WLAN to UMTS handover with network requested PDP context activation

• US 7,969,931 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Bachmann, Jens, Hakenberg, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho; Un C
• Application Number:
  US11/576,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.1, 455/436, 455/438, 455/439, 370/328, 370/331
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0038 of security context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for configuring a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network. The mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and the packet data service may be provided to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless network. Moreover, the invention provides an authentication server, a packet data gateway and a packet data service support node which participate in the context configuration method. To provide a method that allows establishing connection for packet service delivery to a mobile terminal from a wireless access network, as for example a UMTS, as fast as possible the invention suggests to preconfigure service provision of the packet data service via the target wireless access network by establishing a context prior to the mobile terminal connecting to the target wireless access network.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network, the method comprising:

providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless network,

attaching the mobile terminal to a core network connected to the target wireless access network by an authentication server to enable a reception of the packet data service via the target wireless access network, and

initiating by the authentication server establishment of a context within the core network connected to the target wireless access network, wherein the establishment of the context in the core network connected to the target wireless access network comprises;

receiving at a packet data gateway of a core network connected to the originating wireless access network an address of a serving packet data service support node or an address of a gateway packet data service support node, wherein the packet data gateway relays packets of the packet data service to/from the originating wireless access network,

determining context information by the packet data gateway based on the context information associated to a connection used for providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless access network, and

transmitting a context activation message comprising the determined context information to the serving or gateway packet data service support node to establish the context in the respective packet data service support node; and

wherein the context is established prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining by the authentication server an address of a serving packet data service support node of the core network, wherein the serving packet data service support node serves the mobile terminal when attaching to the target wireless access network, and

wherein attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network comprises sending a packet data service attach message to the serving packet data service support node.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising authenticating the mobile terminal at the authentication server, and

receiving location information of the mobile terminal at the authentication server and

wherein the determination of the address of the serving packet data service support node comprises mapping the mobile terminal'"'"'s location information to an identifier of the serving packet data service support node.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the context is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context, the originating wireless access network is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) the target wireless access network is a UMTS radio access network and the packet data service is a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) service.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the address of the gateway packet data service support node at the authentication server based on an access point name of an access point in the core network connected to the originating wireless access network communicating via an air interface with the mobile terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting a context activation message comprising the context information from the serving/gateway packet data service support node to the gateway/serving packet data service support node to establish the context at the respective packet data service support node.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the context comprises a Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirement for delivery of the packet data service and resource reservation information for reserving resources in the core network connected to the target wireless access network and/or the target wireless access network for delivery of the packet data service, and

the method further comprises determining resource reservation information by the packet data gateway based on the context information associated to a connection used for providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless access network, and

transmitting the determined resource reservation information within the context activation message to the serving or gateway packet data service support node to reserve resources within the core network connected to target wireless access network and/or the target wireless access network for delivery of the packet data service prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising indicating by the packet data gateway whether to reserve resources for delivery of the packet data service.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a service request for delivery of the packet data service from the mobile terminal through the target wireless access network by the serving packet data service support node, and

requesting the packet data gateway to route data of the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the core network connected to the target wireless access network and the target wireless access network.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the request to the packet data gateway comprises transmitting a context update message from the serving packet data service support node to the gateway packet data support node.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising transmitting a rerouting request message from the gateway packet data support node to the packet data gateway to request the routing of data of the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the target wireless access network.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the packet data gateway and the gateway packet data support node are comprised within one core network element.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the request comprises a request for resources for delivery of the packet data service through the target wireless access network.

14. A communication system for configuring a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is initially connected to and provided with the packet data service through an originating wireless access network, the communication system comprising:

the mobile terminal configured to attach to the originating wireless access network and to receive the packet data service via the originating wireless access network, wherein the mobile terminal is further configured to attach to a core network connected to the target wireless access network by an authentication server to enable a reception of the packet data service via the target wireless access network,

the authentication server configured to initiate establishment of a context within the core network connected to the target wireless access network, and

a packet data gateway of a core network connected to the originating wireless access network, the packet data gateway being configured to receive, as part of the establishment of the context in the core network connected to the target wireless access network, an address of a serving packet data service support node or an address of a gateway packet data service support node, wherein the packet data gateway is further configured to relay packets of the packet data service to/from the originating wireless access network, and

the packet data gateway further configured to determine, as part of the establishment of the context in the core network connected to the target wireless access network, context information based on the context information associated to a connection used for providing the packet data service to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless access network, and further configured to transmit, as part of the establishment of the context in the core network connected to the target wireless access network, a context activation message comprising the determined context information to the serving or gateway packet data service support node to establish the context in the respective packet data service support node,

wherein the context is established prior to an attachment of the mobile terminal to the target wireless access network.