Patent ID: 8331325
Filing Date: 2012-12-11
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. In a mobility management entity (MME), a method for mitigating data loss when a mobile device is handed over between two heterogeneous networks by creating data forwarding resources between a source network and a target network, the method comprising: receiving, during a handover process of a user equipment from a source network to a target network, a message from the target network that includes a data forwarding address of a serving node thereon; selecting a serving gateway within the source network; sending, to the serving gateway, a message that includes the data forwarding address of the serving node in the target network and requests the serving gateway to create data forwarding resources between the source and target networks according to the data forwarding address of the serving node; receiving a message including data forwarding tunnel information allocated by the serving gateway; and sending, to a first node on the source network, the data forwarding tunnel information for allowing packets cached to be forwarded to the serving gateway; wherein the first node on the source network is an eNodeB for forwarding packets during the handover process; wherein the received data forwarding tunnel information allocated by the serving gateway includes a serving gateway address and a serving gateway Tunnel Endpoint Identification (TEID); and wherein the eNodeB forwards cached downlink packets to the serving gateway according to the serving gateway address and the serving gateway TEID.