INTERWORKING OF NETWORKS WITH SINGLE RADIO HANDOVER

• US 20110216744A1
• Filed: 03/05/2010
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Puneet, Taaghol, Pouya
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods for interworking of networks using a single radio handover are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for interworking of networks, comprising:

receiving signals from an access point (AP) in a first network;

investigating the signals to identify a service set identifier (SSID);

determining, using the SSID, whether the AP supports interworking of networks to access a second network using the first network; and

associating with the first network to access the second network using a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) interworking function (WIF) element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the AP is a carrier-class WiFi AP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the SSID is an interworking (IWK) SSID.

4. The method of claim 3, further including selecting the IWK SSID from a plurality of SSIDs, wherein each SSID is mapped into a separate virtual local area network (VLAN).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the WIF element comprises an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) function, a singling forwarding function (SFF), and a mobile internet protocol (IP) foreign agent (FA) or data path function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the SSID is a broadcast SSID.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network is a WiFi network and the second network is a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.

8. A method for network entry, comprising:

receiving a first signal from a first network using a station (STA) configured to communicate over the first network and a second network;

establishing association with the first network;

authenticating the STA in the second network by sending extensible authentication protocol (EAP) messages to a WiFi Interworking Function (WIF) through an access point (AP);

transmitting a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) discovery message to discover a DHCP server;

receiving a DHCP Offer message;

responding to the DHCP Offer message with a DHCP Request message;

receiving an acknowledgement from the WIF element; and

transmitting data over the second network using the first network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first network is a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network and the second network is a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the STA authenticates in the second network by sending extensible authentication protocol (EAP) messages to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) proxy in the WIF element.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the DHCP discovery message is sent to the WIF.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the DHCP Offer message is received from the WIF.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the DHCP Request message is transmitted to the WIF.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the AP is configured to provide multiple Broadcast Service Set Identifier (BSSID) support.

15. A method for single radio handover, comprising:

connecting to a first network using a single radio station (STA);

detecting availability of a second network;

discovering an address of a signal forwarding function (SFF) of the second network;

establishing a tunnel to the SFF of the second network;

performing initial entry to the second network over the tunnel; and

performing handover to a base station in the second network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first network is a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network and the second network is a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein establishing the tunnel to the SFF of the WiMAX network includes sending a STA basic capability (SBC) request to the SFF.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein establishing the tunnel to the SFF of the WiMAX network includes a privacy key management (PKM)/EAP exchange.

19. A single radio station (STA) comprising a first protocol layer for communicating over a first network and a second protocol layer for communicating over a second network through the first network, wherein the STA is configured to receive signals from an access point (AP) in a first network, to investigate the signals to identify a service set identifier (SSID) to determine whether the AP supports interworking of networks, and to associate with the first network to access the second network using a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) interworking function (WIF) element.

20. The STA of claim 19, wherein the STA discovers the second network using dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP).

21. The STA of claim 19, wherein the STA is configured to receive an interworking (IWK) SSID.

22. The STA of claim 21, further including searching for the IWK SSID from a plurality of SSIDs transmitted by the AP.

23. The STA of claim 19, wherein the SSID is a broadcast SSID (BSSID) from a carrier-class WiFi AP.

24. The STA of claim 19, wherein the first network is a WiFi network and the second network is a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.

25. An article comprising a tangible machine readable medium that stores a program, the program being executable by a machine to perform a method, comprising:

receiving signals from an access point (AP) in a first network;

investigating the signals to identify a service set identifier (SSID);

determining, using the SSID, whether the AP supports interworking of networks to access a second network using the first network; and

associating with the first network to access the second network using a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) interworking function (WIF) element.

26. The article of claim 25, wherein the SSID is an interworking (IWK) SSID.

27. The article of claim 25, wherein the first network is a WiFi network and the second network is a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.