SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING BROADCAST AND/OR MULTICAST BASED COMMUNICATION SESSIONS FOR MOBILE NODES

• US 20080267144A1
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morikuni, James J., Jano, Bashar
• Application Number:
  US11/740,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267144A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• 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 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing

Abstract

A system (100) and method for managing communication session is provided. The system includes a mobile node (104) that is communicably coupled to a first communication network (102). Further, the system includes a first proxy-relay (108). The first proxy-relay is communicably coupled to the first communication network and performs one or more functions on behalf of the mobile node. The system also includes a first policy-profile repository (106) that is communicably coupled to the first communication network. The first policy-profile repository stores a first set of policy-profile definitions describing a first set of services in the first communication network that the mobile node is allowed to access and a first set of rules describing discovery preferences for the mobile mode.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile node communicably coupled to a first communication network;

a first proxy-relay communicably coupled to the first communication network for performing one or more functions on behalf of the mobile node; and

a first policy-profile repository communicably coupled to the first communication network for storing a first set of policy-profile definitions describing a first set of services in the first communication network that the mobile node is allowed to access and a first set of rules describing discovery preferences for the mobile node.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first policy-profile repository is capable of informing the first communication network about the first set of services.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more functions are at least one of:

informing the first communication network about the first set of services; and

informing the first communication network about one or more services offered by the mobile node.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a first security policy repository communicably coupled to the first communication network for storing a first set of security policies applicable to the mobile node.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the first set of security policies comprise an access control list describing the first set of services that the mobile node is allowed to access.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a second communication network communicably coupled to the first proxy-relay; and

a second policy-profile repository communicably coupled to the second communication network for storing a second set of policy-profile definitions describing a second set of services in the second communication network that the mobile node is allowed to access.

7. The system as recited in claim 6 further comprising a second security policy repository communicably coupled to the second communication network for storing a second set of security policies applicable to the mobile node.

8. The system as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

a second proxy-relay communicably coupled to the first communication network for performing one or more functions on behalf of the mobile node;

a third communication network communicably coupled to the second proxy-relay; and

a third policy-profile repository communicably coupled to the third communication network for storing a third set of policy-profile definitions describing a third set of services in the third communication network that the mobile node is allowed to access.

9. A policy-profile repository comprising:

an interface to a first communication network; and

a non-volatile memory for storing a first set of policy-profile definitions applicable to a first set of mobile nodes, wherein the first set of policy-profile definitions describe a first set of services that the first set of mobile nodes is allowed to access in the first communication network, and a first set of rules describing discovery preferences applicable to the first set of mobile nodes.

10. A method for a first proxy-relay of a first communication network to manage at least one communication session across one or more communication networks comprising:

establishing a unicast communication session between a mobile node and the first proxy-relay;

obtaining one or more policy-profile definitions, the one or more policy-profile definitions describing one or more services in the first communication network that the mobile node is allowed to access and a first set of rules describing discovery preferences for the mobile node; and

performing one or more functions on behalf of the mobile node in conformance with the one or more policy-profile definitions.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a policy-profile reference from the mobile node, wherein the policy-profile reference corresponds to one or more policy-profile definitions.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein obtaining comprises:

fetching the one or more policy-profile definitions from one of a first policy-profile repository and a cache of the first proxy-relay.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein performing the one or more functions on behalf of the mobile node comprises:

informing the first communication network about one or more services offered by the mobile node; and

informing the first communication network about one or more services that the mobile node is allowed to access.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein performing comprises:

receiving one or more notification messages from the first communication network regarding one or more services offered by one or more nodes associated with the first communication network;

identifying a first notification message regarding a service that the mobile node is allowed to access from the one or more notification messages; and

providing the first notification message to the mobile node over the unicast communication session.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein performing comprises:

sending a response to a requesting node that is allowed to access at least one service offered by the mobile node, wherein the response provides details of the mobile node to the requesting node.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein performing comprises:

determining a threshold, wherein the threshold is a maximum number of activities in which the mobile node is allowed to participate;

determining a load factor of the mobile node, wherein the load factor indicates a number of activities in which the mobile node is currently participating; and

forwarding one or more messages to the mobile node using the unicast communication session when the load factor is less than the threshold.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

authenticating the mobile node for the first communication network based on policies defined in a first security policy repository of the first communication network.

18. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

facilitating a brokering service between a second node associated with a second communication network and a third node associated with a third communication network, wherein the brokering service enables the third node to use a service offered by the second node.

19. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein performing comprises:

generating a first internal-to-external point of presence mapping for a first node associated with the first communication network, wherein the first internal-to-external point of presence mapping exposes the first node to a second communication network.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

establishing a second internal-to-external point of presence mapping for a third node associated with a third communication network, wherein the second internal-to-external point of presence mapping enables the third node to appear attached to the second communication network;

creating a third internal-to-external point of presence mapping for the third node, wherein the third internal-to-external point of presence mapping enables the third node to appear attached to the first communication network; and

establishing a session between the first node and the third node using the first internal-to-external point of presence mapping, the second internal-to-external point of presence mapping, and the third internal-to-external point of presence mapping.

21. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein establishing comprises:

receiving a broadcast or multicast search message from the mobile node;

transmitting a service announcement message to the mobile node; and

receiving a session request message to establish the unicast communication session.