System and methods for global access to services for mobile telephone subscribers

• US 20020012351A1
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starhome GmbH
• Original Assignee: Starhome GmbH
• Inventors: Wolfman, Shlomo, Biran, Ory, Sofer, Carmel
• Granted Patent: US 6,920,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0435 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13384 Inter-PBX traffic, PBX networks, e.g. corporate networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13399 Virtual channel/circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13405 Dual frequency signaling, DTMF
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A method and a system for providing services to roaming subscribers of mobile telephone networks. The system comprising a packet-switch network and intelligent gateways coupled to the packet-switch network enables roaming subscribers to continue using their value added services using familiar access, interface and language. The system also enables mobile operators to deliver new services to roamers and subscribers.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a packet-switch network; and

intelligent gateways coupled to said packet-switch network, each of said intelligent gateways coupled to a respective mobile network and adapted to provide a roamer in said mobile network access to a plurality of services including intelligent call assistance and dialing sequence translation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein some of said plurality of services are integrated one with another.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said intelligent gateways comprises a gateway database comprising a profile of said roamer for use by said intelligent gateway when providing access to said plurality of services.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said profile includes at least one of the following:

the operator of the home mobile network of which said roamer is a subscriber, the country of said operator, the group of operators of which said operator is a member, the language said roamer prefers to receive messages, the organization of which said roamer is a member and the community of which said roamer is a member.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising a central database coupled to said packet-switch network, said central database is adapted to enable control and maintenance of said packet-switch network, wherein each said gateway database contains replicated data of said central database.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intelligent gateway coupled to said packet-switch network, said intelligent gateway adapted to provide access to said plurality of services to a roamer in a mobile network not having an intelligent gateway coupled thereto.

7. A system comprising:

an intelligent gateway coupled to a mobile network, said intelligent gateway adapted to translate a dialing sequence when dialed by a roamer in said mobile network into a destination number, and

a mobile switch center in said mobile network, said mobile switch center adapted to route said dialing sequence to said intelligent gateway.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said dialing sequence is an erroneous number.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said mobile switch center is further adapted to give said intelligent gateway control over a call to said destination number.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said mobile switch center is further adapted to route a call corresponding to said dialing sequence to said destination number.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said mobile switch center is further adapted to route said dialing sequence when dialed by a subscriber of said mobile network to said intelligent gateway and said intelligent gateway is further adapted to translate said dialing sequence into said destination number,

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said gateway is adapted to translate said dialing sequence into at least two destination numbers according to a predefined schedule.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein said dialing sequence is a short code used in a home mobile network of said roamer to access value added services provided by said home mobile network.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein said dialing sequence is identified as a short code associated by a home mobile network of said roamer with a service provider operating in a geographical region of said home mobile network, and said dialing sequence is translated into another dialing sequence associated by said visited mobile network with a corresponding service provider operating in a geographical region of said visited mobile network.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein said dialing sequence is a short code having an equivalent alphanumeric code associated with a generic service and said destination number provides access to one of a plurality of service providers of said generic service.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein said dialing sequence is a short code having an equivalent alphanumeric code associated with a service provider and said destination number provides access to said service provider.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said alphanumeric code is associated with a brand-named organization and said destination number provides access to said organization.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein said roamer is a member of a virtual private network, said dialing sequence is a dialing extension of said virtual private network and said destination number is a corresponding complete telephone number of said dialing extension.

19. The system of claim 7 further adapted to deliver short messages to said roamer according to information stored in said gateway defining a plurality of characteristics of said roamer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein one of said characteristics is a language preferred by said roamer.

21. The system of claim 7 further adapted to provide assistance to said roamer to complete calls when said destination number dialed by said roamer is erroneous.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said assistance is provided in a language preferred by said roamer.

23. An intelligent gateway adapted to translate a dialing sequence when dialed by a roamer in a visited mobile network into a destination number and adapted to enable a call dialed by said roamer as said dialing sequence to be routed to said destination number.

24. The gateway of claim 23, wherein said gateway is further adapted to translate said dialing sequence when dialed by a subscriber of said mobile network into said destination number.

25. The gateway of claim 23 further adapted to translate said dialing sequence into at least two destination numbers according to a predefined schedule.

26. The gateway of claim 23, wherein said dialing sequence is a short code used in a home mobile network of said roamer to access value added services provided by said home mobile network.

27. The gateway of claim 23, wherein said dialing sequence is identified as a short code associated by a home mobile network of said roamer with a service provider operating in a geographical region of said home mobile network, and said dialing sequence is translated into another dialing sequence associated by said visited mobile network with a corresponding service provider operating in a geographical region of said visited mobile network.

28. The gateway of claim 24, wherein said dialing sequence is a short code having an equivalent alphanumeric code associated with a generic service and said destination number provides access to one of a plurality of service providers of said generic service.

29. The gateway of claim 24, wherein said dialing sequence is a short code having an equivalent alphanumeric code associated with a service provider and said destination number provides access to said service provider.

30. The gateway of claim 29, wherein said alphanumeric code is associated with a brand-named organization and said destination number provides access to said organization.

31. The gateway of claim 23, wherein said roamer is a member of a virtual private network, said dialing sequence is a dialing extension of said virtual private network and said destination number is a corresponding complete telephone number of said dialing extension.

32. An intelligent gateway adapted to deliver short messages to a roamer in a mobile network according to information stored in said gateway defining a plurality of characteristics of said roamer.

33. The gateway of claim 32, wherein one of said characteristics is a language preferred by said roamer.

34. An intelligent gateway adapted to provide assistance to a roamer in a mobile network to complete calls when a destination number dialed by said roamer is erroneous.

35. The gateway of claim 34, wherein said assistance provided in a language preferred by said roamer.

36. A method comprising:

using routing algorithms to provide assistance to a roamer in a mobile network to complete calls when a destination number dialed by said roamer is erroneous or ambiguous.

37. A method comprising:

using interactive voice response to provide assistance to a roamer in a mobile network to complete calls when a destination number dialed by said roamer is erroneous or ambiguous.

38. A method comprising:

routing a call dialed in a mobile network as a dialing sequence to a destination number providing access to a service provider, wherein said dialing sequence is a short code having an equivalent alphanumeric code associated with said service provider.