Adaptive intelligent routing in a communication system

• US 9,565,117 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schoener, Anthony, Dahod, Ashraf M., Chowdhury, Kuntal, Schwartz, Leonard, Harper, Matthew H., Virgile, Kenneth E., Gibbs, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): MADAMBA, GLENFORD J
• Application Number:
  US12/976,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,239 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 370/229, 370/331
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a system and method for routing data packets adaptively in a communication system. As the proliferation of data rich content and increasingly more capable mobile devices has continued, the amount of data communicated over mobile operator'"'"'s networks can continue to exponentially increase. One way to accommodate increased data traffic and provide high quality data communication services to end users is by utilizing network resources efficiently. This disclosure provides systems and methods for efficiently utilizing network resources by providing adaptive intelligence to data packet routing systems.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

implementing a client at a mobile device, wherein operation of the client is transparent to other applications running on the mobile device and the client is configured to communicate with a router residing within a radio access network, the radio access network coupled between a core network and a base station that is to communicate wirelessly with the client, the client being further configured to communicate with a network access server comprising a gateway that couples the core network to one or more packet data networks, wherein the gateway of the network access server comprises at least one of a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) or a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), wherein the router is configured to receive a first policy from the network access server and to enforce the first policy to monitor the client at the mobile device;

receiving a second policy, at the client, from the network access server and enforcing the second policy for data communication by the mobile device with the one or more packet data networks;

initiating, at the mobile device, a plurality of packet data network (PDN) connections to the one or more packet data networks, including a first PDN connection and a second PDN connection, according to the second policy maintained by the client running on the mobile device, wherein the first PDN connection is anchored at the network access server, and the second PDN connection is anchored at the router and a session for the second PDN connection is maintained at the router; and

communicating, using the client, control plane transactions through the network access server to initiate communication with the one or more packet data networks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second policy is received over one of the plurality of PDN connections using an Open Mobile Alliance-Device Management (OMA-DM) protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a third policy from the network access server and implementing the third policy at the client, wherein the second policy is implemented for communicating a first type of data and the third policy is implemented for communicating a second type of data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing at the network access server a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol-user (GTP-U) bearer plane context for the first PDN connection using a GTP-C signaling with a mobile backhaul, and establishing at the router a GTP-U bearer plane context for the second PDN connection using a GTP-C signaling with the mobile backhaul.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control plane transactions include communicating protocols and mechanisms for establishing and maintaining data communication with the packet data network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the client communicates with the network access server and the router via a WiFi access point and an interworking gateway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second policy is selected by the network access server based on one or more of the following factors:

an end user subscription type, a communication network type, an access point name type, a lawful intercept status, a cost structure, a quality of experience (QoE) and service level agreement (SLA), or a mobile device type.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client is implemented as a firmware of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the client is updated during a network update.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second policy includes instructions to coordinate and adjust network resources for the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein data flow events and analytics data associated with the mobile device are reported by the router to the network access server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a communication inconsistency of the mobile device is reported by the router to the network access server.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the communication inconsistency includes the client using at least one of (1) an invalid source Internet Protocol (IP) address or (2) an invalid access technology type.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein when a seamless mobility between a cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN) is desired, operating, by the client, a mobile IP protocol over the WLAN connection to attach to the router.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the network access server includes a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN).

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PDN connection is associated with voice data and the second PDN connection is associated with video data.

17. A user equipment comprising:

an interface that is configured to provide communication with a router residing within a radio access network, the radio access network coupled between a core network and a base station that is to communicate wirelessly with the user equipment, the interface being further configured to provide communication with a network access server comprising a gateway that couples the core network to one or more packet data networks (PDNs), wherein the gateway of the network access server comprises at least one of a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) or a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), wherein the router is configured to receive a first policy from the network access server and to enforce the first policy to monitor the client at the mobile device;

a memory that is configured to store a second policy;

a client running on the user equipment, wherein the client is transparent to other applications running on the user equipment, wherein the client is configured to initiate a plurality of PDN connections with the one or more PDNs, including a first PDN connection and a second PDN connection, over the interface, wherein the first PDN connection is anchored at the network access server and the second PDN connection is anchored at the router, and to perform control plane transactions over the interface through the network access server; and

wherein the client is further configured to receive the second policy from the network access server over the interface and to implement the second policy for communicating with the one or more packet data networks through the plurality of PDN connections in accordance with the second policy, and wherein a session for the second PDN connection is maintained at the router.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the second policy includes instructions to coordinate and adjust network resources for the mobile device.

19. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the client is further configured to receive a third policy from the network access server and implement the third policy, wherein the second policy is implemented for communicating a first type of data and the third policy is implemented for communicating a second type of data.

20. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the control plane transactions include communicating protocols and mechanisms for establishing and maintaining data communication with the packet data network.

21. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the client is configured to communicate with the network access server and the router via a WiFi access point and an interworking gateway.

22. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the second policy is selected by the network access server based on one or more of the following factors:

an end user subscription type, a communication network type, an access point name type, a lawful intercept status, a cost structure, a quality of experience (QoE) and service level agreement (SLA), or a mobile device type.

23. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the data flow events and analytics data associated with the user equipment are reported to the network access server.

24. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein a communication inconsistency of the user equipment is reported to the network access server.

25. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein when a seamless mobility between a cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN) is desired, the client is configured to operate a mobile IP protocol over the WLAN connection to attach to the router.