SYSTEM AND DATA EXCHANGING METHOD FOR INTERWORKING WIRELESS LAN AND PORTABLE INTERNET

• US 20080130575A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: CHOI, Song-In, AHN, Jee-Hwan, KIM, Kyung-Soo, JUN, Sun-Mi, JUNG, Dong-Soo, JEON, Byoung-Chun
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The present invention relates to an interworking device for interworking with a first network and exchanging data between a second network and a terminal device. The interworking device establishes a first wireless data path with the first network, and receives a first network address from an address allocation server of the first network through the first wireless data path. In addition, the interworking device establishes a second wireless data path with the terminal device, receives a second network address from an address allocation server of the second network through the second wireless data path, and transmits the second network address to the terminal device. Subsequently, the interworking device establishes a tunnel that passes through the first network and is accessed to the second network, and exchanges data with the second network.

Claims

1. A method for interworking with a first network to exchange data between a second network and a terminal device, the method comprising:

Establishing, with the first network, a first wireless data path that follows a first wireless communication protocol;

receiving a first network address from an address allocation server of the first network through the first wireless data path;

establishing, with the terminal device, a second wireless data path that follows a second wireless communication protocol;

receiving a second network address from an address allocation server of the second network through the first wireless data path;

transmitting the second network address to the terminal device through the second wireless data path;

establishing a tunnel that passes through the first network and is accessed to the second network; and

exchanging the data with the second network through the tunnel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication protocol supports a handover operation, and the second wireless communication protocol does not support a handover operation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the exchanging the data comprises:

receiving a data packet from the terminal device;

capsulating the data packet to be a packet of the first wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting the capsulated data packet to the second network through the tunnel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the exchanging the data comprises:

receiving the data packet capsulated to be the packet of the first wireless communication protocol through the tunnel;

converting the capsulated data packet into a packet of the second wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting the converted data packet to the terminal device through the second wireless data path.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the establishing the first wireless data path comprises:

establishing a wireless link that follows the first wireless communication protocol with a base station of the first network;

transmitting an authentication message to an authentication server of the first network through the wireless link, and performing an authentication process according to the authentication message by the authentication server of the first network; and

establishing the first wireless data path following the first wireless communication process with the first network when the authentication process is finished.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the establishing the second wireless data path comprises:

establishing a wireless link that follows the second wireless communication protocol with the terminal device;

receiving an authentication message through the wireless link;

transmitting the authentication message to an authentication server of the second network through the first wireless data path, and performing an authentication process according to the authentication message by the authentication server of the second network; and

establishing the second wireless data path that follows the second wireless communication protocol with the terminal device when the authentication process is finished.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving the second network address comprises:

receiving an address allocation message from the terminal device;

transmitting the address allocation message to an address allocation server of the second network through the first network and the first wireless data path to control the address allocation server of the second network to allocate a second network address; and

receiving the second network address through the first wireless data path.

8. A method for interworking with a first network to exchange data between a second network and a terminal device, the method comprising:

Establishing, with the first network, a first wireless data path that follows a first wireless communication protocol;

receiving a first network address from an address allocation server of the first network through the first wireless data path;

establishing a second wireless data path that follows a second wireless communication protocol with the terminal device;

receiving a second network address from an address allocation server of the second network through the first wireless data path;

transmitting the second network address to the terminal device through the second wireless data path;

receiving a third network address from the address allocation server of the second network through the first wireless data path; and

exchanging the data with the second network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first wireless communication protocol supports a handover operation, and the second wireless communication protocol does not support a handover operation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the exchanging the data comprises:

receiving a first data packet that follows the second wireless communication protocol from the terminal device through the second wireless data path;

converting the first data packet into a second data packet that follows the first wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting the second data packet to the first network through the first wireless data path so that the first network transmits the second data packet to the second network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first data packet includes network address information of the second network that corresponds to a destination address of the first data packet, and

wherein transmitting the second data packet to

transmitting the second data packet to the first network through the first wireless data path according to a network address of the first network.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the exchanging the data comprises:

receiving the first data packet that follows the first wireless communication protocol from the first network through the first wireless data path;

converting the first data packet into the second data packet that follows the first wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting the second data packet to the terminal device through the second wireless data path.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first data packet includes the second network address corresponding to a destination address of the first data packet, and the second data packet is transmitted to the terminal device through the second wireless data path according to the second network address.