Apparatus and method for interworking wireless LAN and portable internet

• US 8,064,402 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Ahn, Jee-Hwan, Kim, Kyung-Soo, Choi, Song-In, Jeon, Byoung-Chun, Jun, Sun-Mi, Jung, Dong-Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sinkantarakorn; Pao
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zaidi; Iqbal
• Application Number:
  US11/926,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20080130576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 370/350, 370/351, 370/469, 370/464, 370329-339, 370352-356, 370401-427, 455/410, 455/435, 455436-445
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for interworking a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a portable Internet. The device establishes a first wireless data path following a first wireless communication protocol with a first network, and establishes a plurality of the second wireless data paths through the first wireless data paths. Here, the plurality of the second wireless data paths follow a second wireless communication protocol and respectively correspond to a plurality of terminal devices. Subsequently, the device establishes a plurality of first network links respectively corresponding to the plurality of terminal devices with the first network, and stores mapping information for the first network link corresponding to a relationship between the plurality of terminal devices and the plurality of first network links.

Claims

1. An interworking method comprising:

establishing a first wireless data path following a first wireless communication protocol between an interworking device and a first network;

establishing a plurality of second wireless data paths between the interworking device and a plurality of terminal devices, wherein the plurality of second wireless data paths respectively correspond to the plurality of terminal devices and follow a second wireless communication protocol;

establishing a plurality of first network links between the interworking device and the first network through the first wireless data path, wherein the plurality of first network links respectively correspond to the plurality of terminal devices;

storing mapping information for the plurality of first network links that corresponds to relationships between the plurality of terminal devices and the plurality of first network links;

receiving a message from a first terminal device of the plurality of terminal devices through one of the plurality of second wireless data paths; and

transmitting to the first network the message received from the first terminal device through a corresponding one of the plurality of first network links corresponding to the first terminal device based on the stored mapping information, wherein the first wireless communication protocol supports a handover operation, and the second wireless communication protocol does not support a handover operation.

2. The interworking method of claim 1, wherein the establishing of the plurality of first network links comprises allocating a bandwidth of each first network link according to a service grade of each terminal device.

3. The interworking method of claim 2, wherein the storing of the mapping information comprises storing the mapping information for the plurality of terminal devices respectively corresponding to the plurality of first network links.

4. The interworking method of claim 3, further comprising receiving a packet and transmitting the packet according to the mapping information.

5. The interworking method of claim 4, wherein the transmitting of the packet comprises receiving the packet through one among the plurality of first network links;

and

transmitting the packet to the terminal device corresponding to the first network link among the plurality of terminal devices according to the mapping information.

6. The interworking method of claim 5, wherein the packet follows the first wireless communication protocol, and the transmitting of the packet comprises receiving the packet through one of the plurality of first networks;

converting the packet into a packet following the second wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting the packet following the second wireless communication protocol to the terminal device corresponding to the first network among the plurality of terminal devices according to the mapping information.

7. The interworking method of claim 4, wherein the transmitting of the packet comprises receiving the packet through the second wireless data path from one terminal device among the plurality of terminal devices;

and transmitting the packet through the first network link corresponding to the terminal device among the plurality of first network links according to the mapping information.

8. The interworking method of claim 7, wherein the packet follows the second wireless communication protocol, and the transmitting of the packet comprises receiving the packet through the second wireless data path from one terminal device among the plurality of terminal devices;

converting the packet to a packet following the first wireless communication protocol; and

transmitting the packet following the first wireless communication protocol through the first network corresponding to the terminal device among the plurality of first network links according to the mapping information.

9. The interworking method of claim 3, wherein the establishing of the first wireless data path comprises establishing a wireless link following the first wireless communication protocol with a base station of the first network;

transmitting an authentication message to an authentication server of the first network through the wireless link so that the authentication server of the first network performs an authentication process according to the authentication message; and

establishing the first wireless data path following the first wireless communication protocol with the first network when the authentication process is finished.

10. The interworking method of claim 3, wherein the establishing of the plurality of second wireless data paths comprises:

establishing a wireless link following the second wireless communication protocol with each terminal device;

receiving an authentication message through the wireless link;

transmitting the authentication message to an authentication server of the second network through the first wireless data path so that the authentication server of the second network performs an authentication process according to the authentication message; and

establishing the second wireless data path following the second wireless communication protocol with the terminal device when the authentication process is finished.

11. An interworking method comprising:

establishing a first wireless data path following a first wireless communication protocol with a first network;

establishing a first wireless link following a second wireless communication protocol with a terminal;

receiving an authentication message from the terminal device through the first wireless link;

transmitting the authentication message to an authentication server of a second network through the first data path;

receiving a service grade of the terminal device from the authentication server of the second network through the first data path in response to the transmitting the authentication message; and

establishing a first network link following the first wireless communication protocol according to the service grade of the terminal device;

establishing a second wireless data path following a second wireless communication protocol according to the service grade of the terminal device, wherein the first wireless communication protocol supports a handover operation, and the second wireless communication protocol does not support a handover operation.

12. The interworking method of claim 11, further comprising receiving data through the first network link and transmitting the data through the second wireless data path.

13. The interworking method of claim 11, further comprising receiving data through the second wireless data path, and transmitting the data through the first network link.