applications associated with the communications system with respect to mobility of a user station, and the protocol layer being located, in a protocol stack associated with the communications system, functionally below and separate from a network layer in the protocol stack and functionally above and separate from a media access control layer in the protocol stack.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer is located below a transport layer in the protocol stack.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer is located above a link level data error detection/correction protocol layer, which is located above the medium access control layer in the protocol stack.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer is located above a physical protocol layer, which is located below the medium access control layer in the protocol stack.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the mobility supporting protocol layer is located above a data link layer in the protocol stack.