Intelligently assigning an IP address to a mobile device

• US 8,271,685 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Reeves, Raymond Emilio, Wick, Ryan Alan, Xue, Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sall, El Hadji
• Application Number:
  US12/581,353
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/226, 455/437
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

Ways of allocating an identifier to a mobile device are disclosed. One method includes receiving a request that requests an address be assigned to the mobile device, considering factors in connection with determining a mobile IP (MIP) address to be assigned to the mobile device, determining the MIP address based on the factors, and conveying the MIP address to the mobile device.

Claims

1. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method of allocating an identifier to a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a registration request, which requests that an address be assigned to the mobile device, thereby enabling it to communicate data by way of a wireless telecommunications network;

considering the following factors in connection with determining a mobile IP (MIP) address to be assigned to the mobile device, which runs a client application that makes use of the MIP address,

(1) a refresh rate associated with the registration request;

(2) a frequency that the client application running on the mobile device has been disconnected from the network;

(3) an availability of MIP addresses remaining in a pool of MIP addresses;

(4) a type of application that the client application is;

(5) a location of the mobile device when the request is received;

(6) a certain set of MIP addresses that have functioned well in the past;

determining the MIP address;

conveying the MIP address to the mobile device such that the mobile device is identifiable on the network by way of the MIP address; and

monitoring a communications channel that was established by virtue of conveying the MIP address to the mobile device, wherein monitoring the communications channel includes;

logging whether the communications channel is disrupted,

logging a given MIP address that was allocated at a time of disruption of the communications channel, and

repeatedly logging the given MIP addresses, which might be different from each other, thereby storing a first set of MIP addresses that resulted in relatively stable connections and a second set of MIP addresses that resulted in relatively unstable connections.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the mobile device was authenticated by an authenticating device that determines whether it is authorized to communicate via the wireless telecommunications network (“

network”

).

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the refresh rate includes a measure of a number of times that data are refreshed on the mobile device.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the frequency includes a number of occurrences during a given time period that the mobile device attempted to reregister with the wireless telecommunications network.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the pool of MIP addresses includes a dedicated pool of addresses to be allocated among a set of mobile devices that share a common attribute.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the common attribute includes ownership, such that a first set of mobile devices commonly owned by an entity is allocated IP addresses from the pool.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the certain set of MIP addressees includes addresses that when previously assigned did not result in excessive reregistration attempts.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the excessive reregistration attempts is defined by a threshold number per unit time.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the threshold number is any number above about 10% of user-driven disconnections from the wireless telecommunications network.

10. A computer-implemented method of allocating an identifier to a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a registration request, which requests that an address be assigned to the mobile device, thereby enabling it to communicate data by way of a wireless telecommunications network;

considering the following factors in connection with determining a mobile IP (MIP) address to be assigned to the mobile device, which runs a client application that makes use of the MIP address,

(1) a refresh rate associated with the registration request;

(2) a frequency that the client application running on the mobile device has been disconnected from the network;

(3) an availability of MIP addresses remaining in a pool of MIP addresses;

(4) a type of application that the client application is;

(5) a location of the mobile device when the request is received;

(6) a certain set of MIP addresses that have functioned well in the past;

determining the MIP address;

conveying the MIP address to the mobile device such that the mobile device is identifiable on the network by way of the MIP address; and

monitoring a communications channel that was established by virtue of conveying the MIP address to the mobile device, wherein monitoring the communications channel includes;

logging whether the communications channel is disrupted,

logging a given MIP address that was allocated at a time of disruption of the communications channel, and

repeatedly logging the given MIP addresses, which might be different from each other, thereby storing a first set of MIP addresses that resulted in relatively stable connections and a second set of MIP addresses that resulted in relatively unstable connections.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile device was authenticated by an authenticating device that determines whether it is authorized to communicate via the wireless telecommunications network (“

network”

).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the refresh rate includes a measure of a number of times that data are refreshed on the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the frequency includes a number of occurrences during a given time period that the mobile device attempted to reregister with the wireless telecommunications network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the pool of MIP addresses includes a dedicated pool of addresses to be allocated among a set of mobile devices that share a common attribute.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the common attribute includes ownership, such that a first set of mobile devices commonly owned by an entity is allocated IP addresses from the pool.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the certain set of MIP addressees includes addresses that when previously assigned did not result in excessive reregistration attempts.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the excessive reregistration attempts is defined by a threshold number per unit time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the threshold number is any number above about 10% of user-driven disconnections from the wireless telecommunications network.

19. A home agent configured to execute a method of allocating an identifier to a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a registration request, which requests that an address be assigned to the mobile device, thereby enabling it to communicate data by way of a wireless telecommunications network;

considering the following factors in connection with determining a mobile IP (MIP) address to be assigned to the mobile device, which runs a client application that makes use of the MIP address,

(1) a refresh rate associated with the registration request;

(2) a frequency that the client application running on the mobile device has been disconnected from the network;

(3) an availability of MIP addresses remaining in a pool of MIP addresses;

(4) a type of application that the client application is;

(5) a location of the mobile device when the request is received;

(6) a certain set of MIP addresses that have functioned well in the past;

determining the MIP address;

conveying the MIP address to the mobile device such that the mobile device is identifiable on the network by way of the MIP address; and

monitoring a communications channel that was established by virtue of conveying the MIP address to the mobile device, wherein monitoring the communications channel includes;

logging whether the communications channel is disrupted,

logging a given MIP address that was allocated at a time of disruption of the communications channel, and

repeatedly logging the given MIP addresses, which might be different from each other, thereby storing a first set of MIP addresses that resulted in relatively stable connections and a second set of MIP addresses that resulted in relatively unstable connections.