Mobile packet communication system

• US 6,646,999 B1
• Filed: 01/13/2000
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takechi, Ryuichi, Kato, Tsuguo, Ono, Hideaki, Wakamoto, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qureshi, Afsar M.
• Application Number:
  US09/482,712
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/338, 370/349, 370/389, 370/400, 370/401, 455/422, 455/433, 455/445, 455/450, 455/507, 455/509, 455/517, 709/202, 709/249
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/04 Interfaces between hierarchically different network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

The present invention concerns a mobile packet communication system that supports data communications, including Internet communications, in a high-speed mobile communication system such as a cellular communication network, and integrates a mobile network and a fixed network on a common platform while providing the capability to select an optimum route. Location registration servers 1-4-1 to 1-4-3 each store in a one-to-one fashion the addresses of subscriber nodes 1-2-1 to 1-2-2 currently serving mobile terminals 1-1-1 to 1-1-2 each assigned a packet address, or store in a one-to-one fashion the addresses of gate nodes 1-3-1 to 1-3-2 connected to fixed equipment 1-5-1 to 1-5-2 each assigned a packet address, and a transmitting node, which is a subscriber node or a gate node, temporarily stores a receiving node address reported from the corresponding one of the location registration servers 1-4-1 to 1-4-3, and transfers subsequent packets directly to the receiving node by using the temporarily stored receiving node address.

Claims

1. A mobile packet communication system comprising mobile terminals connected via a mobile radio communication network, subscriber nodes accommodating said mobile terminals, gate nodes connected to fixed equipment including Internet service providers or local area networks, and a plurality of location registration servers, one for each group of destination packet addresses having the same high-order digits, wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are interconnected by a network, and wherein:

said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are each assigned a unique address for routing;

said location registration servers each include a register which stores, for each mobile terminal assigned a packet address containing the high-order digit of packet destination address associated with said each location registration server, the address of the subscriber node currently serving said each mobile terminal, or stores, for each fixed equipment assigned a packet address containing said high-order digit, the address of the gate node to which said each fixed equipment is connected;

said subscriber nodes and said gate nodes each include a table used to retrieve the address of the corresponding location registration server by reference to the high-order digit of the packet destination address;

a transmitting node, which is a subscriber node that received a packet from a particular mobile terminal or a gate node that received a packet from particular fixed equipment, includes means for retrieving the address of the corresponding location registration server by reference to the high-order digit of the destination address contained in said packet, and for transferring said received packet to said location registration server;

said location registration server includes means for retrieving, by reference to the destination address contained in said received packet, the address of the mobile terminal corresponding to said destination address or the address of a receiving gate node connected to the fixed equipment corresponding to said destination address, and for returning the retrieved receiving node address to said transmitting node; and

said transmitting node includes means for temporarily storing said receiving node address returned from said location registration server, and for transferring any subsequent packet having the same destination address and received from said mobile terminal or said fixed equipment, directly to said receiving node by using said temporarily stored receiving node address.

2. A mobile packet communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said location registration server includes means for transferring the packet received from said transmitting node on to said receiving node, and said transmitting node includes means for transferring directly to said receiving node any n-th packet (n≧

=2) having the same destination address and received from said mobile terminal or said fixed equipment subsequently to the reception of said receiving node address from said location registration server.

3. A mobile packet communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are each assigned a unique Internet address for routing, and said network interconnecting said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers is constructed from a router network.

4. A mobile packet communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are each assigned a unique ATM address for routing, and said network interconnecting said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers is constructed using semi-permanent connections on an ATM network, and wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers each include means for transferring said packet by using adaptation layer AAL Type 5 protocol.

5. A mobile packet communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are each assigned a unique ATM address for routing, and said network interconnecting said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers is constructed using semi-permanent connections on an ATM network, and wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers each include means for transferring said packet by using adaptation layer AAL Type 2 protocol.

6. A mobile packet communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are each assigned a unique address of adaptation layer AAL Type 2 for routing, and said network interconnecting said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers is constructed using semi-permanent connections of adaptation layer AAL Type 2 on an ATM network, and wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers each include means for transferring said packet by using adaptation layer AAL Type 2 protocol.

7. A mobile packet communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are each assigned a unique ATM connectionless address for routing, and said network interconnecting said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers is constructed from an ATM connectionless network, and wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers each include means for transferring said packet by using adaptation layer AAL Type 5 protocol or adaptation layer AAL Type 2 protocol.

8. A mobile packet communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said subscriber nodes, said gate nodes, and said location registration servers are interconnected by switched virtual connections (SVCs) on an ATM network.