Mobile device handoff while maintaining connectivity with multiple access points
View Patent ↗A method, system, and computer-readable media are provided for allowing a mobile device to maintain communication connectivity during a handoff between wireless access points. In one aspect, the method may include negotiating security association information and establishing a first communication tunnel by tunneling an inner IP address within a first outer IP address. The method may further include authenticating a request for establishing a second communication tunnel by identifying the negotiated security association information within the request. Additionally, the method may include establishing the second communication tunnel by tunneling the inner IP address within a second outer IP address. Moreover, the method may include pushing data associated with the communication session through the second communication tunnel.
1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of maintaining a communication session, the method comprising:
connecting a mobile device to a first wireless access point (WAP) via a first software module of a network interface card to initiate the communication session;
obtaining a first internet protocol (IP) address from the first WAP;
establishing security information between the mobile device and a router;
tunneling an inner IP address within the first IP address by the router to form a first communication tunnel;
instantiating a second software module of the network interface card to forward data packets to a second WAP upon movement of the mobile device into a coverage area of the second WAP;
requesting a second IP address by the second software module to the second WAP;
tunneling the inner IP address within the second IP address to form a second communication tunnel; and
disassociating the first communication tunnel after data communication over the second communication tunnel has been established, wherein the inner IP address is not associated with either the first WAP or the second WAP.
2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device multiplexes data communication between the first software module and the second software module until the disassociating occurs.
3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the inner IP address is used for communication and to maintain connectivity of the communication session.
4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the first IP address and the second IP address are used to tunnel back to the router.
5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the router comprises a Packet Data Inter-working Function (PDIF) device.
6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device multiplexes between the first WAP and the second WAP via the same network interface card.
7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the router permits a second connection of the mobile device to the second communication tunnel when the security information for the second connection matches the security information for a first connection made to the first communication tunnel.
8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7 , wherein data communication continues from the first communication tunnel to the second communication tunnel without interruption.
9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the data communication continues without interruption via a Mobile Internet Key Exchange (MOBIKE) protocol.
10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of maintaining a communication session, the method comprising:
initiating a communication session by obtaining a first internet protocol (IP) address in order to connect a mobile device to a first wireless access point (WAP);
obtaining a second IP address for connection of the mobile device to a second WAP upon movement of the mobile device into a coverage area of the second WAP; and
maintaining connectivity with the communication session via a third IP address, wherein the third IP address is tunneled inside of the first IP address to form a first encrypted communication tunnel, and the third IP address is tunneled inside of the second IP address to form a second encrypted communication tunnel.
11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , further comprising: using the first IP address received from the first WAP to create a tunnel to a router.
12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , further comprising: assigning the third IP address to the mobile device after connection to the first WAP.
13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , further comprising: employing an algorithm of a network interface card to determine when the mobile device should switch its connectivity from the first WAP to the second WAP.
14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , further comprising: multiplexing between a connection to the first WAP and a connection to the second WAP.
15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the multiplexing comprises:
receiving data packets from the first WAP and the second WAP;
buffering the data packets from the first WAP and the second WAP; and
forwarding the data packets to a respective first software module and a respective second software module of a network interface card.
16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the first IP address is assigned by the first WAP, the second IP address is assigned by the second WAP, and the third IP address is assigned by a router.
17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , further comprising: disabling the first encrypted communication tunnel after one or more data packets of the communication session are received through the second encrypted communication tunnel.
18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein: the third IP address is not associated with the first WAP or the second WAP.
19. A mobile communication system for maintaining communication connectivity during a handoff between wireless access points, the mobile communication system comprising:
a mobile device comprising a network interface card, wherein the network interface card comprises a plurality of software modules;
a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs) for transmitting and receiving signals from the mobile device, wherein each of the WAPs are associated with a respective software module of the plurality of software modules;
a router for assigning an inner internet protocol (IP) address to the mobile device, wherein the inner IP address is tunneled inside of a first outer IP address received from a first WAP to form a first encrypted communication tunnel, and the inner IP address is tunneled inside of a second outer IP address received from a second WAP to form a second encrypted communication tunnel; and
a communication session network between the mobile device, the first WAP, the second WAP, and the router, wherein connectivity of the mobile device with another mobile device is maintained with the first encrypted communication tunnel and the second encrypted communication tunnel during a handoff of the mobile device from the first WAP to the second WAP.
20. The mobile communication system of claim 19 , further comprising: a multiplexor to maintain communication back and forth between the first encrypted communication tunnel and the second encrypted communication tunnel until completion of the handoff.