Method, apparatus and system for obtaining and retaining a mobile node home address
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- setting a bit indicating whether a mobile node is on a home subnet or a foreign subnet;
enabling a mobile device to acquire or retain a home address whether it starts up on the home subnet or the foreign subnet, or whether the mobile device moves between the home subnet and the foreign subnet, wherein the enabling of the mobile device includes requesting the home address from a home agent in a registration request, the registration request including the bit indicating whether the mobile node is on the home subnet or the foreign subnet, wherein if the mobile node is on the foreign subnet; and
receiving a registration reply including the home address to allow the mobile node to roam within a plurality of networks, wherein the mobile node and the home agent are coupled via a network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, apparatus and system which enable a mobile node to request dynamic allocation of a home address and to maintain that home address when roaming between a home subnet and a foreign subnet. According to one embodiment, the mobile node may acquire a home address from its home agent by using a Network Access Identifier (“NAI”) extension in a registration request. The mobile node may send out this registration request when it first starts up, regardless of whether it is on its home subnet or a foreign subnet. Additionally, the mobile node may set a bit in the registration request to inform the home agent that it is on its home network. If the bit is not set, the home agent may deduce that the mobile node is on a foreign network. In either instance, the mobile node may continue to use its originally acquired home address.
62 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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setting a bit indicating whether a mobile node is on a home subnet or a foreign subnet; enabling a mobile device to acquire or retain a home address whether it starts up on the home subnet or the foreign subnet, or whether the mobile device moves between the home subnet and the foreign subnet, wherein the enabling of the mobile device includes requesting the home address from a home agent in a registration request, the registration request including the bit indicating whether the mobile node is on the home subnet or the foreign subnet, wherein if the mobile node is on the foreign subnet; and receiving a registration reply including the home address to allow the mobile node to roam within a plurality of networks, wherein the mobile node and the home agent are coupled via a network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A tangible machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:
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set a bit indicating whether a mobile node is on a home subnet or a foreign subnet; enable mobile device to acquire or retain a home address whether it starts up on the home subnet or the foreign subnet, or whether the mobile device moves between the home subnet and the foreign subnet, wherein the enabling of the mobile device includes requesting the home address from a home agent in a registration request, the registration request including the bit indicating whether the mobile node is on the home subnet or the foreign subnet, wherein if the mobile node is on the foreign subnet; and receive a registration reply including the home address to allow the mobile node to roam within a plurality of networks, wherein the mobile node and the home agent are coupled via a network. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system comprising:
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a bit indicating whether a mobile node is on a home subnet or a foreign subnet, whether the mobile node capable of generating a registration request, the registration request including the bit indicating whether the mobile node is on the home subnet or the foreign subnet; and a home agent capable of receiving and processing the registration request, the home agent further capable of enabling a mobile device to acquire or retain a home address whether it starts up on the home subnet or the foreign subnet, or whether the mobile device moves between the home subnet and the foreign subnet, wherein the enabling of the mobile device includes assigning the mobile node a home address and sending a registration reply having the home address to the mobile node to allow the mobile node to roam within a plurality of networks, wherein the mobile node and the home agent are coupled via a network, and wherein if the mobile node is on the foreign subnet. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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Specification