Providing address information for reaching a wireless terminal

• US 7,944,947 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Nykanen, Petri, Mononen, Jari
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SINKANTARAKORN, PAWARIS
• Application Number:
  US10/656,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20050054343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,811 Days
• Field of Search: 370/349, 370389-392, 370/401, 370/475, 709/245
• US Class Current: 370/475
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of providing address information for reaching a wireless terminal, the wireless terminal being connected to a first wireless communication network, a varying public address being dynamically allocated to the wireless terminal, and the wireless terminal being reachable from outside of the first wireless communication network by means of the varying public address. The method comprises dynamically notifying substantially directly at least one other communicating party of a current public address of the wireless terminal.

Claims

1. A method of providing address information for reaching a wireless terminal, comprising:

dynamically notifying substantially directly at least one other communicating party of a current public address of said wireless terminal, the at least one other communicating party being an originating party of communication between said wireless terminal and the at least one other communicating party;

said wireless terminal being connected to a first wireless communication network, said wireless terminal having a private address in the first wireless communication network and a dynamically allocated varying public address, and said wireless terminal being reachable from outside of the first wireless communication network by use of said varying public address,

wherein said dynamically notifying further comprises directly identifying said wireless terminal to said at least one other communicating party so that said at least one other communicating party knows the current public address it has been notified of is the current public address of said wireless terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said notifying comprises

dynamically sending an address update request substantially directly to said at least one other communicating party, the address update request comprising a source address and a destination address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said sending an address update request is repeated periodically.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said notifying comprises

dynamically finding out a public address allocated to the wireless terminal at a given moment for obtaining said current public address of the wireless terminal, and

sending said current public address of the wireless terminal substantially directly to said at least one other communicating party.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said sending is conducted, if said current public address has changed after the previous sending of the current public address.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein finding out said current public address comprises

querying the public address of the wireless terminal from an external entity capable of seeing the public address of the wireless terminal.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein finding out said current public address comprises

polling substantially continuously said current public address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises

choosing conditionally, which other communicating parties are notified of said current public address.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said choosing is conducted on the basis of predefined profile information defining to whom said current public address shall be available.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises

maintaining said current public address in said at least one other communicating party in association with identification information associated with the wireless terminal, so that the address information for reaching said wireless terminal is readily available in said at least one other communicating party by means of said identification information for future use.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said identification information is a predefined host name.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one other communicating party is one of the following:

a general-purpose computer, a server and another wireless terminal, such as a mobile phone, a Personal Digital Assistant device or a laptop computer with wireless communicating capability.

13. A system for providing address information for reaching a wireless terminal, the system comprising:

a wireless communication network,

a wireless terminal coupled to said wireless communication network, said wireless terminal having a private address in the wireless communication network and being configured to have a dynamically allocated varying public address, and said wireless terminal being configured to be reachable from outside of said wireless communication network by use of said varying public address, and

at least one other communicating party, the at least one other communicating party being an originating party of communication between said wireless terminal and the at least one other communicating party;

said wireless terminal configured to dynamically notify substantially directly said at least one other communicating party of a current public address of the wireless terminal and to directly identify said wireless terminal to said at least one other communicating party so that said at least one other communicating party knows the current public address it has been notified of is the current public address of said wireless terminal.

14. A wireless terminal coupled to a wireless communication network, comprising:

a processor and associated memory configured;

to have dynamically allocated varying public address, to be reachable from outside of said wireless communication network by use of said varying public address, and

to dynamically notify substantially directly at least one other communicating party of a current public address of the wireless terminal, the at least one other communicating party being an originating party of communication between said wireless terminal and the at least one other communicating party,

to directly identify said wireless terminal to said at least one other communicating party so that said at least one other communicating party knows the current public address it has been notified of is the current public address of said wireless terminal,

wherein the wireless terminal has a private address in the wireless communication network.

15. The wireless terminal of claim 14 configured to execute said notifying by

dynamically sending an address update request substantially directly to said at least one other communicating party, the address update request comprising a source address and a destination address.

16. The wireless terminal of claim 14 configured to execute said notifying by

dynamically finding out a public address allocated to the wireless terminal at a given moment for obtaining said current public address of the wireless terminal, and

sending said current public address of the wireless terminal substantially directly to said at least one other communicating party.

17. The wireless terminal of claim 14 further configured to conditionally choose, which other communicating parties are notified of said current public address.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program executable in a wireless terminal coupled to a wireless communication network, said wireless terminal having a private address in a wireless communication network and having a varying public address dynamically allocated to it, and said wireless terminal being reachable from outside of said wireless communication network by use of said varying public address, said computer program when executed by said wireless terminal for:

dynamically notifying substantially directly at least one other communicating party of a current public address of the wireless terminal, the at least one other communicating party being an originating party of communication between said wireless terminal and the at least one other communicating party,

wherein said dynamically notifying further comprises directly identifying said wireless terminal to said at least one other communicating party so that said at least one other communicating party knows the current public address it has been notified of is the current public address of said wireless terminal.

19. A communicating party configured to receive address information for reaching another communicating party substantially directly from said another communicating party, said another communicating party being an originating communicating party of communication between said another communicating party and said communication party, wherein the communicating party is further configured

to receive an address update request from said another communicating party, and

to use a source address of the address update request as seen by said communicating party as a current public address of said another communicating party,

wherein said another communicating party has a private address in a first wireless network and a dynamically allocated varying public address, and wherein said another communicating party is reachable from outside of the first wireless communication network by use of said varying public address,

wherein said address update request comprises a direct identification of said another communicating party to said communicating party so that said at least one other communicating party knows the current public address it has been notified of is the current public address of said another communicating party.