ATTACHMENT INDICATOR FOR HANDOVER BETWEEN HETEROGENOUS NETWORKS

• US 20110044286A1
• Filed: 08/10/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Puneet K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• 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 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In some embodiments a method comprises receiving, in a WiMAX Signaling forwarding function (SFF) node, a preregistration request for a mobile station, in response to the preregistration request, generating a flag to indicate whether the request is being processed by the WiMAX Signaling forwarding function node, and forwarding a preattachment request from the WiMAX Signaling forwarding function node to an access gateway, wherein the preattachment request comprises the flag. Other embodiments may be described.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, in a WiMAX Signaling forwarding function (SFF) node, a preregistration request for a mobile station;

in response to the preregistration request, generating a flag to indicate whether the request is being processed by the WiMAX Signaling forwarding function node; and

forwarding a preattachment request from the WiMAX Signaling forwarding function node to an access gateway, wherein the preattachment request comprises the flag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, in a WiMAX Signaling forwarding function node, a preregistration request for a mobile station comprises receiving a preregistration request for a WiMAX access network for a mobile station coupled to a non-WiMAX access network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the access gateway comprises a WiMAX access service network gateway (ASN-GW); and

the flag is embodied as an attachment to a message transmitted between the SFF and the ASN-GW via an R6 interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving, in the SFF, an acknowledgment from the ASN-GW.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, in the SFF, an authentication request from the ASN-GW; and

in response to the authentication request, facilitating an authentication process between the mobile station and a WiMAX Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) Server.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

facilitating a handover operation to couple the mobile station to the WiMAX access network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the access gateway comprises a WiMAX access service network gateway (ASN-GW); and

the access gateway ASN-GW receives an IM_Exit_State_Change_Rsp with R6_Attachment_Type from a preregistered ASN-GW over an R4 interface and, in response thereto, includes additional logic to invoke a Mobile IP (MIP4) or Proxy Mobile IP (PMIP6) procedures

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, in a WiMAX access service network gateway (ASN-GW), a preattachment request for a mobile station comprising a flag to indicate whether the request originated from a preregistration node;

in response to a determination that the flag indicates that the request originated from a preregistration node, maintaining an open interface connection with the preregistration node.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

in response to a determination that the flag indicates that the request originated from a preregistration node, not waiting for dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) process from the UE/MS and not invoking Mobile IP (MIP4) or Proxy Mobile IP (PMIP6) procedure towards HA/LMA.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the preregistration node comprises a WiMAX Signaling forwarding function (SFF); and

the flag is embodied as an attachment to a message transmitted between the SFF and the ASN-GW via an R6 interface.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising transmitting to the SFF, an acknowledgment to the preattachment request.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, in the SFF, an authentication request from the ASN-GW; and

in response to the authentication request, facilitating an authentication process between the mobile station and a WiMAX Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) Server.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

facilitating a handover operation to couple the mobile station to the WiMAX access network.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the access gateway comprises a WiMAX access service network gateway (ASN-GW); and

the access gateway ASN-GW receives an IM_Exit_State_Change_Rsp with R6_Attachment_Type from a preregistered ASN-GW over an R4 interface and, in response thereto, includes additional logic to invoke a Mobile IP (MIP4) or Proxy Mobile IP (PMIP6) procedures

15. A method, comprising:

receiving a preregistration request for a WiMAX access network for a mobile station coupled to a non-WiMAX access network; and

in response to the preregistration request, allowing the mobile station to remain connected to the non-WiMAX access network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving a preregistration request for a WiMAX access network for a mobile station coupled to a non-WiMAX access network comprises receiving a preregistration request in a WiMAX SFF via a R9 interface.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to the preregistration request, generating a TLV which indicates that the request is being processed by the WiMAX Signaling forwarding function node; and

forwarding a preattachment request from the WiMAX Signaling forwarding function node to an access gateway, wherein the preattachment request comprises the attachment flag TLV

18. The method of claim 15, wherein allowing the mobile station to remain connected to the non-WiMAX access network comprises at least one of maintaining an open interface connection between a WiMAX SFF node and not waiting for dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) process from the UE/MS and not invoking Mobile IP (MIP4) or Proxy Mobile IP (PMIP6) procedure towards HA/LMA.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an authentication request from the ASN-GW; and

in response to the authentication request, facilitating an authentication process between the mobile station and a WiMAX Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) Server.