Proxy mobile node capability for mobile IP

• US 20020147837A1
• Filed: 04/04/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IPR Licensing Incorporated (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tantivy Communications Incorporated (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heller, Howard Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A method and system are provided for transmitting information in a Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) environment, which includes a home network, a home agent (HA) provided at the home network, a base station (BS) broadcasting a pilot signal, a foreign agent (FA) provided at or associated with the BS, a mobile node (MN) providing the ability to detect and identify itself to a BS, a proxy mobile node (PMN) identifying the MN wherein the PMN is provided at the BS. If the PMN identifies the MN, the PMN retrieves an IP address for each of the MN, FA and HA and sends a registration request to the FA. The FA relays the registration request to the HA, and the proxy MN is registered with the HA. The MN functionality is provided transparently to the MN by the PMN. The network may further include a further base station (BS) with a further foreign agent (FA) provided at or associated with the new BS. Another PMN is provided at the further BS. If the MN detects the other BS, the further PMN identifies the MN using normal link layer messages, retrieves an IP address for each of the MN, other FA, and HA, and sends a registration request to the further FA. The further FA relays the re-registration request to the HA, and the other PMN is registered with the HA. The initial and all subsequent registrations with the HA associated with the home network are transparent to the MN, i.e., so that the MN itself is not required to implement the registration with the home agent since it may be mobile, moving from one base station to the next. This significantly simplifies the configuration of the MN and the Mobile IP network.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information in a Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) network including a mobile node (MN), a base station (BS) and a home network, wherein a proxy mobile node (PMN) and a foreign agent (FA) are provided at the BS, and a home agent (HA) is provided at the home network, the method comprising the steps of:

the MN detecting the BS;

the PMN identifying the MN;

the PMN retrieving an IP address for each of the MN, FA and HA;

the PMN sending a registration request to the FA;

the FA relaying the request to the HA;

the HA registering the proxy MN identified with the MN;

the HA forwarding Mobile IP packet to the FA by encapsulating the information into at least one Mobile IP packet;

the FA unencapsulating the forwarded IP packet into original data; and

the FA forwarding the original data to the MN.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a new base station (BS) including a new proxy mobile node (PMN) is detected;

if it is determined that a new base station is detected,

(a) the new PMN sending a new registration request to a new foreign agent (FA) associated with the new BS;

(b) the FA relaying the new registration request to the HA;

(c) the HA registering the new proxy MN; and

(d) the HA forwarding the Mobile IP packet to the new FA.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of acknowledging the registration of step (c).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the MN comprises customer premise equipment (CPE) and a computer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the CPE comprises at least one of a wireless radio, personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile telephone, T1 line, cable modem, digital subscriber line (DSL) and asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modem.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing additional information for the PMN in a database wherein the additional information comprises:

a home address which is an IP address of the MN;

a foreign agent IP address which is an IP address of the FA;

a home agent IP address which is an IP address of the HA;

a care-of address which is an IP address for a destination for the information;

mobile-foreign security information which is a security association between the MN and the FA;

mobile-home security information which is a security association between the MN and the HA;

an identification field value for matching registration requests and acknowledgments;

a lifetime value for a number of seconds allowed from the registration before the registration is considered expired; and

a current lifetime value for a number of seconds remaining before the registration is considered expired.

7. A Mobile Internet protocol (IP) network comprising:

a home network;

a home agent (HA) provided at the home network;

a base station (BS) broadcasting a pilot signal;

a foreign agent (FA) provided at or associated with the BS;

a mobile node (MN) providing an ability to detect and identify itself to a BS; and

a proxy mobile node (PMN) identifying the MN wherein the proxy MN is provided at the BS;

wherein the PMN respectively retrieves an IP address for each of the MN, FA and HA and sends a registration request to the FA, the FA relays the registration request to the HA, and the PMN is registered with the HA if the PMN identifies the MN, so that he MN functionality is provided transparently to the MN by the PMN.

8. The network of claim 7 further comprising:

a new base station (BS);

a new foreign agent (FA) associated with the new BS;

a new proxy mobile node (PMN) provided at the new BS;

wherein the new PMN retrieves an IP address for each of the MN, the new FA, and the HA and sends a new registration request to the new FA, the new FA relays the new registration request to the HA, and the new PMN is registered with the HA via the new FA if the MN detects the new BS.

9. The network of claim 7 wherein the MN comprises customer premise equipment (CPE) and a computer.

10. The network of claim 9 wherein the CPE comprises at least one of a wireless radio, personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile telephone, T1 line, cable modem, digital subscriber line (DSL) and asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modem.

11. The network of claim 7 further comprising a database storing additional information for the proxy MN wherein the additional information comprises:

a home address which is an IP address of the MN;

a foreign agent IP address which is an IP address of the FA;

a home agent IP address which is an IP address of the HA;

a care-of address which is an IP address for a destination for the information;

mobile-foreign security information which is a security association between the MN and the FA;

mobile-home security information which is a security association between the MN and the HA;

an identification field value for matching registration requests and acknowledgments;

a lifetime value for a number of seconds allowed from the registration before the registration is considered expired; and

a current lifetime value for a number of seconds remaining before the registration is considered expired.