Combining IP and cellular mobility

Abstract

The invention proposes a system for providing mobility to a terminal through at least two different mobility protocols, wherein a mobility gateway and a terminal share a common mobility session, said common mobility session can be updated through any of the said different mobility protocols, and each mobility protocol provides information to the terminal related to all other mobility protocol during a registration. The invention also proposes a corresponding gateway, a terminal and method.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described by referring to the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a signalling flow where the terminal using the integrated mobility session first power-on using GPRS connection session type according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 2A shows a signalling flow where the terminal using the integrated mobility session first power-on using Mobile IP as a connection session type according to the first embodiment,

FIG. 2B a layer structure in terminal and gateway,

FIG. 3 shows a signalling flow where the terminal using the integrated mobility session first power-on with GPRS as a connection session type according to a second embodiment,

FIG. 4 shows a signalling flow where the terminal using the integrated mobility session first power-on with Mobile IP as a connection session type according to the second embodiment,

FIG. 5 shows a signalling flow where the terminal using the integrated mobility session first power-on with GPRS connection session type according to a third embodiment,

FIG. 6 shows a signalling flow where the terminal using the integrated mobility session first power-on with Mobile IP as a connection session type according to the third embodiment, and

FIG. 7A shows a basic configuration of a gateway according to the embodiments, and FIG. 7B shows a basic configuration of a terminal according to the embodiments.

Claims

1. A gateway comprising: a supporting unit configured to support a plurality of connection session types;a providing unit configured to provide a connection session to a terminal; andan associating unit configured to associate a parameter with the connection session to the terminal.

2. The gateway according to claim 1, further comprising an identifying unit configured to identify the connection session based on the associated parameter.

3. The gateway according to claim 1, wherein the connection session comprises a mobility session.

4. The gateway according to claim 1, further comprising an including unit configured to include the associated parameter into a transport protocol message.

5. The gateway according to claim 4, wherein the transport protocol is a packet data protocol (PDP), and the transport protocol message is a packet data protocol context accept message.

6. The gateway according to claim 1, further comprising means for including the associated parameter in a specific message.

7. The gateway according to claim 6, wherein the specific message comprises an agent advertisement message.

8. The gateway according to claim 1, wherein the associated parameter comprises a session identifier identifying the connection session with the terminal.

9. The gateway according to claim 1, further comprising an indicating unit for indicating the gateway by a home address network access identifier.

10. The gateway according to claim 1, wherein the connection session type comprises a mobile internet protocol session and/or a general packet radio service session.

11. A terminal comprising: a supporting unit configured to support a plurality of connection session types;a providing unit configured to provide a connection session to a gateway; anda receiver configured to receive a parameter which is associated with the gateway.

12. The terminal according to claim 11, further comprising a changing unit configured to change the connection session type for the connection session; andan indicating unit configured to indicate the change to the gateway using the parameter.

13. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein the connection session comprises a mobility session.

14. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the parameter within a transport protocol message.

15. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the transport protocol is a packet data protocol, and the transport protocol message is a packet data protocol context accept message.

16. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein the receiver is adapted to receive the parameter within a specific message.

17. The terminal according to claim 16, wherein the specific message comprises an agent advertisement message.

18. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein the parameter comprises a session identifier identifying the connection session with the gateway.

19. A method for controlling a gateway in a network, wherein the gateway is able to support a plurality of connection session types, the method comprising: providing a connection session to a terminal; andassociating a parameter with the connection session to the terminal.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising identifying a connection session based on the parameter.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the connection session comprises a mobility session.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising including the parameter into a transport protocol message.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the transport protocol is a packet data protocol (PDP), and the transport protocol message is a packet data protocol context accept message.

24. The method according to claim 19, further comprising including the parameter in a specific message.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the specific message comprises an agent advertisement message.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the parameter comprises a session identifier identifying the connection session with the terminal.

27. The method according to claim 19, wherein the gateway is indicated by a home address network access identifier.

28. A method for controlling a terminal, wherein the terminal is able to support a plurality of connection session types, the method comprising: providing a connection session to a gateway; andreceiving a parameter which is associated with the gateway.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising changing the connection session type for the connection session; andindicating the change to the gateway using the parameter.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the connection session comprises a mobility session.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the parameter is received within a transport protocol message.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the transport protocol is a packet data protocol, and the transport protocol message is a packet data protocol context accept message.

33. The method according to claim 28, wherein the parameter is received within a specific message.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the specific message comprises an agent advertisement message.

35. The method according to claim 28, wherein the parameter comprises a session identifier identifying the connection session with the gateway.

36. The method according to claim 19, wherein the connection session type comprises a mobile Internet protocol session and/or a general packet radio Service session.

37. A gateway for establishing a connection between a terminal and a gateway, comprising: means for identifying a connection session based on a parameter; andmeans for selecting a gateway for establishing a connection based on the parameter.

38. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, that when executed by a processor, is configured to control a gateway in a network to provide a connection session to a terminal, and associate a parameter with the connection session to the terminal.

39. The computer program of claim 38, wherein the program is configured to identify a connection session based on the parameter.

40. A system for providing mobility to a terminal through at least two different mobility protocols, comprising: a mobility gateway and a terminal that share a common mobility session;said common mobility session can be updated through any of the at least two different mobility protocols; andeach of the at least two mobility protocols providing information to the terminal related to all other mobility protocols during a registration.

41. The system according to claim 40, wherein the common mobility session is uniquely identified by a common mobility session identifier exchanged during the registration.

42. The system according to claim 41, wherein said common mobility session identifier is sent by the terminal to the mobility gateway in an update message of all of the at least two different mobility protocols.

43. The system according to claim 40, wherein the terminal indicates that it supports said common mobility session, by including a common mobility session identifier set to a default value in the registration.

44. The system according to claim 40, wherein said at least two different mobility protocols are general packet radio service and mobile Internet protocol.

45. The system according to claim 44, wherein during general packet radio service registration in a create packet data protocol context procedure, mobile Internet protocol parameters are sent in a create packet data protocol context accept message to the terminal.

46. The system according to claim 44 where during GPRS registration in the create packet data protocol context procedure, mobile Internet protocol parameters are sent in an agent advertisement message to the terminal.

47. The system according to claim 44, wherein said mobile Internet protocol parameters contain at least one of a home agent Internet protocol address, a home agent logical name (NAI), and an mobile Internet protocol security parameter.

48. The system according to claim 44, wherein during mobile Internet protocol registration, general packet radio service parameters are sent in a registration accept message to the terminal.

49. The system according to claim 48, wherein GPRS parameter contain a general packet radio service access point name to be used over general packet radio service.

50. The system according to claim 49, wherein the general packet radio service access point name is sent as the home address network access identifier (HA NAI).

51. A gateway comprising: means for supporting a plurality of connection session types;means for providing a connection session to a terminal; andmeans for associating a parameter with the connection session to the terminal.

52. The gateway according to claim 51, further comprising means for identifying the connection session based on the associated parameter.

53. A terminal comprising: means for supporting a plurality of connection session types;means for providing a connection session to a gateway; andmeans for receiving a parameter which is associated with the gateway.

54. The terminal according to claim 53, further comprising means for changing the connection session type for the connection session; andmeans for indicating the change to the gateway using the parameter.