MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20010049282A1
• Filed: 02/10/1999
• Published: 12/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: USHIKI, KAZUMASA, FUKAZAWA, MITSUNORI, TOYODA, TAKAMITSU
• Granted Patent: US 6,549,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/04 multi-step notification using statistical or historical mobility data

Abstract

A mobile communication system employs narrow paging areas for calling mobile stations without increasing location registration requests to a location management center. This system reduces useless calls and improves the efficiency of use of radio resources. Each local area (1-3) of the system is divided into narrow paging areas (1-4). A storage unit (2-1) is installed in each base station (1-5) or exchange station (1-2), to register mobile stations (1-6). When a base station receives a location registration request from a mobile station, the base station registers the mobile station in the storage unit, and if necessary, transmits a location registration request to the location management center. Upon receiving an incoming call to a mobile station, the exchange station sends an inquiry about the mobile station to the storage units, receives an answer from the storage units, finds a paging area where the mobile station is present from the answer, and issues a call request to base stations that belong to the found paging area.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system, comprising:

a base station having storage means installed in the base station, for registering mobile stations in connection with paging areas where the mobile stations are present, means for receiving a location registration request from a mobile station and registering the mobile station in connection with a corresponding one of the paging areas in the storage means, and means for determining, according to the location registration request, whether or not the location area registered for the mobile station must be updated, and if it must be updated, transmitting a location registration request to a location management center through an exchange station;

wherein the paging areas are formed in each of the location areas.

3. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the base station has:

a radio channel controller for controlling radio channels to the mobile stations;

a wire channel controller for controlling wire channels in cooperation with the exchange station; and

storage means for storing a mobile station identifier contained in a location registration request received from one of the mobile stations.

4. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the base station has:

means for transmitting a radio signal to the mobile stations, the radio signal containing a location area identifier representing one of the location areas to which the base station belongs, a paging area identifier representing one of the paging areas to which the base station belongs, and a base station identifier representing the base station.

5. The system of

claim 4

, wherein the mobile station has:

a radio controller for controlling radio channels in cooperation with the base station; and

a memory for storing a location area identifier, a paging area identifier, and a base station identifier transmitted from one of the base stations.

6. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the mobile station has:

means for comparing a location area identifier and a paging area identifier stored therein with a location area identifier and a paging area identifier transmitted from one of the base stations, and if a difference is detected in at least one of them, transmitting to the base station a location registration request containing a mobile station identifier of its own.

7. The system of

claim 6

, wherein:

the location registration request further contains the location area identifier and paging area identifier stored in the memory of the mobile station; and

the base station has means for determining whether or not the location area identifier contained in the location registration request is equal to that of a location area to which the base station belongs, and if they are not equal to each other, transmitting a location registration request to the location management center through the exchange station.

8. The system of

claim 5

, wherein:

a location registration request to be transmitted from any one of the mobile stations contains a base station identifier stored in the memory of the mobile station; and

the base stations have each means for receiving a location registration request from one of the mobile stations and transmitting a deletion request to a base station whose identifier is contained in the location registration request so that the latter base station may delete therefrom a mobile station identifier representing the mobile station that has issued the location registration request.

10. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the storage means further has:

means for deleting a mobile station identifier if a mobile station represented with the mobile station identifier causes no outgoing call, incoming call, or location registration request within a predetermined period.

12. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the location management center has:

means for receiving a location registration request originated from a mobile station that has just moved from one of the location areas to another and for transmitting a deletion request to delete a mobile station identifier, representing the mobile station in question, to the storage means related to the paging areas that are in the location area from which the mobile station in question has just moved out.

2. A mobile communication system, comprising:

an exchange station having storage means installed in the exchange station, for registering mobile stations in connection with paging areas where the mobile stations are present, means for receiving an incoming call to a mobile station, means for referring to a location management center to find location area registered for the mobile station, means for transmitting an inquiry about the mobile station to the storage means according to the found location area, means for receiving an answer to the inquiry, and identifying one of the paging areas where the mobile station is present according to the answer, and means for transmitting a paging request to base stations that belong to the identified paging area, wherein the paging area are formed in each of the location areas.

9. The system of

claim 2

, wherein the exchange station has:

means for receiving an incoming call to one of the mobile stations, sending an inquiry about the mobile station to the storage means, receiving an answer to the inquiry, and if the answer indicates a plurality of the paging areas, transmitting a paging request to the base stations that belong to the plurality of the paging areas and transmitting a deletion request to delete a mobile station identifier representing the mobile station in question to the storage means that manages the paging areas that have returned no acknowledgment to the paging request.

11. The system of

claim 2

, wherein the storage means further has:

means for deleting a mobile station identifier if a mobile station represented with the mobile station identifier causes no outgoing call, incoming call, or location registration request within a predetermined period.

13. The system of

claim 2

, wherein the location management center has:

means for receiving a location registration request originated from a mobile station that has just moved from one of the location areas to another and for transmitting a deletion request to delete a mobile station identifier, representing the mobile station in question, to the storage means related to the paging areas that are in the location area from which the mobile station in question has just moved out.