Method and apparatus for persistent connections to a device through the use of multiple physical network connections and connection hand-offs between multiple bands, modes and networks

• US 8,996,678 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CoCo Communications, Corp.
• Original Assignee: CoCo Communications, Corp.
• Inventors: Tucker, Mark L., Bruestle, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US14/193,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/227, 709/206, 370/225, 370/217, 370/395
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/28 involving a plurality of connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Embodiments communicate messages between mobile devices and destination devices. An exemplary embodiment includes a first border server operable to establish a first communication connection to the mobile device over a first network operating under a first protocol, a second border server operable to establish a second communication connection to the mobile device over a second network operating under a second protocol, and a transport management server communicatively coupled to the first border server and the second border server, and operable to establish a third communication connection to the destination device over a third network operating under a third protocol. The first protocol is configured to communicate a first encapsulated portion of the message. The second protocol is configured to communicate a second encapsulated portion of the message. The third protocol is configured to communicate the first encapsulated portion of the message and the second encapsulated portion of the message.

Claims

1. A device that is configured to communicate messages between a mobile device and a destination device comprising:

a server that is operable to;

communicatively couple to a first border server that has established a first communication connection to the mobile device over a first network operating under a first protocol, wherein the first protocol is configured to communicate a first portion of a message as a first encapsulated portion that is encapsulated into a first encapsulated message portion;

communicatively couple to a second border server that has established a second communication connection to the mobile device over a second network operating under a second protocol, wherein the second protocol is configured to communicate a second portion of the message as a second encapsulated portion that is encapsulated into a second encapsulated message portion, wherein the second encapsulated message portion is communicated after the first encapsulated message portion has been communicated; and

establish a third communication connection to the destination device over a third network operating under a third protocol, wherein the third protocol is configured to communicate the first portion of the message and the second portion of the message to the destination device,

wherein the second network is different from the first network, and

wherein the second protocol is different from the first protocol.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein the first encapsulated message portion is communicated from the mobile device to the first border server,

wherein the second encapsulated message portion is communicated from the mobile device to the second border server, and

wherein the first portion of the message and the second portion of the message are communicated from the server to the destination device.

3. The device of claim 1,

wherein the first portion of the message and the second portion of the message are communicated from the destination device to the server,

wherein the first encapsulated message portion is communicated from the first border server to the mobile device, and

wherein the second encapsulated message portion is communicated from the second border server to the mobile device.

4. The device of claim 1,

wherein the second communication connection is established prior to failure of the first communication connection, and

wherein the second portion of the message is communicated after the first portion of the message in response to the failure of the first communication connection.

5. The device of claim 4,

wherein the first communication connection fails when a capacity of the first communication connection decreases below a threshold, and

wherein a capacity use of the first communication connection by a communicated plurality of first encapsulated portions transmitted over the failed first connection is above the threshold.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first encapsulated portion of the message and the second encapsulated portion of the message are communicated together in a message that is communicated between the destination device and the server.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first protocol is at least one of a WiFi protocol, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol, and a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) protocol.

8. The device of claim 1,

wherein the second communication connection is established while the first communication connection is being used to communicate the first portion of the message,

wherein the second communication connection is established while the first communication connection is being used to communicate a plurality of first portions of the message, and

wherein the second portion of the message is communicated after a conclusion of the communication of the plurality of first portions of the message.

9. A method of communicating messages between a mobile device and a destination device, wherein a message comprises a plurality of message portions that are each encapsulated into corresponding encapsulated message portions, the method comprising:

establishing a first communication connection over a first network between the mobile device and a first server, wherein the first network operates under a first protocol that is configured to communicate at least one first encapsulated message portion;

communicating the at least one first encapsulated message portion between the mobile device and the first server via the first network;

establishing a second communication connection over a second network between the mobile device and a second server, wherein the second network operates under a second protocol that is configured to communicate at least one second encapsulated message portion, wherein the second protocol is different from the first protocol, and wherein the second network is different from the first network;

communicating the at least one second encapsulated message portion between the mobile device and the second server via the second network;

communicating information in the at least one first encapsulated message portion between the first server and a third server via a third network, wherein the third network is configured to operate under a third protocol that is different from the first protocol, and wherein the third network is different from the first network;

communicating information in the at least one second encapsulated message portion between the second server and the third server via the third network, wherein the third network is configured to operate under the third protocol that is different from the second protocol, and wherein the third network is different from the second network; and

communicating the information in the at least one first encapsulated message portion and the information in the at least one second encapsulated message portion from the third server to the destination device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein communicating the information in the at least one first and second encapsulated message portions from the third server to the destination device comprises:

communicating the information in the at least one first and second encapsulated message portions from the third server to the destination device via a fourth network,

wherein the fourth network is configured to operate under a fourth protocol that is different from the first protocol and the second protocol, and

wherein the fourth network is different from the first network and the second network.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

encapsulating, at the mobile device, first portions of the message into a plurality of encapsulated first portions that are communicated over the first communication connection from the mobile device to the first server;

deencapsulating, at the first server, the plurality of encapsulated first portions of the message into a plurality of first portions of the message;

communicating the first portions of the message from the first server to the third server;

encapsulating, at the mobile device, second portions of the message into a plurality of encapsulated second portions that are communicated over the second communication connection from the mobile device to the second server;

deencapsulating, at the second server, the plurality of encapsulated second portions of the message into a plurality of second portions of the message;

communicating the second portions of the message from the second server to the third server;

encapsulating, at the third server, the first portions of the message and the second portions of the message into a plurality of encapsulated third portions of the message; and

communicating the plurality of encapsulated third portions of the message from the third server to the destination device.

12. The method of claim 9, where in response to a failure of the first communication connection, a remaining portion of the message is communicated over the second communication connection using a plurality of encapsulated second portions that are encapsulated under the second protocol.

13. The system of claim 12,

wherein the first communication connection fails when a capacity of the first communication connection decreases below a threshold, and

wherein a capacity of a plurality of first encapsulated portions transmitted over the first connection is above the threshold.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first protocol is at least one of a WiFi protocol, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol, and a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) protocol.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring an amount of data communicated over the first communication connection, wherein the monitored amount of data corresponds to an amount of data in a plurality of encapsulated first portions of the message; and

in response to the amount of data communicated over the first communication connection exceeding a threshold, communicating a remaining portion of the message over the first communication connection and the second communication connection,

wherein the remaining portion of the message is encapsulated into the plurality of encapsulated first portions that are subsequently communicated over the first communication connection and into a plurality of encapsulated second portions that are subsequently communicated over the second communication connection.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring signal strength of communications over the first communication connection;

in response to the signal strength of the communications over the first communication connection becoming less a threshold, the method further comprising;

communicating a remaining portion of the message over the first communication connection, wherein the remaining portion of the message is encapsulated into a plurality of encapsulated first portions that are subsequently communicated over the first communication connection; and

communicating the remaining portion of the message over the second communication connection, wherein the remaining portion of the message is encapsulated into a plurality of encapsulated second portions that are subsequently communicated over the second communication connection,

wherein the subsequently communicated remaining portion of the message communicated in the encapsulated first portions is the same as the subsequently communicated remaining portion of the message communicated in the encapsulated second portions so that redundancy is provided in communication of the remaining portion of the message to the destination device.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one first encapsulated message portion includes information corresponding to voice communications, and wherein the at least one second encapsulated message portion includes information corresponding to data communications.

18. A method of communicating messages between a mobile device and a destination device, wherein a message comprises a plurality of message portions that are each encapsulated into corresponding encapsulated message portions, the method comprising:

communicating at least one encapsulated first portion of the message between the mobile device and a first server via a first network,

wherein the at least one encapsulated first portion of the message includes at least one of the plurality of message portions of the message, and

wherein the first network operates under a first protocol that is configured to communicate at least one first encapsulated message portion;

communicating at least one encapsulated second portion of the message between the mobile device and a second server via a second network,

wherein the at least one encapsulated second portion of the message includes at least one of the plurality of message portions of the message,

wherein the second network operates under a second protocol that is configured to communicate at least one second encapsulated message portion,

wherein the second protocol is different from the first protocol, and wherein the second network is different from the first network, and

wherein the first network and the second network concurrently communicatively couple the mobile device to the first server and the second server, respectively; and

communicating the first portion of the message and the second portion of the message between the third server and the destination device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

communicating at least the first portion of the message between the first server and a third server via a third network, wherein the third network is configured to operate under a third protocol that is different from the first protocol, and wherein the third network is different from the first network; and

communicating at least the second portion of the message between the second server and the third server via the third network, wherein the third network is configured to operate under the third protocol that is different from the second protocol, and wherein the third network is different from the second network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the plurality of message portions included in the at least one encapsulated first portion of the message is the same as the at least one of the plurality of message portions included in the at least one encapsulated second portion of the message to provide for message communication redundancy.