Patent ID: 7161929

Claim:
A method of controlling routing of packets in a packet switching network including an infrastructure of packet switching nodes interconnected by packet transport links, and a plurality of access nodes to which a routing path, defined by data held in packet switching nodes located along said routing path, may be directed in said infrastructure for a given network address, said method comprising: assigning one or more network addresses to a first access node as one or more home addresses of said first access node; dynamically allocating a first said home address to a first mobile node being served via a communications link by said first access node, at least one routing path in said infrastructure being directed to said first access node for said first home address; altering routing in said infrastructure when said first mobile node receives service from a second access node by transmitting routing update messages to a limited subset of said packet switching nodes, said subset being localized in the area of a connecting path between said first and second access nodes, such that at least one routing path in said infrastructure is directed to said second access node for said first home address; and subsequently altering routing in said infrastructure such that at least one routing path in said infrastructure is directed to said first access node for said first home address, and allocating said first home address to a second mobile node being served by said first access node; wherein a plurality of said home addresses have an aggregated entry in routing data held in a first packet switching node in said infrastructure when said plurality of home addresses have at least one routing path directed to said first access node.