Mobile agent connectivity

• US 7,372,868 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Corwin, Susan Julia
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scheibel; Robert C
• Application Number:
  US09/739,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,707 Days
• Field of Search: 370/313, 370/401, 370/405, 370/410, 370/463, 709/219, 709/228, 709/230, 709/245, 709/225, 455/433, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 370/463
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• 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]

Abstract

Mobile agent connectivity includes dynamically determining addressing information for a mobile device at a mechanism configured to provide the mobile device with access to a network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a mobile agent, dynamically identifying a number of communication media available to form a connection;

in the mobile agent, when detecting that the identified number exceeds one, dynamically selecting one or more of the available communication media to form a connection;

in the mobile agent, forming a connection with the selected one or more communication media, wherein the forming the connection comprises;

in the mobile agent, negotiating an active communication status with the selected one or more communication media; and

in the mobile agent, dynamically detecting a local addressing information for the mobile agent; and

in the mobile agent, establishing a connectivity with a static home network environment comprising;

in the mobile agent, notifying the static home network environment of the dynamically detected local addressing information;

in the mobile agent, establishing an addressability tunnel to the static home network environment;

in the mobile agent, using the established addressability tunnel to receive encapsulated packets from the static home network environment; and

in the mobile agent, de-encapsulating the received encapsulated packets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile agent comprises a mobile device, wherein the method further comprises, in the mobile agent, dynamically discovering a mechanism to provide the mobile device with access to the available communication media.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating the addressability tunnel using addressing information between the mobile agent and the static home network environment.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the addressing information includes Internet Protocol addressing information.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising repeating the dynamic selecting with the mobile agent after the mobile agent changes physical location.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising with the mobile agent, dynamically switching the mobile agent between the available communication media while maintaining a continuous connection with the mobile agent.

7. The method of claim 1 in which forming a connection with the selected one or more of the available communication media includes, in the mobile agent, determining a protocol to use for communication between the mobile agent and the selected one or more of the available communication media.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising hosting a plurality of channels with the mobile agent for the selected one or more available communication media.

9. The method of claim 3 in which the selected one or more of the available communication media include at least one selected from a group including Internet, an Ethernet, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a serial line, a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), an Infrared Data Association (IrDA), a Bluetooth medium, a Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) medium, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) medium, a local network, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard, and an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) communication medium.

10. An article comprising a machine readable medium which stores machine executable instructions, the instructions causing a machine to:

in a mobile agent, dynamically identify a number of communication media available to form a connection;

in the mobile agent, when detecting that the identified number exceeds one, dynamically select one or more of the available communication media;

in the mobile agent, form a connection with the selected one or more of the available communication media, wherein the forming the connection comprises;

in the mobile agent, negotiate an active communication status with the selected one or more of the available communication media; and

in the mobile agent, dynamically detecting a local addressing information for the mobile agent; and

in the mobile agent, establish a connectivity with a static home network environment comprising;

in the mobile agent, notifying the static home network environment of the dynamically detected local addressing information;

in the mobile agent, establish an addressability tunnel to the static home network environment;

in the mobile agent, using the established addressability tunnel to receive encapsulated packets from the static home network environment; and

in the mobile agent, de-encapsulating the received encapsulated packets.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the mobile agent comprises a mobile device, wherein the article further causes a mobile agent to dynamically discover a mechanism to provide the mobile device with access to the selected one or more of the available communication media.

12. The article of claim 10 further causing the mobile agent to create the addressability tunnel using addressing information between the mobile agent and the static home network environment.

13. The article of claim 12 in which the addressing information includes Internet Protocol addressing information.

14. The article of claim 13 further causing the mobile agent to repeat the dynamic selecting after the mobile agent changes physical location.

15. The article of claim 10 further causing the mobile agent to dynamically switch the mobile agent between the available communication media while maintaining a continuous connection with the mobile agent.

16. The article of claim 10 in which forming a connection with the selected one or more of the available communication media includes in the mobile agent, determining a protocol to use for communication between the mobile agent and the selected one or more of the available communication media.

17. The article of claim 10, further comprising hosting a plurality of channels with the mobile agent for the selected one or more of the available communication media.

18. The article of claim 10 in which the available communication media include at least one selected from a group including Internet, an Ethernet, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a serial line, a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), an Infrared Data Association (IrDA), a Bluetooth medium, a Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) medium, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) medium, a local network, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard, and an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) communication medium.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a first mechanism in a mobile agent configured to;

identify a number of communication media available to form a connection;

when detecting that the identified number of available communication media exceeds one, dynamically select one or more of the available communication media to form a connection;

a second mechanism in the mobile agent to

form a connection with the selected one or more of the available communication media comprising;

negotiate an active communication status with the selected one or more of the available communication media; and

dynamically detect a local addressing information for the mobile agent; and

;

establish a connectivity with a static home network environment comprising;

notify a static home network environment of the dynamically detected local addressing information;

establish an addressability tunnel to a static home network environment; and

in the mobile agent, using the established addressability tunnel to receive encapsulated packets from the static home network environment; and

a third mechanism in the mobile agent connected to the first or second mechanism, wherein the third mechanism is configured to de-encapsulating the received encapsulated packets.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the negotiating is based on communication standards of the selected one or more available communication media.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the home network environment is configured to host a plurality of channels to the available communication media.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a third mechanism in the mobile agent configured to use an address associated with the static home network environment as a destination of a network protocol to identify the mobile agent with the static home network environment.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the available communication media include at least one selected from a group including Internet, an Ethernet, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a serial line, a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), an Infrared Data Association (IrDA), a Bluetooth medium, a Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) medium, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) medium, a local network, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard, and an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) communication medium.