Method and apparatus for communication handoff
First Claim
1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:
- establishing, at an access terminal, a first wireless link with first network access node to receive a first set of packets from a first first-hop router;
establishing, at the access terminal, a second wireless link with a second network access node to perform a handoff from the first network access node to the second network access node;
establishing, at the access terminal, a protocol tunnel to the first network access node via the second network access node;
receiving a second set of packets at the access terminal from the first first-hop router via the protocol tunnel;
establishing the second network access node as a foreign agent for the access terminal; and
receiving a third set of packets at the access terminal from a second first-hop router via the second network access node while maintaining the protocol tunnel, prior to receiving a last packet of the second set of packets at the access terminal via the protocol tunnel, and after the second network access node has been established as the foreign agent for the access terminal.
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Abstract
Seamless communication handoff is achieved by establishing a protocol tunnel to route leftover packets between network access nodes during the handoff. For example, in a mobile IP-based system, a mobile node may perform a handoff from a first access node that is associated with a first routing node to a second access node that is associated with a second routing node. To prevent the loss of any packets that may be in route for delivery to or from the first routing node during the handoff, the mobile node establishes a protocol tunnel with the first access node via the second access node. On the forward-link, packets being delivered from the first routing node are routed over the protocol tunnel to the second access node and then to the mobile node. On the reverse-link, packets being sent to the first routing node are routed over the protocol tunnel from the mobile node to the second access node and then to the first routing node. In conjunction with these operations, the mobile node concurrently maintains separate IP interfaces for the routing nodes. In addition, steps are taken to ensure that packets are routed to the appropriate IP interface during the handoff.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:
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establishing, at an access terminal, a first wireless link with first network access node to receive a first set of packets from a first first-hop router; establishing, at the access terminal, a second wireless link with a second network access node to perform a handoff from the first network access node to the second network access node; establishing, at the access terminal, a protocol tunnel to the first network access node via the second network access node; receiving a second set of packets at the access terminal from the first first-hop router via the protocol tunnel; establishing the second network access node as a foreign agent for the access terminal; and receiving a third set of packets at the access terminal from a second first-hop router via the second network access node while maintaining the protocol tunnel, prior to receiving a last packet of the second set of packets at the access terminal via the protocol tunnel, and after the second network access node has been established as the foreign agent for the access terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:
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a wireless access controller configured to establish, at an access terminal, a first wireless link with first network access node to receive a first set of packets from a first first-hop router, and further configured to establish, at the access terminal, a second wireless link with a second network access node to perform a handoff from the first network access node to the second network access node; a tunnel definer configured to establish, at the access terminal, a protocol tunnel to the first network access node via the second network access node; a communication processor configured to receive a second set of packets at the access terminal from the first first-hop router via the protocol tunnel; wherein the wireless access controller is further configured to establish the second network access node as a foreign agent for the access terminal; and wherein the communication processor is further configured to receive a third set of packets at the access terminal from a second first-hop router via the second network access node while maintaining the protocol tunnel, prior to receiving a last packet of the second set of packets at the access terminal via the protocol tunnel, and after the second network access node has been established as the foreign agent for the access terminal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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25. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:
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means for establishing, at an access terminal, a first wireless link with first network access node to receive a first set of packets from a first first-hop router; means for establishing, at the access terminal, a second wireless link with a second network access node to perform a handoff from the first network access node to the second network access node; means for establishing, at the access terminal, a protocol tunnel to the first network access node via the second network access node; means for receiving a second set of packets at the access terminal from the first first-hop router via the protocol tunnel; means for establishing the second network access node as a foreign agent for the access terminal; and means for receiving a third set of packets at the access terminal from a second first-hop router via the second network access node while maintaining the protocol tunnel, prior to receiving a last packet of the second set of packets at the access terminal via the protocol tunnel, and after the second network access node has been established as the foreign agent for the access terminal.
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26. A computer-program product for wireless communication, comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for causing a computer to; establish, at an access terminal, a first wireless link with first network access node to receive a first set of packets from a first first-hop router; establish, at the access terminal, a second wireless link with a second network access node to perform a handoff from the first network access node to the second network access node; establish, at the access terminal, a protocol tunnel to the first network access node via the second network access node; receive a second set of packets at the access terminal from the first first-hop router via the protocol tunnel; establish the second network access node as a foreign agent for the access terminal; and receive a third set of packets at the access terminal from a second first-hop router via the second network access node while maintaining the protocol tunnel, prior to receiving a last packet of the second set of packets at the access terminal via the protocol tunnel, and after the second network access node has been established as the foreign agent for the access terminal.
Specification