Access point and method for delivering information on media independent handover protocol

• US 20060291421A1
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Soo-hong
• Granted Patent: US 8,520,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/005 involving radio access media independent information, e.g. MIH [Media independent Hand-off]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An apparatus and method relates to transmission of media independent (MIH) handover protocol information, the access point includes a wired interface module to receive, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether an access point that manages a neighboring heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH), a storage module to store the received indication information, a frame generating module to generate a frame including the stored indication information, and a wireless interface module to transmit the generated frame to a mobile node.

Claims

1. An access point comprising:

a wired interface module to receive, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether an access point that manages a neighboring heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH);

a storage module to store the received indication information;

a frame generating module to generate a frame including the stored indication information; and

a wireless interface module to transmit the generated frame to a mobile node.

2. The access point of claim 1, wherein the wired interface module receives the indication information by way of an access router.

3. The access point of claim 1, wherein the generated frame includes a frame periodically broadcast through the wireless interface module.

4. The access point of claim 1, wherein the indication information is included in a reserved field of the generated frame.

5. The access point of claim 1, wherein the generated frame includes a MAC frame as defined in the IEEE 802.11 specification.

6. The access point of claim 5, wherein the generated frame includes a management frame in the MAC frame.

7. The access point of claim 6, wherein the indication information is included in a beacon frame of the management frame and is transmitted as is to the mobile node.

8. The access point of claim 6, wherein the indication information is included in a probe response frame of the management frame and is transmitted as is to the mobile node.

9. The access point of claim 6, wherein the indication information represents a subtype value of the management frame as “

1101,”

“

1110”

or “

1111.”

10. An information transmitting method comprising:

receiving, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether an access point that manages a neighboring heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH);

storing the received indication information;

generating a frame including the stored indication information; and

transmitting the generated frame to a mobile node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the indication information comprises receiving the indication information by way of an access router.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the indication information comprises receiving periodic broadcasts.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication information is included in a reserved field of the generated frame, and is transmitted as is to the mobile mode.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the generated frame includes a MAC frame defined in the IEEE 802.11 specification.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generated frame includes a management frame in the MAC frame.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication information is included in a beacon frame of the management frame, and is transmitted as is to the mobile node.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication information is included in a probe response frame of the management frame, and is transmitted as is to the mobile node.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication information represents a subtype value of the management frame as “

1101,”

“

1110”

or “

1111.”

19. An access point comprising:

a frame generating module to generate a frame including indication information to indicate whether a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH) is supported; and

a wireless interface module to transmit the generated frame to a mobile node.

20. An information transmitting method comprising:

generating a frame including indication information to indicate whether a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH) is supported; and

transmitting the generated frame to a mobile node.

21. An access point comprising:

a wired interface module receiving, from a network, compatibility information indicating whether a neighboring access point managing a heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a handover of a mobile node;

a storage module storing the received compatibility information;

a frame generating module generating a frame including the stored compatibility information;

a wireless interface module transmitting the generated frame to the mobile node; and

a control module controlling communication between the modules and the network.

22. The access point according to claim 21, wherein the compatibility information is a media independent handover (MIH) protocol.

23. The access point according to claim 21, wherein the modules include software or hardware components.

24. The access point according to claim 21, wherein the modules are configured to reside on an addressable storage medium and configured to be executed on at least one processor.

25. The access point according to claim 21, wherein the control module updates the compatibility information stored in the storage module whenever the control module receives new compatibility information.

26. The access point according to claim 21, wherein the control module detects an occurrence of a predetermined event.

27. The access point according to claim 26, wherein when the predetermined event occurs, the control module commands the frame generating module to generate the frame and transmit the frame to the mobile node through the wireless interface module.

28. The access point according to claim 27, wherein the generated frame includes a MAC frame.

29. A computer readable medium including program instructions provided to a processor for executing an information transmitting method, the method comprising:

receiving, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether an access point that manages a neighboring heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH);

storing the received indication information;

generating a frame including the stored indication information; and

transmitting the generated frame to a mobile node.