Wlan to Umts Handover with Network Requested Pdp Context Activation

• US 20080095119A1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Bachmann, Jens, Hakenberg, Rolf
• Granted Patent: US 7,969,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0038 of security context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for configuring a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network. The mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and the packet data service may be provided to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless network. Moreover, the invention provides an authentication server, a packet data gateway and a packet data service support node which participate in the context configuration method. To provide a method that allows establishing connection for packet service delivery to a mobile terminal from a wireless access network, as for example a UMTS, as fast as possible the invention suggests to preconfigure service provision of the packet data service via the target wireless access network by establishing a context prior to the mobile terminal connecting to the target wireless access network.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method for configuring a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless network,

attaching the mobile terminal to a core network connected to the target wireless access network by the authentication server to enable a reception of the packet data service via the target wireless access network, and

initiating by the authentication server the establishment of a context within the core network connected to the target wireless access network,

wherein the context is established prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising the step of determining by an authentication server an address of a serving packet data service support node of the core network, wherein the serving packet data service support node serves the mobile terminal when attaching to the target wireless access network, and

wherein attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network comprises sending a packet data service attach message to the serving packet data service support node.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the steps of authenticating the mobile terminal at the authentication server, and

receiving location information of the mobile terminal at the authentication server and

wherein the determination of the serving packet data service support node comprises mapping the mobile terminal'"'"'s location information to an identifier of the serving packet data service support node.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the context is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context, the originating wireless access network is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) the target wireless access network is a UMTS radio access network and the packet data service is a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) service.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the establishment of the context in the core network connected to the target wireless access network comprises the steps of:

receiving at a packet data gateway of a core network connected to the originating wireless access network an address of the serving packet data service support node or an address of a gateway packet data service support node, wherein the packet data gateway relays packets of the packet data service to/from the originating wireless access network,

determining context information by the packet data gateway based on the context information associated to a connection used for providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless access network, and

transmitting a context activation message comprising the determined context information to the serving or gateway packet data service support node to establish the context in the respective packet data service support node.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of determining the address of the gateway packet data service support node at the authentication server based on the access point name of an access point in the core network connected to the originating wireless access network communicating via an air interface with the mobile terminal.

33. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of transmitting a context activation message comprising the context information from the serving/gateway packet data service support node to the gateway/serving packet data service support node to establish the context at the respective packet data service support node.

34. The according to claim 31, wherein the context comprises Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirement for delivery of the packet data service and resource reservation information for reserving resources in the core network connected to the target wireless access network and/or the target wireless access network for delivery of the packet data service, and

the method further comprises the steps of determining resource reservation information by the packet data gateway based on the context information associated to a connection used for providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless access network, and

transmitting the determined resource reservation information within the context activation message to the serving or gateway packet data service support node to reserve resources within the core network connected to target wireless access network and/or the target wireless access network for delivery of the packet data service prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising the step of indicating by the packet data gateway whether to reserve resources for delivery of the packet data service.

36. The method according to claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a service request for delivery of the packet data service from the mobile terminal through the target wireless access network by the serving packet data service support node, and

requesting the packet data gateway to route data of the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the core network connected to the target wireless access network and the target wireless access network.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the request to the packet data gateway comprises the step of transmitting a context update message from the serving packet data service support node to the gateway packet data support node.

38. The method according to claim 36, wherein the packet data gateway and the gateway packet data support node are comprised within one core network element.

39. The method according to claim 36, wherein the request comprises a request for resources for delivery of the packet data service through the target wireless access network.

40. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of transmitting a rerouting request message from the gateway packet data support node to the packet data gateway to request the routing of data of the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the target wireless access network.

41. An authentication server for initiating the establishment of a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and is provided with a packet data service through the originating wireless access network, the authentication server comprising:

communication means for attaching the mobile terminal to a core network connected to the target access wireless network to enable a reception of the packet data service via the target wireless access network, and

for initiating the establishment of a context within the core network connected to the target wireless access network,

wherein the authentication server is adapted to initiate the context establishment prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

42. A packet data gateway for initiating the establishment of a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and is provided with a packet data service through an originating wireless access network connected to the packet data gateway, the packet data gateway comprising:

communication means for receiving an address of the serving packet data service support node or an address of a gateway packet data service support node within the core network connected to the target wireless access network from an authentication server, and

processing means for determining context information based on the context information associated to a connection used for providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless access network,

wherein the communication means is adapted to transmit a context activation message comprising the determined context information to the serving or gateway packet data service support node to establish a context in the core network connected to the target wireless access network prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

43. A packet data service support node in a core network connected to a target access network for configuring a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via the target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and is provided with a packet data service through an originating access network connected, the packet data service support node comprising:

communication means for receiving a packet data service attach message from an authentication server processing means for attaching the mobile terminal to the core network connected to the target wireless access network in response to the packet data service attach message to enable a reception of the packet data service through the target wireless access network, and

wherein the communication means is adapted to receive a context establishment request comprising context information from a packet data gateway and

wherein the processing means is adapted to establish the context based on the context information prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

44. A computer readable medium for storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of an authentication server, cause the authentication server to initiate the establishment of a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and is provided with a packet data service through the originating wireless access network, by:

attaching the mobile terminal to the core network connected to the target wireless access network by the authentication server to enable a reception of the packet data service via the target wireless access network, and

initiating the establishment of a context within a core network connected to the target wireless access network, wherein the context establishment is initiated prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

45. A computer readable medium for storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a packet data gateway, cause the packet data gateway to initiating the establishment of a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and is provided with a packet data service through an originating wireless access network connected to the packet data gateway, by:

receiving an address of the serving packet data service support node or an address of a gateway packet data service support node within the core network connected to the target wireless access network for an authentication server,

determining context information based on the context information associated to a connection used for providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless access network, and

transmitting a context activation message comprising the determined context information to the serving or gateway packet data service support node to establish a context in core network connected to the target wireless access network prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

46. A computer readable medium for storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a packet data service support node, cause the packet data service support node in a core network connected to a target access network to configure a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via the target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and is provided with a packet data service through an originating wireless access network connected, by:

receiving a packet data service attach message from an authentication server,

attaching the mobile terminal to the core network connected to the target wireless access network in response to the packet data service attach message to enable a reception of the packet data service via the target wireless access network,

receiving a context establishment request comprising context information from a packet data gateway and

establishing the context base on the context information prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.