Patent ID: 7660258

Claim:
A method for automatically configuring a network address of a first mobile node newly participating in a mobile multi-hop network implemented by the first mobile node, the method, comprising: (a) if the first mobile node belonging to a first network moves into and participates in a second network, detecting that the first mobile node has moved through transmission and reception of hello messages between the first mobile node and a second mobile node that belongs to the second network; (b) securing a route from the first mobile node to a gateway of the second network and requesting network configuration information of the second network; and (c) receiving an available network address allocated by the gateway and changing network configuration information of the first mobile node; wherein (b) comprises: receiving a first packet including information on the gateway of the second network from the second mobile node, wherein the information on the gateway includes a hop count to the gateway of the second network from the second mobile node; and transmitting a second packet requesting the network configuration information of the second network to the second mobile node having the smallest hop count.