Apple Inc.

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Research in Motion Corporation

Barnaba Barnowski

Eric W Parsons

Saso Stojanovski

Philippe Reininger

Ahmad Shawky Muhanna

Mohamed Khalil

Khosrow Tony Saboorian

Gregory Osborne

Reininger Philippe

Erik W Parsons

A system and method of enabling a mobile device to communicate with a local IP network host and an external IP network host using a femto cellular access point on a femto cellular access network. A local gateway is coupled to the femto cellular access network for receiving data packets transmitted on the femto cellular access network and for routing the data packets to one of a local IP network and an external IP network, based on a destination address associated with the data packets. The femto cellular access network includes an LTE network, an EVDO network connected to an EPC, or a WiMax 802.16e/m network connected to the EPC.

Ubiquitous access to FEMTO-connected network

The present invention solves communication disruption problems during the hand-off transition period by using a pre-handoff registration of a new foreign agent on behalf of the mobile node The pre-handoff registration message should: (1) identify itself as a pre-hand off registration message, (2) indicate direction of traffic for the pre-handoff registration time period, and (3) specify a lifetime or time period when the pre-handoff registration request will continue to be considered valid The local mobility anchor will accept traffic using the pre-handoff registration care-of address depending on the directionality indicator, but the communication traffic to or from the mobile node will not be disrupted during the transition period. Because the care-of address for the mobile node on the new foreign network can be used to direct communication traffic to or from the mobile node during this transition time period, no disruption of service will be encountered.

Support for continuity of tunnel communications for mobile nodes having multiple care of addressing

A system and method are provided for enabling a mobile device to establish a local IP access on a packet data network connection on a femto cellular access network. A local server gateway and a macro server gateway are coupled to the femto cellular access network. A mobility management entity is coupled to the femto cellular access network, the local server gateway and the macro server gateway. The mobility management entity obtains a status mode of the mobile device and a location of the mobile device transmitted on the femto cellular access network. The mobility management entity selects one of the local server gateway and the macro server gateway based on the status mode of the mobile device and the location of the mobile device.

Selecting a serving gateway

A first node receives information associated with a mobile station to allow for establishment of a session for the mobile station that is attached to a first wireless access network in a first service domain. In response to the received information, the first node sends messaging to a home agent in a second service domain that is of a different type than the first service domain. The first node receives, from the home agent, an Internet Protocol (IP) address allocated to the mobile station in the second service domain, where the IP address is allocated in response to the messaging, and where services provided to the mobile station are anchored in the second service domain.

Anchoring services of a mobile station attached to a first service domain at a home agent in a second service domain

Ubiquitous access to femto&#x2014;connected network

Ubiquitous access to FEMTO&#x2014;connected network

The present invention solves these problems with a new proxy binding update request and proxy binding acknowledgement messages having new indicators and identification information. Namely, the home agent/local mobility anchor will exchange proxy binding update messages and proxy binding acknowledge messages that include information such as mobile node identification (MN-ID), home network prefix (HNP), but can also include selective information fields such as, access type, handover indicator (HO), and interface identification (interface ID). By including new access type, indicator, and identification information, the local mobility anchor can respond to a binding update request message with a better understanding of the new connectivity request from the mobile node. The invention also includes a binding revocation message with expanded trigger field information sent from the local mobility anchor to the mobile access gateways.

Support for multi-homing protocols using transient registration and expanded binding revocation messages

The invention involves a method for achieving local anchoring of a mobile node (MN) in a wireless system comprising a plurality of radio access networks (RANs), a plurality of gateways (GWs), each capable of acting as a serving gateway, and a home server, with each RAN being connected to a GW, and a user profile relating to the MN being stored in the home server. According to the method, when the mobile node has a radio link with a first RAN which is connected to a first GW, the first GW is assigned as a local anchor for the MN, and the user profile relating to the MN in the home server is updated with an indication of the first GW. And when the mobile node moves to a second RAN which is also connected to the first GW, the indication of the first GW is retrieved from the user profile relating to the MN in the home server, and the first GW assigned is kept as a local anchor for the MN, based on the retrieved indication of the first GW.

Growing community of inventors

Calgary, Canada

Barnaba Barnowski