Method and system of consolidating mobile IP messages within a network

• US 20060171310A1
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: UTStarcom Incorporated (UTStarcom Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: UTStarcom Incorporated (UTStarcom Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ahluwalia, Mankesh S., Warrier, Chandra
• Application Number:
  US11/050,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20060171310A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/005 Data network PoA devices

Abstract

A method and system of consolidating mobile IP messages within a network is provided. The method and system applies to the transfer of datagrams between home and foreign agents and mobile IP devices. The system provides for a temporary capture and storage of small non-real-time datagrams within a queue by a home agent or packet data serving node. Upon a queue full condition, the datagrams are consolidated into larger datagrams and transferred from the home agent to a packet data serving node or from a packet data serving node to a home agent. Real-time datagrams can be prioritized higher than non-real-time datagrams and transferred immediately to and from mobile IP devices without queuing. Optionally, a watchdog timer may be employed by the home agent and packet data serving nodes to prompt the assembling and sending of consolidated datagrams to limit latency encountered by a queued data.

Claims

1. A method for consolidating messages in a network comprising:

receiving session messages;

identifying whether the received session messages are non-real-time messages or real-time messages; and

prioritizing forwarding of the real-time messages ahead of the non-real-time messages to their respective destinations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing forwarding of the real-time messages ahead of the non-real-time messages to their respective destinations comprises:

forwarding the real-time messages to their respective destinations upon receipt of the real-time messages; and

storing the non-real-time messages in a queue.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising forwarding the non-real-time messages to their respective destinations upon expiration of a timer.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising forwarding the non-real-time messages to their respective destinations once a given amount of data comprising the non-real-time messages has been stored in the queue.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

consolidating stored non-real-time messages into a consolidated message; and

forwarding the consolidated message to a mobility agent.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving the consolidated message at the mobility agent;

extracting the non-real-time messages from the consolidated message; and

forwarding the extracted non-real-time messages to their respective destinations.

7. A method for consolidating mobile IP messages in a network comprising:

receiving session messages from a device at a first mobility agent;

identifying whether the received session messages are non-real-time messages or real-time messages;

transmitting identified real-time session messages to a second mobility agent; and

storing identified non-real-time session messages in a queue within the first mobility agent.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

retrieving a quantity of identified non-real-time messages from the queue within the first mobility agent; and

composing a consolidated payload message including the quantity of identified non-real-time messages.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the consolidated payload message includes a General Routing Encapsulation (GRE) header coupled to payload of the consolidated payload message and an IP header including a destination address coupled to the GRE header, wherein the GRE header identifies the consolidated payload message as a consolidated message.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a first mobility agent queue full signal prompting retrieval of the quantity of the identified non-real-time messages from the queue;

retrieving a stored maximum payload value in response to the first mobility agent queue full signal; and

composing the consolidated payload message according to the stored maximum payload value.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

appending a consolidation header to the consolidated payload message and appending an IP header to the combination thereof; and

sending the consolidated payload message to the second mobility agent.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving the consolidated message at the second mobility agent;

extracting the identified non-real-time session messages from the consolidated payload message; and

sending the identified non-real-time session messages to their destinations.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the first mobility agent and the second mobility agent are selected from the group consisting of a home agent and a packet data serving node.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

starting a watchdog timer after storing the identified non-real-time session messages in the queue within the first mobility agent;

when the watchdog timer has expired, composing a consolidated payload message including stored non-real-time session messages; and

sending the consolidated payload message to the second mobility agent.

15. A mobility agent comprising:

a network interface for receiving session messages from a mobile IP device;

a queue for storing received session messages;

memory; and

a processor coupled to the network interface and operable to execute functions stored in the memory to;

determine if the received session messages are real-time or non-real-time messages;

forward the received session messages to their respective destination if the received session messages include real-time-data; and

store the received session messages in the queue if the received session messages include non-real-time data.

16. The mobility agent of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operable to execute functions stored in the memory to:

retrieve stored non-real-time session messages from the queue when the queue is full;

consolidate the stored retrieved non-real-time messages into larger payloads;

form consolidated messages including the consolidated payloads; and

send the consolidated messages to their respective destinations.

17. The mobility agent of claim 15, further comprising a watchdog timer coupled to the processor, wherein the processor starts the watchdog timer to time an event when a first non-real-time message is stored in the queue.

18. The mobility agent of claim 17, wherein the processor is further operable to execute functions stored in the memory to:

upon expiration of the watchdog timer, retrieve messages stored in the queue;

consolidate the retrieved messages into larger payloads;

form consolidated messages including the consolidated payloads; and

send the consolidated messages to their respective destinations.

19. The mobility agent of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operable to execute functions stored in the memory to:

receive a consolidated message from the network interface;

extract a consolidated payload from the consolidated message;

identify individual messages within the consolidated payload; and

forward each individual message to its respective destination as specified by a header within each individual message.

20. The mobility agent of claim 15, wherein the mobility agent is selected from the group consisting of a home agent and a packet data serving node.