3com Corporation

Utstarcom, Incorporated

3 Com Corporation

Vtstarcom, Inc.

Andrew Bezaitis

Ikhlaq S Sidhu

Guido M Schuster

Yingchun Xu

Richard John Dynarski

Frederick D Dean

Matthew H Harper

Thomas A Gentles

Wayne A Cichosz

Jacek A Grabiec

Jerry J Mahler

Kenneth L Peirce, Jr

A method is described of automatically locating and connecting a mobile wireless communications device to a packet-switched network such as the Internet. An Internet Protocol (IP) packet from a terminal on the network, destined for receipt by the mobile device, is received at a home agent acting as a gateway or router linking the packet switched network to a second network, such as LAN, coupled to a wireless communications network. The home agent transmits an access-request message to an authentication server. The access-request message includes a destination IP address associated with the mobile device found in the IP packet. The authentication server responsively issues an access-accept message to the home agent if the mobile device is authorized to receive the IP packet. The access-accept message comprises (a) information uniquely identifying said device, such as the IMSI/ESN number for the device, and (b) information identifying a network to use to locate said device. The home agent issues a message containing the information uniquely identifying the device to a mobile node location server. The mobile node location server maintains a table mapping IP addresses for a plurality of mobile communication devices to information uniquely identifying the devices. In the event that the mobile node location server does not find an IP address for the device in the table, the device is paged via the wireless communications network. In response to the page, the mobile device dials into the wireless communications network and second network and initiates a connection to the packet switched network whereby the IP packet is transmitted to the device.

Dynamic allocation of wireless mobile nodes over an internet protocol (IP) network

A system and method of accessing radio programming from radio stations that communicate radio programming on a data network. The radio programming is accessed as radio or audio signals formatted in radio-over-data packets to a data network telephone. The data network telephone is a telephone that uses voice-over-data communications channels over a data network to make telephone connections with other data network telephones. The data network telephone includes a display, a keypad, a handset and an optional speaker output. The data network telephone advantageously permits simultaneous access to radio programming and communication on a telephone connection. The data network telephone also includes an interface to a portable information device. A radio control application may be used on the portable information device that communicates control information to a radio application on the data network telephone. The PID may be used to set the desired radio station, volume and other settings that may be communicated to the radio application on the data network telephone.

System and method for accessing radio programs using a data network telephone in a network based telecommunication system

A system and method for performing messaging between telephones in a data network telephone system. The message communications may be managed by a messaging application connected to the data network. The messaging application detects when a telephone is connected to another telephone and sends a messaging input screen to the first telephone. The messaging application may determine the availability of other users for messaging and may control messages communicated between the first telephone and the other users. The messages may be text or voice messages.

System and method for performing messaging services using a data communications channel in a data network telephone system

A system and method for providing service provider configured telephone service to a user of a data network telephone. The user connects a data network telephone to the data network. The data network telephone may establish a connection to a telephone configuration server. The data network telephone may communicate a part number, such as a serial number, to the telephone configurations server. The telephone configuration server retrieves a service provider configuration, such as a service provider proxy address to send to the data network telephone. The data network telephone may use the service provider proxy address to register and provision the data network telephone for service.

System and method for providing service provider configurations for telephones using a central server in a data network telephony system

A system and method for providing user-configured telephone service to a user of a data network telephone. The user connects a data network telephone to the data network. The data network telephone registers with a telephone connection server to have basic calling service. The user accesses a service provider server to enter feature selections. The service provider server may use a web page to query the user for feature selections The service provider server uses the user's selections to update the user's account and to activate the selected features.

System and method for providing user-configured telephone service in a data network telephony system

A dial plan for a data network telephony system is provided. A variable-length-code scheme is used to assign communication numeral strings to user identifiers and/or device identifiers, such as SIP URIs (Universal Resource Identifier). The dial plan enables a user to enter a user identifier (or device identifier) into a conventional keypad of a data network telephone, such as an Internet telephony phone. Additionally, embodiments of the disclosed dial plan include techniques for dialing from one data network telephone to another data network telephone utilizing the same service provider, dialing from one data network telephone utilizing a first service provider to a second data network telephone utilizing a second service provider, and dialing from a data network telephone to a PSTN phone and vice versa. The flexible dial plan preferably includes formulating a communication number into a domain portion and a subscriber portion, where the domain portion and the subscriber portion each include a quantity indicator to specify a number of digits making up the remainder of the domain portion, the subscriber portion, or the entire communication portion. Upon accepting an entered communication number from a user, the data network telephone parses the entered communication number into the domain portion and the subscriber portion and accesses database to determine a user identifier or device identifier corresponding to the entered communication number. The data network telephone may then set up a call using the determined user identifier.

Flexible dial plan for a data network telephony system

A network access server providing remote access to an IP network for a remote client initiates a PPP connection for a remote client quickly, and without requiring re-negotiation of Link Control Protocols and Network Control Protocols. The network access server has a PPP session with the remote client go dormant, for example when the user is a wireless user and goes out of range of a radio tower and associated base station. The network access server does not get rid of the PPP state for the dormant session, but rather switches that PPP state to a new session, such as when the client moves into range of a different radio tower and associated base station and initiates a new active session on the interface to the wireless network. The switching of PPP states may be within a single network access server, or from one network access server to another. This &ldquo;context switching&rdquo; of the active PPP session allows the mobile user to seamlessly move about the wireless network without having to re-negotiate Link Control Protocols and Network Control Protocols every time they move out of range of one radio tower and into range of another radio tower.

Instant activation of point-to point protocol (PPP) connection using existing PPP state

A method of finding a mobile wireless communications device when an Internet Protocol (IP) packet from a remote user is sent to the device over an IP network. The mobile device does not have to register with the IP network in order to receive the IP. The method comprises the steps of receiving the IP packet at a home agent associated with a wireless communications network. The IP packet includes an IP address assigned to the device. If there is no current mobility binding record for the mobile device, instead of dropping the packet the home agent sends an access-request packet, containing the IP address, to an authentication server. The authentication server, e.g., a RADIUS server, maintains a table mapping the IP address for the device to an identification number uniquely associated with the device, such as the device's International Mobile Subscriber Identity number. The authentication server sends an access-accept packet to the home agent in the event that the device is authorized to receive the IP packet, in which case the access-accept packet includes the identification information. The home agent uses the identification number to locate, page and automatically connect the wireless device to the IP network via an InterWorking Unit (IWU) configured as a IP network access server.

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

Andrew Bezaitis