Proactive seamless service provisioning in mobile networks through transferring of application context

• US 7,388,851 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Spyder Navigations LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Trossen, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh; Bob A.
• Application Number:
  US10/414,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20040018841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,889 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/331
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

A method for supporting relocation of an IP session during a network layer handover in a mobile communication system. In the method, application context information indicating activities that are advantageously executed pro-actively before the network layer handover is sent. The indicated activities are then pro-actively executed in a receiving network node. An advantage of the method and arrangement of the invention is that the pro-active actions, including pre-allocation of some critical resources for seamless handover of an ongoing IP session, facilitate timely implementation of the activities required for handing over an IP session, and/or selection of a target access router.

Claims

1. A method for supporting relocation of an Internet Protocol session during a network layer handover in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

generating application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover at a mobile node;

sending the generated application context information to a current access router from the mobile node;

sending a message to the current access router from the mobile node, the message including a request to forward the generated application context information to a second access router; and

sending a commitment message to the second access router, the commitment message confirming an intent to initiate communication with the second access router.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

registering the application context information associated with a particular session with the current access router; and

triggering sending of the registered application context information at a defined moment.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

indicating a period of validity in the application context information.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response based on the executed activities to be executed pro-actively before the network layer handover; and

utilizing the response in selection of the second access router for the network layer handover.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the activities to be executed pro-actively before the initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a network resource.

6. A mobile node in a mobile telecommunication system, configured to generate application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover;

and

configured to send the generated application context information to a current access router;

to send a message to the current access router, the message including a request to forward the generated application context information to a second access router; and

to send a commitment message to the second access router, the commitment message confirming an intent to initiate communication with the second access router.

7. A mobile node according to claim 6, configured to:

register the application context information associated with a particular session; and

trigger sending of the registered application context information at a selected time.

8. A mobile node according to claim 7, configured to determine the selected time for the triggering according to a current state of the mobile node.

9. A mobile node according to claim 7, configured to indicate the second access router in the message.

10. A mobile node according to claim 6, configured to indicate in the application context information its period of validity.

11. A mobile node according to claim 7, configured to register the application context information into a network node which has an IP connection to the mobile node but is not directly involved in transferring packets of the IP session to the mobile node.

12. A mobile node according to claim 6, configured to:

receive a response based on the executed activities that have been executed before the initiation of the network layer handover; and

utilize the received response in selection of the second access router for the network layer handover.

13. A mobile node according to claim 12, wherein the activities to be executed before initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a network resource.

14. A network node in a mobile communication system, configured to:

receive application context information from a mobile node, the application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover;

detect an indication, of a period of validity in the received application context information;

receive a message from the mobile node, the message including a request to forward the received application context information to a second network node; and

provide the received application context information to the second network node.

15. A network node according to claim 14, configured to:

store the received application context information.

16. A network node according to claim 14, further configured to:

check, before providing the received application context information, the validity of the received application context information; and

request, in response to detecting invalid information, updated application context information from the mobile node.

17. A network node according to claim 14, wherein the network node comprises an access router through which packets of an Internet Protocol session are transferred to the mobile node.

18. A network node according to claim 14, wherein the network node comprises a mobile proxy server, which has an Internet Protocol connection to the mobile node, but is not directly involved in transferring the packets of the IP session to the mobile node.

19. A network node according to claim 18, further configured to execute a security procedure when sending the application context information to the second network node.

20. A network node according to claim 14, further configured to receive a response based on the executed activities to be executed pro-actively before the network layer handover;

and

utilize the response in selection of the second network node for the network layer handover.

21. A network node according to claim 20, wherein the activities to be executed before initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a network resource.

22. A mobile node in a mobile communication system, said mobile node comprising:

a processor configured to generate application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover, to generate a message including a request to forward the generated application context information to a network node, and to generate a commitment message to the network node, the commitment message confirming an intent to initiate communication with the network node; and

a radio unit operably coupled to the processor to send the generated application context, information and the generated message to a current access router; and

the radio unit configured to send the generated commitment message to the network node.

23. A mobile node according to claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to include in the application context information an indication of a period of validity of the application context information.

24. A mobile node according to claim 22, wherein the activities to be executed pro-actively before the initiation of the network layer handover comprise allocation of a network resource.

25. A mobile communication system comprising a mobile node, a first network node and a second network node, wherein:

the mobile node is configured to generate application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before the network layer handover;

is configured to send the generated application context information to the first network node;

is configured to send a message to the current access router, the message including a request to forward the generated application context information to the second network node; and

is configured to send a commitment message to the second network node, the commitment message confirming an intent to initiate communication with the second network node; and

the first network node is configured to receive the application context information from the mobile node;

is configured to receive the message from the mobile node; and

is configured to provide the application context information to the second network node.

26. A method for supporting relocation of an Internet Protocol session during a network layer handover in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

receiving application context information from a mobile node at a first network node, the application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover;

identifying an indicator of a period of validity in the received application context information;

receiving a message from the mobile node at the first network node, the message including a request to forward the received application context information to a second network node;

providing the application context information from the first network node to the second network node.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein further comprising:

before providing the application context information, checking the validity of the application context information based on the identified indicator; and

if the received application context information is invalid, requesting an updated application context information from the mobile node.

28. A method for supporting relocation of an Internet Protocol session during a network layer handover in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

generating application context information indicating activities to be executed pro-actively before a network layer handover at a mobile node;

sending the generated application context information from the mobile node to a current access router in a single transmission with a message to the current access router from the mobile node, the message including a request to forward the generated application context information to a network node; and

receiving the application context information from the mobile node at the current access router;

receiving the message from the mobile node at the current access router; and

providing the application context information from the current access router to the network node.