Patent ID: 7890577

Claim:
A method for transferring a context in a heterogeneous mobile network comprising a plurality of access networks, the method comprising the steps of: a) collecting by a context transfer manager located in a first access network of the plurality of access networks context information related to a mobile node from at least one source entity within the first access network; b) transmitting by the context transfer manager located in the first access network the collected context information to a context transfer manager located in a second access network of the plurality of access networks using a security association between the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks; c) receiving by the context transfer manager located in the second access network context information related to the mobile node from a context transfer manager located in an access network different from the first access network using the security association between the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks; d) forwarding by the context transfer manager located in the second access network the context information received in step c) to at least one target entity within the second access network; e) before step b) and/or after step c), translating at least a part of the context information from a format supported in the first access network to another format supported in the second access network; f) collecting information by the context transfer manager located in the first access network about numbers of broadcast messages from access points received by a mobile node per time unit, wherein the broadcast messages comprise information about the identities of the access points; and g) establishing by the context transfer manager located in the first access network the security association to the context transfer manager located in the second access network, if the number of broadcast messages received by the mobile terminal from an access point within the second access network exceeds a first predetermined threshold, and h) authenticating the context transfer managers located in the first and second access networks.