Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

Alcatel-lucent USA Inc.

Alcatel Lucent

American Telephone and Telegraph, Co.

Thomas F La Porta

Ramachandran Ramjee

Malathi Veeraraghavan

Kazutaka Murakami

Krishan Kumar Sabnani

Kannan Varadhan

Arun N Netravali

Richard Wayne Buskens

Sandra Ramos Thuel

David Hilton Shur

Richard Dennis Gitlin

Clark B Woodworth

Madhukar M Kshirsagar

Thomas Yat Woo

Sanjoy Paul

Luca Salgarelli

Ender Ayanoglu

Yow-Jian Lin

Kuo-Wei Herman Chen

Anil S Sawkar

Ming Xiong

Gerard Terence Foster

Mark Haner

David E Smith

Michael Patrick Deitz

Robert Shaw Sellinger

Li Li

Triantafyllos Alexiou

Ramana Isukapalli

Thomas Duncan

Techniques are provided to allow global roaming between different devices in different networks, using different protocols. A system may contain one or more protocol dependent logic servers (PDLSs), in which each PDLS is associated with a particular network/network protocol. The networks may comprise one or more wired telecommunications networks, wireless communications networks, or Internet-based networks. When a first PDLS receives an incoming, protocol-dependent message comprising a first protocol from a first network intended for a user currently registered on another network, the first PDLS converts the protocol-dependent message into an incoming, protocol-independent message and forwards it to another network element, such as a core logic server (CLS). The CLS processes the incoming, protocol-independent message, generates an appropriate outgoing protocol-independent message and forwards this message to a second PDLS. The second PDLS converts the outgoing, protocol-independent message to an appropriate outgoing, protocol-dependent message and forwards it to a second network operating using a second protocol. The conversion of incoming, protocol-independent messages into outgoing, protocol-independent messages eventually enables a link to be established between the two networks operating using different protocols.

Methods and systems for allowing global roaming between devices supported by different protocols

Portable and/or mobile IP hosts desiring to connect to the Internet can dynamically acquire a home address and other configuration information through DHCP when powering up in a foreign network. A two-stage configuration procedure is used. First, the mobile host uses the M-IP protocol to establish contact with an addressing element, referred to as a bootstrapping agent, that is usually co-located with a M-IP Home Agent, and that allocates a temporary home address for the mobile host. The temporary address is used to create a temporary tunnel. Second, this temporary tunnel is used as the communication vehicle over which standard DHCP transactions take place. The present invention is thus arranged to use a) M-IP as the signaling mechanism for reaching the home network and dynamically allocating a temporary home address for the mobile host; and b) DHCP to allocate a permanent home address and any other configuration state for the mobile host.

Transient tunneling for dynamic home addressing on mobile hosts

A multiple-protocol home location register (MP HLR) comprises a processor, that generates network messages according to two or more network protocols and processes network requests and other messages to obtain information requested by two or more networks that support the two or more network protocols. One embodiment of the MP HLR () utilizes protocol gateways () that interpret network requests and generate, utilizing a common control procedures for multiple network protocols, queries to a database that provides a common source of data for supported networks. Another embodiment of an MP HLR () utilizes a mediation device () that generates and/or translates network messages according to multiple different network protocols and utilizes multiple HLRs () or home agents, each supporting a different network protocol.

Multiple-protocol home location register and method of use

Local mobility within a subnet is supported by classifying wireless base stations, and the routers used to forward packets to those base stations, within defined domains. Domains are defined to incorporate a subnet having a plurality of base stations. Base stations are used by mobile devices to attach to the wired portion of a packet-based network, such as the Internet, and exchange packets thereover with a correspondent node. Packets sent from the correspondent node to the mobile device have a packet destination address corresponding to the mobile device. The mobile device retains this address for the duration of time it is powered up and attached to the Internet via any base station within a given domain. Host-based routing is utilized to update routing table entries corresponding to the mobile device at routers incorporated within a single domain. The routing table entries are established and updated via path setup schemes to convey packets destined for the mobile device along the proper established path through the domain routers and base stations, regardless of the domain base station through which the mobile device is attached. Path setup schemes utilize power up, refresh, and handoff path setup messages to maintain the proper relationship between router interfaces and packet addresses for routing table entries.

Single phase local mobility scheme for wireless access to packet-based networks

Base stations on an Internet protocol (IP) network define a number of paging areas. An IP mobile host assumes one of (i) an active state, wherein the host informs other network nodes of a change in its point of attachment from one base station to another, and (ii) a standby state wherein the host informs other nodes only when a new point of attachment is a base station of a different paging area from a last point of attachment, thus conserving power at the mobile host. When data on the network is addressed to a standby mobile host, a page request is directed to a base station(s) in the host's current paging area for transmission. The host enters the active state and transmits a page response which is received by a base station in the current paging area, and network routing information for the host is updated accordingly.

Paging of mobile hosts on an internet protocol network

A General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Accessed Extended Mobile Internet Protocol (EMIP) [G-EMIP] network is provided for wireless mobile device access to external packet data networks. Domains are defined to incorporate a subnet of standard GPRS and EMIP network entities accessed through a Domain Router. Packet access at the radio interface is provided using the base station portion of a GPRS network. Wireless link specific processing is relegated to this potion of the G-EMIP network. EMIP is utilized as a backbone network to provide mobility and service management and interconnection to external networks. A GPRS-IP Interworking entity (GII) interworks IP and GPRS protocols between GPRS and IP addressable network entities (i.e., translates messages of each protocol to corresponding messages of the other protocol). Mobility-related functionality is handled at the IP (network) layer. Mobile IP is used to support the macro-mobility and Handoff-Aware Wireless Access Internet Infrastructure (HAWAII) is used to support micro-mobility and paging. The Domain Router provides packet service management and interacts with a Home Location Register/Authentication Center, which provides GRPS registration, authentication and encryption.

Wireless access of packet based networks

Two phase local mobility scheme for wireless access to packet based networks

Domains are defined to incorporate a subnet including a plurality of base stations and routers. Base stations are used by mobile devices to attach to the wired portion of a packet-based network, such as the Internet, and exchange packets thereover with a correspondent node. Local mobility between domain base stations is provided by including and updating routing table entries at domain routers and base stations for forwarding packets having a mobile device's address as a destination address to the mobile device. Packets are delivered to the mobile device regardless of the domain base station to which the mobile device is attached. When a mobile device is attached to a base station included within a foreign domain, a care-of address is assigned, and packets are tunneled for delivery of packets to the mobile device. Only one care-of address is required per mobile device per foreign domain. Routing table entries used for packet delivery are updated on a purely local subnet basis within domains, whether home domain or foreign domain, making handoffs between base stations substantially transparent to the home agent and the correspondent node.

Wireless access to packet-based networks

A communications system for transporting connectionless datagrams over a connection-oriented network is arranged to remove the address resolution function and the connection setup function from a sending host and combine them in a third-party connection server in conjunction with channel management at connection-oriented routing points. The third party request protocol can be used for Classical connectionless over a connection oriented network, legacy LAN emulation and Routing Over Large Clouds.

Communications system for transmission of datagram packets over connection-oriented networks

A tunneling optimization is described in which packets are forwarded from a home agent to a mobile device by co-locating a foreign agent corresponding to a mobile device at the mobile device. When a mobile device acquires a new foreign agent, the mobile device notifies the home agent as to the corresponding foreign agent address. A packet received at the home agent having the mobile device as a packet header destination address is parsed and the foreign agent address is substituted for the mobile device address, and the packet is forwarded to the foreign agent. The foreign agent, upon receiving the packet, removes the foreign agent address and replaces the mobile device address as the packet header destination address. The packet is then forwarded to the mobile device.

Packet tunneling optimization to wireless devices accessing packet-based wired networks

The number of packet routing addresses utilized within a wired subnet offering wireless services via subnet base stations is reduced by assigning a packet routing address to a wireless device accessing a wired subnet upon power up of the wireless device. A Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is utilized to assign the packet routing addresses, and supplies addresses either directly or indirectly via a node acting as a DHCP relay for a DHCP server. If the assigned packet routing address is a care-of address for a foreign domain, the address is released upon wireless device power down or upon handoff of the wireless device to a new domain. If the assigned packet routing address is an address for the wireless device within a home domain, the address is released upon wireless device power down.

Dynamic address assignment for wireless devices accessing packet-based wired networks

A method of delivering highly-reliable, fault-tolerant communications services in a telecommunications network of distributed call processing systems. The method advantageously identifies a set of objects within the telecommunications network requiring checkpointing; checkpoints the objects; and subsequently restores the checkpointed objects in the event of a failure. Various aspects of the method are disclosed, including restoration strategies.

High availability distributed call processing method and apparatus

A method for reconnecting calls affected by a loss of synchronization comprises detecting disconnect of a call and initiating a time-out sequence during which reconnection attempts are performed. The reconnection time-out sequence may be incremented a predetermined number of times before reconnection attempts are terminated and the call is released. Further, a mobile switching center and a serving base station may selectively determine whether reconnection attempts are to be made. Advantageously, resources associated with a call affected by a loss of synchronization are held for a predetermined time. If reconnection is successful, the held resources are bridged to new air traffic channels resulting in enhanced network efficiency.

Method for reconnecting calls in a wireless telecommunications system

A &ldquo;cluster mobile switching center&rdquo; (cMSC) is arranged to perform the switching and control functions of a conventional mobile switching center (MSC), including, if desired, the additional functions of a conventional visitor location register (VLR). The cMSC is implemented on distributed processors using modular software. Advantageously, a specific instance of middleware, known as Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), is used as the communications middleware. Functionally, the cMSC is arranged to have two classes of servers: (1) Interworking managers (IMs) that act as gateways and provide interfaces to external network elements, and (2) core servers that perform call processing (registration, location updates, incoming and outgoing call processing) functions and communicate with each other using CORBA. IMs terminate standard protocols with the external elements and use CORBA to communicate with the core servers. Software objects are defined to perform specific tasks, manage particular resources, and interact to provide end-to-end services.

Growing community of inventors

Thornwood, NY, United States of America

Thomas F La Porta