Wireless access network and method for handover of mobile terminals in idle mode

• US 7,633,904 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2006
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Venkatachalam, Muthaiah
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu; Michael T
• Application Number:
  US11/419,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/260, 370/338, 455/458, 380/247
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

Embodiments of a wireless access network and methods for maintaining current location information for mobile terminals in idle mode are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for handover in a wireless access network for a mobile station in idle mode comprising:

receiving a location update request message from a relay paging controller when a mobile station has changed paging groups;

determining whether the mobile station has switched access service networks based on a network address of the relay paging controller; and

when the mobile station has switched between access service networks, sending a handover request message to a proxy mobile client of the mobile station to provide an address of a target foreign agent for use when routing subsequent communications to the mobile station,

wherein the proxy mobile client operates in one of the access service networks to serve as a proxy for the mobile station,

wherein the network address of the relay paging controller is received in the location update request message,

wherein the location update request message is received by an anchor paging controller from the relay paging controller when the mobile station has changed its location from a prior paging group to a new paging group, and

wherein determining comprises determining by the anchor paging controller whether the mobile station has either switched paging groups within a current access service network or switched paging groups to a new access service network by comparing the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message with a network address stored in a location register of the anchor paging controller.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the handover request message is sent if the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message is different from the network address of the anchor paging controller stored in the location register,

wherein the handover request message is sent from the anchor paging controller to the proxy mobile client of the mobile station, and

wherein the handover request message includes the address of the target foreign agent.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising refraining from sending the handover request message to the proxy mobile client if the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message matches the network address of the anchor paging controller stored in the location register,

wherein matching addresses indicates that the mobile station has changed paging groups within the current access service network.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving a handover response message from the proxy mobile client to indicate that the handover request message was successfully received.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the proxy mobile client sends a registration request message in response to receipt of the handover request message to the target foreign agent instructing the target foreign agent to register the mobile station as being associated with an anchor paging controller and a home agent, and

wherein the handover request message is sent to the proxy mobile client of the mobile station to provide the address of the target foreign agent and the target foreign agent registers the mobile station as being associated with the anchor paging controller without knowledge of the mobile station.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein, in response to receiving the registration request message from the proxy mobile client, the target foreign agent sends the registration request message to the home agent,

wherein the registration request message includes the address of the target foreign agent, and

wherein the home agent stores the address of the target foreign agent for the mobile station for use in routing the subsequent communications to the mobile station.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the home agent sends a first registration response message to the target foreign agent in response to receipt of the registration request message,

wherein the target foreign agent sends a second registration response message to the proxy mobile client to indicate that the home agent has been updated with the address of the target foreign agent, and

wherein the proxy mobile client sends a handover confirmation message to the anchor paging controller to indicate that a handover of the mobile station in idle mode has been successfully completed and that a prior foreign agent is no longer a current foreign agent for the mobile station.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the network address of the relay paging controller is either in a header or a body of the location update request message.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile station is a mobile internet protocol terminal associated with the proxy mobile client, and

wherein the proxy mobile client sends mobile internet-protocol registration requests and receives mobile internet-protocol registration responses on behalf of the mobile station when the mobile station the changes paging groups while in idle mode.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein while in idle mode, the mobile station sends a ranging request message to a base station within a new paging group when the mobile station crosses a paging group boundary,

wherein the mobile station identifies the new paging group based on a paging group identifier that is broadcasted by base stations of the paging group, and

wherein in response to receipt of the ranging request message at the base station, the relay paging controller generates and sends the location update request message to the anchor paging gateway.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the proxy mobile client for the mobile station is located within a first access service network,

wherein the anchor paging controller is located within a second access service network, the second access service network being a prior access service network,

wherein the relay paging controller is located within either a third or fourth access service network, the either a third or fourth access service network being the new access service network, and

wherein the first, second, third and fourth access service networks are associated with a core service network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the mobile station is a broadband wireless access network mobile terminal, and

wherein at least some of the access service networks comprise broadband wireless access networks that communicate with a plurality of mobile stations using a multiple-access technique.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving data destined for the mobile station at the core service network; and

routing the data to one of the access service networks based on an internet-protocol address of the foreign agent located in a home agent of the core service network,

wherein at least some of the data comprises voice-over internet-protocol data, and

wherein the mobile station is operable in a push-to-talk mode.

14. A paging controller comprising:

network interface circuitry to receive a location update request message from a relay paging controller when a mobile station has changed paging groups; and

processing circuitry to determine whether the mobile station has switched access service networks by comparing a network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message with a network address of an anchor paging controller,

wherein when the mobile station has switched between access service networks, the processing circuitry configures the network interface circuitry to send a handover request message to a proxy mobile client of the mobile station to provide an address of a target foreign agent for use when routing subsequent communications to the mobile station,

wherein the proxy mobile client operates in one of the access service networks to serve as a proxy for the mobile station,

wherein the network address of the relay paging controller is received in the location update request message,

wherein the location update request message is received by an anchor paging controller from the relay paging controller when the mobile station has changed its location from a prior paging group to a new paging group, and

wherein the anchor paging controller is configured to determine whether the mobile station has either switched paging groups within a current access service network or switched paging groups to a new access service network by comparing the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message with a network address stored in a location register of the anchor paging controller.

15. The paging controller of claim 14 wherein the handover request message is sent if the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message is different from the network address of the anchor paging controller stored in a location register,

wherein the handover request message is sent to the proxy mobile client of the mobile station and includes an address of the target foreign agent, and

wherein the target foreign agent and the relay paging controller are associated a new access service network.

16. The paging controller of claim 15 wherein the network interface circuitry refrains from sending the handover request message to the proxy mobile client if the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message matches the network address of the anchor paging controller stored in the location register,

wherein matching addresses indicates that the mobile station has changed paging groups of a current access service network.

17. The paging controller of claim 16 wherein the proxy mobile client sends a handover confirmation message to the anchor paging controller to indicate that a handover of the mobile station in idle mode has been successfully completed and that a prior foreign agent is no longer a current foreign agent for the mobile station.

18. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of access service networks for providing wireless communications with a mobile station wherein a location update request message is received from a relay paging controller of a current one of the access service networks from a prior one of the access service networks when the mobile station changes paging groups, wherein when the relay paging controller determines that the mobile station has switched between access service networks based on a network address of the relay paging controller, the relay paging controller sends a handover request message to a proxy mobile client of the mobile station within a first of the access service networks to indicate an address of a target foreign agent within the current access service network, wherein the proxy mobile client operates in one of the access service networks to serve as a proxy for the mobile station,

wherein the network address of the relay paging controller is received in the location update request message,

wherein the location update request message is received by an anchor paging controller from the relay paging controller when the mobile station has changed its location from a prior paging group to a new paging group, and

wherein the anchor paging controller determines whether the mobile station has either switched paging groups within the current access service network or switched paging groups to a new access service network by comparing the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message with a network address stored in a location register of the anchor paging controller.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a core service network, the cores service network including a home agent to store an address of the target foreign agent for the mobile station for use in routing the subsequent communications to the mobile station.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the proxy mobile client sends a handover confirmation message to the anchor paging controller to indicate that a handover of the mobile station in idle mode has been successfully completed and that a prior foreign agent is no longer a current foreign agent for the mobile station.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein at least some of the access service networks comprise broadband wireless access networks that communicate with a plurality of mobile stations using a multiple-access technique, and

wherein the mobile station is a broadband wireless access network mobile terminal.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein while in idle mode, the mobile station sends a ranging request message to a base station within a new paging group when the mobile station crosses a paging group boundary,

wherein the mobile station identifies the new paging group based on a paging group identifier that is broadcasted by base stations of the paging group, and

wherein in response to receipt of the ranging request message at the base station, the relay paging controller generates and sends the location update request message to an anchor paging gateway.

23. A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations to:

determine whether a mobile station has switched access service networks based on a network address of a relay paging controller received in a location update request message sent when the mobile station has changed paging groups; and

send a handover request message to a proxy mobile client of the mobile station to provide an address of a target foreign agent for use when routing subsequent communications to the mobile station when the mobile station has switched between access service networks,

wherein the proxy mobile client operates in one of the access service networks to serve as a proxy for the mobile station,

wherein the network address of the relay paging controller is received in the location update request message,

wherein the location update request message is received by an anchor paging controller from the relay paging controller when the mobile station has changed its location from a prior paging group to a new paging group, and

wherein the instructions, when further accessed cause the machine to determine whether the mobile station has either switched paging groups within a current access service network or switched paging groups to a new access service network by comparing the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message with a network address stored in a location register of the anchor paging controller.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 wherein the handover request message is sent if the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message is different from the network address of the anchor paging controller stored in the location register,

wherein the handover request message is sent from the anchor paging controller to the proxy mobile client of the mobile station,

wherein the handover request message includes the address of the target foreign agent, and

wherein the instructions, when further accessed cause the machine to refrain from sending the handover request message to the proxy mobile client if the network address of the relay paging controller received in the location update request message matches the network address of the anchor paging controller stored in the location register,

wherein matching addresses indicates that the mobile station has changed paging groups within the current access service network.