Utstarcom, Incorporated

3com Corporation

Chandra Warrier

Michael S Borella

Yingchun Xu

Narothum Saxena

Sundar Raman

Arun C Alex

Claudio Taglienti

Satish Amara

Abhishek Sharma

Ravideep Bhatia

Karl E Freter

Ching Kung

Sudhir Kunnath

Mankesh S Ahluwalia

Charles Rygula

Ningya Wang

Peter F Koss

Dale Eliason

Ronald J Madsen

Thomas Foss Rooney

Chenwei Yan

A method and apparatus are provided for implementing direct routing. An Internet Protocol (IP) packet sent from a first mobile node to a second mobile node is received at a foreign agent for a foreign network, wherein both the first and second mobile nodes are visiting the foreign network. It is determined that the second mobile node is visiting the foreign network. The packet is routed to the second mobile node over a communication path that does not include a home agent associated with the second mobile node.

Method and apparatus for implementing direct routing

In mobile IP wireless data networking, methods are described for correctly routing packets through a foreign agent to or from wireless nodes where the wireless nodes have the same home network IP address. Instead of using normal IP routing, the foreign agent uniquely identifies the wireless node's home network IP address and home agent IP address with a PPP link address associated with a PPP link between the foreign agent and the wireless node. This association between PPP link addresses, home agent IP addresses, and home network IP addresses, is preferably implemented in software as a table stored in the foreign agent. The routing of packets through the foreign agent to the mobile nodes is performed by reference to the table. The table allows the foreign agent to correctly and efficiently route packets in the situation where multiple wireless nodes are registered with the foreign agent, but more than one of the wireless nodes have the same home network IP address.

Routing method for mobile wireless nodes having overlapping internet protocol home addresses

An apparatus and method for routing data packet connection pathways. A pathway controller monitors all of the packet data service nodes available for the transmission of data packets to mobile nodes in order to allocate the service nodes appropriately. A main call processing node selects an available packet data service node for use for a mobile node based upon the availability of the service nodes. A mobile node may have its data packet pathway deactivated if the network infrastructure determines the need to free-up resources for other mobile nodes. The data packet pathway may be reactivated upon the event of a new data packet arriving for the mobile node. The methods of deactivation and reactivation may be used to solve data packet pathway serving faults. The data packet connection pathways that may be reactivated may be done in a load balanced fashion.

Method and apparatus for allocating data packet pathways

A method and system for call monitoring in a wireless network by querying various network components for information about a call path through the wireless network. The network components in the wireless network may include foreign agent control nodes, home agent control nodes, packet data serving nodes, home agents, and/or authentication, authorization, and accounting servers. These network components may be queried to determine the foreign agent and the home agent to which a call is assigned. The foreign agent and the home agent may also define information about a call on the wireless network, i.e., the state of the call. Advantageously, the information provided by the foreign agent and the home agent may allow for monitoring a call path through the wireless network.

Method and system for automatic call monitoring in a wireless network

A method and system of transferring data rate and state information of mobile nodes between access and home networks is provided. A mobile node may register with a foreign agent on a foreign network, by sending mobile node information, such as a data rate at which the mobile node operates and a dormancy status of the mobile node, to a radio access network, which forwards the information to the foreign agent. The foreign agent may then contact a home agent on the mobile node's home network to setup a call. The foreign agent may send the mobile node information, such as the data rate or the dormancy state, to the home agent during call-setup or during the call as well.

Method and system of transferring session speed and state information between access and home networks

A method and system for providing prepaid billing for two concurrent communication sessions is accomplished by a first-network-access device, such as a WIN SCP, receiving from a prepaid-user account prepaid services for a first-communication session. During the first-communication session, a second-network-access device, e.g., an AAA server, requests from the prepaid-user account additional prepaid services for a second- communication session that is to occur on a data network. In response to the request, the first-network-access device receives from a prepaid-billing system a status-update request. Responsive to the update request, the first-network-access device sends to the prepaid-billing system the prepaid-service usage for the first communication session. The prepaid billing system updates the prepaid user account by debiting the prepaid services usage from the prepaid-user account. If prepaid services remain after updating the prepaid user account, the second-network-access device receives from the prepaid-billing system prepaid services for the second communication session.

Prepaid billing support for simultaneous communication sessions in data networks

A connection with a mobile node is established. A registration request is received and a tunnel identifier determined. The tunnel identifier is independent of (i) a home address of the mobile node and (ii) an address of a home agent for the mobile node. The registration request is transmitted to the home agent, and the registration request includes the tunnel identifier. A response to the request is received and, responsively, a connection is activated. Data packets are received from the home agent in response to transmitting the registration request. The data packets include the tunnel identifier. The connection is identified using the tunnel identifier and the packets are routed along the connection.

PDSN fast tunnel lookup

A system and methods are shown for providing packet data serving node (PDSN) redundancy. One exemplary method includes providing an access node with a plurality of packet data serving nodes and at least one system manager, establishing an N to 1 redundancy of active to standby PDSNs. Upon establishing a communications session with a mobile node, each active PDSN provides state updates to the standby PDSN including only non-recoverable data. Upon failure of any active PDSN, the standby PDSN reassigned as an active PDSN replacing the failed unit and assuming the communications session with the mobile node. The remaining active PDSNs are notified of the reassignment and transmission of updated state data is discontinued.

System and method for point-to-point protocol device redundancey

A method and system for Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) device redundancy. As mobile devices roam away from a home network and change a connective status, mobility binding records are sent to a multicast network address on the home network. The multicast network address multicasts the mobility binding records to other active Mobile IP home agent control nodes, standby home agent control nodes and standby home agents on the home network. The method and system allows standby home agent control nodes or standby home agents to be transparently switched for active home agent control nodes or active home agents that fail without downloading or uploading large numbers of mobility binding records after a failure. The method and system may also help reduce failed calls (e.g., data sessions including Voice over IP (VoIP), H.323, etc.), network congestion and improve user satisfaction in Mobile IP systems.

Method and system for mobile IP home agent redundancy by using home agent control nodes for managing multiple home agents

An exemplary system and method for using a network access system, such as a virtual private network (VPN), are provided. A user device may have a user session with a home agent. Additionally, an initiating security gateway may be in communication with the home agent, and a terminating security gateway may be in communication with the initiating security gateway via a tunnel (e.g., Internet Protocol in Internet Protocol (IP-in-IP) or Internet Protocol security (IPsec) tunnel). Further, a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag associated with the user session may map to a selector operable in a security policy database. The selector may be used to find a security policy defining an IPsec procedure, and the security policy may be applied to the tunnel. Also, the initiating security gateway may also include a Quality of Service (QoS) module that determines QoS markings for a packet traveling along the tunnel.

System and method for using virtual local area network tags with a virtual private network

A system and method of transmitting information between a mobile node and a home agent of the mobile node. The mobile node has an associated home AAA server. The address of the HAAA is determined. The HAAA is contacted and, responsively, receives information indicating a methodology of determining the home address of the mobile node. A proxy server determines the address of the home agent using information received from the PDSN. The information is routed from the mobile node to the home agent having the address.

System and method to allow simple IP mobile nodes to operate seamlessly in a mobile IP network with true roaming capabilities

A method and system for re-direction and handoff for pre-paid mobile services in third generation ('3G') networks. A handoff marker is created and used for wireless mobile nodes such as Mobile Internet Protocol ('Mobile IP') nodes. The handoff markers allow the wireless mobile nodes to use pre-paid mobile services, have active communications sessions suspended and re-directed to a registration server when purchased pre-paid mobile services run-out. The registration server allows the wireless mobile node to electronically purchase additional pre-paid mobile services and immediately resume a suspended communications session. The handoff markers also allows network devices in a mobile network to determine between initiation of a new communications session or a hard handoff of an existing communication session, without adversely affecting pre-paid billing services.

Method and system for re-direction and handoff for pre-paid mobile services in third generation networks

Roaming and hand-off support for prepaid billing for wireless data networks

A system for providing redundant home agents comprises a plurality of home agents, the home agents create mobility binding registrations with outside PDSNs. The system also includes a redundant home agent, the redundant home agent is coupled to said plurality of home agents. A home agent control node is coupled to the plurality of home agents and sends registration requests to the home agents. The home agent control node contains a detector for determining a failure in any of the plurality of home agents. The home agent control node also contains a mobility binding registration and downloads the mobility binding registration to the redundant home agent upon the detection of a failure in one of the plurality of home agents.

Hot standby protocol for wireless devices

Method for forwarding data from a source of the data to a mobile wireless node, such as a portable computing device, that undergoes a transition to an idle state. A home agent receives the data from the source. The home agent determines that there is no current or active mobility binding record for the mobile node, so it sends a data indication message to a home agent control node. The home agent control node looks up the mobile node in an idle mobility binding record database and identifies the last foreign agent that the idle mobile node was connected to. The home agent control node sends a page request to the identified foreign agent. If the mobile node responds to the page within a predetermined period of time, it will establish a connection with the foreign agent. Data is tunneled from the home agent to the foreign agent for delivery to the mobile node. If the mobile node does not answer the page within the time limit (such as in the case where the power to the mobile node has been turned off), the home agent queues some of the data for transmission to the mobile node when it connects later on, and drops the rest.

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Schaumburg, IL, United States of America

Chandra Warrier