Communications system, communications method, network manager, and transfer device

• US 7,818,363 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yabusaki, Masami, Ihara, Takeshi, Jo, Manhee, Hayashi, Yasuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza; Faruk
• Application Number:
  US11/850,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20080008184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/227, 709/230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking
• 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

A communications system which allows data transfer not using a terminal ID assigned by an access network but using routing information distinct from the terminal ID is provided. The communications system transmits data including, as a destination address, a second terminal ID, from a first terminal to the second terminal via a plurality of transfer devices. A first transfer device includes a first memory for storing the second terminal ID and routing information for routing the data to a second transfer device, associating them with one another, and a routing processor for adding to the data the routing information for routing the data to the second transfer device associated with the second terminal ID included in the data, and transferring the data to the second transfer device.

Claims

1. A communications system for transmitting data including, as a destination address, a second terminal ID, from a first terminal to a second terminal via a plurality of access points, the system comprising:

a first access point wirelessly connected to the first terminal, the first access point including;

a first memory configured to store a first terminal ID, the second terminal ID, a destination transfer device ID identifying a second access point wirelessly connected to the second terminal, and a communication ID element, which is an element to identify communication with the first terminal and the second terminal, associating them with one another;

a receiver configured to search the first memory in accordance with a data transmission request including the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID and control information, the data transmission request received from the first terminal, and to transmit a transmission setting response including the communication ID element associated with the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID, to the first terminal; and

a routing processor configured to add to the data the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point and being associated with the communication ID element included in the data, the data received from the first terminal in accordance with the transmission setting response, and to transfer the data to the second access point; and

a network manager, including

a third memory configured to store the first terminal ID, the second terminal ID, the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point and the communication ID element, associating them with one another; and

an instruction information transmitter configured to transmit instruction information including the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point and the communication ID element associated with the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID, in response to a transfer request including the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID transmitted from the first access point,

wherein the first access point further comprises a transfer request transmitter configured to transmit the transfer request including the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID to the network manager upon receiving a transmission request for the data from the first terminal; and

the first memory is configured to store the first terminal ID, the second terminal ID, the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point, and the communication ID element, associating then with one another, according to the instruction information from the network manager.

2. A communications method of transmitting data including, as a destination address, a second terminal ID, from a first terminal to a second terminal via a plurality of access points, the method comprising:

receiving, at first access point, which is wirelessly connected to the first terminal, a data transmission request including a first terminal ID and the second terminal ID and control information, from the first terminal;

searching, at the first access point, a first memory configured to store the first terminal ID, the second terminal ID, a destination transfer device ID identifying a second access point to which the second terminal is wirelessly connected, and a communication ID element, which is an element to identify communication with the first terminal and the second terminal, associating them with one another, in accordance with the data transmission request, and to transmit a transmission setting response including the communication ID element associated with the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID, to the first terminal;

adding to the data, at the first access point, the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point and being associated with the communication ID element included in the data received from the first terminal, and transferring the data to the second access point;

transmitting, at the first access point, a transfer request including the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID to a network manager which stores the first terminal ID, the second terminal ID, the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point and the communication ID element, associating them with one another, upon receiving a transmission request for the data from the first terminal;

transmitting, at the network manager, instruction information including the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point and the communication ID element associated with the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID, in response to the transfer request including the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID transmitted from the first access point; and

storing, at the first access point, the first terminal ID, the second terminal ID, the destination transfer device ID identifying the second access point, and the communication ID element, associating them with one another, according to the instruction information from the network manager.