Method of providing a mobility service

• US 8,914,033 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: Ohman, Ville, Makela, Tero, Rapin, Fabien
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/789,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20130188602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/410, 455/435.1, 455/445, 455/443, 455/560, 370/335, 370/236, 370/342, 370/331, 370/230, 370/252, 370/310, 370/351, 370/238, 370/216, 726/5, 709/224
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method comprising running an application on user equipment; providing a mobility service; using a packet switched connection when said mobility service is unavailable; and using said mobility service when said mobility service becomes available.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

running an application on user equipment having mobility service functionality;

using the mobility service functionality of the user equipment to receive packets from a home agent of a mobility service, the mobility service allowing the user equipment to change point-of-attachment to the Internet without changing source IP address, the mobility service functionality allowing transparent network connection to the application;

determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable; and

in response to determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable, notifying the application of the need to change the source IP address and causing the application to inherit a destination network from the mobility service functionality; and

making a reconnection to the home agent, and in response to making a reconnection to the home agent, informing the application that mobility service is again available.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising periodically trying to reconnect to the home agent after determining that the home agent has become unavailable.

3. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code adapted to perform the method of claim 1 when the program code is run on a processor.

4. A method comprising:

running an application on user equipment having mobility service functionality for receiving packets from a home agent of a mobility service, wherein the mobility service allows the user equipment to change point-of-attachment to the Internet without changing source IP address, the mobility service functionality allows transparent network connection to the application, and the application is notified of the need to change the source IP address when a home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable;

determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable;

periodically trying to reconnect to the home agent after the determining that the home agent has become unavailable; and

in response to making a reconnection to the home agent, informing the application that mobility service is again available.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, the method comprising causing the application to inherit a destination network from the mobility service functionality in response to determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable and notifying the application of the need to change the source IP address.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the destination network is a general packet radio service, GRPS, network or a wireless local area network, WLAN.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the destination network is the last destination network that the mobility service functionality was managing prior to determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable or the best access available for the application.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising receiving a signal from the application to resume mobility service functionality.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein discontinuation or resuming of the mobility service causes a change in the source IP address.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code adapted to perform the method of claim 4 when the program code is run on a processor.

11. An apparatus for a user equipment, the apparatus being adapted to:

run an application on the user equipment;

provide mobility service functionality for receiving packets from a home agent of a mobility service and for allowing transparent network connection to the application, the mobility service allowing the user equipment to change point-of-attachment to the Internet without changing source IP address;

determine that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable; and

in response to determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable, notify the application of the need to change the source IP address and cause the application to inherit a destination network from the mobility service functionality; and

make a reconnection to the home agent, and in response to making a reconnection to the home agent, informing the application that mobility service is again available.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the destination network is a general packet radio service, GRPS, network or a wireless local area network, WLAN.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the destination network is the last destination network that the mobility service functionality was managing prior to determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable or the best access available for the application.

14. An apparatus for a user equipment, the apparatus being adapted to:

run an application on user equipment;

provide mobility service functionality for receiving packets from a home agent of a mobility service and for allowing transparent network connection to the application, the mobility service allowing the user equipment to change point-of-attachment to the Internet without changing source IP address;

determine that a home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable and to notify the application of the need to change the source IP address in response thereto;

periodically try to reconnect to the home agent after the determining that the home agent has become unavailable; and

in response to making a reconnection to the home agent, inform the application that mobility service is again available.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, adapted further to cause the application to inherit a destination network from the mobility service functionality in response to determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable and notifying the application of the need to change the source IP address.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the destination network is a general packet radio service, GRPS, network or a wireless local area network, WLAN.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the destination network is the last destination network that the mobility service functionality was managing prior to determining that the home agent of the mobility service has become unavailable or the best access available for the application.