NETWORK ELEMENT APPARATUS AND INTERMEDIATE ROUTER APPARATUS

• US 20090147789A1
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TAN, Pek-Yew, UE, Toyoki, NG, Chan-Wah
• Granted Patent: US 8,064,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

As an apparatus itself moves, its access section gets access to a router using a temporarily assigned global address when making a roaming connection to a different network from a network to which the apparatus belongs currently. A message generating section generates a binding update message, which contains a global address which is uniquely assigned to a network element apparatus, the above temporarily assigned global address, and a global address of the router, to transmit the generated message via the access section to a router, which is a serving router after move. This makes it possible to deliver packets among moving networks with the minimum delay to an intended recipient.

Claims

1. A network element apparatus which is connected to a single higher level router, performs packet communication with a correspondent node directly or via an anchor node in a global network, and makes roaming connection to an access network contained in the global network, the apparatus comprising:

an access section that gains access to said access network by using a temporarily assigned global address assigned by the access network;

a receiving section that receives advertisement containing a global address of the higher level router to which the network element apparatus is connected;

a generating section that generates a binding update message which contains the temporarily assigned global address, and the global address of the higher level router the network element apparatus is connected to;

a transmitting section that transmits the generated message to another network element apparatus, which is the correspondent node or anchor node; and

a marking section that marks packets transmitted from the network element apparatus to the correspondent node or anchor node, such that packets marked will be treated by higher level router as requesting for a more optimal forwarding path.

2. The network element apparatus of claim 1, to which a unique global address is assigned in said global network, the apparatus further comprising:

a generating section that generates a binding update message which contains the unique global address, temporarily assigned global address, and the global address of the higher level router the network element apparatus is connected to.

3. An intermediate router apparatus which provides access to said global network in claim 1 to a single or, plurality of network element apparatus, comprises:

an advertising section that includes a unique global address of said intermediate router apparatus in an advertisement message that is transmitted to said single or plurality of network element apparatus;

a generating section that generates a binding update message which contains the unique global address of the intermediate router apparatus;

an optimal forwarding establishing section that receives packets transmitted by said single or plurality of network element apparatus, wherein if the received packets are marked to indicate request for a more optimal forwarding path, sending the binding update message generated by the generating section to establish an optimal forwarding path, if an optimal path for the specified destination in the received packet is not established; and

an optimal forwarding section that receives packets transmitted by said single or plurality of network element apparatus, wherein if the received packets are marked to indicate request for a more optimal forwarding path, transmitting the received packet through the optimal path if an optimal path for the specified destination in the received packet is established.

4. The intermediate router apparatus of claim 3 wherein said optimal forwarding section that receives packets transmitted by said single or plurality of network element apparatus, wherein if the received packets are marked to indicate request for a more optimal forwarding path, transmitting the received packet through the optimal path if an optimal path for the specified destination in the received packet is established, further comprises:

an address modifying section which modifies the source address of the received packet to the global unique address of the intermediate router apparatus when transmitting the received packet through the optimal path.

5. The intermediate router apparatus of claim 3, to which a temporary global address is assigned, comprises:

a generating section that generates a binding update message which contains the unique global address, and the temporary global address of the intermediate router apparatus.

6. The intermediate router apparatus of claim 5, which is connected to a single higher level router and makes roaming connection to an access network contained in the global network, the apparatus comprising:

an access section that gains access to said access network by using a temporarily assigned global address assigned by the access network;

a receiving section that receives advertisement containing a global address of the higher level router to which the intermediate router apparatus is connected to; and

a generating section that generates a binding update message which contains the temporarily assigned global address, and the global address of the higher level router the intermediate router apparatus is connected to.