Method and apparatus to facilitate mobile station communications using internet protocol-based communications

摘要

In a communication network (400), wireless access points (300) utilize one or more agents (302, 306) to support the operating needs of corresponding mobile stations. Pursuant to one approach, the agent supports translation of the mobile station's end-to-end protocol-based messages to Internet Protocol-based messages that are readily ported through an Internet Protocol-friendly communication system infrastructure that preferably eschews the use of network elements that rely upon unique and/or proprietary non-Internet Protocol interfaces. Pursuant to another approach the wireless access point is able to interact on a peer-to-peer basis with other wireless access points in order to facilitate, for example, handovers and other mobility management tasks.

主权项

1. A method for use with a communication network having a plurality of geographically differentiated wireless access points and which communication network supports handovers of mobile stations from one wireless access point to another wireless access point during both idle and connected modes of operation in order to support mobile station mobility, wherein the mobile stations use an end-to-end protocol for communicating directly with a counterpart network element that is hierarchically differentiated from the wireless access point, the method comprising:
receiving, at a wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points, a communication from a mobile station of the plurality of mobile stations, which communication uses the end-to-end protocol; converting, by the wireless access point, the communication from the end-to-end protocol to an Internet Protocol-based communication, wherein the Internet Protocol-based communication is set up by use of a surrogate Internet Address that corresponds to the mobile station, wherein the mobile station does not support Internet Protocol-based communication, to provide a converted communication, wherein the end-to-end protocol used by the communication comprises at least one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC)-compatible protocol and a Network Access Server (NAS)-compatible protocol; routing the converted communication to a network element; receiving, at the wireless access point, a communication directed to the mobile station from the network element using an Internet Protocol; converting, at the wireless access point, the communication directed to the mobile station from an Internet Protocol-based communication to an end-to-end protocol-based communication that is directed to the mobile station; and wirelessly conveying the converted end-to-end protocol-based communication that is directed to the mobile station to the mobile station.