METHOD OF SUPPORTING MEDIA INDEPENDENT HANDOVER WITH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FUNCTION IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20070025294A1
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin, Kim, Yong-Ho
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,924 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 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management

Abstract

A method of performing handover with at least one homogeneous and heterogeneous network is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes mobile station (MS) which establishes a heterogeneous network handover module for converging information from the at least one network interface module associated with the at least one of a homogeneous and heterogeneous network into a unified presentation; transmits to the heterogeneous network handover module of a serving network a handover request message to initiate handover from a serving network to a target network, wherein the handover request message is configured by the heterogeneous network handover module of a mobile station (MS); receives a handover confirmation message in response to the handover request message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network; transmits a handover commit request message to the heterogeneous network handover module of a serving network, wherein the handover commit request message includes at least one target network information and includes the request to retain resources of the MS; and receives a handover commit confirmation message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network, wherein the handover commit confirmation message includes a response to the request to retain resources of the MS.

Claims

1. A method of performing handover with at least one homogeneous and heterogeneous network, the method comprising:

establishing a heterogeneous network handover module for converging information from the at least one network interface module associated with the at least one of a homogeneous and heterogeneous network into a unified presentation;

transmitting to the heterogeneous network handover module of a serving network a handover request message to initiate handover from a serving network to a target network, wherein the handover request message is configured by the heterogeneous network handover module of a mobile station (MS);

receiving a handover confirmation message in response to the handover request message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network;

transmitting a handover commit request message to the heterogeneous network handover module of a serving network, wherein the handover commit request message includes at least one target network information and includes the request to retain resources of the MS; and

receiving a handover commit confirmation message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network, wherein the handover commit confirmation message includes a response to the request to retain resources of the MS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the handover request message further includes a request to retain resource of the MS.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an indication message for indicating a link setup with the target network, wherein the indication message includes a confidence level.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the confidence level indicates an expected probability for maintaining link connection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a handover cancel request message to the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network if link setup procedure with the target network fails or link connection quality of the serving network improves sufficiently to resume communication;

receiving a handover cancel confirmation message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network; and

resuming communication with the serving network using the retained resources of the MS in the serving network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the handover request message and the handover commit request message, each includes time duration information for retaining the resources of the MS.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the handover confirmation message and the handover commit confirmation message, each includes time duration information for retaining the resources of the MS.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising activating a timer upon receiving the handover commit confirmation message which includes the time duration information for retaining the resources of the MS.

9. A method of performing handover with at least one homogeneous and heterogeneous network, the method comprising:

establishing a heterogeneous network handover module for converging information from the at least one network interface module associated with the at least one of a homogeneous and heterogeneous network into a unified presentation;

receiving from the heterogeneous network handover module of a mobile station CMS) a handover request message to initiate handover from a serving network to a target network, wherein the handover request message is configured by the heterogeneous network handover module of the MS;

transmitting a handover confirmation message in response to the handover request message to the heterogeneous network handover module of the MS;

receiving a handover commit request message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the MS, wherein the handover commit request message includes at least one target network information and includes the request to retain resources of the MS; and

transmitting a handover commit confirmation message to the heterogeneous network handover module of the MS, wherein the handover commit confirmation message includes a response to the request to retain resources of the MS.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the handover request message further includes a request to retain resource of the MS.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving an indication message for indicating a link setup with the target network, wherein the indication message includes a confidence level.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the confidence level indicates an expected probability for maintaining link connection.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a handover cancel request message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the MS if link setup procedure with the target network fails or link connection quality of the serving network improves sufficiently to resume communication;

transmitting a handover cancel confirmation message to the heterogeneous network handover module of the MS; and

resuming communication with the MS using the retained resources of the MS.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the handover request message and the handover commit request message, each includes time duration information for retaining the resources of the MS.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the handover confirmation message and the handover commit confirmation message, each includes time duration information for retaining the resources of the MS.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising activating a timer upon transmitting the handover commit confirmation message which includes the time duration information for retaining the resources of the MS.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a handover complete request message from a heterogeneous network handover module of the target network, wherein the handover complete request message includes a result of handover and a confidence level;

determining whether or not to release the resources of the MS based on the result of the handover and the confidence level;

transmitting a handover complete confirmation message to the heterogeneous network handover module of the target network, wherein the handover complete confirmation message includes the result of the determination; and

releasing the resources of the MS, if the result of the determination is to release the resources of the MS.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the confidence level indicates an expected probability for maintaining link connection.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the result of the handover indicates any one of success, authentication fail, and link setup timeout.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the result of the determination includes the resources which are released due to successful handover or the resources retained by the serving network.