Route optimization using network enforced, mobile implemented policy

• US 8,208,919 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotecha, Lalit Ratilal
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/068,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20090197597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 4554321-433, 455/445, 455/452.2, 455/41.2, 455/513, 370/238, 370/238.1, 370/312, 370/349, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.31
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A method for performing route optimization based on network enforced, and mobile implemented, policy. The method includes establishing, from a mobile device, a communication session with an access router; receiving, via the established communication session, a first IP address and a second IP address to be assigned to the mobile device; and receiving, at the mobile device, a set of rules. The method also includes evaluating, at the mobile device, at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules to determine to communicate with an external device using a selected one of the first IP address and the second IP address and communicating with the external device using the selected IP address as the address for the mobile device based upon a result of the evaluation.

Claims

1. A method for performing route optimization based on network enforced, and mobile implemented, policy, the method comprising:

establishing, from a mobile device, a communication session with an access router;

receiving, via the established communication session, a first IP address and a second IP address to be assigned to the mobile device;

receiving, at the mobile device and from a mobile communication network server, a set of rules specifying a manner in which the first IP address and the second IP address are to be used;

evaluating, at the mobile device, at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules to determine to communicate with an external device using a selected one of the first IP address and the second IP address; and

communicating with the external device using the selected IP address as the address of the mobile device based upon a result of the evaluation, wherein;

establishing the communication session with the access router includes establishing a communication session with a home access router located inside a home network with which the mobile device is registered, the home access router being connected to a roaming home agent and a home agent,

the roaming home agent and the home agent belong to the home network,

receiving the first IP address includes receiving a roaming IP address configured to enable the mobile device to communicate with the external device through the roaming home agent, and

receiving the second IP address includes receiving a home IP address configured to enable the mobile device to communicate with the external device through the home agent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

evaluating the at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules includes evaluating at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules to determine that the external device is in a visited network, and

communicating with the external device includes communicating with the external device using the roaming IP address to avoid sending traffic to the home network and thereby achieving a desired route optimization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

evaluating the at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules includes evaluating at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules to determine that the external device is in the home network, and

communicating with the external device includes communicating with the external device using the home IP address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

evaluating the at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules includes evaluating at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules to determine a location of the mobile device and determine that the mobile device is in a visited network based on the location of the mobile device, and

communicating with the external device includes communicating with the external device using the roaming IP address, thereby achieving the route optimization.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic includes video traffic or voice traffic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

communicating with the external device is achieved through one of the home network and a visited network depending upon usage of the selected IP address as a source IP address for outgoing traffic, and

the visited network is a network at least one hop away from the home network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the communication session with the access router includes establishing a communication session with a roaming access router located outside the home network with which the mobile device is registered and the roaming access router is connected to the roaming home agent and the home agent.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the roaming home agent belongs to a visited network that is outside the home network and that is being visited by the mobile device and the home agent belongs to the home network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the roaming IP address includes receiving the roaming IP address from a visited network policy server or the roaming home agent.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the home IP address includes receiving the home IP address from a home policy server or the home agent.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the set of rules includes receiving the set of rules from a home policy network server that belongs to the home network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the set of rules includes receiving a set of rules directing the mobile device to use the roaming IP address as a source IP address for outgoing traffic associated with applications requiring high priority.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the set of rules includes receiving a set of rules directing the mobile device to use the roaming IP address as a source IP address for outgoing traffic requiring a specific type of quality of service treatment.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein:

evaluating the at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules includes evaluating a type of application associated with the communication session against the set of rules, and

communicating with the external device includes communicating with the external device using either the roaming IP address or the home IP address based on the type of application associated with the communication session.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein:

evaluating the at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules includes evaluating a type of quality of service associated with the communication session against the set of rules, and

communicating with the external device includes communicating with the external device using either the roaming IP address or the home IP address based on the type of quality of service associated with the communication session.

16. A mobile device, configured to:

establish, from the mobile device, a communication session with an access router;

receive, via the established communication session, a first IP address and a second IP address to be assigned to the mobile device;

receive, from a mobile communication network server, a set of rules specifying a manner in which the first IP address and the second IP address are to be used;

evaluate at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules to determine to communicate with an external device using a selected one of the first IP address and the second IP address; and

communicate with the external device using the selected IP address as the address of the mobile device based upon a result of the evaluation, wherein;

the access router includes a home access router located inside a home network with which the mobile device is registered, the home access router being connected to a roaming home agent and a home agent,

the roaming home agent and the home agent belong to the home network,

the first IP address includes a roaming IP address configured to enable the mobile device to communicate with the external device through the roaming home agent, and

the second IP address includes a home IP address configured to enable the mobile device to communicate with the external device through the home agent.

17. A system for performing route optimization based on network enforced, and mobile implemented, policy, the system comprising:

a mobile communication network server, wherein;

the system is configured to;

establish, by an initiation from a first mobile device, a communication session between an access router and the first mobile device;

provide, via the established communication session, the first mobile device with a first IP address and a second IP address to be assigned to the first mobile device;

provide the first mobile device with a set of rules specifying a manner in which the first IP address and the second IP address are to be used; and

establish a communication between the first mobile device and a second device using the selected IP address as the address of the first mobile device based upon a result of the first mobile device evaluating at least one parameter of the communication session against the set of rules to determine to communicate with the second device using a selected one of the first IP address and the second IP address,

the access router is a home access router located inside a home network with which the first mobile device is registered, the home access router being connected to a roaming home agent and a home agent,

the roaming home agent and the home agent belong to the home network,

the first IP address includes a roaming IP address configured to enable the first mobile device to communicate with the second device through the roaming home agent, and

the second IP address includes a home IP address configured to enable the first mobile device to communicate with the second device through the home agent.