Mobile communications network for performing data routing to a mobile terminal by a home agent

• US 7,882,207 B1
• Filed: 01/07/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications (BT Group Plc) (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Titmuss, Richard J, Taylor, James L, Lebre, Caroline Am
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard; Djenane M
• Application Number:
  US09/868,221
• Time in Patent Office: 4,043 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/231, 709/246, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/677 Multiple interfaces, e.g. multihomed nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A method of transmitting one or more data streams to a mobile terminal having multiple network connections, the method comprising: sending the one or more data streams from a correspondent host to a home agent located in the home network of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal sending a request for the data stream to be transmitted by the correspondent host and the mobile terminal communicating with the home agent to transmit the network location of the mobile terminal to the home agent, and then forwarding the one or more data streams via the foreign agent to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal communicates network connectivity data to the home agent and the forwarding of the one or more data streams is dependent upon the network connectivity data received by the home agent.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting one or more data streams to a mobile terminal configured for simultaneous communication via a plurality of types of wireless networks, the method comprising:

(i) sending the one or more data streams from a correspondent host to a home agent located in the home network of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal sending a request for a data stream to be transmitted by the correspondent host and the mobile terminal communicating with the home agent to transmit a network location of the mobile terminal to the home agent; and

(ii) forwarding the one or more data streams to the mobile terminal,

wherein the mobile terminal sends to the home agent information about the types of networks to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, the available bandwidth for each type of network to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, and the mobile terminal'"'"'s care-of address applicable for each type of network to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, the home agent selecting an appropriate network and its applicable care-of address based on the available bandwidth for each type of network to which the mobile terminal is currently connected.

2. The method of transmitting one or more data streams to the mobile terminal as in claim 1, wherein in response to a change in the information about the type of network to which the mobile terminal is currently connected received by the home agent at least one of the data streams is forwarded by the home agent to a network cache, said at least one of the data streams being stored in the network cache until the home agent forwards said at least one of the data streams to the mobile terminal.

3. The method of transmitting one or more data streams to the mobile terminal as in claim 1, wherein the request sent by the mobile terminal to the correspondent host is sent via the home agent.

4. The method of transmitting one or more data streams to the mobile terminal as in claim 1, wherein all communication from the home agent to the mobile terminal is routed via a foreign agent, the foreign agent being located in a subnetwork to which the mobile terminal is connected.

5. The method of transmitting one or more data streams to the mobile terminal as in claim 1, wherein all communication from the mobile terminal to the home agent is routed via a foreign agent, the foreign agent being located in a subnetwork to which the mobile terminal is connected.

6. The method of transmitting one or more data streams to the mobile terminal as in claim 1, wherein in response to a change in the information about the type of network to which the mobile terminal is currently connected received by the home agent the information content of at least one of the data streams is reduced before being forwarded to the mobile terminal.

7. The method of transmitting one or more data streams to the mobile terminal as in claim 6, wherein the reduction of information content of the at least one of the data streams comprises the conversion from a first data format to a second data format having a lower resolution than the first data format.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the home agent selects an appropriate network and its applicable care-of address by comparing the bandwidths of the different types of networks to which the mobile terminal is selected.

9. A mobile communications terminal comprising:

an interface configured for simultaneous communication via a plurality of types of wireless communications networks;

means for transmitting and receiving data using one or more network interfaces;

control means operative to send messages by way of the interface to a home agent about the types of networks to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, the available bandwidth for each type of network to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, and the mobile terminal'"'"'s care-of address applicable for each type of network to which the mobile terminal is connected; and

means responsive to the home agent which selects a wireless communications network on which to transmit and receive data and its applicable care-of address based on the available bandwidth for each type of network to which the mobile terminal is currently connected.

10. The mobile communications terminal as in claim 9, wherein the home agent selects an appropriate network and its applicable care-of address by comparing the bandwidths of the different types of networks to which the mobile terminal is selected.

11. A communications network comprising:

a plurality of mobile communications subnetworks, some of said mobile communications subnetworks having overlapping geographical coverage; and

a home agent operative such that an associated mobile terminal can be in simultaneous communication with more than one of the plurality of mobile communications subnetworks;

wherein the home agent comprises a receiver for receiving from the mobile terminal information relating to the types of subnetworks to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, the available bandwidth for each type of subnetwork to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, and the mobile terminal'"'"'s care-of address applicable for each type of subnetwork to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, the home agent selecting an appropriate subnetwork and its applicable care-of address based on the available bandwidth for each type of subnetwork to which the mobile terminal is currently connected.

12. The communications network as in claim 11, wherein the home agent selects an appropriate network and its applicable care-of address by comparing the bandwidths of the different types of networks to which the mobile terminal is selected.

13. A non-transitory storage medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform a method of transmitting one or more data streams to a mobile terminal configured for simultaneous communication via a plurality of types of wireless communication channels, the method comprising:

(i) sending the one or more data streams from a correspondent host to a home agent located in a home network of the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal sending a request for the one or more data streams to be transmitted by the correspondent host and the mobile terminal communicating with the home agent to transmit the network location of the mobile terminal to the home agent; and

(ii) forwarding the one or more data streams to the mobile terminal,

wherein the mobile terminal sends to the home agent information about the types of different communications channels to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, the available bandwidth for each type of communications channel to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, and the mobile terminal'"'"'s care-of address applicable for each type of communications channel to which the mobile terminal is currently connected, the home agent selecting an appropriate communications channel and its applicable care-of address based on the available bandwidth for each type of communications channel to which the mobile terminal is currently connected.

14. The non-transitory storage medium as in claim 13, wherein the home agent selects an appropriate communications channel and its applicable care-of address by comparing the bandwidths of the different types of communications channel to which the mobile terminal is selected.