Methods and apparatus for use in establishing communications for virtual private networking

• US 8,248,967 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Nagy, Thomas, Lai, Frederick Chee-Kiong
• Primary Examiner(s): Weidner, Timothy J
• Application Number:
  US13/026,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4679 Arrangements for the registration or de-registration of VLAN attribute values, e.g. VLAN identifiers, port VLAN membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

Techniques for registering for communications for a communications application stored in a mobile device are described. The mobile device communicates, via a communication network, a request for a connection with a private network. If the connection is established within a predetermined period of time, then the mobile device receives from the private network a first IP address for assignment to the mobile device, and communicates to a server a request for registering for the communications using the first IP address assigned to the mobile device. If the connection is not established within the predetermined period of time, then the mobile device communicates to a server a request for registering for the communications using a second IP address assigned to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless mobile telephone for registering for communications for use of a communications application stored in the wireless mobile telephone, the method comprising:

receiving, via a wireless network, a first IP address which is assigned to the wireless mobile telephone;

communicating, from the wireless mobile telephone via the wireless network, a request for establishing a secure tunnel connection with a private network through the wireless network;

if the secure tunnel connection with the private network through the wireless network is established within a predetermined period of time, then receiving from the private network a second IP address of the private network for assignment to the wireless mobile telephone, and communicating to a server a request for registering for the communications using the second IP address of the private network which is assigned to the wireless mobile telephone; and

if the secure tunnel connection with the private network through the wireless network is not established within the predetermined period of time, then communicating to a server a request for registering for the communications using the first IP address that was previously received and assigned to the wireless mobile telephone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication application comprises a voice telephony application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of communicating the request for the secure tunnel connection comprises communicating a request for a virtual private network (VPN) connection with the private network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first IP address comprises a public IP address which is assigned to the wireless mobile telephone by the wireless network prior to communicating the request for the secure tunnel connection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the wireless communication network, the first IP address which is dynamically assigned to the wireless mobile telephone by the wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications application is for communications which utilize a session initiation protocol (SIP).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after registering with the server, communicating using the communications application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after communicating the request for the secure tunnel connection with the private network, causing data of an authentication procedure for the connection to be transmitted from the wireless mobile telephone.

10. The method of claim 1, which is embodied as computer instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium which are executable by one or more processors of the wireless mobile telephone.

11. A wireless mobile telephone, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

one or more processors coupled to the wireless transceiver;

memory adapted to store a communications application for communications;

the one or more processors being configured to register for communications for use of the communications application by;

receiving, via a wireless network, a first IP address which is assigned to the wireless mobile telephone;

communicating, from the wireless mobile telephone via the wireless network, a request for establishing a secure tunnel connection with a private network through the wireless network;

if the secure tunnel connection with the private network through the wireless network is established within a predetermined period of time, then receiving from the private network a second IP address of the private network for assignment to the wireless mobile telephone, and communicating to a server a request for registering for communications using the second IP address of the private network which is assigned to the wireless mobile telephone; and

if the secure tunnel connection with the private network through the wireless network is not established within the predetermined period of time, then communicating to a server a request for registering for communications using the first IP address that was previously received and assigned to the wireless mobile telephone.

12. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the communication application comprises a voice telephony application.

13. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the secure tunnel connection comprises a virtual private network (VPN) connection.

14. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the first IP address comprises a public IP address which is assigned to the wireless mobile telephone by the wireless network.

15. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive, from the wireless network, the first IP address which is dynamically assigned to the wireless mobile telephone by the wireless network.

16. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the communications application is for communications which utilize a session initiation protocol (SIP).

17. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the server comprises a session initiation protocol (SIP) server.

18. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

after registering with the server, communicate using the communications application.

19. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

after communicating the request for the secure tunnel connection with the private network, causing data of an authentication procedure for the secure tunnel connection to be transmitted from the wireless mobile telephone.

20. The wireless mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the communication application comprises a Voice over IP (VoIP) application, the secure tunnel connection comprises a virtual private network (VPN) connection, and the second IP address comprises a public IP address assigned to the wireless mobile telephone by the wireless network.