Scalable WLAN gateway

• US 8,493,951 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Maki, Lasse
• Primary Examiner(s): Elpenord, Candal
• Application Number:
  US13/240,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20120010521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/390, 370/392, 370/401, 370/352, 370/449, 455/41.2, 455/422.1, 455/435.1, 455/552.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• 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 technique for combining transmission bandwidths of several mobile stations (MS1, MS2) is disclosed. A master mobile station (MS1) establishes (7-0) a WLAN base station communicating with WLAN client terminals (CT). One or more slave mobile stations (MS2) may detect a predefined network identifier and join the WLAN network. The master (MS1) assigns IP addresses for the client terminals (CT) and slave mobile stations (MS2). The master also resolves DNS queries in cooperation with external DNS servers. Traffic, including internet packets (IP1-IP4), between the client terminals and various internet hosts (HO) is tunneled over multiple simultaneous transmission paths between the master (MS1) and a multiplexing/demultiplexing computer (SM). The inventive bandwidth combination technique is transparent to the client terminals (CT) and the internet hosts (HO).

Claims

1. A mobile station, comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a radio transceiver operable to establish and maintain a broadband connection with a mobile communication network;

wireless local-area network (WLAN) circuitry having a normal mode of usage acting as a WLAN client;

a gateway application stored in the memory and executable to;

activate the WLAN circuitry to detect if a WLAN network exists, and if a WLAN network does not exist, to establish a WLAN base station capable of communicating with at least one WLAN client terminal and at least one slave mobile station over a WLAN network, create a network identifier for the WLAN base station, assign an internet protocol address for the at least one WLAN client terminal and for the at least one slave mobile station, resolve domain name service queries in cooperation with an external DNS system, assign at least one port number for each protocol supported by the gateway application, tunnel internet traffic between the at least one WLAN client terminal and an internet host over the broadband connection;

circuitry for establishing and managing multiple simultaneous transmission paths such that the multiple simultaneous transmission paths originate and terminate at the mobile station and a multiplexing/demultiplexing computer which is a different computer from the internet host; and

signaling circuitry for communicating with several service coordination servers that coordinate operation of multiplexing/demultiplexing computers, wherein the signaling circuitry includes code portions executable by the processor to retrieve from the memory a list indicating one or more of the several service coordination servers send an inquiry to one or more of the several service coordination servers until a response is received, the response indicating an updated list of the several service coordination servers, obtain an address of one or more of the multiplexing/demultiplexing computers from at least one of the several service coordination servers and

store the updated list of the several service coordination servers into the memory.

2. The mobile station according to claim 1, further comprising circuitry for utilizing multicast transmission in the at least one second transmission path.

3. The mobile station of claim 1, wherein the gateway application is further executable to establish and manage multiple simultaneous transmission paths between the mobile station and the internet host, the multiple simultaneous transmission paths including a first transmission path via a reception/transmission circuitry of the mobile station and at least one second transmission path via a reception/transmission circuitry of the slave mobile station.

4. A method for operating a mobile station, comprising:

activating WLAN circuitry to detect if a WLAN network exists, and if a WLAN network does not exist, to establish a WLAN base station capable of communicating with at least one WLAN client terminal an at least one slave mobile station over a WLAN network;

creating a network identifier for the WLAN base station;

assigning an internet protocol address for the at least one WLAN client terminal and for the at least one slave mobile station;

resolving domain name service (DNS) queries in cooperation with an external DNS system;

assigning at least one port number for each protocol supported by the gateway application;

tunnelling internet traffic between the at least one WLAN client terminal and an internet host over a broadband connection;

establishing and managing multiple simultaneous transmission paths such that the multiple simultaneous transmission paths originate and terminate at the mobile station and a multiplexing/demultiplexing computer which is a different computer from the internet host;

retrieving from a memory of the mobile station a list indicating one or more service coordination servers;

sending an inquiry to the one or more service coordination servers until a response is received, the response indicating an updated list of the service coordination servers;

obtaining an address of one or more active multiplexing/demultiplexing computers from at least one of the several service coordination servers; and

storing the updated list of the service coordination servers into the memory.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tunneling of internet traffic comprises establishing and managing multiple simultaneous transmission paths between the mobile station and the internet host, the multiple simultaneous transmission paths comprises a first transmission path via a reception/transmission circuitry of the mobile station and at least one second transmission path via a reception/transmission circuitry of the slave mobile station.