PROACTIVE SEAMLESS SERVICE PROVISIONING IN MOBILE NETWORKS THROUGH TRANSFERRING OF APPLICATION CONTEXT

• US 20080225798A1
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Spyder Navigations LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Trossen, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 8,305,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

A method supporting relocation of an Internet Protocol session during a network layer handover is provided. Application context information is sent to a device. The application context information indicates activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover and includes a requested communication requirement. A first message is received from the device that includes a first indicator indicating whether or not the device can satisfy the requested communication requirement. If the first indicator indicates that the device cannot satisfy the requested communication requirement, the application context information is sent to another device, and a second message is received from the other device. The second message includes a second indicator indicating whether or not the other device can satisfy the requested communication requirement. If the second indicator indicates that the other device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, the other device is selected as a target access router for the network layer handover.

Claims

1. A method for supporting relocation of an Internet Protocol session during a network layer handover in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

sending application context information from a first device to a second device, the application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover and including a requested communication requirement;

receiving a first message from the second device at the first device, the first message including a first indicator indicating whether or not the second device can satisfy the requested communication requirement;

if the first indicator indicates that the second device cannot satisfy the requested communication requirement, sending the application context information from the first device to a third device and receiving a second message from the third device at the first device, the second message including a second indicator indicating whether or not the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement; and

if the second indicator indicates that the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, selecting the third device as a target access router for the network layer handover.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a current access router.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, before sending the application context information from the first device to the second device, receiving a message from a mobile node at the first device, the message including a request to forward the application context information to a next access router.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the received message further includes an indicator that the next access router is the second device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the application context information from a mobile node at the first device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, if the second indicator indicates that the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, sending an indicator of the selected third device to the mobile node.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising, if the first indicator indicates that the second device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, sending an indicator of the selected third device to the mobile node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message further includes a request for additional handover information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a mobile node.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, if the first indicator indicates that the second device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, sending a commitment message to the second device, the commitment message confirming an intent to initiate communication with the second device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the commitment message is sent before the network layer handover to the second device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising, if the second indicator indicates that the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, sending a commitment message to the third device, the commitment message confirming an intent to initiate communication with the third device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a mobile proxy server.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the activities to be executed pro-actively before the initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a network resource.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested communication requirement comprises a defined amount of a network resource.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a validity time parameter is associated with the application context information, the method further comprising determining if the application context information is valid before sending the application context information from the first device to the second device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, if the application context information is determined not to be valid, sending a request to a fourth device from the first device, the request requesting updated application context information from the fourth device.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the second indicator indicates that the third device cannot satisfy the requested communication requirement, initiating an error procedure at the first device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the error procedure comprises a reduction in the requested communication requirement.

20. A device comprising:

an output interface configured to send application context information to a second device, the application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover and including a requested communication requirement;

an input interface configured to receive a first message from the second device, the first message including a first indicator indicating whether or not the second device can satisfy the requested communication requirement; and

a processor operably coupled to the output interface and the input interface and configured to execute a computer-readable program configured to cause the device

to determine if the second device can satisfy the requested communication requirement based on the first indicator;

if the second device cannot satisfy the requested communication requirement, to send the application context information to a third device and to receive a second message from the third device, the second message including a second indicator indicating whether or not the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement;

to determine if the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement based on the second indicator; and

if the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, to select the third device as a target access router for the network layer handover.

21. A computer-readable memory including a computer-readable program that, upon execution by a processor, causes a device to:

send application context information to a second device, the application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover and including a requested communication requirement;

receive a first message from the second device, the first message including a first indicator indicating whether or not the second device can satisfy the requested communication requirement;

if the first indicator indicates that the second device cannot satisfy the requested communication requirement, send the application context information to a third device and process a second message received from the third device, the second message including a second indicator indicating whether or not the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement; and

if the second indicator indicates that the third device can satisfy the requested communication requirement, select the third device as a target access router for the network layer handover.