HANDOVER METHOD OF MOBILE TERMINAL BETWEEN HETEROGENEOUS NETWORKS

• US 20110200006A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, KT Corporation
• Inventors: Cheon, Kyung Yul, Kwon, Hye Yeon, Park, Ae Soon
• Application Number:
  US12/809,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20110200006A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a handover method of a mobile terminal between heterogeneous networks. The present invention may provide a handover method ensuring service continuity between heterogeneous networks by transmitting an IP address of a mobile terminal to a mobile IP management server and activating or inactivating a PDP context when the mobile terminal connected to one of a mobile communication network or a wireless LAN is handed over to the other.

Claims

1. A handover method comprising:

selecting a mobile communication network for a handover to the mobile communication network by a mobile terminal;

requesting a mobile communication service to the selected mobile communication network by the mobile terminal;

performing a subscriber authentication procedure of the mobile terminal to provide the mobile communication service requested by the mobile terminal;

requesting activation of a PDP context to the mobile communication network by the subscribe-authenticated mobile terminal;

assigning a new IP address to the mobile terminal based on the activated PDP context; and

handing over the mobile terminal to the mobile communication network based on the newly assigned IP address.

2. The handover method of claim 1, wherein

the PDP context includes at least one of a PDP type, a PDP address, usage information of static address and dynamic address, transaction information, QoS related information.

3. The handover method of claim 1, wherein

The type of the PDP context is one of X.25, PPP, IPv4, and IPv6.

4. The handover method of claim 1, wherein

said performing the subscriber authentication procedure includes performing an authentication of the mobile terminal using subscriber information received from the mobile terminal.

5. The handover method of claim 1, wherein

said handing over the mobile terminal includes performing the handover by transmitting and registering the newly assigned IP address to the mobile communication network.

6. A handover method of a mobile terminal comprising:

requesting a connection to a wireless LAN for handover to the wireless LAN by the mobile terminal;

performing a subscriber authentication of the mobile terminal to provide a connection to the requested wireless LAN;

assigning a new IP address to the mobile terminal by the connected wireless LAN; and

handing over the mobile terminal to the wireless LAN based on the newly assigned IP address.

7. The handover method of claim 6, wherein

said performing the subscriber authentication procedure includes performing an authentication of the mobile terminal using subscriber information received from the mobile terminal.

8. The handover method of claim 6, wherein

said handing over the mobile terminal includes performing the handover by transmitting and registering the newly assigned IP address to the wireless LAN.

9. A handover method of a mobile terminal connected to a wireless network, if there is an activated PDP context between the mobile terminal and a mobile communication network, the handover method comprising:

requesting inactivation of the PDP context by the mobile terminal;

removing the inactivation-requested PDP context; and

releasing a connection between the mobile terminal and the mobile communication network based on the removed PDP context.

10. The handover method of claim 9, wherein

said releasing includes performing paging and mobility management between the mobile terminal and the mobile communication network.

11. The handover method of claim 9, wherein

the PDP context includes at least one of a PDP type, a PDP address, usage information of static address and dynamic address, transaction information, QoS related information.

12. The handover method of claim 9, wherein

The type of the PDP context is one of X.25, PPP, IPv4, and IPv6.

13. A handover method of a mobile terminal comprising:

connecting the mobile terminal connected to a first network to a second network for handover to the second network;

performing a subscriber authentication of the mobile terminal to enable the mobile terminal to receive a service from the second network;

requesting a protocol so that the subscriber-authenticated mobile terminal may receive a service from the second network; and

handing over the mobile terminal to the second network based on the requested protocol.

14. The handover method of claim 13, wherein

said handing over the mobile terminal includes performing a handover by enabling the second network to assign a new IP address to the mobile terminal and registering the newly assigned IP address to the second network.

15. The handover method of claim 13, wherein

the protocol is a PDP context.

16. The handover method of claim 15, wherein

the PDP context includes at least one of a PDP type, a PDP address, usage information of static address and dynamic address, transaction information, QoS related information.

17. The handover method of claim 15, wherein

The type of the PDP context is one of X.25, PPP, IPv4, and IPv6.