Method and system for providing wireless mobile server and peer-to-peer services with dynamic DNS update

• US 6,614,774 B1
• Filed: 12/04/1998
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US09/205,963
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 370/351-354, 370/328, 370/329, 370/389, 370/475, 370/431, 370/437, 370/337, 370/442, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/436, 455/450, 709/223, 709/217, 709/227, 709/245, 709/249
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A method and communications system provide data and voice services to subscribers at mobile terminals using dynamic IP address assignment and dynamic DNS update. A visited network dynamically assigns one of its IP addresses to a mobile terminal away from its home network accessing the visited network as a session IP address. The visited network transmits the assigned IP address to the home network of the mobile terminal over a private network. The home network associates the assigned IP address from the visited network with the host name of the mobile terminal in a DNS server of the home network and sends the host name to the visited network, although the visited network may already have received the host name from the mobile terminal. The visited network associates the host name of the mobile terminal with the assigned IP address its DNS server. Upon termination of the call by the mobile terminal, the visited network disassociates the assigned IP address with the host name in its DNS server and instructs the home network to do the same.

Claims

1. A method of providing dynamic Internet protocol (IP) address assignment to a mobile terminal having a predetermined host name that is registered with a home network, said method comprising the steps of:

assigning an IP address to said mobile terminal by a visited network accessed by said mobile terminal;

transmitting said IP address from said visited network to said home network using a private network; and

associating said host name of said mobile terminal with said IP address assigned by said visited network in said home network, wherein said step of assigning an IP address to said host name of said mobile terminal by a visited network accessed by said mobile terminal comprises the steps of;

accessing said visited network by said mobile terminal;

establishing a communications link between said visited network and said home network using said private network;

transmitting identification information of said mobile terminal from said visited network to said home network using said private network;

authenticating said mobile terminal by said home network in response to said identification information;

transmitting subscription information and authentication confirmation for said mobile terminal from said home network to said visited network using said private network; and

assigning said IP address to said mobile terminal by said visited network in response to said subscription information and authentication confirmation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of assigning said IP address to said mobile terminal by said visited network in response to said subscription information and authentication information comprises the steps of:

requesting said IP address from a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server in said visited network; and

associating said IP address with said host name of said mobile terminal registered with said home network in a domain name system (DNS) server in said visited network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of associating said host name of said mobile terminal with said IP address assigned by said visited network in said home network is carried out in a DNS server in said home network.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of transmitting said host name of said mobile terminal from said mobile terminal to said visited network.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of transmitting said host name of said mobile terminal from said home network to said visited network.

6. A method of providing dynamic Internet protocol (IP) address assignment to a mobile terminal having a predetermined host name that is registered with a home network, said method comprising the steps of:

assigning an IP address to said mobile terminal by a visited network accessed by said mobile terminal;

transmitting said IP address from said visited network to said home network using a private network;

associating said host name of said mobile terminal with said IP address assigned by said visited network in said home network; and

disassociating said IP address from said mobile terminal in said visited network and in said home network upon termination of access of said visited network by said mobile terminal.

7. A communications system for providing voice and data services to mobile subscribers using mobile terminals, said system comprising:

a home network comprising a home location register (HLR) for storing and providing subscription information, identification information and authentication information of said mobile terminals registered with said home network, and a home DNS server mapping host names registered with said home network to IP addresses assigned to said mobile terminals; and

a visited network comprising a visitors location register (VLR) in communication with said HLR by a private network for managing calls initiated by said mobile terminals to said visited network, a visited DNS server mapping host names to IP addresses, a visited dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server having a plurality of IP addresses registered with said visited network, and a router providing access to an IP network;

wherein said visited network is configured to dynamically assign IP addresses registered with said visited network to ones of said mobile terminals accessing said visited network thereby providing said mobile terminals access to said IP network via said router, said visited network being further configured to transmit IP addresses assigned to said ones of said mobile terminals to said HLR using said private network, and wherein said home network is configured to dynamically associate said dynamically assigned IP addresses with corresponding host names of said ones of said mobile terminals in said home DNS server.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said visited network is configured to assign IP addresses registered with said visited network to ones of said mobile terminals accessing said visited network upon receipt of subscription information and authentication information from said HLR indicating that said ones of said mobile terminals have authority to access said visited network.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said visited network is configured to dynamically associate said assigned IP addresses with said host names of said ones of said mobile terminals in said visited DNS server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said visited network is configured to disassociate said assigned IP addresses from said host names of said ones of said mobile terminals in said visited DNS server upon termination of access of said visited network by said ones of said mobile terminals.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said VLR is configured to instruct said HLR to disassociate said assigned IP addresses from said host names of said ones of said mobile terminals in said home DNS server upon termination of access of said visited network by said mobile terminals.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said private network comprises a telephony signaling network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said telephony signaling network comprises at least one of a ANSI-41 network or a GSM-MAP network.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of said ones of said mobile terminals is a mobile voice and data device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said mobile voice and data device is selected from a smart phone, a laptop computer or a Palm device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of said ones of said mobile terminals is a mobile server.

17. The system of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of said visited networks.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein said ones of said mobile terminals transmit said host name of said ones of said mobile terminals to said visited network.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein said HLR is configured to transmit said host names of said ones of said mobile terminals to said visited network.