Packet data service network in a mobile radio communication network and method of operating a packet data service using the packet data service network

• US 6,766,168 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Information & Communications Ltd. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Information & Communications Ltd. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lim, Byung Keun
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Volper, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US09/501,276
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/310.1, 370/310.2, 370/313, 370/328, 370/345, 370/349, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/351, 370/329, 370/331, 455/422, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/436, 455/437, 455/442
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• 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 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A packet data service system and operating method thereof in a mobile radio communication network is provided, which can support link mobility by maintaining a data connection between a mobile station and an initially connected interworking function device when a mobile packet data service is provided in the environment of a mobile radio communication network of cellular/PCS/IMT-2000. The packet data service system includes a packet router for providing originating or terminating traffic paths for a plurality of mobile stations and managing particulars of an event whenever the event is produced in the mobile stations, and an interworking function device for controlling the packet router to interwork with another network. If a mobile station deviates from a predetermined service area of the interworking function device while the mobile station is being served with a packet data service interworking with the another network, the packet router continuously maintains the initially determined data link between the mobile station and the interworking function device.

Claims

1. A packet data service system, comprising:

a packet router to provide one of an originating and terminating traffic path for a plurality of mobile stations in a first network and managing particulars of an event using tables whenever the event is produced in the mobile stations; and

an interworking function device to control the packet router to interwork with a second network;

the tables including a first information table for managing information on the packet router for controlling a prescribed service area, a second information table for managing mobility of the mobile station with respect to the prescribed service area during a packet data service of the mobile station and a third information table for managing a service area identifier of the interworking function device connected to the packet router, a connection type of the packet router, and a relationship between interworking function devices if a plurality of interworking devices are provided, wherein if a first mobile station among the plurality of mobile stations deviates from the prescribed service area of the interworking function device while the first mobile station is being served with the packet data service interworking with the second network, the packet router continuously maintains a point-to-point (PPP) link initially determined between the first mobile station and the interworking function device in accordance with the managed particulars of the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mobile station is one of a mobile station having internal software for maintaining a call connection of a network layer of the second network connected to the mobile station when the mobile station deviates from the prescribed service area and a mobile station having no internal software.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet router comprises a base station controller and a mobile switching center for managing information on mobility of the mobile station.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the prescribed service area is one of a cell area, a radio connective area of a base station controller, and a unit area to which one interworking function device is physically connected.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is one of an originating call request, a terminating call request, a handoff request, a position registration request in an inactive state, and a reconnection request of the mobile station.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information table includes a parameter which indicates the interworking function device connected to the mobile station when the mobile station in the service area requests the packet data service.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second information table includes:

a first parameter, which indicates an area where the mobile station is currently registered;

a second parameter, which indicates the identifier of the interworking function device corresponding to the registered area;

a third parameter, which indicates a relationship with the interworking function device currently providing the service; and

a fourth parameter, which indicates the identifier and service type of the interworking function device to which the mobile station is connected through the PPP link.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the third parameter selectively indicates one of:

a) a case that the corresponding interworking function device is identical to the serving interworking function device;

b) a case that the corresponding interworking function device is identical to the serving interworking function device, but links through which the packet router is connected to the corresponding interworking function device and the serving interworking function device are different;

c) a case that different interworking devices are connected together through the packet router;

d) a case that a relay link between the mobile station and the interworking function device are connected through a packet router of an intermediate layer; and

e) a case that the packet router does not provide the PPP link between the mobile station and the interworking function device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the third information table includes:

a fifth parameter, which indicates an area currently served by the corresponding interworking function device;

a sixth parameter, which indicates a type that the corresponding interworking function device is connected to the packet router; and

a seventh parameter, which indicates a list of an adjacent interworking function devices to which the mobile station currently served in an area wherein the corresponding interworking function device identifier provides the service is connective as the mobile station continuously maintains the PPP link.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a fifth information table is provided for the respective interworking function device if the fifth parameter has a specified value, and manages an identifier of an area which is controlled by the packet router served by the corresponding interworking function device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio communication network is based on one of a cellular, PCS, and IMT-2000 communication network.

12. A packet data service system in a mobile radio communication network, comprising:

a base station;

a base station controller;

a mobile switching center; and

an interworking function device, wherein the system is divided into a plurality of unit areas, wherein the mobile switching center or the base station controller manages a packet mobility binding table (PMBT) to manage a mobility of an infra link for a packet data service of a specified mobile station under the control of the mobile switching center or the base station controller, and the interworking function device manages a mobility binding table (MBT) to maintain a data link between the mobile station and the interworking function device from a time when the mobile station is registered in the interworking function device to a time when a packet session is closed or the mobile station performs a de-registration, and wherein if the mobile station moves from a first radio unit area to a second radio unit area, the data link connection between the mobile station and the interworking function device is controlled in accordance with information on the PMBT and the MBT.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of unit areas is one of a packet zone identifier (PZID) and a packet registration area (PRA).

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the PZID corresponds to the PRA in a one-to-one manner, and the PRA is created based on the interworking function device and a serving router.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile station is a simple IP (SIP) mobile station to which no mobile IP client software is supported, and if the SIP mobile station moves from the first radio unit area to the second radio unit area, a link between the SIP mobile station and the mobile switching center is connected through the mobile station and the interworking function device serving the first radio unit area.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein during a packet service active state of the mobile station, the mobile switching center or a visitor location register respectively manages:

a unit area identifiers table, which indicates an associated serving interworking function device which corresponds to a unit area identifier defined in the communication system, and information on the base station controller and the base station which serve the unit area; and

an interworking function device table, which indicates the serving unit areas of all interworking function device identifiers connected to the areas of the base station controller or the mobile switching center which are managed by the mobile switching center, a connection type of the base station controller or the mobile switching center, and a mutual relationship between the interworking function devices.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the unit area identifiers table includes:

a packet zone identifier (PZID) field, which indicates the PZID uniquely divided in a unit of the base station controller or base station in the whole communication system;

a base station controller identifier (BSCID) field, which indicates the BSCID in the corresponding PZID area; and

a serving interworking function device identifier (SIWFID) field, which indicates the SIWFID that is connected when the mobile station in the PZID area requests the packet service.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the interworking function device table includes:

an interworking function device identifier (IWFID) field, which indicates the IWFID uniquely divided in the unit of the mobile switching center in the whole communication system;

a packet zone identifier (PZID) field, which indicates the PZID area served by the corresponding interworking function device identifier;

a type/base station controller identifier (BSCID) field, which divides a physical connection type between the corresponding interworking function device and the base station controller or the mobile switching center; and

a Nlist global list field, which indicates a list of the associated interworking function device managed by the corresponding mobile switching center or the base station controller to which the mobile station served in the PZID served by the corresponding interworking function device can be connected while the mobile station continuously maintains the data link.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein if the PZID field in the interworking function device table has a prescribed value, a global PZID table is provided for each IWFID.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the global PZID table includes:

an IWFID field, which indicates the interworking function device identifier created for each interworking function device;

a BSCID field, which is registered for each connected base station controller if the interworking function device is of a base station controller connection type and which has a PZID list as a sub-file; and

a mobile switching center identifier (MSCID) field, which is registered for each connected mobile switching center if the interworking function device is of a mobile switching center connection type and which has a PZID list as a sub-file.

23. The system of claim 12, wherein the PMBT comprises:

a packet zone identifier (PZID) field, which indicates an area where the mobile station is currently registered;

an associated interworking function device identifier (AIWFID) field, which indicates a relationship between an associated interworking function device (AIWF) which should serve the unit area currently registered and a serving interworking function device (SIWF); and

a serving internetworking device identifier (SIWFID) field, which indicates the identifier and service type of the interworking function device to which the mobile station is connected through the data link.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the relationship is one of:

a) the associated interworking function device (AIWF) is identical to the serving interworking function device (SIWF);

b) the AIWF is identical to the SIWF, but links through which the mobile switching center are connected to the AIWF and the SIWF are different;

c) different interworking devices are connected together through a packet router;

d) a relay link between the mobile station and the interworking function device are connected through the packet router of an intermediate layer; and

e) the mobile switching center does not provide the data link between the mobile station and the interworking function device.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the PMBT further comprises:

a REG_state field, which indicates whether a present registration state of the mobile station is serving or anchoring;

a P_state field, which indicates whether a present packet data service state of the mobile station is active or inactive; and

a Servstate field, which indicates whether the serving interworking function device (SIWF) has performed the packet data service and has an account information or not.

26. The system of claim 12, wherein the MBT includes:

an IPtype field, which indicates an IP service option used by the mobile station that requested an Internet packet data service;

a P_state field, which indicates a present packet data service state;

an IPADDR field, which indicates a home IP address for the data link which the mobile station is currently allocated with and uses;

a care of address (COA) type field, which indicates a COA used by a mobile internet protocol (MIP) mobile station;

a COA field, which indicates a COA which the mobile station is currently allocated with and uses;

a home agent address (HAA) field, which indicates a HAA of the mobile station or the MIP mobile station; and

a Linksource field, which indicates a physical port to which data traffic of the mobile station is currently connected.

27. The system of claim 12, wherein the interworking function device (IWF) further comprises and manages:

an IWF system declaration table (ISDT), which manages to support the link mobility of the mobile station; and

a mobile data path table, which manages information on the base station controller/mobile switching center which are connected to each physical port or logical port of a mobile data path connected to the base station controller/mobile switching center.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the ISDT comprises:

a Sysid field, which indicates an inherent IWFID uniquely given in the communication system;

a domain identifier field, which indicates an identifier (SID/NID) of a system area served by the interworking function device;

a zone identifier field, which indicates an identifier list of an associated packet zone served by the IWF; and

a Soption field, which indicates a service option list which can be serviced by the interworking function device.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the mobile data path table comprises:

a PortID field, which indicates an identifier of a physical connection port or a logical connection port for a mobile data path which the IWF has;

a MSC/BSCID field, which indicates an identifier of the mobile switching center or the base station controller connected to the corresponding port;

a GRID field, which indicates a group identifier for each mobile switching center/base station controller as a group number to which the corresponding port belongs;

a Type field, which discriminates as to whether the interworking function device is of a mobile switching center connection type or of a base station controller connection type; and

an APSID field, which indicates an identifier of the associated unit area served by the corresponding port.

21. The system of claim further comprising an anchor interworking function device table to make the data link with the serving interworking function device, to which a second mobile switching center provided the previous packet service by an ISLP protocol, the data link being maintained even when the mobile station is hard-handed off to a new mobile switching center with its packet session maintained, when the mobile station is connected to a packet network of the second mobile switching center and is served with the packet service.

22. The system of claim wherein the anchor interworking function device table comprises:

a mobile switching center identifier (MSCID) field, which indicates a MSCID which enables a mutual anchoring service between the present mobile switching center and another mobile switching center by connecting the present mobile switching center to the another mobile switching center and interworking packet service traffic data by the ISLP protocol; and

an interworking function (IWF) field for indicating an identifier of the IWF device which serves a packet zone under the control of the corresponding mobile switching center and which is connected by the ISLP protocol to the mobile station located in the packet zone under the control of the another mobile switching center and performs the anchoring service.

30. A method of operating a packet data service in a mobile radio communication network, comprising the steps of:

setting up a point-to-point (PPP) link between a mobile station and an interworking function device for interworking packet paths between the mobile station and another network in accordance with the packet data service required by the mobile station;

managing particulars of an event in a packet router for routing the PPP link whenever the event is created by the mobile station by using a first information table for managing information on the packet router for controlling a predetermined service area, a second information table for managing mobility of the mobile station with respect to the predetermined service area during a packet data service of the mobile station and a third information table for managing a service area identifier of the interworking function device connected to the packet router, a connection type of the packets router, and a relationship between interworking function devices if a plurality of interworking devices are provided, in a packet router for routing the PPP link; and

continuously maintaining the PPP link initially determined or changing a relay path between the mobile station and the packet router using the managed particulars of the event in accordance with a cause of the event in the packet router if the event is created in a state that the mobile station deviates from the predetermined area.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the event is one of an originating call request, a terminating call request, a handoff request, a position registration request in an inactive state, and a reconnection request of the mobile station.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein if the mobile station requests an originating call for performing the packet service, the packet router judges whether the second information table is created, and if it is judged that the second information table is not created, the packet router creates the second information table, and compares the identifier of the area in which the mobile station requested the originating call with the identifier of the area in the second information table already created, and wherein if the identifiers of the two areas are identical as a result of comparison, the packet router does not update the currently serving interworking function device from the second information table, while if the identifiers are different from each other, the packet router updates the currently serving interworking function device from the second information table, obtains a relationship between the identifier of the updated interworking function device and the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device, and performs a reconnection according to the obtained relationship.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the second information table is created by identifying the identifier of the area in which the mobile station originates the call, and obtaining the identifier of the currently serving interworking function device from the first information table in the packet router.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the relationship is one of:

a) a first relationship that a plurality of area identifiers are registered in the third information table when the identifier of the updated interworking function device is identical to the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device;

b) a second relationship that no area identifier is registered in the third information table though the identifier of the updated interworking function device is identical to the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device;

c) a third relationship that the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device is registered in the third information table when the identifier of the updated interworking function device is not identical to the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device;

d) a fourth relationship that the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device is not registered in the third information table and thus there exists the packet router to which the serving interworking function device identifier belongs when the identifier of the updated interworking function device is not identical to the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device; and

e) a fifth relationship that the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device is not registered in the third information table and there exists no packet router to which the serving interworking function device identifier belongs when the identifier of the updated interworking function device is not identical to the identifier of the previously serving interworking function device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein a dormant reconnection is performed if the relationship between the updated interworking function device and the serving interworking function device is own or neighbor, while an anchor reconnection is performed if the relationship is anchor.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein if the PPP link is continuously maintained or the relay path between the mobile station and the packet router is changed, the packet router identifies whether the managed particulars of the event is the latest updated information, and performs the service according to a result of identification.

37. A method of operating a packet data service in a mobile radio communication network comprising the steps of:

originating a call to a base station controller as a packet service option in a mobile station;

permitting a radio connection in the base station controller after identifying a identification of the mobile station and whether to permit the packet service;

performing a packet FR-SVC SETUP (initiation) to an interworking function device associated with a corresponding unit radio area in the base station controller;

making and maintaining a packet mobility binding table (PMBT) of the corresponding mobile station in the base station controller;

setting up a point-to-point (PPP) link between the mobile station and the interworking function device;

making a mobility binding table (MBT) of the mobile station in the interworking function device; and

performing a registration or relay with respect to the mobile station.