Method and Apparatus For Facilitate Communications Using Surrogate and Care-of-Internet Protocol Addresses

• US 20080212562A1
• Filed: 06/19/2006
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Rajeev, Kalyanasundaram, Suresh, Bedekar, Anand S., Gopikanth, Venkat, Ov, Vishnu Ram
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/349
• 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 88/005 Data network PoA devices

Abstract

A wireless access point (300A, 300B, 300C) provides (101) a surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of a mobile station (401). That wireless access point then uses (102) that surrogate Internet Protocol address along with its own Internet Protocol address to facilitate establishing one or more data tunnels as necessary to support the communication needs of the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method for use by a wireless access point in a communication system to facilitate at least one communication need of a mobile station, wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of hierarchically layered mobility management agents, the method comprising:

providing a surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of the mobile station; and

using the surrogate Internet Protocol address as a surrogate address for the mobile station and a wireless access point Internet Protocol address as a care-of address for the mobile station when interacting with a first mobility management agent to support the communication need of the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein using the surrogate Internet Protocol address as a surrogate address for the mobile station further comprises using the surrogate Internet Protocol address as a surrogate address for the mobile station regardless of whether the mobile station is compatible with Mobile Internet Protocol-based communications.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of the mobile station further comprises:

detecting the mobile station;

acquiring the surrogate Internet Protocol address;

transmitting a Mobile Internet Protocol registration request to a first mobility management agent that is a part of a first hierarchical layer of the communication system, which request presents the surrogate Internet Protocol address as a surrogate address for the mobile station and the wireless access point'"'"'s own Internet Protocol address to be used as a care-of address.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication need of the mobile station comprises a need to transmit a data packet.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication need of the mobile station comprises at least one of:

a need to receive a data packet;

a need to receive a page;

a need to respond to a page;

a need to perform a location update;

a need to perform a routing area update;

a need to effect a handover from one wireless access point to another wireless access point.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of the mobile station further comprises acquiring, for at least some levels of the plurality of hierarchically layered mobility management agents, a surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of the mobile station.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the one level of the plurality of hierarchically layered mobility management agents for which a surrogate Internet Protocol address is not acquired comprises a highest hierarchical layer mobility management agent.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein using the surrogate Internet Protocol address as a surrogate address for the mobile station and a wireless access point Internet Protocol address as a care-of address for the mobile station further comprises using, with at least one of the plurality of hierarchically layered mobility management agents, an acquired surrogate Internet Protocol address as a surrogate Internet Protocol address for the mobile station and an acquired surrogate Internet Protocol address as was acquired for a next lower level of the plurality of hierarchically layered mobility management agents as a care-of address.

9. A wireless access point for use in a communication system having a plurality of hierarchically layered mobility management agents, comprising:

a mobile station interface;

at least one surrogate Internet Protocol address as corresponds to a first mobile station, wherein the first mobile station may be either of;

Mobile Internet Protocol capable; and

non-Mobile Internet Protocol capable;

non-Internet Protocol capable;

a local network interface; and

a mobility agent operably coupled to the mobile station interface, the local network interface, and the at least one surrogate Internet Protocol address, and being configured and arranged to selectively support creation of a tunnel with a first mobility management agent to facilitate a communication for the first mobile station using the surrogate Internet Protocol address on behalf of the first mobile station.

10. The wireless access point of claim 9 wherein the communication is directed to the first mobile station from a source external to a local subnet.

11. The wireless access point of claim 9 wherein the communication is directed from the first mobile station to a destination that is external to a local subnet.

12. The wireless access point of claim 9 wherein the mobility agent comprises means for:

acquiring the surrogate Internet Protocol address; and

using the surrogate Internet Protocol address as a home address for the first mobile station and an Internet Protocol address for the wireless access point as a care-of address when participating in creating the tunnel between the mobility agent of the wireless access point and the first mobility management agent.

13. The wireless access point of claim 12 wherein the first mobility management agent comprises a first home agent.

14. A method for use in a communication system to facilitate at least one communication need of a mobile station, wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of hierarchically layered mobility management agents, the method comprising:

providing at a first wireless access point a first surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of the mobile station, wherein the first wireless access point also has its own first wireless access point Internet Protocol address;

having the first wireless access point provide the first surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of the mobile station and the first wireless access point Internet Protocol address as a care-of address to a first mobility management agent;

using the first surrogate Internet Protocol address and the care-of address to facilitate provisioning a first tunnel between a mobility agent in the first wireless access point and the first mobility management agent; and

using the first tunnel to convey data packets as correspond to the mobile station.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the data packets comprise at least one of:

realtime traffic;

non-realtime traffic.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

when the mobile station becomes attached to a second wireless access point;

providing at the second wireless access point a second surrogate Internet Protocol address to use on behalf of the mobile station, wherein the second wireless access point also has its own second wireless access point Internet Protocol address;

having the second wireless access point provide the second surrogate Internet Protocol address as a surrogate address for the mobile station and the second wireless access point Internet Protocol address as a second care-of address to a second mobility management agent;

using the second surrogate Internet Protocol address and the second care-of address to facilitate provisioning a second tunnel between a mobility agent in the second wireless access point and the second mobility management agent.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the second surrogate Internet Protocol address is identical to the first surrogate Internet Protocol address;

the second mobility management agent comprises the first mobility management agent;

using the second surrogate Internet Protocol address and the second care-of address to facilitate provisioning a second tunnel between a mobility agent in the second wireless access point and the second mobility management agent further comprises using the second surrogate Internet Protocol address and the second care-of address to facilitate provisioning a second tunnel between a mobility agent in the second wireless access point and the second mobility management agent without also requiring alteration of a third tunnel as may have been previously established on behalf of the mobile station with a next hierarchical level mobility management agent that is positioned at a hierarchically distinct layer with respect to the first mobility management agent;

using the second tunnel to convey data packets as correspond to the mobile station.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the second surrogate Internet Protocol address is different than the first surrogate Internet Protocol address.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the second mobility management agent is different than the first mobility management agent and wherein the second mobility management agent has its own corresponding Internet Protocol address.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

using the second surrogate Internet Protocol address as a care-of address to facilitate provisioning a third tunnel with a next hierarchical level mobility management agent that is positioned at a hierarchically distinct layer with respect to the second mobility management agent;

using the second and third tunnels to convey data packets as correspond to the mobile station.