Handoff system and method between different kinds of devices, SIP server and operational method of SIP server

• US 8,018,899 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kyoung-hee, Kim, Myung-cul, Bang, Jeong-ho, Oh, Se-jong
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ghafoerkhan; Faiyazkhan
• Application Number:
  US11/355,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/328, 455/432.1, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/437, 455/442, 709/227, 709/228, 709/206
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A handoff system and method between different kinds of devices, an SIP server and an application method of the SIP server applied thereto. The handoff system between different kinds of devices includes a plurality of devices; a SIP server which requests a routing path update when a handoff request signal is input from a source device among the plurality devices, and getting a target device to participate in a current session; and a gateway which updates a predetermined routing path when a request signal for the routing path update is input, and transmitting data to the source device and the target device via the updated routing path.

Claims

1. A handoff system between different kinds of wireless devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of wireless devices comprising a source device and a target device;

a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server which requests a routing path update when a handoff request signal is input from the source device, and which gets the target device to participate in a current session; and

a gateway which updates a predetermined routing path when a request signal for the routing path update is input, and transmits data to the source device and the target device via the updated routing path,

wherein when the handoff request signal is input, performing handoff by transferring the current session from an access node in a first network area to an access node of a second network area, wherein if a pause option is included in the handoff request signal, the SIP server maintains a current Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) traffic flow with the source device and the target device.

2. The handoff system according to claim 1, wherein the SIP server receives device information from each of the plurality of wireless devices, and creates a list of available devices for a handoff based on the received device information.

3. The handoff system according to claim 2, wherein if a device information request signal is input from the source device, the SIP server provides the list to the source device.

4. The handoff system according to claim 3, wherein the source device selects the target device from the list provided by the SIP server, and requests a handoff.

5. The handoff system according to claim 1, wherein the source device stores a transmitted data received from the gateway, and provides the transmitted data to the gateway when a data request is made by the SIP server.

6. The handoff system according to claim 1, wherein the request signal for the routing path update comprises a user ID and a session ID.

7. A handoff method between different kinds of wireless devices in a handoff system which performs a handoff from a source device to a target device among a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

if a handoff request signal is input from the source device, updating a predetermined routing path;

getting the target device to participate in a current session; and

transmitting data to the source device and the target device via the updated routing path,

wherein when the handoff request signal is input, performing handoff by transferring the current session from an access node in a first network area to an access node of a second network area, wherein if a pause option is included in the handoff request signal, maintaining, by an SIP server, a current RTP traffic flow with the source device and the target device.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving device information from each of the plurality of devices, and creating a list of available devices based on the received device information.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

if a device information request signal is input from the source device, providing the list to the source device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the source device selects the target device from the provided list and requests a handoff.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

in the source device, storing the transmitted data, and providing the transmitted data to the target device when a request for the transmitted data is made.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the pause option is a delay of the handoff which is set by a user.

13. A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server used in a handoff system which performs a handoff between a source device and a target device among a plurality of different kinds of wireless devices, the SIP server comprising:

a device interface which receives a handoff request signal from the source device;

a gateway interface which transmits a request signal for a routing path update; and

a controller, which controls the gateway interface to transmit a request signal for the routing path update when the handoff request signal is received through the device interface, and gets the target device to participate in a current session,

wherein when the handoff request signal is input, performing handoff by transferring the current session from an access node in a first network area to an access node of a second network area, wherein if a pause option is included in the handoff request signal, the controller maintains a current RTP traffic flow with the source device and the target device.

14. The SIP server according to claim 13, wherein the device interface periodically receives device information from each of the plurality of wireless devices.

15. The SIP server according to claim 13, wherein the controller creates a list of available devices for a handoff based on the device information received.

16. The SIP server according to claim 15, further comprising:

a memory which stores the list of available devices.

17. The SIP server according to claim 15, wherein if a device information request signal is input from the source device, the controller controls the device interface to provide the list to the source device.

18. The SIP server according to claim 13, wherein if a data transmission request signal is input from the target device, the controller obtains data from the source device and provides the data to the target device.

19. An operational method of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server used in a handoff system which performs a handoff between a source device and a target device among a plurality of different kinds of wireless devices, the method comprising:

receiving a handoff request signal from the source device;

transmitting an update request signal for a predetermined routing path; and

getting the target device to participate in a current session,

wherein when the handoff request signal is input, performing handoff by transferring the current session from an access node in a first network area to an access node of a second network area, if a pause option is included in the received handoff request signal, maintaining, by the SIP server, a current RTP traffic flow with the source device and the target device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

periodically receiving device information from each of the plurality of wireless devices and generating a list of available devices based on the received device information for a handoff.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

if a device information request signal is input from the source device, providing the list to the source device.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

if a data transmission request signal is input from the target device, obtaining data from the source device and providing the data to the target device.