Wireless intelligent switch engine
First Claim
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1. A network interface switching apparatus, comprising:
- a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device;
a switch engine integrated into a data link layer of said protocol stack and configured to automatically select and establish a network connection session through one of a plurality of wireless network interface devices, an active interface device, associated with a mobile device while in response to said mobile device roaming among a plurality of wireless networks; and
a bridge formed within said switch engine between said mobile device and at least two associated wireless network interface devices of different types;
wherein said automatic selection is performed to allow said mobile device to provide seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer;
wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices which it determines are not the active interface device thereby managing power consumption.
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Abstract
A wireless intelligent switch engine (WISE) is described. The wireless intelligent switch engine provides for automatic switching between different physical wireless interfaces in mobile devices while roaming to maintain a wireless network connection. WISE functions as a bridge between a mobile device and multiple wireless network interfaces to provide automatic and seamless switching among networks while roaming. The mobile device sees WISE as a LAN interface and communicates with WISE using the TCP/IP protocol stack, thus providing a PPP-less configuration that uses the TCP/IP protocol stack regardless of the wireless interface.
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Citations
72 Claims
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1. A network interface switching apparatus, comprising:
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a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; a switch engine integrated into a data link layer of said protocol stack and configured to automatically select and establish a network connection session through one of a plurality of wireless network interface devices, an active interface device, associated with a mobile device while in response to said mobile device roaming among a plurality of wireless networks; and a bridge formed within said switch engine between said mobile device and at least two associated wireless network interface devices of different types; wherein said automatic selection is performed to allow said mobile device to provide seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices which it determines are not the active interface device thereby managing power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A network interface switching apparatus, comprising:
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a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; a switch engine integrated into a data link layer of said protocol stack and configured as a bridge between a mobile device and at least two wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device; wherein as said mobile device roams among a plurality of wireless networks and said switch engine automatically selects a corresponding wireless network interface device for seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A network interface switching apparatus, comprising:
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a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; a switch engine integrated into a data link layer of said protocol stack; said switch engine including means for automatically selecting a corresponding one of at least two wireless network interface devices associated with said mobile device for seamless roaming among a plurality of wireless networks of at least two different types without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said means for selecting provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A network interface switching apparatus, comprising:
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a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; a switch engine integrated into a data link layer of said protocol stack; said switch engine including means for communicating with a mobile device; said switch engine including means for communicating with at least two wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device; said switch engine including means for, as said mobile device roams among a plurality of wireless networks, selecting a corresponding one of said plurality of wireless network interface devices for seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said means for selecting provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A network interface switching apparatus, comprising:
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a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; a switch engine integrated into a data link layer of said protocol stack; said switch engine including means for bridging a mobile device and at least two of wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device; wherein as said mobile device roams among a plurality of wireless networks, said switch engine automatically selects a corresponding wireless interface network device for seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A network interface switching apparatus, comprising:
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a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; a switch engine integrated into a data link layer of said protocol stack;
said switch engine including means for communicating with a mobile device;said switch engine including means for communicating with at least two wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device; said switch engine including means for bridging a mobile device and at least two wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device; wherein as said mobile device roams among a plurality of wireless networks and said switch engine automatically selects a corresponding wireless network interface device for seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A multi-network communication apparatus, comprising:
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a mobile device; a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within said mobile device; and a switch engine associated with said mobile device within a data link layer of said protocol stack; said switch engine configured to automatically select a corresponding one of at least two wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device while said mobile device roams between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A multi-network communication apparatus, comprising:
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a mobile device; a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within said mobile device; and a switch engine associated with said mobile device within a data link layer of said protocol stack; said switch engine configured as a bridge between said mobile device and at least two wireless network interface devices associated with said mobile device; wherein as said mobile device roams between different types of wireless networks said switch engine automatically selects a corresponding wireless network interface device for seamless roaming without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A multi-network communication apparatus, comprising:
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a mobile device; a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a mobile device; a switch engine within a data link layer of said protocol stack of said mobile device; and said switch engine including means for-automatically selecting a corresponding one of at least two wireless network interface devices associated with said mobile device for seamless roaming among a plurality of wireless networks of at least two different types without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said means for selecting provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A multi-network communication apparatus, comprising:
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a mobile device; a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a mobile device; and a switch engine within a data link layer of said protocol stack of said mobile device; and said switch engine including means for communicating with said mobile device; said switch engine including means for communicating with a plurality of wireless network interface devices associated with said mobile device; said switch engine including means for-selecting a corresponding one of said plurality of wireless network interface devices for seamless roaming among a plurality of wireless networks of at least two different types without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A multi-network communication apparatus, comprising:
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a mobile device; a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; and a switch engine within a data link layer of said protocol stack of said mobile device; said switch engine including means for bridging said mobile device and at least two wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device; wherein as said mobile device roams among a plurality of wireless networks and said switch engine automatically selects a corresponding wireless network interface device for seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A multi-network communication apparatus, comprising:
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a mobile device; a protocol stack for a given interconnection model configured for operation within a wireless device; and a switch engine within a data link layer of said protocol stack of said mobile device; said switch engine including means for communicating with said mobile device; said switch engine including means for communicating with at least two wireless network interface devices of different types associated with said mobile device; said switch engine including means for bridging a mobile device and a plurality of wireless network interface devices associated with said mobile device; wherein as said mobile device roams among a plurality of wireless networks and said switch engine automatically selects a corresponding wireless network device for seamless roaming between different types of wireless networks without closing and restarting the network connection session as established in a session layer above the data link layer; wherein said switch engine provides power management to shut down, or to place into standby, the wireless network interface devices that are not being used to manage power consumption. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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Specification