Ubiquitous access to femto-connected network

• US 8,446,863 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2009
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Parsons, Eric W., Reininger, Philippe, Stojanovski, Saso, Barnowski, Barnaba
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boakye, Alexander O
• Application Number:
  US12/935,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20110038318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/332, 370/331, 370/337, 370/338, 370/347, 370/352, 370/354, 455/456.1, 455/439, 455/426.2, 455/434, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/72 Routing based on the source address
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A system and method of enabling a mobile device to communicate with a local IP network host and an external IP network host using a femto cellular access point on a femto cellular access network. A local gateway is coupled to the femto cellular access network for receiving data packets transmitted on the femto cellular access network and for routing the data packets to one of a local IP network and an external IP network, based on a destination address associated with the data packets. The femto cellular access network includes an LTE network, an EVDO network connected to an EPC, or a WiMax 802.16e/m network connected to the EPC.

Claims

1. A method of using a femto cell to facilitate communications between a mobile device and at least one terminal device, the method comprising:

assigning a local internet protocol address to a local gateway;

receiving data packets transmitted by a mobile device at the local gateway;

analyzing the data packets to identify a local destination address;

routing the data packets to the at least one terminal device; and

maintaining the data packets in a local network without transmitting data packets to a core gateway.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning an access point name to the local gateway.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising forwarding the data packets to the local gateway associated with the access point name.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising assigning a single access point name to a plurality of subscribers.

5. A femto cellular access point configured to enable a mobile device to communicate with a local IP network and an external IP network, comprising:

communication circuitry for performing communication with one or more mobile devices, the local IP network, and the external IP network;

processing hardware coupled to the communication circuitry, wherein the processing hardware is configured to;

receive data packets transmitted by a mobile device coupled to the femto cellular access point using the communication circuitry;

analyze the data packets to identify a local destination address of a terminal device within the local IP network;

route the data packets to the terminal device, wherein said routing the data packets to the terminal device comprises maintaining the data packets in the local IP network without transmitting the data packets to the external IP network.

6. The femto cellular access point of claim 5, wherein the terminal device includes at least one of a media player, a printer, a computer or a data storage device.

7. The femto cellular access point of claim 5, wherein the local IP network includes a plurality of terminal devices.

8. The femto cellular access point of claim 5, wherein said routing the data packets to the terminal device comprises transmitting the data packets to a router of the local IP network.

9. The femto cellular access point of claim 5, wherein the femto cellular access point provides a femto cellular access network, wherein the femto cellular access network comprises one of an LTE network, an EVDO network connected to an evolved packet core (EPC), or a WiMax 802.16e/m network connected to the EPC.

10. A non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium storing program instructions for facilitating communications between a mobile device and a terminal device, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor of a femto cellular access point to:

assign a local internet protocol address to the femto cellular access point;

receive data packets transmitted by a mobile device coupled to the femto cellular access point;

analyze the data packets to identify a local destination address of a terminal device;

route the data packets to the terminal device, wherein said routing the data packets to the terminal device comprises maintaining the data packets in a local network without transmitting the data packets to an external network.

11. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 10, wherein the terminal device includes at least one of a media player, a printer, a computer or a data storage device.

12. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 10, wherein the local network includes a plurality of terminal devices.

13. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 10, wherein said routing the data packets to the terminal device comprises transmitting the data packets to a router of the local network.

14. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 10, wherein the femto cellular access point provides a femto cellular access network, wherein the femto cellular access network comprises one of an LTE network, an EVDO network connected to an evolved packet core (EPC), or a WiMax 802.16e/m network connected to the EPC.

15. A mobile device, comprising:

communication circuitry configured to perform wireless communication with a femto cellular access point;

processing hardware coupled to the communication circuitry, wherein the processing hardware is configured to;

generate data packets for transmission to a terminal device having a destination address of a local network to the femto cellular access point; and

transmit the data packets to the femto cellular access point using the communication circuitry, wherein the femto cellular access point is configured to route the data packets to the terminal device, wherein routing the data packets to the terminal device comprises maintaining the data packets in the local network without transmitting the data packets to an external network.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the terminal device includes at least one of a media player, a printer, a computer or a data storage device.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the local network includes a plurality of terminal devices.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein said routing the data packets to the terminal device comprises transmitting the data packets to a router of the local network.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the femto cellular access point provides a femto cellular access network, wherein the femto cellular access network comprises one of an LTE network, an EVDO network connected to an evolved packet core (EPC), or a WiMax 802.16e/m network connected to the EPC.