Method for performing handovers in a communication system

• US 7,970,402 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Latvala, Mikael, Tuononen, Janne, Wu, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US11/790,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20080096562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/439, 455/440, 455/441, 455/442, 455/443, 455/444, 370/329, 370/330, 370/331, 370/338, 370/349, 370/351, 370/352, 370/395.52, 709/203, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/230
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16

Abstract

The invention relates to a method wherein a transport layer association is established. Thereafter, a handover condition is detected in the first mobile node, which obtains a second address. The second address is updated to a first name server node. A query message is sent to a second name server node for an address of the second mobile node. The second address is indicated to the second mobile node. The first mobile node waits for a response from the second name server node or the second mobile node. Upon receiving a new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node, the first mobile node repeats the indication of the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node using the new address as a destination address for the second mobile node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a transport layer association between a first mobile node and a second mobile node, the first mobile node using a first address in the establishing of the transport layer association;

detecting a handover condition in the first mobile node;

obtaining a second address for the use of the first mobile node;

updating the second address of the first mobile node to a first name server node;

sending a query message for an address of the second mobile node to a second name server node;

indicating the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node;

waiting, at the first mobile node, for a response from the second mobile node;

upon receiving a new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node, repeating the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node, wherein the new address of the second mobile node is used as a destination address for said second mobile node;

starting a timer for at least one of the receiving of the new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node and a receiving of an acknowledgement from the second mobile node in response to the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node; and

upon expiry of the timer, repeating the sending and the indicating.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the waiting further comprises:

waiting for a response from said second name server node in said first mobile node.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving said second address of said first mobile node in said second mobile node; and

recovering said transport layer association between said first mobile node and said second mobile node based on said second address of said first mobile node.

4. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

sending an initial query message for an address of said second mobile node to said second name server node from said first mobile node;

receiving an initial address of said second mobile node to said first mobile node; and

storing a logical name for said second mobile node in said first mobile node.

5. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving an address update message in said first name server node;

extracting a logical name from said address update message;

checking whether said logical name is associated with a mobile node; and

assigning a higher priority to the updating of said address if said logical name is associated with a mobile node.

6. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving query message in said first name server node, said query message providing a logical name;

checking whether said logical name is associated with a mobile node; and

assigning a higher priority to the processing of said query message if said logical name is associated with a mobile node.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first name server node comprises a domain name server.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first name server comprises at least part of a distributed hash table for mapping logical names to node addresses.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transport layer association comprises a stream control transmission protocol association.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first mobile node comprises a mobile station within a mobile communication system.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first mobile node comprises a wireless local area network terminal.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including code, wherein the at least one memory and the code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to provide operations comprising;

establishing a transport layer association between a first mobile node and a second mobile node, the first mobile node using a first address in the establishing of the transport layer association;

detecting a handover condition in the first mobile node;

obtaining a second address for the use of the first mobile node;

updating the second address of the first mobile node to a first name server node;

sending a query message for an address of the second mobile node to a second name server node;

indicating the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node;

waiting, at the first mobile node, for a response from the second mobile node;

upon receiving a new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node, repeating the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node, wherein the new address of the second mobile node is used as a destination address for said second mobile node;

starting a timer for at least one of the receiving of the new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node and a receiving of an acknowledgement from the second mobile node in response to the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node; and

upon expiry of the timer, repeating the sending and the indicating.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, the apparatus further comprising:

waiting for a response from said second name server node.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, the apparatus further comprising:

receiving said second address of said first mobile node in said second mobile node and to recover said transport layer association between said first mobile node and said second mobile node based on said second address of said first mobile node.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, the apparatus further comprising:

sending an initial query message for an address of said second mobile node to said second name server node, to receive an initial address of said second mobile node to said apparatus and to store a logical name for said second mobile node in said apparatus.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said transport layer association comprises a stream control transmission protocol association.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said apparatus comprises a mobile station within a mobile communication system.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said apparatus comprises a wireless local area network terminal.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

means for establishing a transport layer association between the apparatus and a second-mobile node, the apparatus using a first address in the establishing of the transport layer association;

means for detecting a handover condition;

means for obtaining a second address for the use of the apparatus;

means for updating the second address of the apparatus to a first name server node;

means for sending a query message for an address of the second mobile node to a second name server node;

means for indicating the second address of the apparatus to the second mobile node;

means for waiting for a response from the second mobile node in the apparatus;

means for repeating the indicating of the second address of the apparatus to the second mobile node upon receiving a new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node, wherein the new address of the second mobile node is used as a destination address for said second mobile node;

means for starting a timer for at least one of the receiving of the new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node and a receiving of an acknowledgement from the second mobile node in response to the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node; and

upon expiry of the timer, means for repeating the sending and the indicating.

20. A communication system, comprising:

a first mobile node configured to establish a transport layer association to a second mobile node, the first mobile node using a first address in the establishing of the transport layer association,

to detect a handover condition, to obtain a second address,

to update the second address of the first mobile node to a first name server node,

to send a query message for an address of the second mobile node to a second name server node,

to indicate the second address to the second mobile node,

to wait for a response from the second mobile node,

upon receiving a new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node, to repeat the indication of the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node, wherein the new address of the second mobile node is used as a destination address for said second mobile node,

to start a timer for at least one of the receiving of the new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node and a receiving of an acknowledgement from the second mobile node in response to the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node, and

upon expiry of the timer, to repeat the sending and the indicating;

the second mobile node configured to establish a transport layer association with the first mobile node and to receive an indication of the second address of the first mobile node; and

the first name server node configured to update the second address for the first mobile node.

21. The communication system according to claim 20, the system further comprising:

said first name server node configured to receive an address update message, to extract a logical name from said address update message, to check whether said logical name is associated with a mobile node and to assign a higher priority to the updating of said address if said logical name is associated with a mobile node.

22. The communication system according to claim 20, the communication system further comprising:

said first name server node configured to receive a query message, said query message providing a logical name, to check whether said logical name is associated with a mobile node and to assign a higher priority to the processing of said query message if said logical name is associated with a mobile node.

23. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program comprising code which when executed by a processor provide operations comprising:

establishing a transport layer association between a first mobile node and a second mobile node, the first mobile node using a first address in the establishing of the transport layer association;

obtaining a second address for the first mobile node;

updating the second address of the first mobile node to a first name server node;

sending a query message for an address of the second mobile node to a second name server node;

indicating the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node;

waiting for a response from the second mobile node;

upon receiving a new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node, repeating the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node to the second mobile node, wherein the new address of the second network node is used as a destination address for said second mobile node;

starting a timer for at least one of the receiving of the new address for the second mobile node from the second name server node and a receiving of an acknowledgement from the second mobile node in response to the indicating of the second address of the first mobile node; and

upon expiry of the timer, repeating the sending and the indicating.

24. The computer program according to claim 23, wherein said computer readable storage medium is a removable memory card.

25. The computer program according to claim 23, wherein said computer readable storage medium is one of a magnetic disk and an optical disk.