Mobile IP over VPN communication protocol

• US 7,804,826 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Khalil, Mohamed, Muhanna, Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Blanche
• Application Number:
  US10/712,879
• Time in Patent Office: 2,511 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• 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

The present invention supports a communication protocol for transmission of information packets between a mobile node and a virtual private network. Information packets are encapsulated and decapsulated along the route as the information packet is forwarded among the various networks on its path to the destination address; either the mobile node on a foreign network or a correspondence node on a virtual private network. A home agent on the virtual private network supports transmitting the information packets, and the information packets are transmitted from the virtual private network from the home agent or a virtual private network gateway.

Claims

1. A packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node, comprising:

a virtual private network located on a home network having a security gateway and a home agent associated with the virtual private network located on said home network, wherein said mobile node is associated with and connected to a foreign network, said foreign network connected to said home network, and information packets are transmitted to the mobile node from the virtual private network, and wherein said security gateway on the virtual private network is connected to said home agent, said security gateway having an inner tunnel address for routing packets within the virtual private network on the home network; and

a correspondence node located on the virtual private network on the home network and coupled to said home agent on the virtual private network, wherein an information packet transmitted from the correspondence node is encapsulated by the home agent on the home network, said encapsulated information packet is transmitted to the security gateway using the inner tunnel address and said security gateway transmits the encapsulated information packet to the mobile node.

2. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the security gateway encrypts the information packet.

3. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the security gateway further encapsulates the information packet.

4. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the communication system does not use an external home agent for forwarding the information packet to the mobile node.

5. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the information packet includes an address for the security gateway.

6. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the information packet includes a virtual private network inner tunnel address.

7. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the security gateway transmits the information packet to the home agent to forward outside the virtual private network to the mobile node.

8. A wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication, comprising:

a foreign network coupled to and associated with a mobile node;

a virtual private network located on a home network and having a public home address and a home agent located on the virtual private network;

a virtual private network gateway coupled to said home agent and receiving information packets entering and leaving the virtual private network, with a virtual private network tunnel inner address used for routing packets to the virtual private network gateway transmitted from the home agent within the virtual private network on the home network and a virtual private network gateway address used for routing packets to the virtual private network gateway transmitted from at least one mobile node located outside the virtual private network on said foreign network;

the mobile node location on the foreign network is designated by a care-of address; and

the virtual private network tunnel inner address and virtual private network gateway address being sufficient for tunneling information packets to and within said virtual private network.

9. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the information packet is forwarded outside the virtual private network from the virtual private network gateway using the care-of address for the mobile node.

10. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the information packet is forwarded outside the virtual private network from a home agent located on the virtual private network using the care-of address for the mobile node.

11. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the virtual private network gateway encrypts the information packet prior to transmitting the information packet from the virtual private network to the mobile node.

12. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the home agent appends the virtual private network tunnel inner address to the information packet to route the information packet to the virtual private network.

13. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the virtual private network gateway appends the care-of address to the information packet prior to transmitting the information packet from the virtual private network to the mobile node.

14. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the home agent appends the care-of address to the information packet prior to transmitting the information packet from the virtual private network to the mobile node.

15. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the virtual private network gateway appends the virtual private network gateway address to the information packet for routing the information packet to the virtual private network gateway.

16. A method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network, comprising the steps of:

providing a virtual private network on a home network with a home agent located on said virtual private network on the home network, said virtual private network being associated with a mobile node connected to a foreign network;

providing a security gateway located on the virtual private network and connected to the home agent on the home network and the correspondence node connected to a foreign network, said security gateway on the virtual private network being designated with a gateway address for routing information packets to the virtual private network and having an inner tunnel address for routing information packets to the security gateway from the home agent within the virtual private network;

forming an information packet associated with a correspondence node on the virtual private network for transmission to the mobile node;

transmitting the information packet to the security gateway using said inner tunnel address to route said information packet within the virtual private network to the security gateway;

encapsulating the information packet at the security gateway; and

forwarding the information packet to the mobile node without using an external home agent.

17. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

encrypting said information packet at the security gateway prior to transmitting said packet to the mobile node.

18. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

encapsulating the information packet at the home agent with the inner tunnel address to allow the correspondence node on the virtual private network to route packets to the security gateway.

19. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the information packet out of the virtual private network from the home agent.

20. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the information packet out of the virtual private network from the security gateway.