Method and apparatus for system interoperability in wireless communications

• US 7,920,522 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ahmavaara, Kalle I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US11/863,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-329, 370/331, 370/338, 455436-439, 455/442
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for providing system interoperability in wireless communications an IP based client-server application maintains a proper set of PDP contexts while a mobile is connected via an IP based system. The application client resides in the mobile and the server resides within the network at a common anchor point between the IP based system and a PDP contexts based system. The PDP contexts are kept up to date but on hold until a handover occurs for the mobile from the IP based system to the PDP contexts based system.

Claims

1. A method for system interoperability in communication networks, comprising:

monitoring activity including a set of services currently being used by a mobile station within a first communication system;

establishing context information related to the monitored activity of the mobile station within the first communication system, wherein said context information can be used in a second communication system but is incompatible with contexts within the first communication system;

keeping said context information up to date;

keeping said context information on hold while the mobile station is connected to the first communication system;

periodically transmitting said on hold context information to the mobile station; and

putting to use said context information when the mobile station switches to the second communication system, wherein said second communication system is not based on the same context as the first communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first communication system is a non context based system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first communication system is an Internet Protocol (IP) based communication system and said second communication system is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context based communication system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said IP based communication system is a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) communication system and said PDP context based communication system is a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said context information is maintained by a client-server application residing at the mobile station and at a common anchor point between the first and second communication systems;

and said context information is tunneled through the first communication system between an application client residing at the mobile station and an application server residing at the common anchor point.

6. An apparatus for system interoperability in communication networks, comprising:

means for monitoring activity including a set of services currently being used by a mobile station within a first communication system;

means for establishing context information related to the monitored activity of the mobile station within the first communication system, wherein said context information can be used in a second communication system but is incompatible with contexts within the first communication system;

means for keeping said context information up to date;

means for keeping said context information on hold while the mobile station is connected to the first communication system;

means for periodically transmitting said on hold context information to the mobile station; and

means for putting to use said context information when the mobile station switches to the second communication system, wherein said second communication system is not based on the same context as the first communication system.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first communication system is a non context based system.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first communication system is an Internet Protocol (IP) based communication system and said second communication system is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context based communication system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said IP based communication system is a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) communication system and said PDP context based communication system is a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) system.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said context information is maintained by a client-server application residing at the mobile station and at a common anchor point between the first and second communication systems;

and said context information is tunneled through the first communication system between an application client residing at the mobile station and an application server residing at the common anchor point.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations including:

monitoring activity including a set of services currently being used by a mobile station within a first communication system;

establishing context information related to the monitored activity of the mobile station within the first communication system, wherein said context information can be used in a second communication system but is incompatible with contexts within the first communication system;

keeping said context information up to date;

keeping said context information on hold while the mobile station is connected to the first communication system;

periodically transmitting said on hold context information to the mobile station; and

putting to use said context information when the mobile station switches to the second communication system, wherein said second communication system is not based on the same context as the first communication system.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said first communication system is a non context based system.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said first communication system is an Internet Protocol (IP) based communication system and said second communication system is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context based communication system.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said IP based communication system is a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) communication system and said PDP context based communication system is a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) system.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said context information is maintained by a client-server application residing at the mobile station and at a common anchor point between the first and second communication systems;

and said context information is tunneled through the first communication system between an application client residing at the mobile station and an application server residing at the common anchor point.

16. A mobile station for communication in a wireless communication system, the mobile station comprising:

a processor, configured for establishing context information related to a current activity, including a set of services currently being used, of the mobile station within a first communication system, wherein said first communication system is not a context based system;

keeping said context information up to date by receiving periodic transmissions from the first communication system;

keeping said context information on hold while the mobile station is connected to the first communication system; and

putting to use said context information when the mobile station switches to a second communication system, wherein said second communication system is a context based communication system; and

a memory coupled to the processor for storing data.

17. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein said first communication system is an Internet Protocol (IP) based communication system and said second communication system is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context based communication system.

18. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein said IP based communication system is a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) communication system and said PDP context based communication system is a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) system.

19. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein said context information is maintained by a client-server application residing at the mobile station and at a common anchor point between the first and second communication systems.

20. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein said context information is tunneled through the first communication system between an application client residing at the mobile station and an application server residing at the common anchor point.

21. A common anchor for providing system interoperability in a wireless communication system, the common anchor comprising:

means for monitoring activity including a set of services currently being used by a mobile station within a first communication system;

means for establishing context information related to the monitored activity of the mobile station within the first communication system, wherein said first communication system is not a context based system;

means for keeping said context information up to date;

means for keeping said context information on hold while the mobile station is connected to the first communication system;

means for periodically transmitting said on hold context information to the mobile station; and

means for putting to use said context information when the mobile station switches to a second communication system, wherein said second communication system is a context based communication system.

22. The common anchor of claim 21, further comprising:

a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Compatibility Application Server (PCAS) module;

a standby SGSN function module; and

a GGSN termination function module.

23. The common anchor of claim 22, wherein the PCAS is in communication through an IP tunnel via an IP based network with a PDP Compatibility Application Client (PCAC) module residing in a mobile station.

24. The common anchor of claim 23, wherein the PCAS is in communication with the standby SGSN function module and with the GGSN termination function module.

25. The common anchor of claim 24, wherein the standby SGSN function module and the GGSN termination function module emulate conventional SGSN and GGSN nodes, and communicate with a Serving GPRS Support Node in a PDP based network using a conventional GPRS Tunneling Protocol over conventional interfaces.