Method and system for handover between wireless local area network and wireless wide area network

• US 20070082671A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Liu, Bo, Shao, Xiaoling, Jin, Xiaohui, Feng, Lei, Du, Yonggang, Sun, Xiaolu
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed

Abstract

A method to be performed by a user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces, comprising steps of: communicating via the WWAN interface; inspecting whether its WLAN interface is available; entering into a WWAN-to WLAN state from a WWAN active state if its WLAN interface is available; said user terminal provides a public server with known network address with its presence information said WWAN-to-WLAN state; and acquiring the network address of another user terminal communicating with said user terminal from said server, sending a WLAN call request to said another user terminal by using said address; entering into WLAN active state after receiving the message for accepting the WLAN call request from said another user terminal.

Claims

1. A method to be performed by a user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces, comprising:

communicating via the WWAN interface;

detecting whether its WLAN interface is available;

entering into a WWAN-to-WLAN state from a WWAN active state if its WLAN interface is available;

providing its presence information to a public server with known address in said WWAN-to-WLAN state.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said presence information at least contains the address, connection type and port information of said user terminal.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring the network address of another user terminal communicating with said user terminal from said server;

sending a WLAN call request to said another user terminal by using said network address.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein step (e) includes:

receiving the state information of said another user terminal from said server;

obtaining the network address of said another user terminal from said state information.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein step (e) includes:

sending a state inquiry request to said server so as to acquire the status information of said another user terminal;

receiving the state information of said another user terminal from said server;

obtaining the network address of said another user terminal from said state information.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

receiving the information containing the network address of said another user terminal from said server if the network address of said another user terminal is not contained in said state information.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

entering into a WLAN active state if receiving the message for accepting the WLAN call request from said another user terminal.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

maintaining the said WWAN-to-WLAN state if receiving the message for rejecting the WLAN call request from said another user terminal.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

re-transmitting said WLAN call request to said another user terminal according to the instruction information of the user.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

returning to WWAN active state if inspecting said WLAN interface is not available in said WWAN-to-WLAN state.

11. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step to be taken before said step (f), further includes:

judging whether it'"'"'s preferred to communicate with the WLAN interface according to the profile information in said user terminal, and continuing to execute step (f) if the profile information of said user terminal indicates that it'"'"'s preferred to communicate via the WLAN interface.

12. A method to be performed by a user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces, comprising:

communicating via the WWAN interface;

receiving a WLAN call request from another user terminal communicating with said user terminal;

sending a response for accepting the WLAN call request to said another user terminal if the profile information indicates that said user terminal can switch radio interfaces during communication course, according to the profile information of said user terminal;

entering into the WLAN active state.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

sending a response for rejecting the WLAN call request to said another user terminal if said profile information indicates that said user terminal can'"'"'t switch radio interfaces during communication course according to the profile information of said user terminal.

14. A method with telephony function to be performed by a user terminal, for accessing Internet and supporting online communication services, comprising:

receiving a WLAN call request from another user terminal with WLAN and WWAN interfaces communicating with said user terminal;

sending a response for accepting the WLAN call request to said another user terminal if the profile information indicates that said user terminal can switch to communicate via Internet during communication procedure, according to the profile information in said user terminal;

entering into the state of communicating-via-Internet.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

sending a response for rejecting the WLAN call request to said another user terminal if said profile information indicates that said user terminal can'"'"'t switch to communicate via Internet during communication course.

16. A method to be performed by a public server with known network address in Internet, comprising:

setting the communication peer roster list for each user managed by said server;

recording the presence information of the user terminal used by the user according to the information delivered by the user when the user enters into the service area of WLAN connected via Internet;

recording the absence information of the user when the user leaves the WLAN service area.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

providing each user in Internet with the state information of all communication peers involved in its peer roster list.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request for inquiring the state information of a communication peer from a user terminal;

providing said user terminal with the state information of said communication peer.

19. The method according to any one of claim 17, wherein said roster at least contains the User ID of said user and its communication peers in said Internet, said presence/absence information at least contains the network address, connection type and port information of the user terminal, and said state information at least contains information about whether said communication peers are within the Internet.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

sending information containing the network address of said user'"'"'s communication peers to said user terminal if said state information doesn'"'"'t contain the network address of said communication peers.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the associated information between the phone number of said user and the User ID of said user is also included in said server.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein said server is at least one of the instant messenger servers and the servers operated by network service operators.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said user can modify its peer roster list in said server via Internet web.

24. A method to be performed by a user terminal with WWAN interface and WLAN interfaces, comprising:

communicating via the WLAN interface;

inspecting whether the WLAN interface of said user terminal is available;

entering into a WLAN-to-WWAN state from a WWAN active state if said WLAN interface is not available;

sending a WWAN call request to another user terminal communicating with said user terminal in the WLAN-to-WWAN state.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

entering into the WWAN active state if receiving the message for accepting the WWAN call request from said another user terminal;

providing a public server with known network address with the absence information of said user terminal.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

releasing the radio resource occupied by communication via the WLAN interface after entering into the WWAN active state.

27. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

returning to the WWAN idle state if said communication is terminated or interrupted;

providing a public server with known network address with the absence information of said user terminal.

28. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

returning to WLAN active state if inspecting said WLAN interface is available in said WLAN-to-WWAN state.

29. A method with telephony function to be performed by a user terminal, for accessing Internet and supporting online communication services, comprising:

communicating via the WLAN interface;

receiving a WWAN call request from another user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces;

sending a message for accepting said WWAN call request to said another user terminal;

entering into the state of communicating with the WWAN interface.

30. A method to be performed by a user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces, comprising:

communicating via the WLAN interface;

inspecting whether the WLAN interface of said user terminal is available;

entering into WWAN state from WLAN active state if the WLAN interface is not available;

sending a handover request to another user terminal communicating with said user terminal in WLAN-to-WWAN state.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

sending a message for accepting the WWAN call request to said another user terminal after receiving the WWAN call request transmitted from said another user terminal, and entering into WWAN active state;

providing a public server with known network address with the absence information of the user using said user terminal.

32. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

returning to WWAN idle state if said communication is terminated or interrupted;

providing a public server with known network address with the absence information of the user using said user terminal.

33. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

returning to WLAN active state if inspecting said WLAN interface is available in said WLAN-to-WWAN state.

34. A method to be performed by a user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces, comprising:

communicating via the WLAN interface;

receiving a handover request sent from another user terminal communicating with said user terminal so as to enter into WLAN-to-WWAN state from the state of communicating with the WLAN interface;

sending a WWAN call request to said another user terminal;

receiving the message for accepting the WWAN call request from said another user terminal;

entering into WWAN active state from WLAN-to-WWAN state.

35. A user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces, comprising:

a communicating unit, for communicating via the WWAN interface;

an inspecting unit, for inspecting whether the user terminal'"'"'s WLAN interface is available;

a handover unit, for handover to a WWAN-to-WLAN state from a WWAN active state when inspecting that said WLAN interface is available;

a sending unit, for providing a public server with known network address with the presence information of said user terminal.

36. The user terminal according to claim 35, comprising:

an acquiring unit, for acquiring the address of said another user terminal communicating with said user terminal from said server;

said sending unit, for sending a WLAN call request to said another user terminal by using said address;

said handover unit, for handover to a WLAN active state when receiving the message for accepting the WLAN call request from said another user terminal.

37. The user terminal according to claim 35, comprising:

said communicating unit, for communicating via said WLAN interface;

said handover unit, for handover from a WLAN active state to a WLAN-to-WWAN state when said inspecting unit inspects that said WLAN interface is not available;

said sending unit, for sending a WWAN call request to said another user terminal communicating with said user terminal;

said handover unit, for handover to a WWAN active state when receiving a message for accepting the WWAN call request from said another user terminal.

38. The user terminal according to claim 35, wherein:

said communicating unit, for communicating via said WLAN interface;

said handover unit, for handover to a WLAN-to-WWAN state from a WLAN active state when said inspecting unit inspects that said WLAN interface is not available;

said sending unit, for sending a handover request to said another user terminal communicating with said user terminal;

said sending unit sends a message for accepting the WWAN call request to said another user terminal after receiving a WWAN call request transmitted from said another user terminal, and said handover unit can handover to a WWAN active state.

40. The user terminal according to claim 37, wherein:

said communicating unit, for communicating via said WLAN interface;

said handover unit, for receiving a handover request from said another user terminal communicating with said user terminal, and handover from the state of communicating with said WLAN interface to a WLAN-to-WWAN state;

said sending unit, for sending a WWAN call request to said another user terminal;

said receiving unit, for receiving the message for accepting the WWAN call request from said another user terminal; and

said handover unit, for handover from said WLAN-to-WWAN state to a WWAN active state.

39. A user terminal with WWAN and WLAN interfaces, comprising:

a communicating unit, for communicating via the WWAN interface;

a receiving unit, for receiving a WLAN call request from another user terminal communicating with said user terminal;

a sending unit, for sending a response for accepting said WLAN call request to said another user terminal if the profile information indicates that said user terminal can switch radio interfaces during communication course, according to the profile information of said user terminal;

a handover unit, for handover to a WLAN active state.