Proactive seamless service provisioning in mobile networks through transferring of application context

• US 20040018841A1
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Spyder Navigations LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Trossen, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

A method for supporting relocation of an IP session during a network layer handover in a mobile communication system. In the method, application context information indicating activities that are advantageously executed pro-actively before the network layer handover is sent. The indicated activities are then pro-actively executed in a receiving network node. An advantage of the method and arrangement of the invention is that the pro-active actions, including pre-allocation of some critical resources for seamless handover of an ongoing IP session, facilitate timely implementation of the activities required for handing over an IP session, and/or selection of a target access router.

Claims

1. A method for supporting relocation of an Internet Protocol session during a network layer handover in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

generating application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover; and

executing the indicated activities in response to received application context information.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

registering application context information associated with a particular session; and

triggering sending of the registered application context information at a defined moment.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

indicating a period of validity in the application context information;

checking, before sending the registered application context information, validity of the information; and

requesting, in response to detecting invalid information, updated application context information.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending a response based on the executed activities to be executed pro-actively before the network layer handover;

utilizing the response in selection of a target for the network layer handover.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the activities to be executed pro-actively before the initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a defined network resource.

6. A mobile node in a mobile telecommunication system, configured to generate application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover.

7. A mobile node according to claim 6, configured to:

register application context information associated with a particular session; and

trigger sending of the registered application context information at a selected time.

8. A mobile node according to claim 7, configured to determine the moment for the triggering according to the current state of the mobile node.

9. A mobile node according to claim 7, configured to indicate in the triggering the network node the registered application context information is to be sent.

10. A mobile node according to claim 6, configured to indicate in the application context information its period of validity.

11. A mobile node according to claim 7, configured to register the application context information into a network node which has an IP connection to the mobile node but is not directly involved in transferring packets of the IP session to the mobile node.

12. A mobile node according to claim 6, configured to:

receive a response based on the executed activities that have been executed before the initiation of the network layer handover;

utilize the received response in selection of a target for the network layer handover.

13. A mobile node according to claim 12, wherein the activities to be executed before initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a defined network resource.

14. A network node in a mobile communication system, configured to provide application context information with information to indicate activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover.

15. A network node according to claim 14, configured to:

receive application context information associated with a particular session from a mobile node; and

store the received application context information.

16. A network node according to claim 15, further configured to receive a triggering from the mobile node for sending of the registered application context information.

17. A network node according to claim 14, further configured to:

detect an indication of a period of validity in the application context information; and

check, before sending the registered application context information, the validity of the information;

request, in response to detecting invalid information, updated application context information from the mobile node.

18. A network node according to claim 14, wherein the network node comprises an access router through which packets of an Internet Protocol session are currently transferred to a mobile node.

19. A network node according to claim 14, wherein the network node comprises a mobile proxy server, which has an Internet Protocol connection to a mobile node, but is not directly involved in transferring the packets of the IP session to the mobile node.

20. A network node according to claim 19, further configured to execute a security procedure when sending the application context information to the receiving network node.

21. A network node according to claim 14, further configured to

receive a response based on the executed activities to be executed pro-actively before the network layer handover;

utilize the response in selection of a target for the network layer handover.

22. A network node according to claim 21, wherein the activities to be executed before initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a defined network resource.

23. A network node in a mobile communication system, said network node configured to:

receive application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover; and

execute the indicated activities in response to received application context information.

24. A network node according to claim 23, further configured to

detect in the application context information an indication on its period of validity;

request, in response to detecting invalid information, updated application context information.

25. A network node according to claim 23, further configured to execute a security procedure on the received application context information.

26. A network node according to claim 23, wherein the activities to be executed pro-actively before the initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a defined network resource.

27. A mobile communication system comprising a mobile node, a first network node and a second network node, wherein:

the mobile node is configured to generate application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before the network layer handover; and

the first network node is configured to execute the indicated activities in response to received application context information.

28. A mobile node in a mobile telecommunication system, said mobile node comprising:

sending means for sending application context information indicating activities that are executed pro-actively before a network layer handover;

registering means for registering application context information associated with a particular session; and

triggering means for triggering sending of the registered application context information at a selected time.

29. A network node in a mobile communication system, said network node comprising:

providing means for providing application context information to indicate activities that are executed pro-actively before a network layer handover;

receiving means for receiving application context information associated with a particular session from a mobile node; and

storing means for storing the received application context information.

30. A network node in a mobile communication system, said network node comprising:

receiving means for receiving application context information indicating activities that are executed pro-actively before a network layer handover; and

executing means for executing the indicated activities in response to received application context information.