Abstract: Methods and apparatus for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and forwarding state, e.g., context and other information, used to support communications sessions with one or more end nodes, e.g., mobile devices, are described. Various features are directed to a end node controlling the transfer of state from a first access node to a second access node during a handoff operation thereby eliminating any need for state transfer messages to be transmitted between the second access node and the first access node during handoff or the use of a core network node to support state transfer. As part of a handoff state information is obtained by an end node from the current access node in encrypted form and then communicated to the new access node to which the handoff operation is to be completed. The new access node, e.g., base station decrypts the state information and then uses it to support communications with the end node.

Abstract: Improved paging methods and apparatus are described. Paging requirements for a page are determined from paging information. Paging requirements may include, e.g., transmission delay constraints, paging resource requirements, whether or not a page is to be acknowledged, quality of service information, etc. A page is generated and transmitted by the node determining the paging requirements. In other embodiments, paging requirement information is communicated in a message to a node which is responsible for paging transmission resource allocation and/or actual transmission of a page. The methods and apparatus of the present invention allow pages to be treated on a differential basis according to a page's particular requirements. Different quality of service levels can be maintained for pages with pages having a higher QoS being given resource allocation priority and/or scheduling priority over pages corresponding to lower levels of page QoS.

Abstract: Group communications methods and apparatus are described. Multiple modes of group communications signaling are supported. In a first mode, copies of packets are separately transmitted to each group member in a sector or cell. In a second mode a copy of a packet is directed to multiple group members at the same time. Transitions between the two modes may be determined as a function of the cost of operating in each of the modes in terms of system cost and/or the number of group members in a cell or sector being serviced by a transmitter.

Abstract: Signal, e.g., message, security techniques are described for wireless systems. A first signal is received by an access node via a wireless link. The signal includes a first authenticator that was generated by the transmitting device, e.g., wireless terminal. The access node determines from an attribute of the signal at least some information known to both the access node and transmitting device but which was not transmitted as part of the message content. The determined information was used by the wireless terminal in generating the first authenticator. The access node sends at least a portion of the first signal including the first authenticator and the determined information to another entity. The entity compares the first authenticator to a second authenticator it generates from the determined information and a secure key which it shares with the transmitting device to determine if the first and second authenticators match.

Abstract: Signal, e.g., message, security techniques are described for wireless systems. A first signal is received by an access node via a wireless link. The signal includes a first authenticator that was generated by the transmitting device, e.g., wireless terminal. The access node determines from an attribute of the signal at least some information known to both the access node and transmitting device but which was not transmitted as part of the message content. The determined information was used by the wireless terminal in generating the first authenticator. The access node sends at least a portion of the first signal including the first authenticator and the determined information to another entity. The entity compares the first authenticator to a second authenticator it generates from the determined information and a secure key which it shares with the transmitting device to determine if the first and second authenticators match.

Abstract: Location update techniques are described. A dormant mobile node updates its location information by sending a first message over a wireless link to an access node. The access node generates a second update message in response to the first message. The second message includes a mobile node identifier and, in some embodiments is directed to the mobile node. The second message is received by a tracking agent, which updates location information corresponding to the mobile node. In the case where second message is an IP message and is routed to the mobile node using Mobile IP, a Mobile IP home agent routes the second message to the mobile node's last point of network attachment where the tracking agent is located and intercepts the message. The tracking agent may send a response message to the access node sending the second message.

Abstract: Location update techniques are described. A dormant mobile node updates its location information by sending a first message over a wireless link to an access node. The access node generates a second update message in response to the first message. The second message includes a mobile node identifier and, in some embodiments is directed to the mobile node. The second message is received by a tracking agent, which updates location information corresponding to the mobile node. In the case where second message is an IP message and is routed to the mobile node using Mobile IP, a Mobile IP home agent routes the second message to the mobile node's last point of network attachment where the tracking agent is located and intercepts the message. The tracking agent may send a response message to the access node sending the second message.

Abstract: Group communications methods and apparatus are described. Multicast operation is supported with the transmission characteristics, e.g., transmission power level, coding rate, and/or modulation method being selected to reliably communicate information to the end nodes in the group but not necessarily to all end nodes within the cell or sector. Thus resources can be conserved by matching transmission requirements with information on the requirements of one or more group members. The requirements for reliably reaching the end node with the worst channel conditions can, and in some embodiments is, used to determine the group transmission requirements. Power level and other transmission resource allocations can change in response to changes in group membership and/or conditions corresponding to existing group members.

Abstract: Improved group communications methods which are well suited for a wireless environment are described. End nodes request that access nodes make changes in group membership information maintained at the access node. The access node responds to the requests by a response signal indicating a grant or denial of the request. Requests may be to add or remove the end node, e.g., a mobile wireless terminal, from a particular group membership list identified in the request signal. The access node maintains a detailed list of group members and uses the information to control how signals, e.g., packets, are transmitted to the group members. Group membership information may be updated at the node at the time of handoff and/or an end node enters the cell or otherwise changes its point of network attachment.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and forwarding state, e.g., context and other information, used to support communications sessions with one or more end nodes, e.g., mobile devices, are described. Various features are directed to a mobile node controlling the transfer of state from a first access node to a second access node during a handoff operation thereby eliminating any need for state transfer messages to be transmitted between the second access node and the first access node during handoff. Other features of the invention are directed to the use of a core network node to store state information. State information stored in the core node can be accessed and used by access nodes in cases where a mobile node does not send a state transfer message during a handoff, e.g., because communication with the first access node is lost or because such messages are not supported.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and forwarding state, e.g., context and other information, used to support communications sessions with one or more end nodes, e.g., mobile devices, are described. Various features are directed to a mobile node controlling the transfer of state from a first access node to a second access node during a handoff operation thereby eliminating any need for state transfer messages to be transmitted between the second access node and the first access node during handoff. Other features of the invention are directed to the use of a core network node to store state information. State information stored in the core node can be accessed and used by access nodes in cases where a mobile node does not send a state transfer message during a handoff, e.g., because communication with the first access node is lost or because such messages are not supported.

Abstract: A mobile communications system that uses IP packets to transmit data between end nodes, such as mobile devices, is described. In order to facilitate session establishment, maintenance, security, and handoff operations, access nodes through which end nodes communicate with one another include a session signaling server module and a mobility agent module. The session signaling server module may be implemented as a SIP server while the mobility agent module may be implemented using Mobil IP signaling. The mobility agent and SIP server within an access node are identified using a single shared identifier, IP address. The same security method and common secret may be used to provide security with regard to both mobile IP messages and SIP messages. Sessions admission decisions and resource allocation for admitted sessions can also take place internally to the access node of this invention without need for signaling to external elements.

Abstract: A mobile communications system that uses IP packets to transmit data between end nodes, such as mobile devices, is described. In order to facilitate session establishment, maintenance, security, and handoff operations, access nodes through which end nodes communicate with one another include a session signaling server module and a mobility agent module. The session signaling server module may be implemented as a SIP server while the mobility agent module may be implemented using Mobil IP signaling. The mobility agent and SIP server within an access node are identified using a single shared identifier, IP address. The same security method and common secret may be used to provide security with regard to both mobile IP messages and SIP messages. Sessions admission decisions and resource allocation for admitted sessions can also take place internally to the access node of this invention without need for signaling to external elements.

Abstract: Group communications methods and apparatus are described. In particular, methods for granting a mobile device access to a communications resource, e.g., the right to transmit data, associated with a group are described. User requests for the communications resource are suppressed by the corresponding mobile device, for periods during which the communications resource has been granted to another mobile device. A mobile device may store a suppressed user request so that a resource request signal may be transmitted after the communications resource has been released by the mobile device that was previously granted the resource. In this manner requests that cannot be granted are not transmitted, increasing communications efficiency as compared to systems where requests are not suppressed at the mobile devices. A priority scheme is used in some embodiments to determine whether or not a request should be suppressed while another device has been granted the communications resource.

Abstract: Group communications methods and apparatus are described. In particular, methods for granting a mobile device access to a communications resource, e.g., the right to transmit data, associated with a group are described. User requests for the communications resource are suppressed by the corresponding mobile device, for periods during which the communications resource has been granted to another mobile device. A mobile device may store a suppressed user request so that a resource request signal may be transmitted after the communications resource has been released by the mobile device that was previously granted the resource. In this manner requests that cannot be granted are not transmitted, increasing communications efficiency as compared to systems where requests are not suppressed at the mobile devices. A priority scheme is used in some embodiments to determine whether or not a request should be suppressed while another device has been granted the communications resource.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and forwarding state, e.g., context and other information, used to support communications sessions with one or more end nodes, e.g., mobile devices, are described. Various features are directed to a mobile node controlling the transfer of state from a first access node to a second access node during a handoff operation thereby eliminating any need for state transfer messages to be transmitted between the second access node and the first access node during handoff. Other features of the invention are directed to the use of a core network node to store state information. State information stored in the core node can be accessed and used by access nodes in cases where a mobile node does not send a state transfer message during a handoff, e.g., because communication with the first access node is lost or because such messages are not supported.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and forwarding state, e.g., context and other information, used to support communications sessions with one or more end nodes, e.g., mobile devices, are described. Various features are directed to a mobile node controlling the transfer of state from a first access node to a second access node during a handoff operation thereby eliminating any need for state transfer messages to be transmitted between the second access node and the first access node during handoff. Other features of the invention are directed to the use of a core network node to store state information. State information stored in the core node can be accessed and used by access nodes in cases where a mobile node does not send a state transfer message during a handoff, e.g., because communication with the first access node is lost or because such messages are not supported.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and forwarding state, e.g., context and other information, used to support communications sessions with one or more end nodes, e.g., mobile devices, are described. Various features are directed to a mobile node controlling the transfer of state from a first access node to a second access node during a handoff operation thereby eliminating any need for state transfer messages to be transmitted between the second access node and the first access node during handoff. Other features of the invention are directed to the use of a core network node to store state information. State information stored in the core node can be accessed and used by access nodes in cases where a mobile node does not send a state transfer message during a handoff, e.g., because communication with the first access node is lost or because such messages are not supported.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for storing, manipulating, retrieving, and forwarding state, e.g., context and other information, used to support communications sessions with one or more end nodes, e.g., mobile devices, are described. Various features are directed to a mobile node controlling the transfer of state from a first access node to a second access node during a handoff operation thereby eliminating any need for state transfer messages to be transmitted between the second access node and the first access node during handoff. Other features of the invention are directed to the use of a core network node to store state information. State information stored in the core node can be accessed and used by access nodes in cases where a mobile node does not send a state transfer message during a handoff, e.g., because communication with the first access node is lost or because such messages are not supported.

Abstract: Improved paging methods and apparatus are described. Paging requirements for a page are determined from paging information. Paging requirements may include, e.g., transmission delay constraints, paging resource requirements, whether or not a page is to be acknowledged, quality of service information, etc. A page is generated and transmitted by the node determining the paging requirements. In other embodiments, paging requirement information is communicated in a message to a node which is responsible for paging transmission resource allocation and/or actual transmission of a page. The methods and apparatus of the present invention allow pages to be treated on a differential basis according to a page's particular requirements. Different quality of service levels can be maintained for pages with pages having a higher QoS being given resource allocation priority and/or scheduling priority over pages corresponding to lower levels of page QoS.