METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING SERVICE CONTINUITY FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATION OVER DIFFERENT ACCESS NETWORKS

• US 20080130662A1
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: SCHAUB, Alexander, KOTULLA, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 7,633,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• 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

A method and system for switching between at least two different access network technologies in a mobile terminal during a packet-oriented data traffic to a destination network without interrupting an active network application or a service. An access control application is installed in the terminal. The access control application determines access networks to the destination network, which are available at the location of the terminal, monitors their availability and, while taking preset criteria into account, routes the data traffic over the respectively available access network to an access control application of the destination network and vice versa.

Claims

1. A method for switching between at least two different access network technologies in a mobile terminal during a packet-oriented data connection to a destination address of a destination network without interrupting an active network application or a service, the method comprising:

determining the access networks that are available to the destination network at the location of the mobile terminal by a terminal access control application installed in the mobile terminal, taking into account specified criteria;

routing the connection to the desired destination address via the respective available access network, and vice versa, the connection being routed via a destination access control application for the destination network;

the terminal and destination access control applications;

continuously monitor the availability of the access networks, and

continuously exchange information with one another concerning the availability of the access networks that are present automatically and without interrupting an active network application or a service switch as needed between the available access networks.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal and destination access control applications, respectively, are operated as proxy software applications on the mobile terminal and on a network element of the destination network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specified criteria that are configurable by the user with regard to the available access networks are selected from the group consisting of connection costs, access authorizations, technical capabilities of the terminal used, security aspects, transmission speed, and network coverage.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the specified criteria that are configurable by the user with regard to the available access networks are selected from the group consisting of connection costs, access authorizations, technical capabilities of the terminal used, security aspects, transmission speed, and network coverage.

5. The method according to claim 1, and further comprising:

converting a network address in the destination network requested by the mobile terminal to an address for the terminal access control application, the network addresses for the destination access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

6. The method according to claim 2, and further comprising:

converting a network address in the destination network requested by the mobile terminal to an address for the terminal access control application, the network addresses for the destination access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

7. The method according to claim 3, and further comprising:

converting a network address in the destination network requested by the mobile terminal to an address for the terminal access control application, the network addresses for the destination access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

8. The method according to claim 4, and further comprising:

converting a network address in the destination network requested by the mobile terminal to an address for the terminal access control application, the network addresses for the destination access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

9. The method according to claim 1, and further comprising:

converting an address for the mobile terminal requested by the destination network to a network address for the access control application, the network addresses for the terminal access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

10. The method according to claim 2, and further comprising:

converting an address for the mobile terminal requested by the destination network to a network address for the access control application, the network addresses for the terminal access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

11. The method according to claim 3, and further comprising:

converting an address for the mobile terminal requested by the destination network to a network address for the access control application, the network addresses for the terminal access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

12. The method according to claim 4, and further comprising:

converting an address for the mobile terminal requested by the destination network to a network address for the access control application, the network addresses for the terminal access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

13. The method according to claim 5, and further comprising:

converting an address for the mobile terminal requested by the destination network to a network address for the access control application, the network addresses for the terminal access control application being present for each available access network; and

routing the connection to the network address in the destination network via these network addresses for the destination access control application.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal and destination access control applications continuously exchange information with one another concerning their IP addresses which are valid in the respective access networks.

15. The method according to claim 2, wherein the terminal and destination access control applications continuously exchange information with one another concerning their IP addresses which are valid in the respective access networks.

16. The method according to claim 3, wherein the terminal and destination access control applications continuously exchange information with one another concerning their IP addresses which are valid in the respective access networks.

17. The method according to claim 5, wherein the terminal and destination access control applications continuously exchange information with one another concerning their IP addresses which are valid in the respective access networks.

18. The method according to claim 9, wherein the terminal and destination access control applications continuously exchange information with one another concerning their IP addresses which are valid in the respective access networks.

19. A system for switching between at least two different access network technologies in a mobile terminal during a packet-oriented data connection to a destination address in a destination network without interrupting an active network application or a service, the system comprising:

a terminal access control application installed in the terminal which functions to determine the available access networks for the destination network at the location of the terminal, to monitor the availability thereof and, taking into account specified criteria, route the data connection to the destination address via the respective available access network, and vice versa; and

a destination access control application in the destination network, the terminal and destination access control applications having means to continuously monitor the availability of the access networks to automatically exchange information with one another concerning the availability of the access networks that are present, and to automatically switch between the available access networks without interrupting an active network application or a service.