Network discovery mechanisms

• US 20060187858A1
• Filed: 11/07/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Four Batons Wireless LLC
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson), Toshiba Corporation
• Inventors: Madhani, Sunl, Kenichi, Taniuchi, Ohba, Yoshihiro, Das, Subir, Dutta, Ashutosh
• Granted Patent: US 8,717,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/10 Reselecting an access point controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

In some of the preferred embodiments, a method for network discovery of a mobile device to use at least one of a plurality of access networks within an IP network includes: obtaining specified network information in the vicinity of a given location based on a set of criteria when a mobile is connected to the IP network from any location.

Claims

1. A method for network discovery of a mobile device to use at least one of a plurality of access networks within an IP network, comprising:

obtaining specified network information in the vicinity of a given location based on a set of criteria when a mobile is connected to the IP network from any location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said network information includes information used by the mobile to access said access networks.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said information includes network attachment point identification of an access point.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said information includes a security type supported by an access point.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said information includes a layer 3 type.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said information includes a provider name.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said information includes addresses of servers or agents.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein said information includes addresses of authentication agents.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein said information includes addresses of access routers.

10. A method for the discovery of network information of a target network by a mobile device, comprising:

a) dynamically constructing at least one discovery database of network information; and

b) using the at least one discovery database to provide network information about the target network before the mobile device is connected to the target network.

11. The method of claim 10, further including using RDF as a database structure.

12. The method of claim 10, further including portioning media independent information service schema into basic schema and extended schema categories, wherein basic schema is essential for a media independent handover to support and extended schema is optional for a media independent handover to support.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said method employs an Application-layer mechanism for Information Service (AIS).

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said method is used to discover information used by the mobile device for handoff and pre-authentication.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said method employs an AIS that is layer 2 independent.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said method uses network-assisted discovery mechanisms.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said method uses mobile-assisted discovery mechanisms.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein said method uses network-assisted mechanisms for constructing said database.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein said method uses mobile-assisted mechanisms for constructing said database.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile queries an AIS server or a peer mobile to obtain information regarding networking elements in the target network.

21. The method of claim 20, further including using reporting agents (RAs) to obtain the information.

22. The method of claim 20, further including using AAA servers to obtain the information.

23. The method of claim 20, further including using DNS servers to obtain the information.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the method employs a peer-to-peer model in which mobile devices serve as information servers.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the method employs a scoped multicast approach.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the method employs a recursive broadcast approach.

27. A method for a media independent handover function entity to discover and obtain network information existing within a geographical area to facilitate the handovers, comprising:

employing an application-layer mechanism for information services (AIS) based service discovery scheme using RDF as a database structure.

28. The method of claim 27, further including using SOAP, HTTP, XML, WSDL and/or JENA as accompanying protocols to provide proper transport mechanism for database population by the scouts, reporting agents and/or information querying by the mobiles.

29. The method of claim 27, further including setting up a secured pre-authentication for a user by discovering network elements in neighboring elements ahead of time.

30. The method of claim 29, further including discovering one or more of the following network elements ahead of time:

APs, routers, SIP servers, and/or PANA servers.

31. A method for defining the structure of information elements for network discovery of mobile devices, comprising:

portioning media independent information service schema into basic schema and extended schema categories, wherein basic schema is essential for a media independent handover to support and extended schema is optional for a media independent handover to support.

32. The method of claim 31, further including providing vendor specific extended schema.