Service awareness and seamless switchover between client based WiFi access and mobile data network access

• US 9,084,107 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cai, Yan, Cillis, Canio, Ding, Ting, Leschke, Ekkart, Long, Biao
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAU, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US13/791,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20140235200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 857 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0846 between network providers, e.g. operators selecting a network or a communication service H04W40/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A system and method provides seamless switchover of a user device (UE) between a mobile data network and a wireless network while providing policy and charging control (PCC) of the data session in the mobile data network. A mobile core network component is made ASF aware to process user data traffic related to an auto switching function (ASF) server from a UE client located on the UE using a special access point name (APN). The mobile core network component then uses a dedicated deep packet inspection (ASF DPI) for all data transfers to the special APN. The core network component is then able to process the UE data traffic seamlessly as the traffic is toggled between the ASF tunnel the WiFi tunnel. By monitoring the data traffic on the ASF tunnel, the core component (GGSN/PGW) is able to provide PCC for the data session.

Claims

1. A mobile data network comprising:

a network component in a core network of the mobile data network, wherein the network component communicates with a user equipment (UE), wherein the network component provides policy and charging control of data sessions in the mobile data network;

an auto switching function (ASF) server connected to the network component that communicates with a wireless access point connected to the ASF server, wherein the wireless access point receives wireless communications with the UE on a wireless tunnel;

a client in the UE that opens a packet data protocol (PDP) context with a special access point name (APN) for data to be transferred through the network component to the ASF server on a ASF tunnel; and

wherein the network component applies a deep packet inspection (DPI) to the ASF tunnel to identify all data traffic having the special APN on the ASF tunnel and the core network component, in response to applying the DPI to the ASF tunnel, applies policy and charging control to all data traffic identified as having the special APN.

2. The mobile data network of claim 1 wherein the network component is a gateway general packet radio service support node (GGSN).

3. The mobile data network of claim 1 wherein the network component is a packet data network gateway (PGW) in a long term evolution (LTE) mobile data network.

4. The mobile data network of claim 1 wherein the ASF server and the client together determine whether to use the ASF tunnel or the wireless tunnel to send data from the UE to the ASF server.

5. The mobile data network of claim 4 wherein the client processes data traffic to the ASF server seamlessly with service awareness as the data traffic is toggled between the ASF tunnel and the wireless tunnel.

6. The mobile data network of claim 1 wherein the ASF sever stores ASF context information including a ASF virtual internet protocol (IP) address to enforce one or more policies.

7. The mobile data network of claim 1 wherein the ASF server further stores information comprising:

UE internet protocol address, subscriber data (an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)), and a Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN), Radio Access Type (RAT) and location area code (LAC) of the client on the UE.

8. The mobile data network of claim 1 wherein the ASF tunnel is a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) tunnel carrying ASF server data traffic.