Patent ID: 8155041

Claim:
A method for a handover between heterogeneous networks including a first network and a second network, using a link trigger signal in a multi-interface mobile router having a first network access interface for accessing the first network and a second network access interface for accessing the second network, the method comprising: generating by the second network access interface a second network link-up trigger signal when the mobile router enters the second network; while the mobile router is located in the first network, maintaining by the mobile router a state of the second network access interface in a sleep state, activating the first network access interface, receiving a first network service through the activated first network access interface, and transmitting the first network service to a subordinate node; when the mobile router senses the generated second network link-up trigger signal while moving to the second network, changing the state of the second network access interface into an active state and performing by the mobile router the handover to the second network; and after performing the handover to the second network, receiving by the mobile router a second network service through the activated second network access interface in the mobile router and transmitting the second network service to the subordinate node, wherein the second network link-up trigger signal is generated by a layer 1 / 2 process of the second network access interface, and wherein the generated second network link-up trigger signal is notified to a mobile IP layer of the mobile router.