Patent · US Expired

Mobile networking method and apparatus

US5572528A · kind A · utility

880Cited by
6References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 20, 1995
Grant dateNov 5, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 20, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L12/4604
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An internetwork including a plurality of local area networks may include wireless and hard-wired local area networks. The internetwork may also include wide area network links between routers. The system includes routers between networks, which may be bridged networks. Certain routers are configured as home routers. Home routers bind two addresses for each mobile node on a given network when that node logs-in with a home router. Mobile nodes log-in with a home router that assigns a virtual address that does not change throughout a session. Each time, a mobile node roams to another network across a router boundary, the virtual address remains the same and all packets directed to the mobile node are received by the home router which advertises that it can reach the mobile node. As the mobile node roams, it reports back to the home router a local address to which the home router forwards all packets directed originally by correspondent nodes to the virtual address. Mobile nodes may log-in to a router many hops removed from a local area network of the situs. Mobile nodes may also roam across wide area links. The system is transparent to a user.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.