Cisco Technology, Inc.

Starent Networks Corporation

Other

Sanil Kumar Puthiyandyil

Rajesh Ramankutty

Matthew Hayden Harper

Shaji E Radhakrishnan

Rajesh P Velandy

Rajat Ghai

Ashraf M Dahod

Mohan Rangan

John Depietro

Vincent Spinelli

Greg Cheever

Vijay Kathuria

Kuntal Chowdhury

Leonard Schwartz

Janakiraman Senthilnathan

Timothy G Mortsolf

Ramanathan T Jagadeesan

Kevin Shatzkamer

Arun C Alex

Gibson Soon Teck Ang

Mruthyunjaya Navali

Bipin Mistry

Jonathan A Morgan

Mathew Hayden Harper

Satya (Satish) Vasamsetti

Clarence Drumheller

Noel Charath

Systems and methods are provided that allow inter-working between communication networks for the delivery of service to mobile nodes. A gateway is provided that communicates with a femto cell to extend service to an area that otherwise does not receive coverage from a service provider. The femto cell is a small scale base station used to provide coverage over a small area (such as a home or business), and connect to a home or enterprise network. The femto cell provides service for a mobile node and a gateway permits communication over a broadband network. The gateway integrates the mobile nodes connecting via a femto cell into the service provider's network. The gateway also allows provisioning of services and applications, control of service levels, and provides seamless handoffs to marco base stations and other types of access technologies such as Wi-Fi.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for providing interworking gateway

Methods and systems are provided for filtering packets in a wireless communication system in the to-subscriber direction. This filtering is at least in part based on RF circuit state information. For example, a packet filter is used that either permits or denies packets from reaching a mobile subscriber based on whether there is already an established RF circuit to provide packets to the mobile subscriber. Alternatively, or in addition, the packet filter may consider the history of circuit state transitions associated with a particular mobile subscriber, the percentage (or aggregate number) of available airlink resources that are currently in use, and/or the length of time associated with the dormancy of a mobile subscriber's RF connection. In various embodiments, the packet filter may cause one or more packets to be sent to a mobile subscriber using a special data channel that does not require the establishment of an RF circuit.

RF-aware packet filtering in radio access networks

Systems and methods for providing a handoff between technologies are disclosed. An intra-technology handoff occurs where the same integrated chassis handles the session for the different access technologies. In an intra-technology handoff, the same IP address and the session can be maintained through the handoff. The mobile node can undergo a handoff without issuing a registration request in some embodiments. An inter-technology handoff occurs from one integrated chassis to another integrated chassis. The integrated chassis can preserve session and context information in a session manager and in a handoff from one access technology to another the same session manager can be chosen with the session and context information remaining intact even though the access technology has changed. The integrated chassis can provide an access technology handoff where the core network does not notice any change and applications running on or delivered to the mobile node are not effected.

System and method for handoffs between technologies

A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a request for a service from a requestor, an determining at least a first network element and at least a second network element required to satisfy the request from among a plurality of network elements. The method further includes triggering a coordinating of a work flow between the first network element and the second network element responsive to the request. The method still further includes translating communication messages exchanged between the first network element and the second network element from a first communication protocol format and a second communication protocol format.

Orchestrating mobile data networks in a network environment

Interworking gateway for mobile nodes

Systems and methods for caching information related to access rights are provided. The access rights may be rules stored in an access control list. The cache may include packet parameters against which packets in a data flow are matched to determine if a match is possible from the cache. If a match is possible, a corresponding rule is applied to the packet. If a match is not found in the cache, the access control list may be searched for a corresponding rule. The rule from the access control list may be populated into the cache when a match is found in the access control list.

System and method for caching access rights

Systems and methods for establishing and operating data sessions between mobile subscriber units and packet data servers on a wireless communication network are presented. Some aspects described herein are directed to preventing the loss of an initial configuration request signal (e.g. under the LCP protocol) from a packet data server to a mobile subscriber prior to successful establishment of a radio air link to the mobile subscriber. Other aspects are directed to detecting the presence or absence of a radio air link to the mobile subscriber as a determinant of whether the packet data server is to send a configuration request signal to the mobile subscriber, or whether the packet data server should withhold the request signal until the air link is established. Some or all aspects presented are suitable for use in 3G or CDMA-2000 systems using the A10/A11 communication control protocol and the PPP data communication protocol.

Reduced data session establishment time in CDMA-2000 networks

Systems and methods for providing fast handoff support by transferring information are provided. Additionally, a generic protocol message format is presented which allows the transfer of information used in the handoff. The generic protocol allows a gateway to request contexts or session information and send information that allows tunnel setup and mapping to other connections. The session, tunnel, and mapping information allow the gateways to switch packet processing operations without causing disruption to the packet flow. Further, in inter-gateway handoffs or inter-access network handoffs, fast and seamless handoffs are provided so the mobile station keeps the same IP address and the session continues.

Fast handoff support for wireless networks

Methods and systems are disclosed that provide accounting in an access gateway of a communication network. Logic can be implemented in an access gateway to provide accounting in an access gateway when the data is tunneled or encapsulated by a protocol when passing through the access gateway. The access gateway can perform inspections on the data to determine what portions of the data are user payload data and be included in a count and what portions of the data can be ignored, such as control packets and overhead information on the packet. The logic can also be deployed in next generation networks, such as long-term evolution, to provide accounting at the access gateway in some situations.

Methods and systems for accounting in an access gateway

A system and method for providing services to packet flows in a communication network. The services include enhanced charging, stateful firewalls, traffic performance optimization (TPO) and advanced services such as content differentiated charging, per-subscriber stateful firewalls, and VPNs, for example. A gateway can be used to route each packet flow through the services on a per-subscriber basis by inspecting accounting messages and checking subscriber profiles prior to setting up a new packet flow session. By directing the packet flow through the services requested latency can be reduced as well as the need to have equipment for each session regardless of whether the service is provided to the packet flow. The services can be provided in-line as well.

Providing services to packet flows in a network

Systems and methods are provided that allow voice and data traffic to be shifted from one chassis to other chassis without interrupting service. Geographic Redundancy (GR) is an inter-chassis redundancy, where the chassis may be a home agent, a packet data serving node, or any combination of wireless networking devices. Additionally, each chassis can have one or more partitions that handle subscriber session traffic and a corresponding redundant partition on a different chassis. The redundant chassis partition can take over all or a portion of the functionality of the active chassis partition if the active chassis or any critical peer servers/gateways communicating with the active chassis should fail. This provides users with uninterrupted service in the case of some failures.

System and method for active geographic redundancy

Systems and methods for improved inter-technology handovers between wireless networks are disclosed, in which a source radio access network operates on a first technology and a target radio access network operates on a second technology, and both radio access networks are managed at a single packet serving gateway. A foreign agent receives a mobile subscriber identifier during a handover of a mobile device from the source radio access network to the target radio access network and sends the mobile subscriber identifier to the packet serving gateway, and the packet serving gateway locates at least one process instance running on the packet serving gateway that is routing existing packet flows to the mobile device based on the mobile subscriber identifier. The packet serving gateway then transfers control of the at least one process to a control process.

Growing community of inventors

Nashua, NH, United States of America

Sanil Kumar Puthiyandyil