METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDOVER AND SESSION CONTINUITY USING PRE-REGISTRATION TUNNELING PROCEDURE

• US 20090017826A1
• Filed: 07/09/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaheen, Kamel M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,238,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/442
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

A method and apparatus for session continuity using pre-registration tunneling procedure are disclosed. For session continuity, a tunnel is established between a multi-mode wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) and a core network of a target system via a source system while the WTRU is still connected with the source system. An access procedure is performed toward the target system using the tunnel. A handover is the performed from the source system to the target system once the access procedure is complete. The access procedure includes session initiation protocol (SIP) registration, authentication of the WTRU at the target system, and internet protocol (IP) configuration. The handover may be from a third generation partnership project (3GPP) system to a non-3GPP system, or vice versa.

Claims

1. A method for session initiation protocol (SIP) based handover of a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) between a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) system and a non-3GPP system, the WTRU having a first radio transceiver a second radio transceiver, where one of the first and second radio transceivers is configured for communication with a 3GPP system and another of the first and second radio transceivers is configured for communication with a non-3GPP system, the method comprising:

receiving information of a handover target system on a physical (PHY) layer of the first radio transceiver;

transferring the received target system information to a radio resource control layer and a media access control layer of the second transceiver using a crossover connection between the first radio transceiver and the second radio transceiver; and

performing pre-authentication and pre-registration procedures by upper layers of the second transceiver.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the upper layers include a SM layer and a MM layer.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the upper layers include a SIP application layer.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the WTRU receiving instructions from the source system to initiate an access procedure toward the target system and performing a handover from the source system to the target system once the access procedure is complete.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the access procedure includes performing session initiation protocol (SIP) registration with the target system and establishing SIP connectivity with the target system.

6. The method as in claim 4, wherein the access procedure includes authentication of the WTRU at the target system.

7. The method as in claim 4, wherein the access procedure includes packet data protocol (PDP) context activation.

8. The method as in claim 4, wherein the access procedure includes establishing internet protocol (IP) connectivity to the target system.

9. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the first radio transceiver receiving a measurement list of candidate target systems from the source system.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

the first radio transceiver sending the list to the second transceiver.

11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising the second transceiver performing measurements of target systems identified in the list and sending the measurements to the first transceiver.

12. The method as in claim 11 further comprising the first transceiver providing a measurement report to the source system to allow the source system to select a target system based on the measurement report.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein the source system is a 3GPP system and the target system is a non-3GPP system.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein the source system is a non-3GPP system and the target system is a 3GPP system.

15. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:

a first radio transceiver configured for wireless communication with a first system;

a second radio transceiver configured for wireless communication with a second system, where one of the first and second radio transceivers is configured for communication with a 3GPP system and another of the first and second radio transceivers is configured for communication with a non-3GPP system; and

a controller configured to establish a transfer of information received from a target system from the first transceiver to the second transceiver while the WTRU is still connected with the first system;

the controller further configured to perform an access procedure for accessing toward the second system using a tunnel; and

the controller further configured to perform a handover from the first system to the second system once the access procedure is complete.

16. The WTRU as in claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to establish session initiation protocol (SIP) registration with the target system and to establish SIP connectivity with the target system.

17. The WTRU as in claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to authenticate the WTRU to the target system as part of the access procedure.

18. The WTRU as in claim 15, wherein the first system is a third generation partnership project (3GPP) system and the second system is a non-3GPP system.

19. The WTRU as in claim 15, wherein the first system is a non-3GPP system and the second system is a 3GPP system.

20. The WTRU of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to establish target system registration.

21. The WTRU as in claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to establish packet data protocol (PDP) context activation.

22. The WTRU as in claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to establish target system internet protocol (IP) connectivity.

23. The WTRU as in claim 15, wherein the first transceiver comprises a physical layer coupled by a crossover connection to a medium access control layer and a radio resource control layer of the second transceiver to allow upper layers of the second transceiver to receive target system information, whereby the target system information is used to perform pre-authentication and pre-registration procedures.