Mobile migration communications control device

• US 6,456,621 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1998
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Wada, Hiromi, Yozawa, Takashi, Ohnishi, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US09/137,133
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/401, 370/402, 370/465, 370/466, 370/474, 370/475, 709/223, 709/245, 709/246, 379/185, 455/432, 455/435
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• 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: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Disclosed is a migration communication control device constructed to control a continuous communication between a mobile node and a node unaffected the mobile node'"'"'s migration. The migration communication control device comprises a first migration control unit, a second migration control unit on the mobile node, and a third migration control unit on the partner node. The first migration control unit comprises a packet transfer unit and an address post unit. The packet transfer unit receives a packet which was destined for an outdated address of the mobile node, generates a conversion packet which holds an updated address instead of the outdated address, and then transmits the conversion packet, while an address post unit transmits an address post message which indicates the updated address to the third migration control unit. The second migration control unit comprises a migration post unit and a packet resumption unit. The migration post unit transmits to the first migration control unit a migration post message which indicates the updated address when the mobile node migrates to another network while a packet resumption unit receives the conversion packet from both the first migration control unit and the third migration control unit and resumes an original packet from the conversion packet. The third migration control unit comprises a packet conversion unit which converts a destination address of a packet into the updated address, then transmits it to the mobile node.

Claims

1. A mobile node migration control unit in a migration communication control device, the migration communication control device being constructed to control a communication between a mobile node which migrates across networks and obtains an address assigned on each network and a partner node which is a communication partner of the mobile node, being placed on the mobile node and comprising:

migration post means for transmitting to a packet transfer migration control unit a migration post message which indicates an updated address of the mobile node when the mobile node migrates to another network, the packet transfer migration control unit for receiving a packet which was transmitted by the partner node to an outdated address of the mobile node, the outdated address assigned when the mobile node migrated to a network to which the migration control unit for packet transfer is attached, generating a conversion packet which holds the updated address instead of the outdated address, and transmitting the conversion packet; and

packet resumption means for receiving the conversion packet from both the packet transfer migration control unit and the mobile node, and resuming an original packet from the conversion packet.

2. The mobile node migration control unit of claim 1 further including an address post means for transmitting an address post message which indicates the updated address of the mobile node.

3. The mobile node migration control unit of claim 1 further including:

address post message receiving means for receiving an address post message which indicates an updated address of the mobile node from a packet transfer migration control unit, the packet transfer migration control unit transmitting an address post message which indicates the updated address of the mobile node to the partner node; and

packet conversion means for converting a destination address of a packet, the packet to be transmitted to the mobile node, into the updated address indicated by the address post message, and transmitting it to the mobile node.

4. A mobile node migration control unit in a migration communication control device, the migration communication control device being constructed to control a communication between a mobile node which migrates across networks and obtains an address. assigned on each network and a partner node which is a communication partner of the mobile node, being placed on the mobile node and comprising:

a migration post unit transmitting, to a packet transfer migration control unit, a migration post message which indicates an updated address of the mobile node when the mobile node migrates to another network, the packet transfer migration control unit for receiving a packet which was transmitted by the partner node to an outdated address of the mobile node, the outdated address assigned when the mobile node migrated to a network to which the migration control unit for packet transfer is attached, generating a conversion packet which holds the updated address instead of the outdated address, and transmitting the conversion packet; and

packet resumption unit receiving the conversion packet from both the packet transfer migration control unit and the mobile node, and resuming an original packet from the conversion packet.