SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HANDOVER OF AN ACCESS TERMINAL IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20070206539A1
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oswal, Anand, Yegani, Parviz, Stammers, Timothy, Iyer, Jayaraman
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5061 characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/724 at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 : Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 : with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 : Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 : Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 : adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, a system for implementing handover of a mobile IP session in a cellular communication network generally includes a processor and a memory for storing one or more context information rules associated with an access terminal. The processor is operable to receive a registration request message from the target radio network controller and in response to receipt of the registration request message, transmit a context information request message to query context information from an anchor IP gateway. The processor is also operable to receive a context information response message from the anchor IP gateway and apply the context information response message to the mobile IP connection. The context information response message including at least one context information rule that is associated with the access terminal.

Claims

1. A system for implementing handover of a mobile Internet Protocol (IP) session in a communication network, comprising:

a memory operable to store at least one context information rule associated with an access terminal; and

a processor operable to;

receive a registration request message from a target radio network controller;

in response to receipt of the registration request message, transmit a context information request message to an anchor IP gateway;

receive a context information response message from the anchor IP gateway, the context information response message including the at least one context information rule; and

apply the context information rule to the mobile IP connection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured in a target IP gateway.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to apply the context information rule by:

authenticating the access terminal using an extended authentication protocol security key included in the context information rule.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the context information rule comprises an authorization rule that is selected from the group consisting of a quality-of-service level rule, a security level rule, an accounting rule, a mobility rule, a charging rule, and a packet inspection rule.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the anchor IP gateway is operable to:

wait, following receipt of the context information response message by the processor, for an idle signal condition on the mobile IP session; and

release an A10 connection between the anchor radio network controller and the anchor IP gateway.

6. A method for implementing handover of a mobile Internet Protocol (IP) session in a communication network, comprising:

receiving a registration request message from a target radio network controller;

in response to receipt of the registration request message, transmitting a context information request message to an anchor IP gateway;

receiving a context information response message from an anchor IP gateway, the context information response message including the at least one context information rule; and

applying the context information rule to a mobile IP connection.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein applying the context information rule further comprises:

authenticating an access terminal using an extended authentication protocol security key included in the context information rule.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the context information rule comprises an authorization rule that is selected from the group consisting of a quality-of-service level rule, a security level rule, an accounting rule, a mobility rule, a charging rule, and a packet inspection rule.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

waiting, following receipt of the context information response message by the anchor IP gateway, for an idle signal condition on the mobile IP session; and

releasing an A10 connection between a anchor radio network controller and the anchor IP gateway.

10. Logic for implementing handover of a mobile Internet Protocol (IP) session in a communication network, the logic embodied in a computer-readable storage medium and operable to:

receive a registration request message from a target radio network controller;

in response to receipt of the registration request message, transmit a context information request message to an anchor IP gateway;

receive a context information response message from the anchor IP gateway, the context information response message including the at least one context information rule; and

apply the context information rule to the mobile IP connection.

11. The logic of claim 10, wherein the computer- readable storage medium is configured in a target IP gateway.

12. The logic of claim 10, wherein the logic is further operable to apply the context information rule by:

authenticating an access terminal using an extended authentication protocol security key included in the context information rule.

13. The logic of claim 10, wherein the context information rule comprises an authorization rule that is selected from the group consisting of a quality-of-service level rule, a security level rule, an accounting rule, a mobility rule, a charging rule, and a packet inspection rule.

14. The logic of claim 10, wherein the logic is further operable to:

wait, following receipt of the context information response message, for an idle signal condition on the mobile IP session; and

release an A10 connection between an anchor radio network controller and the anchor IP gateway.

15. A system for implementing handover of a mobile Internet Protocol (IP) session in a communication network, comprising:

means for receiving a registration request message from a target radio network controller;

in response to receipt of the registration request message, means for transmitting a context information request message to an anchor IP gateway;

means for receiving a context information response message from an anchor IP gateway, the context information response message including the at least one context information rule; and

means for applying the context information rule to a mobile IP connection.