System and method for maintaining a communication session

1. A system for maintaining a communication session comprising:

a home gateway connected to a network;

a foreign gateway connected to the network comprising a foreign wireless access point (AP), wherein the home gateway communicates with the foreign gateway via a first tunnel operating over the network between the home gateway and the foreign gateway and wherein the foreign gateway communicates with a hybrid device via the foreign wireless AP;

a cellular data network, wherein the network is accessible to the cellular data network; and the hybrid device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a virtual IP address assigned by the home gateway to the hybrid device and assigned by the hybrid device to the wireless transceiver; and

a cellular transceiver, wherein the hybrid device is configured to perform operations comprising:

establishing using the cellular transceiver a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway over the network via the cellular data network while maintaining a communication session between the hybrid device and the home gateway via the first tunnel;

forming an Ethernet bond between the first tunnel and the second tunnel;

assigning the virtual IP address to the cellular transceiver; and

sending packets to the home gateway via at least one of the first and second tunnels.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation for sending packets to the home gateway over the cellular transceiver via at least one of the first and second tunnels is selected from the group consisting of sending a same packet over both the first and second tunnels and sending a first packet over the first tunnel and a second packet over the second tunnel.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation for establishing using the cellular transceiver a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway over the network via the cellular data network comprises establishing using the cellular transceiver a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway over the network via the cellular data network upon occurrence of a first transition condition in a wireless link between the wireless transceiver and the foreign wireless AP.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the occurrence of a first transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of a determination that it is moving away from the foreign wireless AP, a determination that there is only a single foreign wireless AP within its range, a determination that signal strengths from foreign wireless APs within its range are decreasing, and a determination using a digital map that it is physically moving to an area in which no accessible foreign wireless APs are located.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation for assigning the virtual IP address to the cellular transceiver comprises assigning the virtual IP address to the cellular transceiver upon occurrence of a second transition condition.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using a Class of Service (CoS) assigned to a subscriber at the time the service agreement between the subscriber and the service provider was executed.

7. A method for maintaining a communication session comprising:

establishing a first tunnel over a network between a home gateway and a foreign gateway comprising a foreign wireless access point (AP);

associating a hybrid device with the wireless AP operating in the foreign gateway, wherein the hybrid device comprises a wireless transceiver, a cellular transceiver, and a virtual IP address assigned by the home gateway to the hybrid device and assigned by the hybrid device to the wireless transceiver;

establishing using the cellular transceiver a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway over the network via the cellular data network while maintaining a communication session between the hybrid device and the home gateway via the first tunnel;

forming an Ethernet bond between the first tunnel and the second tunnel;

assigning the virtual IP address to the cellular transceiver; and

sending packets to the home gateway via at least one of the first and second tunnels.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of sending packets to the home gateway over the cellular transceiver via at least one of the first and second tunnels is selected from the group consisting of sending a same packet over both the first and second tunnels and sending a first packet over the first tunnel and a second packet over the second tunnel.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein establishing using the cellular transceiver a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway over the network via the cellular data network comprises establishing using the cellular transceiver a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway over the network via the cellular data network upon occurrence of a first transition condition in a wireless link between the wireless transceiver and the foreign wireless AP.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein occurrence of a first transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of a determination that it is moving away from the foreign wireless AP, a determination that there is only a single foreign wireless AP within its range, a determination that signal strengths from foreign wireless APs within its range are decreasing, and a determination using a digital map that it is physically moving to an area in which no accessible foreign wireless APs are located.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein assigning the virtual IP address to the cellular transceiver comprises assigning the virtual IP address to the cellular transceiver upon occurrence of a second transition condition.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using a Class of Service (CoS) assigned to a subscriber.

13. A system for maintaining a communication session comprising:

a home gateway connected to a network;

a hybrid device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a cellular transceiver, wherein the hybrid device is connected to the cellular data network via the cellular transceiver; and

a virtual IP address assigned by the home gateway to the hybrid device and assigned by the hybrid device to the cellular transceiver; and

a cellular data network, wherein the network is accessible to the cellular data network and wherein the home gateway communicates with the hybrid device via a first tunnel operating over the network via the cellular data network; and

a foreign gateway connected to the network, wherein the foreign gateway comprises a foreign wireless access point (AP),

wherein the hybrid device is configured to perform operations comprising:

detecting the availability of the foreign wireless AP;

associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver;

establishing a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway through the foreign gateway's network connection when the association step is completed while maintaining a communication session between the hybrid device and the home gateway via the first tunnel;

forming an Ethernet bond between the first tunnel and the second tunnel;

assigning the virtual IP address to the wireless transceiver; and

sending packets to the home gateway via at least one of the first and the second tunnels.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operation of associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver comprises:

receiving by the foreign AP a probe request frame from the hybrid device, wherein the probe request comprises the MAC address of the roaming wireless AP device and the SSID of the home wireless AP;

accessing by the foreign AP a roaming datastore to determine whether the SSID of the home wireless AP is stored in the roaming datastore in association with the MAC address of the hybrid device;

granting by the foreign AP the probe request when the SSID of the home wireless AP is stored in the roaming datastore in association with the MAC address of the hybrid device and associating with the hybrid device; and

denying by the foreign AP the probe request when the SSID of the home wireless AP is not stored in the roaming datastore in association with the MAC address of the hybrid device.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the foreign AP is configured to perform operations comprising receiving security credentials of the hybrid device from the hybrid device.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the foreign AP is configured to perform operations comprising retrieving security credentials of the hybrid device from the wireless roaming datastore.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operation for sending packets to the home gateway over the cellular transceiver via at least one of the first and second tunnels is selected from the group consisting of sending a same packet over both the first and second tunnels and sending a first packet over the first tunnel and a second packet over the second tunnel.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operation for associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver comprises associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver upon occurrence of a first transition condition in a wireless link between the wireless transceiver and the foreign wireless AP.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein occurrence of a first transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of a determination that the foreign wireless AP has come within its range, a determination that signal strengths from foreign wireless APs within its range are increasing, and a determination using a digital map that it is physically moving to an area in which accessible foreign wireless APs are located.

20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operation for assigning the virtual IP address to the wireless transceiver comprises assigning the virtual IP address to the wireless transceiver upon occurrence of a second transition condition.

21. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using a Class of Service (CoS) assigned to a subscriber.

22. A method for maintaining a communication session comprising:

establishing a first tunnel between a hybrid device and a home gateway, wherein the home gateway is connected to a network, wherein the first tunnel operates over the network via a cellular data network, wherein the hybrid device comprises a wireless transceiver, a cellular transceiver and a virtual IP address assigned by the home gateway to the hybrid device and assigned by the hybrid device to the cellular transceiver, and wherein the hybrid device is connected to the cellular data network via the cellular transceiver;

detecting by the hybrid device the availability of a foreign wireless AP, wherein the foreign wireless AP operates within a foreign gateway and the foreign gateway is connected to the network;

associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver;

establishing a second tunnel from the hybrid device to the home gateway through the foreign gateway's network connection when the association step is completed while maintaining a communication session between the hybrid device and the home gateway via the first tunnel;

forming an Ethernet bond between the first tunnel and the second tunnel;

assigning the virtual IP address to the wireless transceiver; and

sending packets to the home gateway via at least one of the first and the second tunnels.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver comprises:

receiving by the foreign wireless AP a probe request from the hybrid device, wherein the probe request comprises the MAC address of the roaming wireless AP device and the SSID of the home wireless AP;

accessing by the foreign wireless AP a roaming datastore to determine whether the SSID of the home wireless AP is stored in the roaming datastore in association with the MAC address of the hybrid device;

granting by the foreign wireless AP the probe request when the SSID of the home wireless AP is stored in the roaming datastore in association with the MAC address of the hybrid device and associating with the hybrid device; and

denying by the foreign wireless AP the probe request when the SSID of the home wireless AP is not stored in the roaming datastore in association with the MAC address of the hybrid device.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising the foreign wireless AP receiving security credentials of the hybrid device from the hybrid device.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising the foreign wireless AP retrieving security credentials of the hybrid device from the wireless roaming datastore.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein the step of sending packets to the home gateway over the cellular transceiver via at least one of the first and second tunnels is selected from the group consisting of sending a same packet over both the first and second tunnels and sending a first packet over the first tunnel and a second packet over the second tunnel.

27. The method of claim 22 , wherein associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver comprises associating with the foreign wireless AP via the wireless transceiver upon occurrence of a first transition condition in a wireless link between the wireless transceiver and the foreign wireless AP.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein occurrence of a first transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of a determination that the foreign wireless AP has come within its range, a determination that signal strengths from foreign wireless APs within its range are increasing, and a determination using a digital map that it is physically moving to an area in which accessible foreign wireless APs are located.

29. The method of claim 22 , wherein assigning the virtual IP address to the wireless transceiver comprises assigning the virtual IP address to the wireless transceiver upon occurrence of a second transition condition.

30. The method of claim 22 , wherein the second transition condition is detected by the hybrid device using a Class of Service (CoS) assigned to a subscriber.