Process method about the service connection between the wireless local area network and user terminal

• US 20050286461A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Duan, Xiaoqin, Zhang, Wenlin
• Granted Patent: US 7,298,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for processing the service connection between a user terminal and a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) applicable to a WLAN interactive network that at least comprises: a WLAN user terminal, a WLAN access unit, a service control unit and a user information storage unit. The method comprises: setting flags that represent the attached or detached status of the service connection between the user terminal and the WLAN in the WLAN user terminal and the service control unit respectively; establishing or canceling the connection between the user terminal and the network through the interaction between the WLAN user terminal and the WLAN, meanwhile modifying the corresponding flags. The method can clarify the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal so as to implement effective interaction and control between the WLAN user terminal and the service control unit, keep the user information in the user information storage unit and service control unit consistent, avoid redundant messages, and further improve the working efficiency of the system.

Claims

1. A process method about the service connection between a WLAN and a user terminal, applicable to a WLAN interactive network at least consisting of a WLAN user terminal, a WLAN access unit, a service control unit and a user information storage unit, comprising:

setting a flag representing either an attached status or a detached status for the service connection between the user terminal and the WLAN respectively in the WLAN user terminal and the service control unit; and

establishing or canceling the service connection between the user terminal and the network by means of interaction between the WLAN user terminal and the WLAN, and modifying the corresponding flags.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of establishing the service connection between the user terminal and the network is attaching the WLAN user terminal to the WLAN, the attach procedure further comprising:

a11. when a WLAN user terminal accesses the WLAN, the WLAN user terminal sending an attach request message to the service control unit via the WLAN access unit;

a12. on receiving the attach request, the service control unit determining whether to allow the current WLAN user terminal to establish a service connection;

if not, the service control unit denying the attach request sent by the user terminal, and ending this procedure;

otherwise, the service control unit recording the service connection status of the WLAN user terminal as WLAN attached, and returning an access response message to the WLAN user terminal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said attach request message in Step a11 contains a permanent or temporary identification of the current WLAN user terminal;

on receiving the attach request, the service control unit first determines whether the permanent or temporary identification of the user in the attach request message is valid;

if not, the service control unit initiates a request procedure to the user terminal to fetch a valid flag of the user terminal;

otherwise, the service control unit determines whether itself has stored the user information of the user terminal that sending the current request;

if there is no such information, the service control unit sends a request for the data information of the user terminal to the corresponding user information storage unit;

otherwise, goes to Step a12 directly.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said determination made on whether to allow the current WLAN user terminal to establish the service connection in Step a12 is implemented by the authentication procedure.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

on receiving the access response message sent by the service control unit, the WLAN user terminal modifying the relevant service connection flag in itself, indicating that the service connection between the WLAN user terminal and the WLAN has been successfully established.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

setting in the user information storage unit a flag that indicates the service connection status between the WLAN user terminal and the WLAN;

the service control unit recording the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal and then sending a user data updating instruction to the user information storage unit;

the user information storage unit updating the service connection status of the current user terminal on receiving the instruction, then returning a user data updating response to the service control unit.

7. The method according to claim 6, when the service connection status of the user is changed to WLAN attached, the method further comprising:

c11. the service control unit setting the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal as WLAN attached and simultaneously sending an attach notification to the user information storage unit;

c12. on receiving the attach notification, the user information storage unit setting the service connection status of the relevant WLAN user terminal as WLAN attached, then returning a response message to the service control unit.

8. The method according to claim 6, when the service connection status of the user is changed to WLAN detached, the method further comprising:

c21. the service control unit setting the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal as WLAN detached and simultaneously sending a detach notification to the user information storage unit;

c22. on receiving the detach notification, the user information storage unit setting the service connection status of the relevant WLAN user terminal as WLAN detached, then returning a response message to the service control unit.

9. The method according to claim 6, when the user information is changed to WLAN detached, the method further comprising:

c31. the service control unit deleting the user data of the current WLAN user terminal stored therein and simultaneously sending a user information delete notification to the user information storage unit;

c32. on receiving the delete notification, the user information storage unit recording that the user data of the current WLAN user terminal has been deleted from the service control unit, then returning a response message to the service control unit.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein deleting the user data in Step c31 comprises deleting the information of the WLAN user terminal from the service control unit immediately after the WLAN user terminal is disconnected from the WLAN.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein deleting the user data in Step c31 comprises keeping, after the WLAN user terminal is disconnected from the WLAN, the information of the WLAN user terminal in the service control unit for a certain period of time before deleting the information.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of canceling the service connection between the user terminal and the network is detaching the WLAN user terminal from the WLAN, and

said detach procedure further comprising:

the WLAN user terminal detaching from the WLAN, canceling the relevant service connection, and the service control unit recording the service connection of the WLAN user terminal as WLAN detached;

said detach procedure can be an Explicit WLAN detach or an Implicit WLAN detach.

13. The method according to claim 12, when said Explicit WLAN detach is initiated by the WLAN user terminal, the method further comprising:

a21. the WLAN user terminal sending to the WLAN a detach request that contains the reason that the WLAN user terminal detaches from the WLAN;

a22. on receiving the detach notice, the service control unit recording the service connection status of the WLAN user terminal as WLAN detached.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

the service control unit returning a response message to the current WLAN user terminal, indicating the WLAN user terminal has been detached from the WLAN.

15. The method according to claim 12, when said Explicit WLAN detach is initiated by the WLAN, the method further comprising:

the service control unit sending a detach request that contains the reasons why the WLAN user terminal is detached from the WLAN;

meanwhile, the service control unit recording the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal as WLAN detached.

16. The method according to claim 12, when said detach procedure is an Implicit WLAN detach, the method further comprising:

if there is no response from the WLAN user terminal after the WLAN initiates at least one contact attempt to the WLAN user terminal, the service control unit directly recording the service connection status of the WLAN user terminal as WALN detached.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

when the time during which there is no contact between the relevant WLAN user terminal and the WLAN exceeds a predetermined duration, the WLAN initiating at least one contact operation to contact with the WLAN user terminal.

18. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

setting in the user information storage unit a flag that indicates the service connection status between the WLAN user terminal and the WLAN;

the service control unit recording the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal and then sending a user data updating instruction to the user information storage unit;

the user information storage unit updating the service connection status of the current user terminal on receiving the instruction, then returning a user data updating response to the service control unit.

19. The method according to claim 18, when the service connection status of the user is changed to WLAN attached, the method further comprising:

c11. the service control unit setting the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal as WLAN attached and simultaneously sending an attach notification to the user information storage unit;

c12. on receiving the attach notification, the user information storage unit setting the service connection status of the relevant WLAN user terminal as WLAN attached, then returning a response message to the service control unit.

20. The method according to claim 18, when the service connection status of the user is changed to WLAN detached, the method further comprising:

c21. the service control unit setting the service connection status of the current WLAN user terminal as WLAN detached and simultaneously sending a detach notification to the user information storage unit;

c22. on receiving the detach notification, the user information storage unit setting the service connection status of the relevant WLAN user terminal as WLAN detached, then returning a response message to the service control unit.

21. The method according to claim 18, when the user information is changed to WLAN detached, the method further comprising:

c31. the service control unit deleting the user data of the current WLAN user terminal stored therein and simultaneously sending a user information delete notification to the user information storage unit;

c32. on receiving the delete notification, the user information storage unit recording that the user data of the current WLAN user terminal has been deleted from the service control unit, then returning a response message to the service control unit.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein deleting the user data in Step c31 comprises deleting the information of the WLAN user terminal from the service control unit immediately after the WLAN user terminal is disconnected from the WLAN.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein deleting the user data in Step c31 comprises keeping, after the WLAN user terminal is disconnected from the WLAN, the information of the WLAN user terminal in the service control unit for a certain period of time before deleting the information.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein said flag set in the WLAN user terminal or the service control unit comprise new-defined specific flags or are implemented by re-using existing flags.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein said messages to support in the interactive procedures between the WLAN user terminal and the WLAN are implemented by independently defined special messages or by using the messages in the existing procedures.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein said service control unit is a Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server.

27. The method according to claim 1, wherein said user information storage unit is a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) or a Home Location Register (HLR).