Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention pertains to mobile internet protocol networks and more particularly to a method for push application services to a mobile station.  
           [0002]    Push applications for push clients desire to deliver or “push” data to a mobile station using internet protocol. The data to be pushed to a mobile station includes weather announcements, alerts or advertisements.  
           [0003]    In order to reach the mobile station, the push application must know or discover the mobile station&#39;s internet protocol address. In addition, for the data which is pushed to be appropriately delivered to the mobile station, the mobile station must have an active connection (i.e. a packet data protocol context) with a wireless gateway.  
           [0004]    Push applications may need to push or transmit data to the mobile station at times when the mobile station does not have an active packet data protocol context or an internet protocol address within the wireless network. A push application can use an internet protocol address that has been allocated by a mobile internet protocol home agent (HA). The internet protocol address assignment will typically be done upon first registration of the mobile station.  
           [0005]    When the mobile station deactivates its packet data protocol (PDP) context, the PDP context must be reactivated in order to receive the pushed data from a push application.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have a method for packet data protocol context activation which may be requested by the network itself or a portion of the network.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network connection for push application to mobile station connection in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a message flow diagram of a network initiated packet data protocol context in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a message flow diagram of a network initiated packet data protocol context in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a message flow diagram of a network initiated packet data protocol context in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a message flow diagram of a network initiated packet data protocol context in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is a message flow diagram of another embodiment of a message flow diagram of a network initiated packet data protocol context in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 is a message flow diagram of another embodiment of a message flow diagram of a network initiated packet data protocol context in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 is a message flow diagram of yet another embodiment of a message flow diagram of a network initiated packet data protocol context in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting the network interconnections for supporting push application services in accordance with the present invention. Generally, push application desires to “push” or send data to mobile station  10 . Mobile station may include a single integrated device such as a mobile phone or attached devices such as a computer laptop using a mobile phone to communicate, paging devices and associated computers or other intelligent communication devices. Network  40  which is an internet protocol network includes the push application  45  and a mobile internet protocol home agent  42 . Mobile station  10  is coupled through wireless service provider network  20  via a serving SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node). SGSN  25  couples mobile station  10  through GGSN  30  (Gateway GPRS Support Node) to home agent  42 , for example. Network  20  is coupled to external networks via one or more GGSNs  30  or  35 . SGSN  25  and GGSN  30  are termed network devices. GGSN  30  is a wireless gateway which includes a mobile internet protocol foreign agent functionality. In a universal mobile telecommunications service network (UMTS), the interface between a foreign agent and a GGSN is not specified. Therefore, this interface may be considered as one integrated node. The functionality of the integrated node GGSN may be specified to be “enhanced with foreign agent functionality” (3GPP TS 23.121).  
         [0016]    Push application  45  desires to push or send data such as weather alerts or advertisements, etc. to mobile station  10  using internet protocol. To communicate and couple to the mobile station  10 , push application  45  must know or discover the mobile station&#39;s  10  internet protocol address. For pushed data to be received by mobile station  10 , mobile station  10  must have an active connection (packet data protocol context) with a wireless gateway (GGSN). In this case the wireless gateway is GGSN  30 . GGSN  35  may be used instead of GGSN  30  to accomplish the interconnection as well.  
         [0017]    When mobile internet protocol is used, the push application  45  may use an internet protocol address that has been allocated by a mobile internet protocol home agent  42 . The internet protocol address assignment is typically accomplished upon first registration by mobile station  10  with network  20 .  
         [0018]    Therefore, it is advantageous to this PDP context activation method for GGSN  30  to activate a PDP context with mobile station  10  when an internet protocol packet arrives from home agent  42 .  
         [0019]    Now turning to FIG. 2, a message flow diagram of the basic PDP context activation is shown. Initially, mobile station  10  activates a PDP context  51  through SGSN  25  with gateway GGSN  30 . GGSN  30  then establishes a coupling with home agent  42  in internet protocol network  40 . Mobile station  10  then registers  52  with home agent  42 . Home agent  42  assigns a mobile internet protocol address to mobile station  10 . This mobile internet protocol address is transmitted through GGSN  30  to mobile station  10 . GGSN  30  captures the mobile internet protocol address for subsequent use.  
         [0020]    Mobile station  10  registers  53  with push application  45 . Mobile station  10  provides the mobile internet protocol address from the home agent  42  for use by push application  45 . After mobile station  10  completes the registration process above and other activities using the PDP context, mobile station  10  deactivates  54  the PDP context with GGSN  30 .  
         [0021]    At some point in time thereafter, push application  45  decides to push data to mobile station  10 . Push application  45  uses the mobile internet protocol address previously established by mobile station  10 . This address directs communication  55  directs the push data to home agent  42 . Home agent  42  uses standard mobile internet protocol mechanisms to deliver  56  the pushed data to GGSN  30  as a foreign agent. This delivery by home agent  42  may be accomplished using mobile internet protocol tunnel addressing. GGSN  30  then uses the mobile internet protocol address previously saved in step  52  to direct that PDP context be activated  57  with mobile station  10 . The pushed data may then be sent to mobile station  10 .  
         [0022]    In accomplishing the activation step  57 , an access point name (APN) and mobile internet protocol address are specified by GGSN  30 . These values may not be in agreement with the values stored in the home location register (not shown) in SGSN  25 . When SGSN  25  validates the request for activation, step  57 , the GGSN&#39;s transmitted values of APN and internet protocol address may not match the one stored in the SGSN  25 . Accordingly, shown below are various options for the activation step  57 .  
         [0023]    First, the GGSN can include an address inside the PDU (Packet Data Unit) notification request message that the GGSN  30  sends to SGSN  25 . Referring to FIG. 3, a message flow diagram of this embodiment of the invention is shown. This embodiment requires that communication standards are changed in the network such that a GGSN can instruct an SGSN to add a new internet protocol address including an APN to the addresses that are accepted during the validation process.  
         [0024]    GGSN  30  sends a PDU notification request message  58  including a valid internet protocol address and associated access point name to SGSN  25 . SGSN saves  59  the IP address and APN. SGSN  25  then sends a network requested activation  60  including the valid internet protocol address and APN to mobile station  10 . Mobile unit  10  then responds by requesting a PDP context activation  61  with the valid IP address and associated APN to SGSN  25 . SGSN then verifies the saved IP address and APN with the IP address and APN just received from mobile station  10 . Since the IP address and APN were just relayed by SGSN  25  to mobile station  10  in step  60 , the addresses match and SGSN accepts the request and transmits the pushed data through to mobile station  10 .  
         [0025]    Now turning to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the PDP context activation is shown. This embodiment includes sending a new command including IP address and APN prior to any PDU notification request  58 .  
         [0026]    As shown in FIG. 4, GGSN  30  transmits a new message  70  including a valid IP address and associated APN to SGSN  25 . This new message or command indicates to SGSN  25  that it should accept the provided IP address and APN or the particular mobile station  10 . SGSN  25  saves the IP address and associated APN  71 . GGSN  30  then makes a network requested PDP context activation  72  to mobile station  10 . Since the valid IP address and associated APN were passed to mobile station  10  in step  72 , mobile station  10  responds with a PDP context activation  73  to SGSN  25 . Since the IP address and associated APN sent by mobile station  10  in message  73  were the same as the one stored by the SGSN, the SGSN verifies that the IP address and APN match  74 . Therefore, SGSN  25  allows the push data to be transmitted to mobile station  10 .  
         [0027]    In another embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, SGSN  25  may query GGSN  30  during the validation of mobile station  10 &#39;s requested context activation. SGSN  25  may be required to query more than one GGSN. However, for the sake of brevity, a query of just one GGSN  30  is shown. Other queries would be similar.  
         [0028]    GGSN transmits a network requested PDP context activation  80  to mobile station  10 . Included in this activation request are an IP address and associated APN. Mobile station  10  responds with a typical PDP context activation request including the IP address and APN just received from GGSN  30 . The PDP context activation request  81  is transmitted from mobile station  10  to SGSN  25 . SGSN  25  then queries  82  GGSN  30 . This query represents a new message sent to determine whether the IP address and APN are valid. GGSN  30  then responds with another new message  83  which indicates whether the IP address and APN transmitted to GGSN  30  in step  82  are valid. If the IP address and APN are valid. SGSN  25  then accepts mobile station  10 &#39;s PDP context activation request and the push data may be transmitted to mobile station  10 .  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 depicts another embodiment of the network requested PDP context activation. Prior to the message flow shown in FIG. 6, when mobile station  10  initially requests an activation of PDP context  51  as shown in FIG. 2, GGSN  30  captures and saves the APN used by mobile station  10  along with the IP address. Referring again to FIG. 6, GGSN  30  sends a network requested PDP context activation message  90  to mobile station  10 . With message  90 , GGSN  30  includes the appropriate APN and an IP address equal to zero. Mobile unit  10  responds to message  90  with a request to activate its PDP context using the IP address equal to zero and the APN provided by GGSN  30 . In response to an IP address of zero, SGSN  25  permits the PDP context activation request to go forward. As a result, SGSN  25  transmits a create PDP context message  92  with an IP address equal to zero to GGSN  30 . GGSN  30  responds with a create PDP context response message  93  again including an IP address equal to zero and the appropriate APN. Lastly, GGSN  30  sends a PDP context modification message  94  to mobile station  10 . In this modification message  94 , GGSN  30  includes the original IP address which was saved in step  51  of FIG. 2. Then the push data is allowed to be transmitted through GGSN  30 , SGSN  25  to mobile station  10 .  
         [0030]    Referring to FIG. 7, another embodiment of the network requested PDP context activation is shown. Initially, GGSN  30  transmits a network requested PDP context activation  100  through SGSN  25  to mobile station  10 . Message  100  is similar to message  90  as shown in FIG. 6. Since more than one GGSN may be supporting the same access point name (APN) when mobile station  10  responds with a PDP context activation message  101 , SGSN may forward this message to the wrong GGSN  35 . Message  100  included an IP address equal to zero and the appropriate APN. When mobile station  10  responds with message  101 , the IP address is equal to zero and the APN is the one received. When GGSN  35  receives message  101 , GGSN has no knowledge of the original IP address, so no activation is achieved. As a result, mobile station  10  attempts to register with its home agent  42  by sending a registration message  102 . As a result, mobile station  10  receives a second IP address which may be different from the IP address is was using. Mobile station  10  then requests to register with its push application  45  by sending registration message  103 . Since mobile station  10  has a valid IP address it reregisters with push application  45  by sending registration message  103 . When push application  45  receives the new registration message  103 , it determines that there is un-received push data waiting for mobile station  10 . Therefore, push application  45  transmits or resends the pushed data using the new IP address for mobile station  10 . Push application  45  sends the pushed data via message  104  to home agent  42 . Home agent  42  then utilizes the other GGSN  35  to send the push data via message  105 . Lastly, GGSN  35  sends the push data via message  106  to mobile station  10 .  
         [0031]    Referring to FIG. 8, another embodiment of a network requested PDP context request is shown. Mobile unit  10  sends message  110  to activate its PDP context. The message is sent through SGSN  25  to GGSN  30 . Mobile station  10  also registers  111  with its home agent  42  to obtain a valid IP address. When home agent  42  responds, GGSN  30  captures the IP address and associated APN. GGSN  30  treats the IP address and APN as a valid combination to be allowed for mobile station  10  during the duration of the mobile IP registration process. GGSN also sends message  112  to SGSN  25  to capture the mobile IP address and the duration of the address.  
         [0032]    Mobile station  10  then registers its new IP address with push application  45  via registration message  113 . Mobile station  10  may then choose to deactivate its PDP context via message  114  to GGSN  30 .  
         [0033]    At a future time, push application  45  decides to send push data to mobile station  10 . Push application  45  sends the push data via message  115  to mobile station  10 &#39;s home agent  42 . Home agent  42  relays the pushed data to GGSN via message  116 . GGSN  30  reactivates the PDP context with mobile station  10  via activate PDP context message sequence  117 . The SGSN uses the address received in message  112  to validate the PDP context activation sequence  117 . When the PDP context is reactivated, GGSN  30  then forwards the pushed data packets to mobile station  10  via message  118 .  
         [0034]    Accordingly by now it is appreciated that the present invention shows novel methods for network requested PDP context activation. Novel deactivation methodology is also disclosed. These methods may require the modification of communication network standards to allow a GGSN to indicate that an IP address should not be validated against an IP address in the SGSN&#39;s home location register. Further, the GGSN may perform network requested activation by specifying an IP address of zero. Lastly, the GGSN may perform network request context activation using a dynamic IP address.  
         [0035]    This invention allows UMTS or GPRS network to providers to support push application data services through network request PDP activation.  
         [0036]    Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the present invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: 5