Patent ID: 8855083

Claim:
In a wireless network environment comprising first and second packet-switched access networks, each access network using a tunnelling-type micro-mobility protocol and a Quality of Service (QoS) routing protocol to route packet data to and from mobile nodes attached thereto, and each access network comprising an access router to which a mobile node may attach, a mobility agent with which said mobile node may register and a gateway, a method of facilitating network layer handover of said mobile node from said first access network to said second access network, said mobile node registered in said first access network with a serving mobility agent, which method comprises the steps of: (a) said mobile node receiving a router advertisement from said second access network, which router advertisement comprises a network-layer address of a target mobility agent in said second access network with which said mobile node may register, (b) said mobile node forwarding said network-layer address to said serving mobility agent, said serving mobility agent may communicate with said target mobility agent to facilitate network-layer handover of said mobile node to said second access network; and (c) said mobile node transmitting an identifier with said router advertisement, which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks; wherein following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, said mobile node initiates a handover at the network layer by sending to said target mobility agent a registration message comprising said identifier of said mobile node; and wherein upon receipt of said registration message, said target mobility agent uses said identifier to look up a pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.