Method for extending mobile IP and AAA to enable integrated support for local access and roaming access connectivity

• US 20050041650A1
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: O'Neill, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,525,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

This document describes a way to extend Mobile IP Authentication Authorization and Accounting (AAA) signaling to enable a node to request from a network operator combinations of home and local service capabilities (when roaming) in an efficient and scalable manner. It also enables the home and foreign service providers to constrain and account for actual services provided based on a combination of the foreign and home operator policy.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

an access node including;

i) means for receiving from a mobile node information, said information indicating a home domain of said mobile which is different from the visited local domain in which said mobile node is located, said mobile node information being used to obtain access to multiple service profiles, said information including at least one service profile indicator, said at least one service profile indicator being included in a mobile IP signaling message, each of said multiple service profiles corresponding to a different service, at least one of said multiple service profiles corresponding to a local access service, said local access service including providing to the mobile node, while the mobile node is in said visited local domain, a home agent in the local domain and allocating a home address to the mobile node from said local home agent; and

means for concurrently providing said local access service and at least one other service to which one of said multiple service profiles corresponds to a mobile node coupled to said access node.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said access node is in a first network domain and whereby one of said multiple service profiles is stored in a second network domain that is different from said first network domain.

3. The system of claim 1, where said at least one service profile indicator is a first network access identifier (NAI).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one service profile indicator includes at least a first portion and a second portion, the first portion corresponding to a first service profile and the second portion corresponding to a second service profile.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said first portion includes at least part of a first NAI and said second portion includes at least part of a second NAI.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said first and second portions include sufficient information to obtain two NAIs, each of said two NAIs corresponding to at least one of said multiple profiles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one service profile indicator is an NAI which includes at least a first portion and a second portion, the first portion corresponding to a first NAI and the second portion corresponding to a second NAI, said first NAI corresponding to at least a first user profile and said second NAI corresponding to at least a second user profile.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a home authentication and authorization server within the home network of the mobile node;

wherein said at least one service profile indicator is a first NAI including a user part and a realm part; and

wherein said realm part of said NAI identifies said home authentication and authorization server.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the NAI identifies a plurality of service profiles associated with said NAI.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said information to trigger the accessing of multiple service profiles includes a profile selector associated with said first NAI.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said profile selector identifies at least one of a plurality of service profiles associated with said first NAI.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the selector is at least one of a group of identifiers, said group of identifiers including standard MIP message fields, MIP signaling extensions and MIP signaling flags.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the service profile selector identifies a local access service profile associated with the first NAI that resides in a home authentication and authorization server.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the service profile selector identifies a remote access service profile associated with the first NAI that resides in a home authentication and authorization server.

20. The system of claim 8, wherein said information to trigger the accessing of multiple service profiles includes a second service profile indicator, said second service profile indicator being a second NAI.

15. A communications system, comprising:

a home authentication and authorization server located within a home network of a mobile node; and

an access node, said access node comprising;

i) means for receiving from a mobile node information used to obtain access to multiple service profiles, said information including at least one service profile indicator, said at least one service profile indicator being included in a mobile IP signaling message, each of said multiple service profiles corresponding to a different service, at least one of said multiple service profiles corresponding to a local access service; and

ii) means for concurrently providing said local access service and at least one other service to which one of said multiple service profiles corresponds to a mobile node coupled to said access node wherein said at least one service profile indicator is a first NAI including a user part and a realm part;

wherein said realm part of said first NAI identifies said home authentication and authorization server;

wherein the first NAI identifies a plurality of service profiles associated with said NAI;

wherein said information to trigger the accessing of multiple service profiles includes a profile selector associated with said first NAI; and

wherein the service profile selector identifies a combination of a local access service profile and at least one remote access service profile associated with the first NAI.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the service profile selector identifies a combination of a local access service profile and at least one additional remote access service profile selector.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the identified local access profile includes additional NAIs associated with additional user service profiles.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the additional NAIs include a wildcard NAI that allows any correctly formatted NAI.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the additional NAIs includes a wildcard NAI that allows any correctly formatted NAI for a specific realm.

21-85. -85. (canceled)