Subscriber management in a mobile communication network

• US 10,194,312 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telia Company AB
• Original Assignee: Telia Company AB
• Inventors: Kaara, Pasi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sarwar, Babar
• Application Number:
  US15/792,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20180115887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/06 De-registration or detaching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

The invention relates to a solution for managing subscriber information in a mobile communication network. In the solution information on a subscriber is obtained and inquiries are generated to a plurality of subscriber registers at a plurality of instants of time. The inquiries are performed in order to determine if the subscriber is registered in the subscriber registers at the instants of time. If this is the case a message is generated for canceling the registration of the subscriber in subscriber registers. The solution is based on a method, a network node, a computer program code and a system.

Claims

1. A method for managing subscriber information in a mobile communication network, the method comprises:

obtaining information on a subscriber,

generating a first inquiry at a first instant of time to at least two subscriber registers for inquiring if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers,

receiving a first response to the first inquiry,

generating a second inquiry at a second instant of time differing from the first instant of time to the at least two subscriber registers for inquiring if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers from the at least two subscriber registers,

receiving a second response to the second inquiry,

determining on a basis of the first response and the second response if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers at the first instant of time and at the second instant of time, and

in response to a determination that the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers at the first instant of time and at the second instant of time generating a message canceling the registration of the subscriber at least to all those subscriber registers into which the subscriber is registered to.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of information on the subscriber is performed in response to a receipt of location update messages from at least two subscriber registers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtain of information on the subscriber is performed in response to the receipt of the location update messages from the at least two subscriber registers within a time limit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein signals towards a plurality of subscriber registers are generated simultaneously in the first and second inquiry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein information relating to instants of time when subscriber information shall be obtained from the at least two subscriber registers is added in at least one of the following:

the first inquiry, the second inquiry.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers is performed, for each instants of time, by determining if the responses from the at least two subscriber registers carries an indication on the same subscriber either directly or indirectly.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message canceling the registration of the subscriber is a cancel location message.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein for performing the method of claim 1 when the computer program product is executed on a computer.

8. A network node for managing subscriber information in a mobile communication network, the network node comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network node to perform;

obtain information on a subscriber,

generate a first inquiry at a first instant of time to at least two subscriber registers for inquiring if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers,

receive a first response to the first inquiry,

generate a second inquiry at a second instant of time differing from the first instant of time to the at least two subscriber registers for inquiring if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers from the at least two subscriber registers,

receive a second response to the second inquiry,

determine on a basis of the first response and the second response if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers at the first instant of time and at the second instant of time,

in response to a determination that the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers at the first instant of time and at the second instant of time generating a message cancel the registration of the subscriber at least to those subscriber registers into which the subscriber is registered to.

9. The network node of claim 8, wherein the network node is configured to obtain of information on the subscriber in response to a receipt of location update messages from at least two subscriber registers.

10. The network node of claim 9, wherein the network node is configured to obtain of information on the subscriber in response to the receipt of the location update messages from the at least two subscriber registers within a time limit.

11. The network node of claim 8, wherein the network node is configured to generate signals towards a plurality of subscriber registers simultaneously in the inquiry.

12. The network node of claim 8, wherein the network node is configured to add information relating to instants of time when subscriber information shall be obtained from the at least two subscriber registers in at least one of the following:

the first inquiry, the second inquiry.

13. The network node of claim 8, wherein the network node is configured to perform the determination if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers, for each instants of time, by determining if the responses from the at least two subscriber registers carries an indication on the same subscriber either directly or indirectly.

14. The network node of claim 8, wherein the network node is configured to generate a cancel location message at least to each of the at least two subscriber registers as the message canceling the registration of the subscriber.

16. A system for managing subscriber information, the system comprising:

a network node,

a plurality of subscriber registers,

wherein the system;

the network node is configured to;

obtain information on a subscriber,

generate a first inquiry at a first instant of time to at least two subscriber registers for inquiring if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers,

receive a first response to the first inquiry,

generate a second inquiry at a second instant of time differing from the first instant of time to the at least two subscriber registers for inquiring if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers from the at least two subscriber registers,

receive a second response to the second inquiry,

determine on a basis of the first response and the second response if the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers at the first instant of time and at the second instant of time,

in response to a determination that the subscriber is registered in at least two subscriber registers at the first instant of time and at the second instant of time generating a message cancel the registration of the subscriber at least to each of the at least two subscriber registers, and

at least two subscriber registers of the plurality of the subscriber registers are configured to;

generate a first response and a second response to the first inquiry and the second inquiry correspondingly, and

cancel the registration of the subscriber at least to all those subscriber registers into which the subscriber is registered to in response to a message received from the network node.