System and method for sending and receiving packets

• US 8,670,422 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lewis, Allan, Peng, Jing, Preiss, Bruno R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US11/741,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,507 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/328, 370/338, 370/395.52, 370/466, 370/467, 370/469
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

A system and method for sending and receiving packets is provided. An embodiment includes a system comprising a wireless communication device configured to communicate with at least one application server via device access node and a wireless local area network. The wireless communication device is configured to communicate with the device access node through the wireless local area network using at least one protocol layer that is native to the wireless local area network, and using at least one protocol layer that is native to the device access node. The device access node is configured to send and receive application information carried over above-described protocol layers.

Claims

1. A system for sending and receiving packets comprising:

a wireless communication device configured to communicate by sending and receiving packets over a wireless local area network;

at least one device access node configured to communicate with said wireless communication device via an access point of said wireless local area network;

an application server configured to communicate with said at least one device access node via a link; and

,

said wireless communication device configured to use at least one native network layer to communicate with said device access node;

said at least one native network layer corresponding to network layers native to said wireless local area network;

said wireless communication device further configured to use at least one additional layer disposed above said at least one native network layer to communicate with said application server via said device access node;

said at least one additional layer corresponding to layers native to said device access node; and

said wireless communication device is further configured to communicate over a core mobile network and said at least one device access node is configured to communicate with said wireless communication device via either said wireless local area network or said core mobile network;

said wireless communication device being further configured to use at least one additional native network layer;

said at least one additional native network layer corresponding to layers native to said core mobile network.

2. The system of claim 1 where said at least one native network layers include an Internet protocol (“

IP”

) layer and a transport control protocol (“

TCP”

) layer.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said at least one native network layers further comprises a secure socket layer (“

SSL”

).

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one additional layer includes at least one layer that is unique to said device access node.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a service access handler between said application server and said device access node.

6. A method for sending and receiving packets comprising:

determining which of a plurality of radios in a wireless communication device is active;

each of said radios configured for sending and receiving packets via different links, wherein one of said links is a wireless local area network having an access point and a second one of said links is a core mobile network;

selecting at least one native network layer to communicate with a device access node via an selected link of said different links;

said at least one native network layer corresponding to one or more protocol layers that are native to said selected link;

selecting at least one additional layer to communicate with an application server connected to said device access node and via said device access node;

said at least one additional layer corresponding to one or more protocol layers that are native to said device access node; and

,

layering packets associated with an application on said application server above said selected at least one native network layer and said at least one additional layer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein one of said links is said wireless local area network and said at least one native network layers for said wireless local area network includes an Internet protocol (“

IP”

) layer and a transport control protocol (“

TCP”

) layer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said at least one native network layers further comprises a secure socket layer (“

SSL”

).

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said at least one additional layer includes at least one layer that is unique to said device access node.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising a service access handler between said application server and said device access node.

11. A wireless communication device comprising:

a radio for sending packets to at least one device access node over a wireless local area network via an access point of said wireless local area network;

a second radio for sending packets to said at least one device access node over a core mobile network, said at least one device access node configured to communicate with said wireless communication device via either said wireless local area network or said core mobile network;

a processor connected to said radio and said second radio and configured to select at least one native network layer;

said at least one native network layer corresponding to at least one protocol layer that is native to said wireless local area network or said core mobile network;

said processor further configured to select at least one additional layer that is native to said device access node; and

,

said processor further configured to layer an application above said at least one native network layer and said at least one additional layer;

said processor further configured to send packets constructed according to said layers to said device access node;

said application destined for an application server connected to said device access node.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 11 where said at least one native network layers include an Internet protocol (“

IP”

) layer and a transport control protocol (“

TCP”

) layer.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 12 wherein said at least one native network layers further comprises a secure socket layer (“

SSL”

).

14. The wireless communication device of claim 11 said at least one additional layer includes at least one layer that is unique to said device access node.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 11 wherein a service access handler is disposed between said application server and said device access node.

16. A device access node comprising:

a network interface for receiving packets from a wireless communication device via an access point of a wireless local area network and via a core mobile network;

said packets structured according to;

at least one native network layer that corresponds to at least one protocol layer that is native to said wireless local area network and at least one protocol layer that is native to said core mobile network;

at least one additional layer;

an application layered above said at least one native network layer and said at least one additional layer;

a processor connected to said network interface configured to receive packets therefrom;

said processor configured to restructure said packets by replacing said at least one native network layer with at least one additional layer that corresponds to infrastructure disposed between an application server to which said application is destined and said network interface.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of programming instructions;

said programming instructions executable on a wireless communication device;

said instructions corresponding to a method for sending and receiving packets comprising;

determining which of a plurality of radios in a wireless communication device is active;

each of said radios configured for sending and receiving packet via different links, each of said radios configured for sending and receiving packets via different wireless links, wherein one of said links is a wireless local area network having an access point and a second one of said links is a core mobile network;

selecting at least one native network layer to communicate with a device access node via a selected link of said different links an access said at least one native network layer corresponding to one or more protocol layers that are native to said selected link;

selecting at least one additional layer to communicate with an application server connected to said device access node and via said device access node;

said at least one additional layer corresponding to one or more protocol layers that are native to said device access node; and

,

layering packets associated with an application on said application server above said selected at least one native network layer and said at least one additional layer.

18. A system for sending and receiving packets comprising:

a wireless communication device configured to communicate by sending and receiving packets over a wireless local area network via an access point of said wireless local area network and via a core mobile network;

at least one device access node configured to communicate with said wireless communication device via said wireless local area network and said core mobile network;

an application server configured to communicate with said at least one device access node via a link; and

,

said wireless communication device configured to use at least one native network layer to communicate with said device access node;

said at least one native network layer corresponding to network layers native to said wireless local area network and network layers native to said core mobile network; and

,

said wireless communication device further configured to use at least one additional layer above said at least one native network layer to communicate with said application server via said device access node, said at least one additional layer corresponding to layers native to said device access node.