Nortel Networks Corporation

Apple Inc.

Rockstar Consortium US LP

Peter W Wenzel

Jerry Louis Mizell

David J Lauson

Kuntal Chowdhury

Serge M Manning

Pierre Boulos

Kuntaporn Saiyos

Steven Currin

Cecil L Taylor

Channarong Tontinuttananon

Deborah Case

Aamir Sattar

Guy Helm

In order to provide an early and more accurate determination of network problems, current NPI OMs are compared with samples of recent historical NPI OMs so that changes in the NPI OM are detected based on current overall network conditions rather than on conditions that may have existed at statistically insignificant earlier operational periods. By constantly adjusting a performance threshold, against which the current NPI OM is compared, by using a smaller and very recent sampling of NPIs (in the case of sudden and abrupt performance-NPI degradation detection) or a larger and greater number of NPIs over a wider time period (in the case of slow and persistent NPI degradation detection) to establish the threshold, detection results are more accurate and meaningful.

Method and apparatus for telecommunications network performance anomaly events detection and notification

According to a method of controlling access to a prepaid packet data communication service, a prepaid server transmits a resource response in response to receipt of a resource request for prepaid resources from a prepaid client. The resource response specifies a quota of prepaid resources no greater than a prepaid account balance of a prepaid service subscriber and a resource usage threshold at which the prepaid client provides notification. The prepaid client then receives a notification from the prepaid client indicating that the threshold of prepaid resources has been reached, and in response to the notification, performs an accounting updating reflecting a portion of the prepaid account balance that has been consumed.

Methods, systems and program products for supporting prepaid service within a communication network

The present invention supports account monitoring for a mobile node by a home agent communicating with an AAA server computer. The home agent maintains accounting attribute information on system usage by a mobile node on a network. Attribute information is maintained and metered on the home agent in a data table. The home agent generates and transmits accounting messages containing the accounting attributes to the AAA server computer. The AAA server computer stores the attribute information in a memory for later billing.

Method for generation of a single accounting stream during heterogeneous access network mobility

A mobile communications network includes a packet service node capable of establishing a session with a mobile station. A network address (e.g., an Internet Protocol or IP address) of a domain name system (DNS) server is communicated to the mobile station using one of several types of messages. A first type of message includes an Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP) message. A second type of message includes a Mobile Internet Protocol Registration Reply Message. The packet service node receives the network address of the DNS server from an authentication server, such as a RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User System Service) server or a Mobile IP Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server.

Discovering an address of a name server

A method and apparatus are presented for generating unique MSIDs for access terminals (AT) that do not present an MSID to the access network controller (ANC). The electronic serial number (ESN) of the AT is first converted to an ASCII character string representing the unsigned decimal equivalent of the 32 bit ESN. The ASCII string is padded with leading '0' (zeros), if necessary, to create a 10 character string. The ANC generates a 5 character string unique to all 1xEVDO networks then concatenates the two strings to create a unique 15 character string. The created 15 character string is then presented to the PDSN to establish a network session.

Method for generation of unique mobile station IDs in a 1&#xd7;EVDO network

The present invention supports a secure transmissions protocol for information packet transmission between a Mobile Node and a Foreign Agent. The information packets are encrypted and decrypted using an integrated software client that combines mobile IP communication support and encrypting and decrypting protocols.

Security transmission protocol for a mobility IP network

A method and apparatus are provided for dynamically redirecting mobile terminal home agent selection in a mobile IP network. A provisioning server assigns a preferred home agent to a group of mobile terminals based on one of a subscriber special services, subscriber connectivity, and home agent capacity. The provisioning server transmits the preferred home agent address to a home authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server which updates a AAA database. The mobile terminal seeking access to the mobile IP network first registers with a configured home agent address stored in the mobile terminal. The configured home agent communicates with the home AAA server to authenticate the mobile terminal. The home AAA server fails the mobile terminal authentication request and provides the address of the preferred home agent. The mobile terminal reregisters with the preferred home agent to access the mobile IP network.

Home agent redirection for mobile IP

A method and apparatus provide for the reservation of dynamic IP addresses to enable a push server to initiate a PDP context as a part of providing push service without timing out. More specifically, in one embodiment of the invention, a push server generates a query to a domain name server to get the subscriber's IP address based upon the provided domain name. In this case, the subscriber is the person that is to receive the push data. The domain name server then generates a message to a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server to prompt it to reserve a dynamic IP address for the mobile subscriber. The DHCP server then returns the reserved 'leased address' to the DNS server to enable it to perform a dynamic DNS update. The DNS server then returns the subscriber address to the push server. The push server then initiates a context activation. A gateway GPRS support node then requests ID information from the DHCP server for the leased address and initiates context activation with the received ID information resulting therefrom.

Method and apparatus for network-initiated context activation using dynamic DNS updates

A foreign agent routes data packets according to policy based routing information maintained by the home network. The policy may be network based or may be subscriber profile based as defined in an authentication, authorization, and accounting server. The policy routes data packets according to one of an address specified in the mobile IP header and an application type. The address specified in the mobile IP header is typically within a range of addresses within the home network. The foreign agent routes data packets of the specified policy type directly to the home agent server. Data packets that are not of the specified policy type are routed directly to an Internet access point.

Policy based mobile IP

A new message format and protocol in an IP mobility system. Deallocation of a mobile node's IP address during a multipart communication session on a foreign network can cause serious communication and accounting errors. The new message format and protocol should eliminate the premature deallocation of a mobile node's IP address, which should reduce associated communication and accounting errors.

Continuation session attribute

A packet data service node is formed to establish an 'always on' connection with a mobile terminal by way of a packet control function card or device with the ability to determine when a mobile terminal no longer requires a previously established point-to-point protocol communication link. More specifically, the PDSN formed according to one embodiment of the present invention, includes an inactivity timer and corresponding logic to prompt it to generate an LCP Echo Request to the mobile terminal after expiration of the inactivity timer. Each time data or control signals are received from the mobile terminal, the inactivity timer is reset. Upon expiration of the timer, the PDSN generates the LCP Echo Request. In one embodiment of the invention, the LCP Echo Request is generated at least once and a total of three times prior to the release of network resources responsive to not receiving an LCP Echo Reply from the mobile terminal, which it should have generated had it received the LCP Echo Request generated by the PDSN. Logic defined by the PDSN and its corresponding method of operation facilitates the release of resources being wasted by a mobile terminal that no longer needs as determined by failure of the mobile terminal to respond with an LCP Echo Reply.

Identification of unused resources in a packet data network

A 1xEVDO network includes an access terminal that generates an access terminal ID as a part of the call setup signals it generates when setting up a data call. In order to determine whether the user ID is authorized to access the 1xEVDO wireless data network, a AAA server is formed to include a table that identifies authorized access terminals, by access terminal ID, for access to the 1xEVDO wireless data packet network. In one embodiment of the present invention, the wireless access terminal also is formed to perform an algorithmic calculation upon a received random number and to produce the results to an access network controller. The AAA server, then, is formed to determine whether the results produced by the access terminal are correct. In one embodiment of the invention, the AAA server is formed to perform the same algorithmic calculation. In another embodiment of the invention, the AAA server is formed to compare the received results from the access terminal's algorithmic calculation to a value stored in memory.

Use of AAA protocols for authentication of physical devices in IP networks

An interface device for faxing documents over a wireless network includes circuitry for emulating the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for communicating with an analog fax machine. The circuitry receives and stores a document image from the fax machine. It then prompts a wireless transceiver to establish a call connection. Once a call connection is created to a destination fax through the wireless network the interface device transmits the stored document image. The inventive method includes the steps of communicating with a fax over by means of one protocol to receive a document image, storing the document image, and transmitting the document image by means of a second protocol.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Peter W Wenzel