System and method for handling simple IP to mobile IP transition

• US 20060045080A1
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kim, Jin, Xue, Hao, Islam, M. Khaledul
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/045 involving different protocol versions, e.g. MIPv4 and MIPv6

Abstract

Methods are provided for transitioning between SIP and MIP. Mobile devices, upon detecting a new system, automatically attempt a MIP session to avoid the default position of SIP. A history is maintained of systems visited, and for systems that did not support MIP in the past, a MIP session is not attempted, but rather SIP is initiated from the start.

Claims

1. A method for transitioning between a first wireless protocol having geographically dependent addressing and a second wireless protocol having non-geographically dependent addressing, the method comprising:

a wireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packet data service while in a state during which link layer connectivity for a packet data service is maintained ; and

at least a first time the wireless device detects the new system, the wireless device attempting to establish a session using the second wireless protocol with the new system;

wherein the first wireless protocol comprises SIP (simple IP) and the second wireless protocol comprises MIP (mobile IP).

2. A method according to claim 1 executed only if the mobile device is in state during which link layer connectivity for a packet data service is maintained and a radio link has been torn down.

3. A method of claim 1 further comprising:

the wireless device storing MIP support information for each new system detected, the MIP support information indicating whether or not a MIP session was established;

upon the wireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packet data service;

a) the wireless device checking to see if MIP support information was previously stored in respect of the new system;

b) if there is MIP support information indicating a MIP session was established during a previous visit to the new system, the wireless device attempting to establish a MIP session with the new system; and

c) if there is MIP support information indicating a MIP session was not established during a previous visit to the new system, the wireless device attempting to establish a SIP session with the new system.

4. A method of claim 3 further comprising, if there is no MIP support information stored for the new system:

initiating a SIP reconnect request to establish a SIP session;

transmitting an unsolicited agent solicitation;

if a MIP agent advertisement is received in response to the unsolicited agent solicitation, terminating the SIP session and initiating a MIP session; and

adding a record in respect of the new system to indicate whether or not a MIP session was established.

5. A method according to claim 4 further comprising:

transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitation message on a traffic channel assigned as a result of the SIP reconnection.

6. A method according to claim 4 further comprising:

initiating a new call to set up a traffic channel, and transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitation message on the traffic channel.

7. A method according to claim 4 further comprising:

waiting until a new call is initiated that results in a new traffic channel being set up, and transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitation message on the traffic channel.

8. A method according to claim 4 further comprising:

if IPCP is not configured as MIP upon initiating the MIP session, falling back to SIP mode and making the MIP support information indicate that MIP was not supported, and falling back to SIP mode; and

if IPCP is configured as MIP upon initiating the MIP session, and MIP registration is not successful, making the MIP support information indicate that MIP was not granted, and falling back to SIP mode.

9. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a new system by detecting a change in one or more network identifying parameters.

10. A method according to claim 3 further comprising:

putting a time limit on the validity of the MIP support information for each system stored by the wireless device.

11. A wireless device adapted to communicate with access networks using a first wireless protocol having geographically dependent addressing and a second wireless protocol having non-geographically dependent addressing, the wireless device being adapted to detect a new system requiring reconnect of a packet data service while in a state during which link layer connectivity for a packet data service is maintained, and at least a first time the wireless device detects the new system, to attempt to establish a session using the second wireless protocol with the new system;

wherein the first wireless protocol comprises SIP (simple IP) and the second wireless protocol comprises MIP (mobile IP).

12. A wireless device according to claim 11 adapted to attempt to establish the MIP session only if the mobile device is in state during which link layer connectivity for a packet data service is maintained and a radio link has been torn down.

13. The wireless device of claim 11 comprising:

a memory for storing MIP support information for each new system detected, the MIP support information indicating whether or not a MIP session was established;

wherein;

upon the wireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packet data service, the wireless device checks to see if MIP support information was previously stored in respect of the new system;

if there is MIP support information indicating a MIP session was established during a previous visit to the new system, the wireless device attempts to establish a MIP session with the new system;

if there is MIP support information indicating a MIP session was not established during a previous visit to the new system, the wireless device attempts to establish a SIP session with the new system.

14. The wireless device of claim 13 wherein if there is no MIP support information for the new system the wireless device is adapted to:

initiate a SIP reconnect request to establish a SIP session and to transmit an unsolicited agent solicitation;

if a MIP agent advertisement is received in response to the unsolicited agent solicitation, terminate the SIP session and initiating a MIP session; and

add a record in respect of the new system to indicate whether or not a MIP session was established.

15. The wireless device of claim 11 further adapted to transmit the unsolicited agent solicitation message on a traffic channel assigned as a result of the SIP reconnection.

16. The wireless device of claim 14 further adapted to initiate a new call to set up a traffic channel, and to transmit the unsolicited agent solicitation message on the traffic channel.

17. The wireless device of claim 14 further adapted to wait until a new call is initiated that results in a new traffic channel being set up, and to transmit the unsolicited agent solicitation message on the traffic channel.

18. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon for execution on a wireless device so as to implement a method of transitioning between a first wireless protocol having geographically dependent addressing and a second wireless protocol having non-geographically dependent addressing, the method comprising:

a wireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packet data service while in a state during which link layer connectivity for a packet data service is maintained; and

at least a first time the wireless device detects the new system, the wireless device attempting to establish a session using the second wireless protocol with the new system;

wherein the first wireless protocol comprises SIP (simple IP) and the second wireless protocol comprises MIP (mobile IP).

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises:

the wireless device storing MIP support information for each new system detected, the MIP support information indicating whether or not a MIP session was established;

upon the wireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packet data service;

a) the wireless device checking to see if MIP support information was previously stored in respect of the new system;

b) if there is MIP support information indicating a MIP session was established during a previous visit to the new system, the wireless device attempting to establish a MIP session with the new system; and

c) if there is MIP support information indicating a MIP session was not established during a previous visit to the new system, the wireless device attempting to establish a SIP session with the new system.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the method further comprising if there is no MIP support information stored for the new system:

initiating a SIP reconnect request to establish a SIP session;

transmitting an unsolicited agent solicitation;

if a MIP agent advertisement is received in response to the unsolicited agent solicitation, terminating the SIP session and initiating a MIP session; and

adding a record in respect of the new system to indicate whether or not a MIP session was established.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitation message on a traffic channel assigned as a result of the SIP reconnection.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises:

initiating a new call to set up a traffic channel, and transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitation message on the traffic channel.