Patent ID: 8488559

Claim:
A method of handling route optimization in a communication network for traffic being exchanged between a first mobile node and a second mobile node, wherein the first mobile node is attached to a first access point and the second mobile node is attached to a second access point, and wherein the first access point is attached to a first anchor point and the second access point is attached to a second anchor point, the method comprising: at the first anchor point and the second anchor point, initially handling a flow of traffic through the first anchor point and the second anchor point between the first mobile node and the second mobile node; at the first anchor point, making a decision based upon the flow of traffic to initiated route optimization for the flow of traffic and initiating route optimization by sending a route optimization update to the first access point and the second access point, the route optimization update comprising a sequence number; and upon receipt of the route optimization update at the first access point and the second access point, acting on the route optimization update to establish an optimized traffic route, wherein a flow of traffic in the optimized traffic route does not flow up to the first anchor point and the second anchor point; wherein, in response to the first mobile node performing a handover from the first access point to a third access point, the first anchor point increments the sequence number to generate an incremented sequence number, sends a further route optimization update comprising the incremented sequence number to the second access point, and upon receipt of the further route optimization update at the second access point, determining if the incremented sequence number included in the further route optimization update is larger than a sequence number included in any previously-received route optimization update and, if so, acting on the further route optimization update to establish a further optimized traffic route involving the third access point.