Method of conducting handover of mobile node, and network system using the same

• US 8,520,627 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Soo-hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US11/444,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20060291421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,644 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/439, 455/440, 455/441, 455/442, 455/443, 455/444, 370/331, 370/332, 370/333, 370/334
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/005 involving radio access media independent information, e.g. MIH [Media independent Hand-off]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An apparatus and method relates to transmission of media independent (MIH) handover protocol information, the access point includes a wired interface module to receive, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether an access point that manages a neighboring heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH), a storage module to store the received indication information, a frame generating module to generate a frame including the stored indication information, and a wireless interface module to transmit the generated frame to a mobile node.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a first access point including a wired interface module to receive, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether a neighboring second access point supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH), and a wireless interface module to transmit the received indication information over a wireless media using a subtype field of a frame control field of a Media Access Control frame indicating that a subnet having the neighboring second access point supports the MIH; and

a mobile node to wirelessly receive the indication information corresponding to the neighboring second access point from the first access point via the subtype field of the frame control field of the Media Access Control frame and to conduct a handover according to the received indication information,

wherein the mobile node requests the indication information of the neighboring second access point from the first access point and the mobile node has contact with but does not have direct access to the wired second access point due to unresolved information about MIH support, and

wherein the indicating whether a neighboring access point supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH) is via the management frame having predetermined subtypes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point further includes a storage module to store the received indication information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point receives the indication information from the neighboring access point.

4. A network system comprising:

a first access point including a wired interface module to receive, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether a neighboring second access point in a neighboring heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH), a storage module to store the indication information, and a wireless interface module to transmit the stored indication information using a subtype field of a frame control field of a Media Access Control frame indicating that a subnet having the neighboring second access point supports the MIH; and

a mobile node to wirelessly request information from the access point of the neighboring access point and wirelessly receive the indication information corresponding to the neighboring second access point in response to the request via the subtype field of the frame control field of the Media Access Control frame,

wherein the mobile node requests the indication information of the neighboring second access point to the first access point and the mobile node has contact with but does not have direct access to the wired second access point due to unresolved information about MIH support, and

wherein the stored indication information is transmitted using a management frame having predetermined subtypes.

5. A method of conducting a handover of a mobile node in a network system, the method comprising:

receiving through a wired interface module from an access router information indicating whether a subnet in an access point supports a protocol for conducting a media independent handover (MIH) of the mobile node;

transmitting through a wireless interface module the received indication information to the mobile node using a subtype field of a frame control field of a Media Access Control frame indicating that a subnet having the neighboring second access point supports the MIH;

conducting the handover of the mobile node to the access point and connecting the mobile node to the access point, according to the received indication information received via the subtype field of the frame control field of the Media Access Control frame, and

requesting the indication information of the subnet of the first access point from a neighboring heterogeneous second access point,

wherein the mobile node has contact with but does not have direct access to the wired second access point due to unresolved information about MIH support, and

wherein the received indication information is transmitted using a management frame having predetermined subtypes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information indicating whether the protocol for conducting the MIH is supported, is received from the access point connected to the mobile node.

7. A method of conducting a handover of a mobile node in a network system, the method comprising:

receiving through a wired interface module from an access router information indicating whether a subnet in an access point supports a protocol for conducting a media independent handover (MIH) of the mobile node;

transmitting through a wireless interface module the received indication information to the mobile node using a subtype field of a frame control field of a Media Access Control frame;

conducting the handover of the mobile node to the access point and connecting the mobile node to the access point, according to the received indication information received via the subtype field of the frame control field of the Media Access Control frame indicating that a subnet having the neighboring second access point supports the MIH, and

requesting the indication information of the subnet of the access point from a neighboring heterogeneous access point, wherein the information indicating whether the protocol for conducting the MIH is supported, is received from the access point connected to the mobile node,

wherein the access point receives the information, through a wired network, indicating whether the subnet of the access point supports the protocol for conducting the MIH,

wherein the mobile node has contact with but does not have direct access to the wired second access point due to unresolved information about MIH support.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the access point receives the information indicating whether the mobile node supports the protocol for conducting the MIH from a subnet of a neighboring heterogeneous access point.

9. A method of obtaining information of a first access point including wired and wireless interface modules in a network system, the method comprising:

requesting from an access router through the wired interface module, information indicating whether the access point supports a protocol for conducting a media independent handover (MIH) of a mobile node located in a neighboring access point using a subtype field of a frame control field of a Media Access Control frame indicating that a subnet having the neighboring second access point supports the MIH; and

transmitting through the wireless interface module the requested information over a wireless media to the mobile node received via the subtype field of the frame control field of the Media Access Control frame, and conducting the handover of the mobile node to the neighboring access second point according to the requested information,

wherein the mobile node requests the indication information of the neighboring second access point to the first access point,

wherein the mobile node has contact with but does not have direct access to the wired second access point due to unresolved information about MIH support, and

wherein the requested information is transmitted using a management frame having predetermined subtypes.