Patent ID: 6633761
Filing Date: 2003-10-14
Classification: H04L,H04W,Y02D

Abstract:
A method of enabling seamless user mobility in a short-range wireless networking, environment, comprising the steps of:providing one or more portable client devices, each of the client devices equipped with a short-range wireless communications capability for communicating in the short-range wireless networking environment; providing a plurality of Handoff Management Points (HMPs), each of the HMPs equipped with a short-range wireless link for communication with the client devices and a link to a networking environment wherein one or more application programs residing on one or more application server can be accessed; providing a Handoff Core Server to manage the HMPs; dynamically making a selected one of the HMPs operational, further comprising the steps of: obtaining an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the selected HMP; discovery by the selected HMP, an identity of the Handoff Core Server; and initiating, by the selected HMP, an HMP presence protocol exchange with the Handoff Core Server, further comprising the step of sending a registration request to the Handoff Core Server to register the selected HMP with the Handoff Core Server; obtaining a registration response from the Handoff Core Server; and if the registration response is successful, periodically refreshing the selected HMP's registration with the Handoff Core Server.