Communication system

• US 20040081109A1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Oishi, Takumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0038 of security context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A roaming service covering a plurality of telecommunications carriers in mobile data communication is provided. In a communication system including a wireless terminal, two or more terminal-side networks communicating with the wireless terminal, and a backbone-side network connected to the terminal-side networks and connecting the wireless terminal with a backbone network, the wireless terminal traveling between the terminal-side networks during communication, wherein each of the terminal-side networks has a relay device for relaying communication between the wireless terminal and the backbone-side network and wherein the backbone-side network has a position management device for managing positional information of the wireless terminal and an authentication device for authenticating the wireless terminal according to contract information of the wireless terminal.

Claims

1. In a communication system comprising a wireless terminal, two or more terminal-side networks communicating with said wireless terminal, and a backbone-side network connected to said terminal-side networks and connecting said wireless terminal with a backbone network, the wireless terminal traveling between said terminal-side networks during communication,

wherein each of said terminal-side networks has a relay device for relaying communication between said wireless communication terminal and said backbone-side network;

and

wherein said backbone-side network has a position management device for managing positional information of said wireless terminal and an authentication device for authenticating said wireless terminal according to contract information of said wireless terminal.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of said terminal-side networks has an authentication data relay device for relaying authentication data in which said wireless terminal requests an authentication from said authentication device.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said relay device has an identification-information correspondence information generation device for generating correspondence information between identification information of a network to which said wireless terminal belongs and identification information of said position management device.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said identification-information correspondence information generation device extracts the identification information of the network to which said wireless terminal belongs and the identification information of said position management device from the information transmitted from said position management device to said wireless terminal to generate said identification-information correspondence information.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a path control device for controlling a path of a packet in packet communication of said wireless terminal so that the packet transmitted by said wireless terminal passes through said position management device by referring to said identification-information correspondence information.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said path control device changes a destination of a packet in packet communication of said wireless terminal so that said packet passes through said position management device by referring to said identification-information correspondence information.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said position management device transfers the packet transmitted by said wireless terminal and controlled to pass through the position management device to a regular destination.

8. The network system according to claim 1, wherein said identification information is an address complying with IPv6.

9. The network system according to claim 1, wherein said identification information is an address complying with IPv4.

10. A relay device for use in a communication system including a wireless terminal, two or more terminal-side networks communicating with said wireless terminal, a backbone-side network connected to said terminal-side networks, which connects said wireless terminal and a backbone network, and a position management device for managing positional information of said wireless terminal, wherein the wireless terminal travels between said terminal-side networks during communication, the relay device relaying communication between said wireless communication terminal and said backbone-side network and installed in said terminal network, comprising

an identification-information correspondence information generation device, wherein said identification-information correspondence information generation device extracts the identification information of the network to which said wireless terminal belongs and the identification information of said position management device from information transmitted from said position management device to said wireless terminal, and generates correspondence information between identification of the network to which said wireless terminal belongs and identification of said position management device.

11. The relay device according to claim 10, further comprising a path control device for controlling a path of a packet in packet communication of said wireless terminal so that the packet transmitted by said wireless terminal passes through said position management device by referring to said identification-information correspondence information.

12. The relay device according to claim 10, wherein said path control device changes a destination of a packet in packet communication of said wireless terminal so that said packet passes through said position management device by referring to said identification-information correspondence information.

13. The relay device according to claim 10, wherein said identification information is an address complying with IPv6.

14. The relay device according to claim 10, wherein said identification information is an address complying with IPv4.

15. A position management device for use in a communication system comprising a wireless terminal, two or more terminal-side networks communicating with said wireless terminal, and a backbone-side network connected to said terminal-side networks and connecting said wireless terminal with a backbone network, the wireless terminal traveling between said terminal-side networks during communication,

wherein said position management device transfers a packet transmitted by said wireless terminal and controlled to pass through said position management device to a regular destination.

16. A terminal information collection method for use in a communication system comprising a wireless terminal, two or more terminal-side networks communicating with said wireless terminal, a backbone-side network connected to said terminal-side networks and connecting said wireless terminal with a backbone network, and a position management device for managing positional information of said wireless terminal, the terminal-side networks having a relay device for relaying communication between said wireless communication terminal and said backbone-side network and the wireless terminal traveling between said terminal-side networks during communication,

wherein said wireless terminal transmits authentication information via said relay device;

wherein said wireless terminal receives authentication response information including identification information of a network to which said wireless terminal belongs and identification information of a position management device of the network to which said wireless terminal belongs via said relay device; and

wherein said relay device extracts the identification information of the network to which said wireless terminal belongs and the identification information of said position management device from said authentication response information.

17. A communication method for use in a communication system comprising a wireless terminal, two or more terminal-side networks communicating with said wireless terminal, a backbone-side network connected to said terminal-side networks and connecting said wireless terminal with a backbone network, and a position management device for managing positional information of said wireless terminal, the terminal-side networks having a relay device for relaying communication between said wireless communication terminal and said backbone-side network and the wireless terminal traveling between said terminal-side networks during communication,

wherein said relay device controls a path of a packet transmitted by said wireless terminal to pass through said position management device by referring to said identification-information correspondence information;

and

wherein said position management device transfers the packet transmitted by said wireless terminal and controlled to pass through said position management device to a regular destination.