Roaming in a Communications Network

• US 20080039079A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Iyer, N., Adrangi, Farid
• Application Number:
  US11/838,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20080039079A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

Communicating over a network may include a mobile proxy device to receive a request for a home agent from a mobile device. The mobile proxy device can assign a home agent to the mobile device and send a reply including a home-address associated with the assigned home agent to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile proxy device, from a mobile device that has moved into a foreign network, a request for a routable home-address via a network address translation (NAT) gateway;

in response to the request, assigning a routable home-address associated with the NAT gateway as a care-of-address for the mobile device;

sending to the mobile device a reply including the routable home-address associated with the NAT gateway for use as a care-of-address for the mobile device;

receiving from the mobile device a request for a home agent;

dynamically assigning one of a plurality of home agents to the mobile device; and

sending to the mobile device a reply having a home-address associated with the assigned home agent.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising assigning the routable home-address based on a source address of the request.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from the mobile device a subsequent request including the assigned routable home-address;

forwarding the subsequent request to a home agent associated with the mobile device;

receiving from the home agent a reply indicating that the routable home-address has been registered; and

forwarding the reply from the home agent to the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile proxy device receives requests in a home network.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface adapter; and

a processor coupled to the network adapter, wherein the processor is adapted to;

receive a request for a routable home-address from a mobile device via a network address translation (NAT) gateway, when the mobile device moves into a foreign network,

in response to the request, assign a routable home-address associated with the NAT gateway as a care-of-address for the mobile device, and

send through the network interface adapter a reply to the mobile device, the reply including the assigned one of plurality of routable home-addresses associated with the NAT gateway for use as a care-of address for the mobile device;

wherein the processor and network interface adapter are located in a home network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is adapted to assign the routable home-address based on a source address of the request.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is adapted to:

receive from the mobile device a subsequent request having the routable home-address associated with the NAT gateway as the care-of-address for the mobile device;

forward the subsequent request to a home agent in a home network associated with the mobile device;

in response to the forwarded request, receive a reply from the home agent indicating that the routable home-address has been registered; and

forward the reply to the mobile device.

8. An article comprising a computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to:

receive, at a mobile proxy device, a request for a routable address from a mobile device via a network address translation (NAT) gateway, when the mobile device moves into a foreign network;

in response to the request, assign a routable home-address associated with the NAT gateway as a care-of-address for the mobile device in response to receiving the request;

send to the mobile device a reply including the routable home-address associated with the NAT gateway for use as the care-of address for the mobile device, and

dynamically assign one of a plurality of home agents to the mobile device.

9. The article of claim 8 further comprising instructions for causing the computer to assign the routable home-address based on a source address of the request.

10. The article of claim 8 further comprising instructions for causing the computer to

in response to receipt from the mobile device of a subsequent request having the routable home-address, forward the subsequent request to the home agent associated with the mobile device;

in response to the forwarded subsequent request, receive a reply from the home agent indicating that the routable home-address has been registered; and

forward the reply to the mobile device.

11. The article of claim 8 wherein the mobile proxy device is located in a home network.

12. A system comprising:

a mobile device; and

a mobile proxy including a processor and instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to;

receive a request for a routable address, via a network address translation (NAT) gateway from the mobile device, when the mobile device moves into a foreign network,

in response to the request, assign a routable home-address associated with the NAT gateway for use as a care-of-address by the mobile device,

send to the mobile device a reply including the routable home-address, and

dynamically assigning one of plurality of home agents to the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile proxy further comprises instructions to cause the processor to assign a routable home-address based on a source address of the request.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile proxy further comprises instructions to cause the processor to:

in response to receipt from the mobile device a subsequent request having the routable home-address, forward the request to the home agent associated with the mobile device;

in response to the forwarded request, receive a reply from the home agent indicating that the routable home-address has been registered; and

forward the reply to the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the mobile proxy device is located in a home network.