Unlicensed mobile access optimization

• US 7,817,622 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Shrestha, Bimal, Pena Sierra, Luis, Suumaki, Jan, Wallenius, Matti, Haumont, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Islam, Mohammad K
• Application Number:
  US11/298,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20060262778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: 370/279, 370/280, 370352-356, 455/445, 455/450, 455/464, 455/509
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

In a method for mobile access of a mobile device for a system providing cellular and non-cellular mobile access, the system comprises a serving node, a packet gateway node and the mobile device. The method comprises the steps of negotiating a direct tunneling connection between the mobile device and the packet gateway node by the serving node, wherein the direct tunneling connection is only dedicated to packet switched traffic of the mobile device using the non-cellular mobile access, and establishing the direct tunneling connection between the mobile device and the packet gateway node by the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for mobile access in a system providing cellular and non-cellular mobile access, the method comprising:

establishing a secure connection between a mobile device and a secure gateway node;

negotiating a direct tunneling connection between the mobile device and a packet gateway node through the secure gateway node by a serving node, wherein the direct tunneling connection is only dedicated to packet switched traffic of the mobile device using the non-cellular mobile access, wherein the mobile device is configured for mobile access in a system providing cellular access from the mobile device to the packet gateway node via the serving node, and non-cellular access from the mobile device directly to the packet gateway node via the negotiated tunneling connection such that the non-cellular access does not pass through the serving node, the system comprising the serving node, the packet gateway node and the mobile device; and

establishing the direct tunneling connection between the mobile device and the packet gateway node through the secure gateway node by the mobile device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, using the same mobility management by the serving node for both the cellular and the non-cellular mobile access of the mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a layered protocol structure of a user plane for packet switched traffic using the non-cellular access contains a protocol stack for the mobile device including a tunneling protocol layer.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the protocol stack for the mobile device does not include Global System for Mobile (GSM) specific protocols.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein Logic Link Control (LLC) and Subnetwork Dependent Convergence Protocol (SNDCP) protocols are not included.

6. A computer program product comprising processor implementable instruction portions for performing all the steps of a method according to claim 1.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein said computer program product comprises a software medium storing said processor implementable instruction portions.

8. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein said computer program product is directly loadable into an internal memory of a computer.

9. A signal carrying processor implementable instructions for controlling a computer to carry out all the steps of a method according to claim 1.

10. An apparatus for use in cellular and non-cellular mobile access, the apparatus configured to:

establish a secure connection between the apparatus and a secure gateway node, wherein the apparatus is configured to use cellular access from the apparatus to a packet gateway node via a serving node, and non-cellular mobile access in a system comprising the apparatus, a serving node, the secure gateway node and the packet gateway node;

establish a direct tunneling connection to the packet gateway node through the secure gateway node according to information received from the serving node such that the non-cellular access from the apparatus to the packet gateway node does not pass through the serving node; and

perform at least one of sending and receiving packet switched traffic over the direct tunneling connection only when using the non-cellular mobile access.

11. The mobile device according to claim 10, further configured to use a same mobility management with the serving node for both the cellular and the non-cellular mobile access.

12. The mobile device according to claim 10, wherein a protocol stack of the mobile device includes a tunneling protocol layer.

13. The mobile device according to claim 12, wherein the protocol stack of the mobile device does not include Global System for Mobile (GSM) specific protocols.

14. The mobile device according to claim 13, wherein Logic Link Control (LLC) and Subnetwork Dependent Convergence Protocol (SNDCP) protocols are not included.

15. An apparatus to support mobile access in a system providing cellular and non-cellular mobile access, the system configured to:

operate as a serving node; and

negotiate a direct tunneling connection between a mobile device and a packet gateway node through a secure gateway node such that the non-cellular mobile access from the mobile device to the packet gateway node does not pass through the serving node, wherein the direct tunneling connection is only dedicated to packet switched traffic of the mobile device using the non cellular mobile access, wherein the mobile device is configured to use cellular access from the mobile device to the packet gateway node via the serving node and non-cellular access in a system comprising the serving node, the packet gateway node, the secure gateway node and the mobile device.

16. The serving node according to claim 15, further configured to use the same mobility management for both the cellular and the non-cellular mobile access of the mobile device.

17. A system providing cellular and non-cellular mobile access, the system comprising:

a packet gateway node;

a secure gateway node;

a mobile device; and

a serving node configured to support mobile access for the mobile device in the system providing cellular access from the mobile device to the packet gateway node via the serving node and non-cellular mobile access to the mobile device, the system comprising the serving node, the packet gateway node, the secure gateway node and the mobile device, wherein the serving node is further configured to negotiate a direct tunneling connection between the mobile device and the packet gateway node through the secure gateway node such that the non-cellular mobile access from the mobile device to the packet gateway node does not pass through the serving node, wherein the direct tunneling connection is only dedicated to packet switched traffic of the mobile device using the non-cellular mobile access;

wherein the mobile device is further configured to establish a secure connection between the mobile device and the secure gateway node to establish a direct tunneling connection to the a packet gateway node through the secure gateway node according to information received from the a serving node, and send and/or receive packet switched traffic over the direct tunneling connection only when using the non-cellular mobile access.