WO2014082658A1

WO2014082658A1 - Handover proactive association provisioning support method and system

Info

Publication number: WO2014082658A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/073721
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sigram Schindler
Original assignee: Sigram Schindler Beteiligungsgesellschaft Mbh
Priority date: 2012-11-27
Filing date: 2012-11-27
Publication date: 2014-06-05
Also published as: CN111526554B; CN104969617A; EP2926595A1; CN111526554A; CN104969617B

Abstract

A method and system is provided that supports minimizing handover times of netsurfing smartphones controlled by home Internet Access Devices (IADs) to shared IADs and optimizing earnings from these shared devices. The shared services are provisionable right at the handovers. Any shared IAD can implement an automatic auction of its service capacity controlled by a clearing system. The shared IADx automatically generates lucrative clicks on services of location based Internet-apps issued by Ayz passing through shared IADx's reach. Several such provisioning systems may run concurrently, thus enabling high flexibility as to instant and local/regional system restructuring, e.g. on behalf of pricing strategy adaptations and/or version control. The application of the invention needs no change of the networks between which the above described pre-HO support of their HOs/MHOs shall be performed, i.e. it may work on top of all networks between which HOs or MHOs may be executed.

Description

Handover Proactive Association Provisioning Support Method and

System BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A. The Problem Solved by the HQPA-ProvS Method/Apparatus

The „HO Proactive Association Provisioning Support, HOPA-ProvS" method/system supports, for whatsoever handover (HO) technique underlying it, minimizing the HO times of netsurfing smartphones Ayz controlled by homelADz (see EP 2027747, "HOBIS", incorporated by reference herein in its entirety) to sharedlADx and optimizing earnings from these sharedlADx - both by pre-HO provisioning alias establishing Sxyzjkm-associations for free up to the sharedlADx (plural "s" omitted). I.e., the sharedlADx services Sxyzjkm are provisionable to Ayz basically right at their HOs. A Sxyzjkm is made-up from the service of at least one Internet- app with a particular network service quality - as given by service level agreements SLAxyzjkm between an Ayz's user resp. its homelADz's management and the management of the sharedlADx - potentially restricted by given HOPA provisioning systems PSxyzjkm designed such as to optimize e.g. their common earnings from the sharedlADx, x,y,z,j,k,m=0,1 ,2

This enables a second innovation of the HOPA-ProvS method/system: For any shared-IADx a pre- (and/or post-) HO automatic auction of its service capacity - if Ayz demand from it services exceeding its capacity - controlled by e.g. a PSxyzjkm and/or a suitable clearing system which is not part of this invention.

A third HOPA-ProvS innovation is of quite different nature. It may make the sharedlADx automatically generate lucrative clicks on services of location based Internet-apps issued by Ayz passing through sharedlADx's reach. Examples are clicks on web sites 1.) which directly leverage on Ayz's actual location (e.g. its closest coffee shop), or 2.) which indirectly leverage on Ayz's actual location (e.g. an Ayz's user calls a public transport system or approaches some specific company), or 3.) which leverage also on Ayz's earlier locations (e.g. for tracking the way he took to his actual location).

A fourth HOPA-ProvS innovation is again of quite different nature: It greatly facilitates the indispensable everyday extremely competitive marketing needs of Internet-apps, as it enables running several such provisioning (and clearing) systems concurrently, even as to any sharedlADx - thus enabling high flexibility as to instant and local/regional system restructuring, e.g. on behalf of pricing strategy adaptations and/or version control.

The HOPA-ProvS method/system resolves by its pre-HO activities the problem to manage sharedlADx

^■ such that HO-times of a given set of Ayz to them are reduced to basically zero, and

^■ a variety of HOPA provisioning systems of services of Internet-apps may flexibly optimize earnings from the sharedlADx's providing these services, whereby it even facilitates locally/regionally targeted, instant, and seamless changes of system versions, e.g. as required for dynamic marketing activities.

That, as seen post-HO, most such pre-HO activities of the HOPA-ProvS method/system have been useless, is economically by far overcompensated by its just outlined advantages. The application of the HOPA-ProvS method/system needs no change of the networks between which the above described pre-HO support of their HOs/MHOs shall be performed, i.e. it may work on top of all networks between which HOs or MHOs may be executed, though it may be integrated into networks and/or their HO mechanisms as well.

B. The Novelty and the Nonobviousness of the HOPA-ProvS Method/System

The novelty of the HOBIS invention has just been established by the HOBIS patent. As the HOPA-ProvS method/apparatus builds on top of the HOBIS invention, there is absolutely no prior art for it - so far no inventor has ever thought into this direction and disclosed a technique teaching enabling resolving the above quoted problem. This makes not only its novelty self-explanatory, but also its nonobviousness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a netsurfing configuration applicable to the present invention;

Figs. 2a and 2b are respective schematic and block diagrams of a business district having overlapping wireless network cells;

Figs. 3a and 3b are block diagrams illustrating different particular handover situations for a subscriber, in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a handover proactive provisioning and support data structure, in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

C. Description of the HOPA-ProvS Method/System and its Embodiments

Due to the novelty of the netsurfing and MHO methods of the HOBIS patent - which are particularly important for the HOPA-ProvS method/system and for which it is particularly important - their fundamental features are outlined, first. This simplifies the subsequent description of the HOPA-ProvS method/system.

A remark up front: This HOPA-ProvS patent application comprises no limitation of the functionalities of pre-HO provisioning strategies of "Sxyzjkm-associations" (see Section D) - thus the HOPA-ProvS method/system is inherent in all HO proactive association provisioning strategies.

Let's start with a netsurfing system AO with homelADO and with an MHO of AO to a sharedlADx, as known from the HOBIS patent. The HOPA-ProvS method/apparatus deals with non-managed HOs - and in particular with "service-HOs" (see Section D), managed or not - the same way as explained now by means of MHOs.

Each MHO of a netsurfing system AO is supported by its homelADO (see the HOBIS patent). Any OSI- connection of AO is relayed via the MHO-module MHO-M, which is controlled by an MHO-specification MHO-S in the homelADO or even executed there. The MHO-S may be homelADO-management-private, AO-type-specific or even AO-individual. The HOPA-ProvS-S/-M are peer to the MHO-S/-M, but functionally quite different.

Figure 1 shows the simplest netsurfing configurations. MHO-S/-M and HOPA-ProvS-S/-M are assumed to be integrated into the homelADO (Figures 6-8 in the HOBIS patent show their distributed implementations and hence there is no need to recapitulate this here). It illustrates an MHO of the netsurfing AO (e.g. of a smartphone with a user and an existing OSI-connection, OCO, see chapter D.) from its homeWLANO, for short: WO (of the homelADO), into W1 , which is non-disjoint to it, respectively into W2, which is disjoint to it, along route 1 or 2 respectively. The existing OCO between AO and ZO is not touched by these MHOs along the routes 1 resp. 2. However, after AO has completed its HO into W1 or W2, one L3-connection/association in this OCO is relayed from the IAD1 resp. IAD2 (here: sharedlADI resp. sharedlAD2) over the AO-MHO-M in the homelADO. Technical details and variants (e.g.„tunneling"/„multiplexing „compressing") are known from mobile Internet technique.

As to a small and a large home/sharedlAD resp. its home/shared(W)LAN, the same holds as what is said in the HOBIS patent: Its LAN/WLAN is considered as Internet access LAN/WLAN (alias IAW), and may comprise, for this invention, one or more cells and hence IADs of any wireless technology, e.g. of RFI/WiFi/Blue Tooth/Femtocell/DECT/Wimax/GSM/CDMA/UMTS/GPRS/HSPDA/LTE/... technologies. But, this IAW must be managed (by some "overlay network functionality") such that it functionally is a single endsystem representing a single home/sharedlAD, as managed in this invention. Then seamlessly roaming between its cells is possible, in particular without interruption of any of its existing OSI-connections, OCs. Thus, an IAW may be distributed regionally and e.g. comprise IADs and/or such BS's (BS = Base Station of a mobile network) connected via fixed- line PSNs (= Packet Switching Networks), extend only to parts of their regions of technical accessibility, and geographically comprise separate areas even with holes therein. The HOPA-ProvS method/apparatus is applicable for HOs between all such "network configurations", i.e. between IAW cells as well as between lAWs.

As stated above, the HOPA-ProvS method/system achieves its innovations by acting at points in time, namely pre-HO, which is neither considered by the prior art in HO technology nor by the HOBIS patent. These pre-HO operations of the HOPA-ProvS method/system determine - for a set of sharedlADx, a set of netsurfing mobile terminal systems Ayz with homelADz, a set of services Sxyzjkm being based on a set of service level agreements SLAxyzjkm and a set of HOPA provisioning systems PSxyzjkm, x,y,z,j,k,m=0,1 ,2,3,... - the set of all limitations for provisioning Sxyzjkm-associations, which are or may be requested by the Ayz. As the service Sxyzjkm shall instantly be available to Ayz right at its HOing to the sharedlADx, these pre-HO operations of the HOPA-ProvS method/system proactively establish already all netsurfing x/yz-associations (of which only one needs to be needed) completely and all x/u-associations at least basically (see the second bullet point of the next paragraph and Section D), which potentially are required for providing Sxyzjkm to the user of Ayz. I.e., the "netsurfing" services in this Sxyzjkm-association are pre-HO established completely and the "non-netsurfing" services therein (of which none at all needs to exist) at least basically,.

Of the preceding paragraph, its

^■ first sentence shows that and how the HOPA-ProvS method/system provides a framework for any optimization of the expected revenues from this set of sharedlADx: It namely identifies and describes limits for all the current contractual relations which may be used for revenues optimizations, i.e. shows for any pair <sharedlADx/Ayz> its service offering/need and its momentary potential contribution to revenue optimization based on its SLAxyzjkmu. In addition, this HOPA-ProvS information - the person of pertinent skill knows that it would be stored in a "HOPA-ProvS data structure" providing a basis for any optimization of revenues achievable by marketing the Sxyzjkmu via sharedlADx - provides also a basis for any optimization of customer support for the Ayz users, individually or collaterally or globally. ^■ second sentence shows that and how the HOPA-ProvS method/system actually may marginalize HO-times encountered by the Ayz user (and would be caused if the Ayz had to reconnect, after the HO, to the service(s) of Sxyzjkm used prior to the HO, unless the pre- and post-HO networks cooperated in handing it over between them, what is not assumed in this patent application and thus implies that a Sxyzjkm- association must be established after the HO, again), why the HOPA-ProvS method/system establishes it proactively pre-HO. Thereby the HOBIS method/system guarantees that the x/yz-association(s) are established completely, while it may be impossible to instantly complete the establishment of an x/u- association (which need not exist, at all), e.g. pre-HO - due to the design or implementation of a communications application underlying it. This then is called a "basic establishment" of the communications connection, and the implied resp. HO-time then is reduced to "basically zero".

The practical implementation of the HOPA-ProvS system - wherein the implementation of the HOPA- ProvS-S controls the implementation of the HOPA-ProvS-M - always consists of physical HW and SW components, just like all working computers. Therefore, these HW components need not be used exclusively by its HOPA-ProvS-SW components, but may be used also by any other system's SW components. Thereby the implementation of the HOPA-ProvS data structure and its managing system(s) may be distributed, e.g. onto the respective homelADz or sharedlADx, or centralized on some server, or a mixture of both. In addition, system design knows techniques enabling efficient and integrity preserving concurrent accesses to this data structure for updating/changing it flexibly and instantly by appropriately synchronizing all read and write accesses to it. Thus, the person of pertinent ordinary skill knows a plurality of embodiments of the HOPA-ProvS method/system

The HOPA-ProvS method/system (for a netsurfing Ayz, its homelADz and a sharedlADx) is subject to the fundamental restriction that Ayz may use the sharedlADx solely as a router solely to the Ayz-homelADz resp. its Ayz-MHO_S with a fixed IP address - except for the services of communications applications privately provided by the sharedlADx. Both, the correctness of the IP address as well as the compatibility of such private services with the implementation of the HOPA-ProvS (and HOBIS) method/system, need to be explicitly approved by the managements of the sharedlADx prior to completing the HO of Ayz to it resp. of the Ayz- homelADz or the Ayz. I.e., Ayz may use this sharedlADx also for using other services than those provided via the netsurfing x/yz-association, namely provided privately by the sharedlADx and bypassing the Ayz-homelADz. The sharedlADx thus guarantees in real-time that its management can always identify, as to communications relayed over it and even prior to starting its application system, the managements of an Ayz and a PSxyzjkm being responsible for it (e.g. by their approvals).

Figure 2a schematically shows a business district, in any building of which there are several sharedlADx cells, overlapping and independent of each other (e.g. WiFi based, as zoomed-in by Figure 2b), which on their turn overlap with several GSM networks - wherein the respective areas of accessibility of the sharedlADx'es are indicated by„dashed" boundary lines. In addition, there insofar two different kinds of smartphone systems Ayz are schematically shown (visualized by their two different shapes), as they belong to two different homelADz and its Ayz-MHO_S. If a mobile Ayz moves, e.g. along the street in Figure 2a, then permanently new potential and/or actual HO requirements arise for Ayz as to a series of sharedlADx'es along its way. The appropriateness check of a potential HO as to its optimality by a suitable clearing system which is not part of this inventionand its actual execution are accelerated by the HO-proactive HOPA-ProvS method/system.

Something can change in this context even without Ayz moving, stimulating the question whether its HO were appropriate - due e.g. to either an SLA unacceptable decrease of the quality/cost ratio of the L3-service provided to Ayz by its currently used sharedlADx, or to an increase of the L3-service quality needed by Ayz because of its user's start of another broadband streaming application, or to the HOPA provisioning system's cooperation with another system (e.g. a suitable clearing system).

Figure 3a shows for Ay1 its homelADI , its currently used sharedlADx, and its 2 OCy1, OCy2 and 4

BCy1-4. The HOPA-ProvS method/system may recognize pre-HO, which Sxyzjkmu-association proactively to establish resp. relay. Figure 3b shows in addition that sharedlADx has the ability to also provide to Ay1 on his own BCy5 and BCy6, e.g. as demanded by Ayl's security and/or marketing and/or logistics and/or accounting and/or invoicing needs - being approved/supported by the HOPA-ProvS method/system. Enriching the Figures 3 by an Ay2 kind of netsurfing systems is skipped here - but one single sharedlADx is able to route both kinds of

Ay's at any point in time, i.e. is able to co-operate with several different HOPA provisioning systems.

Figure 4 schematically shows a HOPA-ProvS data structure entry, as accessed from the side of the

^■ HOPA-ProvS modules on behalf of the managements of the homelADz and their Ayz resp. of the sharedlADx and at least of one HOPA provisioning system, as well as from the side of e.g. the

^■ suitable clearing modules on behalf of the managements of the homelADz and their Ayz resp. of the sharedlADx and at least of one suitable clearing system.

The Figures should finally recall that phone calls, IP-TV, video clips, security assessment, medical surveillance, navigation guidance need different kinds of L3-services and L3-L7 resources in the endsystems.

The HOPA-ProvS method/system may also support identifying/negotiating - concurrently to its above pre-HO determination of all currently possible Sxyzjkm-associations - all competitions of the Ayz as to the sharedlADx services and potentially disclose to them totally or partially (enabled by e.g. agreements between competitors), which competitions exist on what sharedlADx for what Sxyzjkm. Such agreements and/or decisions on negotiations may take place

^■ statically, e.g. upon buying or renting Ayz, globally or regionally or address dependent, with initial operation or anytime requested by its user, ... and/or

^■ dynamically, e.g. dependent on the actual level of stress these devices are under (e.g. in a certain region), or on the degree of utilization of the Internet (e.g. in a region) or a Sxyzjkm, or ....

Some further hints as to the limitations of the HOPA-ProvS method/system seem appropriate:

■ There is no limitation as to the generation of and/or checking for and/or detection of a signal SIGxyz. In particular, it may be generated by a suitable clearing system, as mentioned above.

■ Any Internet application service Sxyzjkm may be provided by a set of alternative and/or cooperating and/or concurrent or sequential communication applications and may involve several Internet endsystems. ^■ A parameter may be constant or variable over time (predictable or not) and/or the same for several Ayz or sharedlADx or homelADz and/or (in)dependent of another one, which holds in at least one geographic region and/or in at least one period of time.

^■ There is no limitation as to additional pre-HO preparatory activities for an HO, e.g. communications with a suitable clearing system mentioned above and/or additional given systems.

^■ A HOPA-ProvS method/system may be capable of generating given alarms on the occurrence of certain events, such as on attempts to route data outside of the approved routings.

^■ An auction of the HOPA-ProvS method/system may be fully automatic or interact with at least one user and/or may take place under its own control, or the control of the HOPA provisioning system, or some separate system.

Finally it is clear to the person of pertinent skill that

^■ the communication architecture of the HOPA-ProvS method/system discussed above, with a HOPA-ProvS-S module in an endsystem's homelAD, is independent of whether the latter includes in addition an MHO-S and/or a suitable clearing module - i.e. that the HOPA-ProvS method/system may be used also to support ,,ηοη-managed" and/or ,,ηοη-cleared" HOs; and this holds for„vertical" just as for ..horizontal" HOs (see the HOBIS patent), and any mixture of all HO types mentioned above.

^■ the HOPA-ProvS method/system can be integrated in an arbitrary XYZ functionality, which differs from the former's precedingly disclosed functionality in any thinkable manner, i.e. not at all exhibit the usage of the HOPA-ProvS method/system in a separated way. Nevertheless it holds in that case: As soon as this XYZ functionality includes the above disclosed functionality of a HOPA-ProvS method/system, it interferes with the scope of patent protection for the HOPA-ProvS method/system - provided it will be granted.

^■ what is said in the preceding paragraph as to the HOPA-ProvS method/system holds equally for any system of any of its parameters.

D. Terms and Notions of the HOPA-ProvS Method/Apparatus

The telecommunications technical terms used by this patent application and their meanings are defined by resp. based on - as far as they became existent only recently, i.e. didn't exist then - the international standard "ISO 7498-1, Information Technology- Open Systems Interconnection - Basic Reference Model: The basic model", called "ISO/OSI-Reference Model". For the person skilled in the art it is the absolutely mandatory basis also for the interpretation of, i.e. meanings allocation to, all communications technological terms, which have arisen only after the adoption of this OSI Reference Model by all relevant international and national consensus forming bodies, worldwide, such as ISO, IEEE, ITU, ANSI, ETSI, DIN, BSI, AFNOR This holds also for the communi- cations technology based terms introduced here for enabling describing the innovations of this patent application.

As to this "OSI-RM" there is, i.e. exists, an "OSI connection" for any interacting communications application, i.e. for every communication between the two endsystems (e.g. AO and ZO) hosting the resp. interacting communications application system causing it. Thus, the "existence" of an OSI connection for the interacting communications application (system) starts with the very beginning of its first interaction. This OSI connection then exists in particular between the two endsystems hosting the interacting communications application. Here an OSI connection is often referred to by the acronyms OCj (= OSI connectionj) or BCj (= "Business connectionj"), which are synonyms. The only reason for having the BCj is that it sometimes helps recalling that a communications application, Sj, may be a specific business application - then here also called "business communication]", j=0, 1 ,2,3 Similarly, an OSI connection is often denoted as "communications connection".

The above said about OSI connections needs the following notional refinement. The OSI-RM defines the meaning of any "connection" - i.e. not only of a whole OSI connection, but also of any of its Li-connections (see below) - to be an "association" of its two endpoints. These endpoints are contained by an endsystem or a transitsystem. An example of an endsystem is a "netsurfing system, Ayz", and of a transitsystem is a "sharedlADx" being used by Ayz when roaming (for providing service Sj to its user). Thereby this sharedlADx is at the same time an endsystem of this roaming communications application system, partially contained by it. Each OSI connection comprises for each Layer.i, defined by the OSI-RM, at least one "Li-connection" alias "Li- association", 1<i<7 (needing no provisioning to their end-/transitsystems, see below). Thus, any Li-connection "exists" with its Li-association - as both terms have the same meaning - as soon as one of its endpoint systems knows about the second one, i.e. knows the address of the other endpoint system.

Thus an OSI connection exists between endsystems A and Z, as soon as in one of A or Z this association has become known for an interaction between their communications application, e.g. as soon as in A the address of Z and a communications application is available for this interaction. I.e.: The availability of a communications application for achieving this interaction requires to first "provision" this communications application at least to A. I.o.w., at the time of an OSI association/connection coming into existence, its at least one communications application is already provisioned at least to the system starting this application's first interaction.

In any Li-connection of an existing/existent OC or BC the transfer of data between its both endpoints and hence endsystems - i.e. of this interaction via any of this OC's/BC's Li-connections - may start for/with performing its "establishment" alias "set-up", which achieves any necessary„establishment"/"set-up" of the resources needed for this Li-connection in A and Z and/or agreement between both endpoints about what technical parameters would be used in it. All of an OC's/BC's Li-connections/associations must have been setup/established (at least temporarily), before the transmission of "user data" - between the parts in A and Z of the communications application system the OC/BC is serving - may be completed.

There are associations/connections, which are provisioned a priori, i.e. right from starting the systems (or their subsystems) supposed to contain a resp. endpoint of them. And there are associations/connections, which are established as soon as they become existent (both enabled by a priori agreements about such associations/ connections). This always holds in particular for all L3-associations (= "Network connections") over the Internet, i.e. for any L3-association of two Internet endsystems A and Z as soon as A deals with the IP-address of Z (for an interaction between them). I.e.: Having provisioned an association/connection does not imply its establishment.

For the HOPA-ProvS method/apparatus let the terms "x/yz-association", "netsurfing-x/yz-association", and "Sxyzjkm-association" denote a conglomerate of Li-associations between the sharedlADx and the Ayz resp. the sharedlADx and the homelADz resp. the sharedlADx or Ayz and at least one other endsystem hosting part of a communications application - in all three cases (to be) used for providing a service Sxyzjkm to Ayz.

A netsurfing-x/yz-association always connects the sharedlADx with the homelADz and a Sxyzjkm- association may be relayed partially or completely over the homelADz. The "provisioning" of anyone of both kinds of HOPA-ProvS associations denotes, as defined above already, making the resp. communications applications available to these associations' endsystems. It is (to be) performed pre-HO in a way outsides of the scope of the HOPA-ProvS method/apparatus. HOPA-ProvS associations then come into existence as explained above, but would not yet be established in the general case. The establishments of such existing HOPA-ProvS associations then also may be performed "basically pre-HO". I.e.: If the systems and network(s) executing an embodiment of the HOPA-ProvS provisioning system are fast enough, it is possible to establish completely pre-HO

^■ any netsurfing-x/yz-association (by having the sharedlADx and the Ayz run between them the resp. netsurfing protocol, see the above HOBIS patent), as well as

^■ any Sxyzjkm-association (up to the sharedlADx) by having the sharedlADx and the other endsystem(s) involved run between them the resp. communications applications protocols implemented such as to enable the endsystems to support a multitude of such associations' endpoints, as known by the person of pertinent skill. He also knows that some communications application systems would not tolerate such complete pre- establishments of connections to them - due to reasons irrelevant here - which implies that in these cases this connection establishment completion must be deferred until the HO is completed. Hence the attribute "basically" used in this context.

A "hand-over, HO" occurs with(in) an existent OSI-connection, if a modification occurs with at least one of its Li-connections' functional or nonfunctional characteristics. Accordingly: An "Ayz performs an HO to the sharedlADx", or briefly "Ayz HOes to sharedlADx", if such a modification occurs with at least one Li-connection of at least one of Ayz' existent OSI-connections. Thereby frequently an L3-association is modified in its quality and/or replaced by another one and/or added/removed to/from an OSI-connection. Note: This notion of HO comprises also "service HOs" occurring to Ayz as soon as a Sxyzjkm provided to it and/or its user by a sharedlADx is modified, be it a modification e.g. of one of its L3-connections and/or one of its L7-connections. This such modification may also occur only within the Ayz and/or may be supported by Ayz's communications with at least one given other system and/or network than that/those of the sharedlADx.

Claims

1. ) A method, called „Handover Proactive Association Provisioning Support, HOPA-ProvS" method, for managing a set of sharedlADx, a set of netsurfing systems Ayz with homelADz, a set of Internet application services Sxyzjkmu (for brevity Sj) provided to the Ayz user by the Ayz, a set of service level agreements SLAxyzjkm (for brevity SLAk), and a set of HOPA provisioning systems PSxyzm (for brevity PSm), x,y,z,j,k,m = 0,1 ,2,3,... - any such given set together with its elements' managements and a given set of time limits being called a "parameter" of this method - whereby service Sj

^■ is invoked by the user of the Ayz according to his SLAk and

^■ may be restricted - as compared to this invocation - by a PSm,

whereby an execution of this method for a given set of these parameters comprises for at least one pair <sharedlADx, Ayz> the steps:

(a) checking for a signal, SIGxyzjkm, indicating that Ayz may perform an HO within a given time t1 >0 to either a sharedlADx and/or a Sxyzj/m, at least one of them being different from the one just used by Ayz,

(b) on detecting SIGxyzjkma pre-HO, establishing basically one of each, an x/yz-, a netsurfing x/yz-, and an Sxyzj/m-association, as indicated by SIGxyzj/m to be needed post-HO and if not yet established,

(c) after this basic establishing is completed, generating signal SIG'xyzjkm indicating this.

2. ) A method according to claiml , subject to the limitation that, individually and/or in any combination,

^■ Sj may be any Internet application, and/or

^■ x, y, z, j, k, m may assume only the value "1", and/or

^■ SLAk and/or PSm may be represented as finite set of finite coupled or independent automata and/or its properties may be described as attributes over a finite set of given concepts and/or is composed as logical sum of attributes over one single concept, whereby any concept is either boolean or its range of values is subject to a total order on it, and/or

^■ a parameter or its elements may change without interrupting this execution or an OSI connection, and/or

^■ several executions may take place simultaneously on overlapping and/or disjoint parameters, and/or

^■ in step (b) at least one Sxyzjkm-association is completely or basically established.

3. ) A method according to claim 1 , which comprises initiating - directly or indirectly, e.g. via a signal and/or a message and/or a procedure call, and/or by a given HOPA provisioning system - on behalf of a sharedlADx

^■ an auctioning or tariff negotiation activity with a user of an Ayz or the management of its homelADz concerning this sharedlADx'es service providing and/or click generation capability and using it and/or

^■ a marketing activity for a Sxyzjkm or for a product or service not providable by this sharedlADx.

4.) A method according to claim 1 , in which

^■ at least one of the IADs is a mobile or even netsurfing system, and/or

^■ at least one of the netsurfing systems is immobile/fix, and/or

^■ for at least one sharedlADz and one Ayz

o their geographic locations are known or the distance between them, and/or

o the latter's HO-time to the former is known, and/or

o at least a part of the HOPA-ProvS data structure is stored in the WLANz of the sharedlADz.

5.) A method according to claim 1 , in which the pre-HO activities in step (b) may be preceded by and/or overlap with at least one communication between the managements of this sharedlADx resp. of this Ayz about at least one post-HO service quality.

6.) A method according to claim 1 , in which at least one element of a parameter communicates with another element of the same or another parameter and/or uses another network than the Internet

7. ) A method according to claim 1 , in which at least one given notification, e.g. a signal SIGxyz, is performed or received by at least one element of at least one parameter if one of a series of given events occurs.

8. ) A method according to claim 1 , in which the generation of at least one given notification, e.g. a signal SIGxyz, for at least one pair <sharedlADx, Ayz> is depending on the location of at least one sharedlADx and/or Ayz and/or of the distance of one of these devices from some other given location, in particular between the two devices of at least one such pair.

9. ) A system, called„Handover Proactive Association Provisioning Support, HOPA-ProvS" system, for managing a set of sharedlADx, a set of netsurfing systems Ayz with homelADz, a set of Internet application services Sxyzjkmu (for brevity Sj) provided to the Ayz user by the Ayz, a set of service level agreements SLAxyzjkm (for brevity SLAk), and a set of HOPA provisioning systems PSxyzm (for brevity PSm), x,y,z,j,k,m = 0,1 ,2,3,... - any such given set together with its elements' managements and a given set of time limits being called a "parameter" of this method - whereby service Sj

^■ is invoked by the user of the Ayz according to his SLAk and

^■ may be restricted - as compared to this invocation - by a PSm,

whereby an execution of this system for a given set of these parameters comprises for at least one pair <sharedlADx, Ayz> the steps:

(a) check for a signal, SIGxyzjkm, indicating the Ayz may within a given time t1 >0 HO to either the sharedlADx or another service than the current one provided to the Ayz and/or its user,

(b) on detecting SIGxyzjkm, establish netsurfing x/yz-association required post-HO, if not yet established,

(c) on completion of this establishing, generate signal SIG'xyzjkm to be used by another given system.

10. ) A system according to claim 9, subject to the limitation that, individually and/or in any combination,

^■ Sj may be any Internet application, and/or

^■ x, y, z, j, k, m may assume only the value "1", and/or

^■ several executions may take place simultaneously on overlapping and/or disjoint parameters, and/or ■ in step (b) at least one Sxyzjkm-association is completely or basically established.

11. ) A system according to claim 9, which comprises initiating - directly or indirectly, e.g. via a signal and/or a message and/or a procedure call, and/or by a given HOPA provisioning system - on behalf of a sharedlADx

^■ an auctioning or tariff negotiation activity with a user of an Ayz or the management of its homelADz concerning this sharedlADx'es service providing and/or click generation capability and using it and/or - a marketing activity for a Sxyzjkm or for a product or service not providable by this sharedlADx.

12. ) A system according to claim 9, in which

^■ at least one of the IADs is a mobile or even netsurfing system, and/or

^■ at least one of the netsurfing systems is immobile/fix, and/or

■ for at least one sharedlADz and one Ayz

o their geographic locations are known or the distance between them, and/or

o the latter's HO-time to the former is known, and/or

13.) A system according to claim 9, in which the pre-HO activities in step (b) may be preceded by and/or overlap with at least one communication between the managements of this sharedlADx resp. of this Ayz about at least one post-HO service quality.

14. ) A system according to claim 9, in which at least one element of a parameter communicates with another element of the same or another parameter and/or uses another network than the Internet.

15. ) A system according to claim 9, in which at least one given notification, e.g. a signal SIGxyz, is performed or received by at least one element of at least one parameter if one of a series of given events occurs.

16.) A system according to claim 9, in which the generation of at least one given notification, e.g. a signal SIGxyz, for at least one pair <sharedlADx, Ayz> is depending on the location of at least one sharedlADx and/or Ayz and/or of the distance of one of these devices from some other given location, in particular between the two devices of at least one such pair.