Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating routing of data in a radio communication system having a mobile node capable of roaming movement

• US 7,826,826 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2009
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Patterson, Ian M., Axtmann, Ken, Rogobete, Adrian, Betel, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US12/628,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20100074186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for providing routing information to a mobile node operable in a radio communication system. The routing information is used by the mobile node to address data messages that are to be communicated to a relay host, or other, device. The routing information that is provided to the mobile node includes a plurality of separate routing sequences. Different ones of the routing sequences are used by the mobile node, depending upon at what location that the mobile node is positioned when the data message is sent. A registration server is used by which to create the routing information, responsive to indications of a home network associated with the mobile node and a current location of the mobile node.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a registration server operable pursuant to mobile-node registration request, said apparatus comprising:

an extractor operable responsive to reception of a mobile-node registration request, said extractor configured to extract mobile-node-related network information from the mobile-node registration request; and

a determiner configured to determine a plurality of routing paths to route mobile-node data during a subsequent mobile-node communications.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mobile-node-related information extracted by said extractor comprises mobile-node home-network information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mobile-node-related information extracted by said extractor comprises mobile-node present-communication information.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of routing paths determined by said determiner comprise mobile-node-location-dependent routing paths.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of routing paths comprise relay host routing information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of routing paths determined by said determiner comprise network, roaming-agreement dependent routing paths.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said determiner is configured to determine the plurality of routing paths using the mobile-node related network information extracted by said extractor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each routing path of the plurality of routing paths determined by said determiner comprise values of an IP address, a port, and an access point.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each routing path of the plurality of routing paths further comprises a quality of service value.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said determiner is configured to perform mappings to determine the plurality of routing paths.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising relay database tables accessible pursuant to determination of said plurality of routing paths by said determiner.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a responder configured to form a response to respond to the mobile-node registration request, the response including the plurality of routing paths determined by said determiner.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mobile-node data routed during a subsequent mobile-node communications comprises mobile-node originated data.

14. A method for facilitating mobile-node communications that utilizes a mobile-node registration provided to a registration server, said method comprising:

extracting mobile-node-related network information from the mobile-node registration request; and

determining a plurality of routing paths to route mobile-node data during subsequent mobile-node communication.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said extracting comprises extracting mobile-node home-network information.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said extracting comprises extracting mobile-node present-communication information.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the plurality of routing paths determined during said determined during said determining comprise network, roaming-agreement-dependent routing paths.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said determining comprises determining the plurality of routing paths using the mobile-node-related network information extracted during said extracting.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein said determining further comprises performing mappings to determine the plurality of routing paths.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising responding to the mobile-node registration request, with a response that includes the plurality of routing paths.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising using routing paths included in the response at a mobile node pursuant to data communication.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining a plurality of routing paths comprises determining a plurality of routing paths to route mobile-node originated data during subsequent mobile-node communication.