Session continuity in wireless local area networks with internet protocol level mobility

• US 8,965,274 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kakadia, Deepak, Kotecha, Lalit R.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US13/550,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20140017990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/414, 455/41.2, 455/466, 455/456.3, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/415, 455/420, 455/436, 455/437, 455/439, 455/13.1, 455/552.1, 455/401, 370/313, 370/338, 370/352, 370/230, 370/329, 370/469, 370/328, 709/219
• US Class Current: 455/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A device may receive a request from a mobile device to create a socket connection between the mobile device and the device. The request may be associated with linking information that links the socket connection with a previous socket connection with the mobile device. The request may be received from the mobile device after the mobile device disconnects from a first wireless local area network and reconnects to a second wireless local area network. The device may identify, based on the linking information, a socket connection between the device and a server device, the socket connection between the device and the server device having been created when the mobile device was connected to the first wireless local area network. The device may relay communications between the mobile device and the server device, using the socket connections.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the device, a first request from a mobile device to create a first socket connection between the mobile device and the device,

the first request being received from the mobile device via a first wireless local area network;

initiating, by the device, the first socket connection between the mobile device and the device;

initiating, by the device and after initiating the first socket connection, a second socket connection between the device and a server device;

relaying, by the device, first communications between the mobile device and the server device using the first socket connection and the second socket connection;

receiving, by the device and from the mobile device, a second request to create a third socket connection between the device and the mobile device,

the second request including linking information that associates the third socket connection with the first socket connection, and

the second request being received via a second wireless local area network;

initiating, by the device, the third socket connection based on the second request;

determining, by the device, that the third socket connection is linked to the first socket connection based on the linking information; and

relaying, by the device, second communications between the mobile device and the server device, using the third socket connection and the second socket connection based on the third socket connection being linked to the first socket connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the mobile device, information identifying the server device; and

where initiating the second socket connection includes;

initiating, based on the information identifying the server device, the second socket connection between the device and the server device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing state information relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device.

4. The method of claim 3, where the state information includes at least one of:

a window size relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device,

a sequence number relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device, or

an acknowledgement number relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device.

5. The method of claim 1, where the first wireless local area network includes a first Wi-Fi network, and

where the second wireless local area network includes a second Wi-Fi network.

6. The method of claim 1, where the linking information includes:

a sequence value that is associated with the first socket connection between the mobile device and the device;

or

a value that is determined based on a port number associated with the first socket connection between the mobile device and the device.

7. A device, comprising:

a processor to;

receive a first request from a mobile device, to create a first socket connection between the mobile device and the device,

the first request being received from the mobile device after the mobile device connects to a first wireless local area network;

initiate, based on the first request, the first socket connection and a second socket connection between the device and a server device;

relay first communications between the mobile device and the server device using the first socket connection and the second socket connection;

receive, from the mobile device, a second request to create a third socket connection between the mobile device and the device,

the request being associated with linking information that links the third socket connection with the first socket connection, and

the second request being received from the mobile device after the mobile device disconnects from the first wireless local area network and connects to a second wireless local area network;

identify, based on the linking information, the second socket connection between the device and the server device; and

relay second communications, between the mobile device and the server device, using the third socket connection between the mobile device and the device and the second socket connection between the device and the server device.

8. The device of claim 7, where the processor is further to:

receive, from the mobile device, information identifying the server device; and

where, when initiating the second socket connection, the processor is to;

initiate, based on the information identifying the server device, the second socket connection between the device and the server device.

9. The device of claim 7, where the processor is further to:

store state information relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device.

10. The device of claim 9, where the state information includes at least one of:

a window size relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device,

a sequence number relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device, or

an acknowledgement number relating to the second socket connection between the device and the server device.

11. The device of claim 7, where the first wireless local area network includes a first Wi-Fi network, and

where the second wireless local area network includes a second Wi-Fi network.

12. The device of claim 7, where the linking information includes:

a sequence value that is associated with the first socket connection between the mobile device and the device;

or

a value that is determined based on a port number associated with the first socket connection between the mobile device and the device.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device that receives network connectivity through a first wireless local area network, a request to connect to a first server;

connecting, by the device and based on the request, to a second server, different than the first server, via a first socket connection;

providing, by the device, information identifying the first server to the second server,

a second socket connection, between the second server and the first server, being created based on providing the information identifying the first server to the second server;

communicating, by the device, with the first server through the first socket connection and the second socket connection as part of a communication session between the device and the first server;

detecting, by the device, a loss of connection to the first wireless local area network;

connecting, by the device and based on the loss of connection, to a second wireless local area network,

the second wireless local area network being different from the first wireless local area network;

connecting, by the device, to the second server via a third socket connection and using the second wireless local area network;

transmitting, by the device, linking information, to the second server, that links the third socket connection with the first socket connection; and

communicating, by the device and based on transmitting the linking information to the second server, with the first server through the third socket connection and the second socket connection without interrupting the communication session.

14. The method of claim 13, where the first wireless local area network includes a first Wi-Fi network, and

where the second wireless local area network includes a second Wi-Fi network.

15. The method of claim 13, where the linking information includes:

a sequence value that is associated with the first socket connection;

or

a value that is determined based on a port number associated with the first socket connection.

16. The method of claim 13, where the request to connect to the first server is received from an application executing on the device, the method further comprising:

communicating, with the first server, through the first socket connection and the second socket connection, to insulate the application from the loss of connection to the first wireless local area network.

17. A device, comprising:

a processor to;

receive a request to connect to a first server using a first wireless local area network for network connectivity of the device;

connect, based on the request, to a second server, different than the first server, via a first socket connection;

provide information identifying the first server to the second server,

a second socket connection, between the second server and the first server, being created based on providing the information identifying the first server to the second server;

communicate with the first server through the first socket connection and the second socket connection as part of a communication session between the device and the first server;

detect a loss of connection to the first wireless local area network;

connect, based on the loss of connection, to a second wireless local area network,

the second wireless local area network being different than the first wireless local area network;

connect to the third server via a third socket connection and using the second wireless local area network,

when connecting to the second server, the processor is to;

transmit linking information, to the second server, that links the third socket connection with the first socket connection; and

communicate, based on transmitting the linking information to the second server, with the first server through the third socket connection and the second socket connection without interrupting the communication session.

18. The device of claim 17, where the first wireless local area network includes a first Wi-Fi network, and

where the second wireless local area network includes a second Wi-Fi network.

19. The device of claim 17, where the linking information includes:

a sequence value that is associated with the first socket connection;

or

a value that is determined based on a port number associated with the first socket connection.

20. The device of claim 17, where the request to connect to the first server is received from an application executing at the device, and

where the processor is further to:

communicate, with the first server, through the first socket connection and the second socket connection, to insulate the application from the loss of connection to the first wireless local area network.