Voice over IP optimization for mobile IP

• US 6,963,918 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2000
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leung, Kent K.
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US09/608,460
• Time in Patent Office: 1,958 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 709238-245, 709/202, 370/329, 370/331
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• 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 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility 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 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

An invention is disclosed that includes a Foreign Agent that supports Mobile IP and is configured to enable a node visiting the Foreign Agent to send IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway. This is accomplished, in part, by sending an agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network. A packet is received from the node, where the packet is addressed to the H.323 gateway and requests an IP address associated with a destination. A packet including the requested IP address is forwarded to the node. An IP packet addressed to the IP address and including voice information may then be received from the node. A node visiting the Foreign is capable of sending IP packets including voice information and receives an agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on a foreign network associated with the Foreign Agent. The node sends a packet addressed to the H.323 gateway, where the packet requests an IP address associated with a destination. A packet including the requested IP address is received by the node. The node may then send an IP packet addressed to the IP address and including voice information from the node.

Claims

1. A Foreign Agent that supports Mobile IP, the Foreign Agent being on a foreign network and configured to enable a mobile node that supports Mobile IP visiting the Foreign Agent to send IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the Foreign Agent comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory storing therein the following instructions;

instructions for sending an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

instructions for receiving a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

instructions for forwarding a packet including the requested IP address to the mobile node; and

instructions for receiving an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP packet being addressed to the IP address.

2. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions for receiving the packet including the requested IP address from the H.323 gateway.

3. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions for determining whether the H.323 gateway has access to the requested IP address associated with the destination;

instructions for obtaining the requested IP address from the H.323 gateway when the H.323 gateway does have access to the requested IP address associated with the destination; and

instructions for obtaining the requested IP address from a second H.323 gateway located at a home network of the mobile node when the H.323 gateway does not have access to the requested IP address associated with the destination.

4. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 3, wherein the instructions for obtaining the requested IP address from a second H.323 gateway located at a home network of the mobile node comprise:

instructions for sending a request for the requested IP address to the Home Agent; and

instructions for receiving the requested IP address from the Home Agent.

5. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions for sending the IP packet addressed to the IP address to the IP address.

6. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, wherein the IP address is associated with a PSTN gateway.

7. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions for sending a registration request to a Home Agent associated with the mobile node;

instructions for receiving a registration reply from the Home Agent associated with the mobile node; and

instructions for forwarding the registration reply to the mobile node.

8. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

instructions for receiving an IP packet including voice information from the Home Agent, the IP packet being addressed to the mobile node; and

instructions for forwarding the IP packet to the mobile node.

9. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions for notifying a corresponding node having the IP address that the mobile node is visiting the Foreign Agent.

10. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions for notifying a corresponding node having the IP address that a care-of address of the mobile node is an address of the Foreign Agent.

11. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 10, wherein the corresponding node is a PSTN gateway.

12. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 11, wherein the PSTN gateway supports Mobile IP and wherein notifying the corresponding node having the IP address that the care-of address of the mobile node is an address of the Foreign Agent comprises sending a mobile IP packet including the care-of address to the PSTN gateway.

13. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions for notifying a corresponding node having the IP address that the mobile node is no longer visiting the Foreign Agent.

14. A mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent on a foreign network and being capable of sending IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the mobile node comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing therein the following instructions;

instructions for receiving an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

instructions for sending a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

instructions for receiving a packet including the requested IP address; and

instructions for sending an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP packet being addressed to the IP address.

15. The mobile node as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for saving H.323 gateway information associated with the H.323 gateway.

16. A Foreign Agent that supports Mobile IP, the Foreign Agent being on a foreign network and configured to enable a mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent to send IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the Foreign Agent comprising:

means for sending an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

means for receiving a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

means for forwarding a packet including the requested IP address to the mobile node; and

means for receiving an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP packet being addressed to the IP address.

17. A mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent on a foreign network and being capable of sending IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the mobile node comprising:

means for receiving an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

means for sending a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

means for receiving a packet including the requested IP address; and

means for sending an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP packet being addressed to the IP address.

18. A computer readable medium for enabling a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent to send IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the Foreign Agent being on a foreign network, comprising:

instructions for sending an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

instructions for receiving a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

instructions for forwarding a packet including the requested IP address to the mobile node; and

instructions for receiving an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP packet being addressed to the IP address.

19. A computer-readable medium for enabling a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent to send IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the Foreign Agent being on a foreign network, comprising:

instructions for receiving an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

instructions for sending a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

instructions for receiving a packet including the requested IP address; and

instructions for sending an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP packet being addressed to the IP address.

20. In a Foreign Agent that supports Mobile IP, a method of enabling a mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent to send IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the Foreign Agent being on a foreign network, the method comprising:

sending an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

receiving a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

forwarding a packet including the requested IP address to the mobile node; and

receiving an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP-packet being addressed to the IP address.

21. In a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent on a foreign network, a method of sending IP packets including voice information via an IP address obtained from an H.323 gateway, the method comprising:

receiving an agent advertisement, the agent advertisement identifying an H.323 gateway on the foreign network;

sending a packet from the mobile node, the packet being addressed to the H.323 gateway on the foreign network and requesting an IP address associated with a destination;

receiving a packet including the requested IP address; and

sending an IP packet including voice information from the mobile node, the IP packet being addressed to the IP address.