Enhanced mobility and address resolution in a wireless premises based network

• US 6,701,361 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Meier, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US09/183,767
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 370/85.7, 370/85.13, 709/201, 709/217, 709/203, 709/218, 709/221, 709/228, 709/224, 709/225, 455/412
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A premises based wireless network having a multi-segment wired network and a plurality of wireless access points connected to the wired network. The wired network operates according to a wired network protocol which may be the Internet Protocol. Wireless terminals communicate with the wireless access points according to a wireless network protocol, inconsistent with the wired network protocol. Each of the wireless terminals has a wired network address corresponding to one of the wireless access points. Each wireless terminal also has an address according to the wired network protocol. As the wireless terminals roam throughout the premises, protocol tunnels route communications between wireless terminals, thereby preserving communications while roaming by allowing the wireless terminals to retain their wired network addresses during the ongoing communications. The wireless terminals are connected to wireless access points. These wireless access points are in turn linked by data link tunnels to a root access point for a subnet. The data link tunnels enable the root access point for a subnet to forward data to the wireless access points. The forwarded data is not bridged onto the particular subnet that connects the wireless access point and the root access point for that subnet.

Claims

1. A communication network providing wireless communication within a premises, the wireless network comprising:

a wired network operating according to a wired protocol, the wired network having a first network segment and a second network segment;

a wireless terminal having a wired network protocol address;

a first access point coupled to the first network segment;

a second access point coupled to the first network segment; and

a data link tunnel that communicatively couples the second access point to the first access point when the wireless terminal is in wireless communication with the second access point, wherein the wired network protocol address of the wireless terminal is respective to the second network segment, and a message including original data for the wireless terminal is directed to the wired network address respective to the second network segment when the wireless terminal has roamed to the first network segment, the second network segment encapsulating the message including the original data in a packet for transmission to the first access point, and the first access point encapsulating the message including the original data in a packet for transmission via the data link tunnel to the second access point of the first network segment, such that the original data is supplied to the wireless terminal without use of pseudo addresses or new local addresses which are dynamically assigned to roaming terminals.

2. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the first access point has a bridge layer for coupling messages to the first network segment, and the encapsulated message sent by the first access point bypasses the bridge layer for faster access to the wireless terminal.

3. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the data link tunnel comprises a wireless link between the first access point and the second access point.

4. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the second access point de-encapsulates the original data and forwards it to the wireless terminal.

5. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the first access point is connected to the first network segment.

6. The communication network of claim 5 wherein a protocol tunnel communicatively couples the first access point to the second network segment.

7. The communication network of claim 6 further comprising a third access point connected to the second network segment.

8. The communication network of claim 7 wherein the wireless terminal has a wired network protocol address respective to the third access point.

9. The communication network of claim 8 wherein the first access point and the third access point are communicatively coupled with a protocol tunnel.

10. The communication network of claim 9 wherein routed communication through the data link tunnel uses a different protocol scheme than when routed through the protocol tunnel.

11. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the wired network operates under the Internet protocol.

12. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the data link tunnel operates across the wired network.

13. The communication network of claim 1 wherein the data link tunnel operates across a radio link.

14. The communication network of claim 1 wherein routed communication from the first tunnel is not bridged onto the first network segment.

15. A communications network comprising:

a wired network operating according to a wired network protocol, the wired network having a first network segment and a second network segment;

a first wireless access point connected to the first network segment;

a second wireless access point connected to the second network segment;

a wireless node having a wired network protocol address respective to the first wireless access point, and capable of roaming to the proximity of a remote wireless access point connected to the second network segment; and

means for routing communications via a protocol tunnel from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point across the wired network when the wireless node has roamed to the proximity of such a remote wireless access point connected to the second network segment and is in communication with such remote wireless access point, and means for providing a logical extension to the remote wireless access point while allowing the wireless node to retain its wired network protocol address, and without requiring the use of pseudo addresses or new local addresses assigned dynamically to roaming wireless terminals.

16. The communications network of claim 15, the wired network operating according to an Internet Protocol.

17. The communications network of claim 15, wherein the first wireless access point originates the protocol tunnel.

18. The communications network of claim 15, wherein the second wireless access point originates the protocol tunnel.

19. The communications network of claim 15, further comprising a router that couples the first network segment to the second network segment.

20. The communications network of claim 15, wherein the first network segment and the second network segment have different subnetwork addresses.

21. The communications network of claim 15, with the remote access point comprising a third access point connected to the second network segment;

and the protocol tunnel routing communications from the first wireless access point to both the second wireless access point and the third access point across the wired network when the wireless node is in communication with the third wireless access point.

22. The communications network of claim 15, wherein communications through the protocol tunnel are limited based upon communication type.

23. The communications network of claim 15, wherein address resolution packets are selectively passed through the protocol tunnel.

24. The communications network of claim 15, wherein communications through the protocol tunnel are reordered upon receipt based upon an original ordering.

25. In a communications network comprising:

a wired network operating according to a wired network protocol, the wired network having a first network segment and a second network segment with respective access points connected thereto;

a wireless node having a wired network protocol address respective to a first wireless access point of the first network segment;

the method of enabling roaming of the wireless node into proximity to a remote wireless access point of the second network segment while maintaining communications;

said method comprising

the step for routing communications via a protocol tunnel from the first wireless access point to a second wireless access point of the second network segment across the wired network when the wireless node has roamed to the proximity of a remote wireless access point of the second network segment and is in communication with such remote wireless access point, and

the step for routing communication from the second wireless access point to the remote wireless access point via a data link tunnel, without requiring the wireless node to obtain a new local address, and without the use of pseudo addresses dynamically assigned to roaming terminals.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the wired network operates according to an Internet Protocol.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the first wireless access point originates the protocol tunnel.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the second wireless access point originates the protocol tunnel.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein a router couples the first network segment to the second network segment.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the first network segment and the second network segment have different subnetwork addresses.

31. The method of claim 25, further comprising routing communications from the first wireless access point to both the second wireless access point and a third wireless access point across the wired network when the wireless node is not in communicative proximity to a wireless access point of the first network segment, and is in communication with the third wireless access point.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein communications through the protocol tunnel are limited based upon communication type.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein address resolution packets are selectively passed through the protocol tunnel.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein communications through the protocol tunnel are reordered upon receipt based upon an original ordering.