Heterogeneous network system, network node and mobile host

• US 8,165,070 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AB Seesta OY, Reijo Salminen
• Original Assignee: AB Seesta OY
• Inventors: Salminen, Reijo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shen, Qun
• Application Number:
  US10/592,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20080298313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,602 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-329, 455/434, 455/445, 455/452.2
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The invention relates to a system that dynamically integrates a set of communication networks to increase the overall heterogeneous network system performance and capabilities. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique of providing a Dynamic Heterogeneous Network System, and providing a Network Node entity and a Mobile Host entity into the system to support the heterogeneous network. The network system according to the present invention has an architecture that includes at least five building blocks including a mobile host (1), an access network (7), a network node (2), an AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting) node (13), and an external network (3).

Claims

1. A mobile host in a heterogeneous network system that integrates communication systems, the heterogeneous network system providing support for a communication between the mobile host and a network node in a heterogeneous network over a plurality of access networks, wherein the mobile host provides a common platform for the plurality of access networks, the mobile host comprising:

means for performing periodical and event based quality of service measurements on an established connection between a quality of service enabled transmitting and receiving entity in the mobile host and a quality of service enabled receiving and transmitting entity in one of the plurality of access networks, such that the quality of service is measured as at least one of data throughput in bits/s, data transmission delay, data transmission jitter, data packet loss rate, and data packet error rate, wherein the quality of service measurements being the local Quality of Service measurements that are used in the decisions to perform connection reconfigurations within the heterogeneous network during traffic;

means for requesting information regarding a service level agreement for one of the plurality of access networks from the network node in the heterogeneous network, said service level agreement information comprising quality of service information;

control and measurement database means for storing said service level agreement information and results of said quality of service measurements;

traffic routing means for performing one of releasing and re-establishing the established connection; and

control logic means for invoking the traffic routing means based on said quality of service information and said service level agreement information stored via the control and measurement database means of the mobile host;

wherein support for the communication between the mobile host and the plurality of access networks occurs simultaneously.

2. The mobile host according to claim 1, said heterogeneous network system further comprising:

means for establishing an initial connection between the mobile host and the network node in the heterogeneous network system, wherein the initial connection is established using the plurality of access networks.

3. The mobile host according to claim 2, wherein the mobile host is authenticated and authorized in said heterogeneous network system by using said initial connection established between the mobile host and the network node in said heterogeneous network system.

4. The mobile host according to claim 2, wherein the mobile host and the network node each have means for encrypting said initial connection established between said mobile host and the network node in the heterogeneous network system.

5. The mobile host according to claim 2, wherein the mobile host is provided a plurality of authorization and authentication information from the network node using said initial connection established between the mobile host and the network node, said plurality of authentication and authorization information being used by the mobile host for authentication and authorization of the mobile host to the plurality of access networks supporting said heterogeneous network system.

6. The mobile host according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for collecting the quality of service measurements results.

7. The mobile host according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for performing access network selection based on scanned identities of the access networks, said measured quality of service information from said quality of service enabled transmitting and receiving entity in the mobile host and from said quality of service enabled receiving and transmitting entity in one of the plurality of access networks and said service level agreement information stored via the control and measurement database means;

wherein the quality of service information is received from the network node or is based on a combination of information elements, and is adjustable according to parameters stored via the control and measurement database means.

18. The mobile host of claim 1, wherein the established connection is dynamically reconfigured to sustain the quality of service information.

8. A heterogeneous network system that integrates communication systems, the heterogeneous network system providing support for a communication between a mobile host and a network node in a heterogeneous network over a plurality of access networks the mobile host comprising:

means for performing periodical and event based quality of service measurements on an established connection between a quality of service enabled transmitting and receiving entity in the mobile host and a quality of service enabled receiving and transmitting entity in one of the plurality of access networks, such that the quality of service is measured as at least one of data throughput in bits/s, data transmission delay, data transmission jitter, data packet loss rate, and data packet error rate, wherein the quality of service measurements being the local Quality of Service measurements that are used in the decisions to perform connection reconfigurations within the heterogeneous network during traffic;

means for requesting information regarding a service level agreement for one of the plurality of access networks from the network node in the heterogeneous network, said service level agreement information comprising quality of service information;

wherein said mobile host comprises;

a control and measurement database module for storing said service level agreement information and results of said quality of service measurements;

a traffic routing module for performing one of releasing and re-establishing the established connection; and

a control logic module for invoking the traffic routing module based on said quality of service information and said service level agreement information stored in the control and measurement database module of the mobile host;

wherein support for the communication between the mobile host and a the plurality of access networks occurs simultaneously.

9. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for performing access network selection based on scanned identities of the access networks, said measured quality of service information from said quality of service enabled transmitting and receiving entity in the mobile host and from said quality of service enabled receiving and transmitting entity in one of the plurality of access networks and said service level agreement information stored via the control and measurement database means;

wherein the quality of service information is received from the network node or is based on a combination of information elements, and is adjustable according to parameters stored via the control and measurement database means.

10. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 8, said heterogeneous network system further comprising:

a module for establishing an initial connection between the mobile host and the network node in the heterogeneous network system, wherein the initial connection is established using the plurality of access networks.

11. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 10, wherein upon establishing a communication initiated by an external network with the mobile host in the heterogeneous network, the network node supports selecting an access network for the establishing of the initial connection, and wherein information needed for the selecting is made available to the control logic module by an AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting) protocol interface module.

12. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 10, wherein said network node and the mobile host each have means for encrypting said initial connection established between said mobile host and the network node in the heterogeneous network system.

13. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 10, wherein said network node provides support to the mobile host for-establishing a communication to the plurality of access networks using said initial connection between the network node and mobile host.

14. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 8, wherein said network node provides support for a communication between the mobile host and an AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting) node in the heterogeneous network.

15. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 10, wherein the mobile host further comprises:

means for collecting the quality of service measurements results.

16. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 10, wherein said service level agreement information comprises a selection of the quality of service information.

17. The heterogeneous network system according to claim 16, wherein the mobile host further comprises:

means for performing access network selection based on scanned identities of the access networks, said quality of service information and said service level agreement information stored via the control and measurement database module;

wherein the quality of service information is received from the network node or is based on a combination of information elements, and is adjustable according to parameters stored via the control and measurement database module.

19. The heterogeneous network system of claim 8, wherein the established connection is dynamically reconfigured to sustain the quality of service information.